MEET DR. PEACHES
Dr. Peaches Henry is a champion of public education and is deeply committed to academic excellence. A product of the Texas public-school system, she has expertise and a record of commitment to Waco ISD to offer as a school board trustee.
EXPERTISE & RECORD OF COMMITMENT
Dr. Peaches, affectionately known as Dr. Peaches, served on the executive committee of the Lake Air Middle School Parent Teacher Association, Lake Air’s Campus Decision-Making Committee and the search committee for the principal of Lake Air Middle School. Dr. Peaches also served on the executive committee of the Waco High School Parent Teacher Association and WHS’s Campus Decision-Making Committee.
Former superintendent Bonnie Cain appointed Dr. Peaches to the school district’s Advanced Academic Advisory Board where she served on the search committee for the director of Advanced Placement. Also, she has served on Waco ISD search committees for principals and assistant superintendents. She served as the McLennan Community College Partners-in-Education Liaison to Waco High. She was a member of the Waco ISD Long-range Facilities Planning Community Advising Board and currently serves on the Waco ISD Boundaries Committee.
INITIATIVES FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Dr. Peaches has developed district-wide initiatives promoting academic excellence in partnership with numerous community organizations in Waco ISD. In 2018, Dr. Peaches developed the Lean-on-Me Mondays Tutoring Program to help Waco ISD elementary and middle school students prepare for the STAAR exams. During 2018-2019, she developed the Hidden Figures STEM Project which focused on female students from the five Waco ISD middle schools to develop their interest in STEM areas.
Dr. Peaches’ son Corey attended Waco ISD schools and received the type of excellent education that she believes is possible in the district. Corey graduated from Waco High in 2013 in the top six percent of his class. While a student in Waco ISD, Corey won the State History Fair in historical paper and went to the National History Day four times. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017. He attended St. John’s University School of Law, graduating in 2020, and passed the New York Bar. He practices in Chicago.
AN EDUCATOR WHO UNDERSTANDS
As an educator with a Bachelor of Science in Education, a lifetime Texas Educator Certificate in Secondary English, and more than 30 years of teaching experience as a high school teacher and college professor, Dr. Peaches has hands-on understanding of the stakes of public education. For the last three years, Dr. Peaches has volunteered on a weekly basis in Waco ISD schools where she has observed first-hand the triumphs and struggles faced by students, parents, and educators.
She graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with two bachelor’s degrees—one in education and one in liberal arts. She has a masters and a doctorate in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University in New York. Currently, Dr. Peaches is a professor at McLennan Community College where she teaches composition and British literature.