Call it ‘Wheeler elementary’ in Sycamore

SYCAMORE – The matriarch of the Wheeler family, one of three family members who work at South Prairie Elementary School, is getting ready to retire at the end of the school year.

Deb Wheeler has been a paraprofessional at various Sycamore School District 427 elementary schools for more than three decades. This June, she’ll say goodbye to a 33-year career.

“[It’s] bittersweet because I do love what I do,” Deb Wheeler said. “I take kids with special needs, have them in a regular classroom and watch them totally exceed expectations every time.”

Deb Wheeler started her career at South East Elementary School, then moved to South Prairie Elementary School before going to North Grove Elementary School when it opened in 2010.

The current school year is the first academic year Deb Wheeler has worked at South Prairie Elementary in at least 15 years. The move means she will retire after getting to experience a year where three other family members spend their days in the same building.

“They are obviously committed to the community and dedicated to education and helping grow kids in the community.”

—  Tom Rucker

Whitney Wheeler, Deb’s daughter-in-law, works as a third grade teacher at South Prairie. Then there’s Deb’s son, Dan Wheeler, a fifth grade teacher. And Whitney’s son, Deb’s grandson, attends school at South Prairie.

Dan said it was fantastic to work alongside family.

“You can kind of have a mini-family reunion if something’s going on at home and you need to talk,” Dan Wheeler said. “You don’t have to make the phone call, you can walk down and talk.”

Whitney said she thinks the extra interactions her son gets to have with his grandmother and uncle have been great.

“Deb’s put in a very long career. She’s beloved by many, so it’s bittersweet,” Whitney Wheeler said.

When retirement starts, Deb said she hopes to spend some time golfing with her children and grandchildren. She also plans to continue community service.

Sycamore school officials have described the Wheelers as “an amazing family in our district” who take part in a variety of community and district initiatives. That statement holds true across generations.

Whitney is heavily involved in district committees, is a member of South Prairie’s Parent Teacher Organization and takes part in the Sycamore Fire Buddies program alongside her husband, Sycamore city firefighter Ian Wheeler.

Project Fire Buddies is a nonprofit created by a network of fire departments to support children diagnosed with critical illnesses, according to Sycamore city officials.

“Ian just showed such a passion for it that now it’s just very much a part of our lives with my kids and myself,” Whitney Wheeler said. “We just love our buddies and we’ve gotten bigger with the organization as it’s grown. It’s just a wonderful organization.”

Dan, Sycamore High School’s head golf coach, also helps run the Sycamore Youth Basketball League. The program has 37 teams and more than 350 young athletes who play at the Sycamore High School Fieldhouse, according to the district.

Deb also has volunteered with Neighbors’ House, a faith-based nonprofit that supports students and their families, for the past six years.

Dan said he thinks teachers innately want to give back to and invest in their community.

“I think that what happens in the classroom, or what we do as teachers, is just a very, very small fraction of how we can give back to the community,” Dan Wheeler said. “Every teacher that I know is involved with another organization or something with kids outside of school as well. ”

South Prairie Principal Tom Rucker joked that the school should be nicknamed Wheeler Elementary. He complimented the family on their efforts that extend beyond the classroom.

“They are obviously committed to the community and dedicated to education and helping grow kids in the community,” Rucker said.

With her family deeply involved in more than a handful of facets of Sycamore life, Deb Wheeler said she’s proud of the people she’s raised.

“I’ve been very proud of all of them [her kids and extended family],” she said. “They’re amazing kids and I’m a very blessed mother to have such a great family.”