Respected by Blue Valley for her dedication to athletics over her 43 years in the district, is Peggy Rose. Referred to as P-Rose by students and coaches, she is known to be a woman of everything. Whether it’s that she has an elaborate answer for any question, knows every person and what year she met them, or that she somehow has anything you need in her little bag, you can always expect her to have everything.
Starting her infinite list of things she has done are the jobs she has held in the district.
“I have been the department chair for physical education twice [and have taught] Health and PE. I always taught dance and gymnastics as part of my PE classes– country-western line dancing and waltzes. I also taught aquatics,” Rose said. “I’ve been the head track coach for about 12 years, coached sophomore and JV volleyball one year each, and [coached] freshmen for about 38 years. And then I have coached the hurdles, high jump, long jump, [and] triple jump in various times here since 1981. I coached Coach Huber.”
In college, she got a track scholarship and studied P.E.
“I worked in the athletic department 15 to 20 hours a week [which bought] me a good typewriter,” Rose said. “So I typed papers for other kids for a dollar a page– I was a good typist.”
At 67 years old, Rose is as lively as her college years. She explained that it’s in her family’s genetics to be this active.
“My mom is [soon] to be 102 so I think I’m going to be around for a long time. Her cousin is also 102– so, good genes. And their other first cousin just passed away last year at 103,” Rose said.
As an all-around “everything” person, Rose shared a few of her several interests.
“I’m not a sit-around person too much,” she said. “When I finish practice I’ll go for a walk somewhere to get a few 1,000 steps in. I [also] like to look for new things. I traveled over spring break and tried out some new parks, menus, recipes, restaurants, and some college campuses. I like to learn. I watch PBS, documentaries, anime… I watch a little bit of everything.”
And her list of interests does not end there. From running summer camps in Michigan to stargazing with her new star-detecting app, Rose has many hobbies.
After decades of experience in sports, Rose shared her favorite parts about coaching.
“I like seeing kids figure things out and grow from freshman year up to senior year and even beyond when they’re in college,” she said. “I had lunch with one of our college hurdlers who’s graduated and I’m seeing her [again soon]. It’s good to keep in touch with people. I see a lot of them on Facebook having babies now… it’s just kind of special [to see that growth].”
