Lisa C. Peake, a chemistry teacher at Wesley Chapel High School in Wesley Chapel, FL, has been teaching chemistry since 2001. She began her career in South Carolina and began teaching in Florida in 2003. She was recently promoted to science department head at Wesley Chapel High School. Ms. Peake teaches regular and AP chemistry. She participates in the University of Florida’s summer research program for teachers to enhance her teaching skills and better engage her students.
Ms. Peake inspires students to think for themselves and provides analytic, comparative, and synthesis skills to her students. She has fostered a love of science in her students; several have gone on to major in science in college. Colleagues have noted that Ms. Peake’s former students return from college to thank her for the lessons they were taught in her classroom. She serves as a mentor to new teachers each year and has worked with individual students who need additional assistance in order to take the AP chemistry course. Ms. Peake also works with fellow teachers to review science textbooks and to write grant proposals for the science department.
Ms. Peake has been recognized as a National Honor Roll Outstanding American Teacher.
She has made presentations at the National Science Teachers Association and the American Chemical Society. She is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and National Chemistry Honor Society.
Ms. Peake has a B.A. in chemistry from Clemson University and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction, chemistry specialization, from the University of South Florida. She holds professional educator certifications from Florida (chemistry secondary education) and South Carolina (science secondary education).