Peggy Lewis, principal at Toler Elementary School, was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Administrator Award by the California Music Educators Association (CMEA). This award honors a school administrator who has contributed powerfully to the support of music education. She was previously given the same award by the local Southern Border Section of California Music Educators Association in 2018. The regional award qualified her for the state award, which was presented at the CMEA Awards Gala at the California All-State Music Education Conference (CASMEC) in Fresno last February.
The anonymous recommendation for her award stated, “Ms. Lewis recognizes how instrument study improves attendance, grades, and skills in [her] Title I school and fully supports the music program, making sure that music teachers have rooms to teach in, and all necessary supplies. The school buys the class books and will pay to rent instruments if the district inventory cannot cover the demand [for certain instruments]. In addition to their two or three evening concerts at school each year, the students have performed in Clairemont community events and also for a concert with Classics For Kids orchestra. Students have also attended concerts by that orchestra.”
Ms. Lewis has been an educator for over thirty years, teaching at every grade level. Her philosophy is to focus on classroom learning at all levels. She attended San Diego State University, Chapman University, and United States International University, and chose a career in education in order to make a difference in children’s lives.
