Julie Parker has worked at PCCS since 2013 as both a substitute teacher and an instructional assistant, and beginning fall 2017, she began teaching Kindergarten at PCCS. Mrs. Parker was drawn to PCCS because of her love of charter schools and her belief in creating authentic, true-to-life learning experiences for children. She also likes the sense of community that smaller schools provide for families.  Mrs. Parker earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and English from Marquette University in 2002. She went on to get her Master’s degree at DePaul in Chicago.  Since she was a little girl, Mrs. Parker’s “happy place” has been Northern Wisconsin, where her parents own a lake house. Her favorite activities there include boating, fishing, running/hiking, and kayaking. Mrs. Parker feels a strong connection between the natural world and her own faith, and she sees great importance in helping children explore their own relationships with nature. Her favorite quote is, “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” — Roald Dahl. Her favorite book is Walden by Henry David Thoreau.