Peru Northview’s principal honored as 2024 Herman Graves Award

Peru Northview Elementary School Principal Sara McDonald’s passion for education and children has been with her throughout her life, never doubting she would work with children.

“I loved kids,” she said. “I just had a passion for kids. When I first thought I wanted to be a teacher, I thought I wanted to be a PE teacher and then everybody told me ‘oh there’s too many PE teachers in the world.’”

With that direction McDonald went into elementary education as a math major, starting at the junior high level. She taught first grade for six years before becoming principal.

McDonald has been a principal in Peru for the last 20 years and at Northview Elementary School for the last 12. Her dedication to education and the community has earned her what is “considered the highest honor bestowed by the Illinois Principals Association, the Herman Graves Award” for the Starved Rock Region.

The award, established in 1991, recognizes outstanding service to the IPA.

La Salle Regional Superintendent Christopher Dvorak said McDonald is a true leader that cares about her students and works tirelessly to provide not only educationally but anything her students are in need of to ensure they can be successful.

“She truly cares about kids and is doing amazing work,” he said.

McDonald said she was honored to receive the award. She said when she first arrived to Peru, The Starved Rock Region needed to boost membership to the IPA and recruit leaders that wanted to participate on the executive board.

“I feel like I have been very active in the IPA,” she said. “And then my colleagues saw that and that’s very nice to see that your fellow colleagues respect that.”

McDonald said she credits not only her success but also the Northview’s success to the passion she and her team bring to their role.

“It’s a passion for learning like our teachers have a passion for teaching all students,” she said. “No matter where they come from, what their levels are. They have a passion for meeting the kids at their level and working with them to get them where they need to be.”

McDonald will retire in June 2026, but said she wants to leave her career still having the love and the passion for what she is doing.

“I want to end on a high note,” she said. “This school, I want to be ready for the next leader that’s coming. So, we are working really hard on social emotional learning, knowing respect, responsibility and being safe in school.”

McDonald said she wants every child to come into the school feeling safe and loved.

“I want them to learn to their highest potential and try their hardest,” she said. “And I want them to know that they have teachers and staff that want to support them in their learning.”

McDonald said she has been fortunate in her time to have seen her students grow and learn, some she has seen grow from Preschool to fourth grade.

“It’s not a job. It’s a passion,” she said.