When Sarah Penrod walks into her classroom each morning, she finds students already waiting by the door. Some greet her enthusiastically, others remain quiet—but all are about to enter a space where creativity and personal expression are encouraged, sometimes with the lights dimmed to avoid the fluorescent glare.

At 23, Penrod is Meridian's full-time art teacher for grades 6-12, a position she took after graduating from Southern Illinois University with a degree in art education in December 2023.

"I just enjoy working with the students and getting their input," Penrod says, her face lighting up. "I get some of the best ideas from my students. They'll ask, 'Can I do something else than what you've laid out?' I'm like, 'Yeah, absolutely. Show me what your idea is.'"

This collaborative approach has become Penrod's signature teaching style. While many new teachers might stick rigidly to lesson plans, Penrod embraces flexibility, allowing students to bring their own interests and ideas into their artwork.

Growing up in Buncombe, Illinois—a tiny community about 10 minutes south of Goreville—Penrod took a traditional path to becoming an educator. She earned her associate's degree at John A. Logan College before completing her bachelor's at SIU, where she accumulated three semesters of classroom observations followed by a semester of student teaching at West Frankfort High School.

After graduation, Penrod worked at St. Andrew's Catholic School in Murphysboro, teaching pre-K through 8th grade art on a part-time basis. But a recommendation from her SIU professor Jodi Paulson prompted her to look into Meridian, where she first substituted before joining the staff full-time.

"I subbed just a little bit on Fridays towards the end of the year last year," Penrod recalls. "And I was like, 'Well, I want to work here now.'"

The appeal? The students themselves.

"These kids have a lot that they could share, and they're very interesting people," she says. "I like them a lot. They're very likable. You just have to get to know them a little bit."

Now commuting 45-50 minutes from her home in Marion each day, Penrod has fully embraced Meridian's culture. "Mrs. Dillard has said before, and I would kind of mimic that, Meridian is a little family. You just get a sense that people are pretty personable."

She sees parallels between Meridian and St. Andrew's in "how close-knit everybody is and the sense of community and purpose and wanting to be there for our students and push them to succeed."

As an artist herself who enjoys watercolor painting, sculpture, and mixed media, Penrod brings authentic artistic experience to her teaching. But what she believes is her unique contribution goes beyond technical skills.

"I'd like to think that I am very laid back and responsive in a good way because these kids like to push your buttons," she explains. "You need to be able to manage your own emotions very well and respond appropriately."

In her classroom, Penrod emphasizes praising effort rather than results. "Studies have shown that whenever you do that, it encourages students to tackle things that are more difficult. Whereas if you only praise results, they're more inclined to choose easier problems and give up whenever they think they're not gonna do well."

Looking ahead, Penrod has plans to start an art club next year, recognizing that extracurricular opportunities can further nurture student creativity. But for now, she's focused on helping students recognize their own potential.

"There's such a wide variety of students in every way, and they are more creative than they give themselves credit for," she says. "A lot of them are just kinder and smarter than they give themselves credit for. From the outsider's perspective, you can see all their good qualities."