Peggy Heller graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1935 at the age of 19. She began her teaching career in 1936 and taught at South Fork Union High School in Mirada, Ca. She married Jim Heller and moved to Atwater in 1938. For 53 years she devoted her life to the field of education as well as to the community of Atwater. Peggy substituted for Livingston High School while her two sons were young. She began her teaching career in Atwater in 1943. Later, while she was teaching third grade, her curiosity regarding the process by which one learns to read took over, and she began taking college reading classes. She became our district's Reading Specialist in 1955 and earned her Reading Teacher's credential in 1968. Retiring in 1981 after 45 years of teaching, Mrs. Heller kept very active as a college instructor and consultant to the Atwater School District. She continued working on a part-time basis with students and staff at Aileen Colburn School. Peggy was named Educator of the Year in 1995, where she attended a celebration at the State Capital. Mrs. Heller passed away at the age of 92 on April 20, 2007