Pekin Community High School is excited to welcome our new Athletic Director, Brandon Shaver. Mr. Shaver is returning to Pekin High, having served the Pekin community during the 2023-2024 school year as a Physical Education Teacher, Head Girls’ Cross Country Coach, and Assistant Boys’ Track and Field Coach. 

Mr. Shaver comes to the Athletic Director position with a variety of experiences, including 15 years in education. He began his career teaching Social Studies at East Peoria Central Junior High School, where he was also the Student Council Sponsor and served on the School Improvement Team, Standards Implementation Committee, and the Recruitment, Interviewing, and Hiring Committee. Most recently, Mr. Shaver comes to PCHS from Oakdale School in Mclean County, serving as Assistant Principal. Mr. Shaver holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Education from Augustana College and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from Aurora University. 

In the world of Athletics, Mr. Shaver served as the Head Boys’ Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at East Peoria Community High School for 10 years. He also sat on the Illinois High School Association’s Cross Country Advisory Committee, a statewide board responsible for proposing changes to IHSA bylaws, constitutional amendments, policies, administrative procedures, and terms and conditions, as well as making recommendations to the Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Shaver held the role of State Meet Coordinator for the Illinois Elementary School Association for 8 years, where he was responsible for supervising operations for the IESA State Meet, an event boasting 2,500 participants each year. An athlete himself, he was a 2-sport varsity athlete in college, participating in Cross Country and Track and Field. 

Mr. Shaver is excited about the opportunity to serve the Pekin community once again. He noted that his great experience with the coaches and kids makes him excited to jump into the role. In his role as Athletic Director, Mr. Shaver wants to continue to build on a long legacy of excellent athletic programming at PCHS, saying “I want to create a positive atmosphere for athletes of all levels, grow our programs, and get more kids involved.” Mr. Shaver loved being a college and high school athlete and wants to provide that same opportunity to the students of Pekin. 

As the school year nears, you will find Mr. Shaver creating those opportunities for students in the hallways, gyms, pools, and fields of PCHS. The opportunity is here, and Mr. Shaver is ready to keep fueling our fire within!