Jessie Perkin
PE/Health
A New Jersey Native, Jessie grew up in a community-oriented small town about 45 minutes from NYC and the Jersey Shore. She loved going to NYC to explore the many museums, historical places, sports events, and Broadway. She has many fond memories at the Jersey Shore where she went with her family every summer and also met her husband Kenny, later to get married on the beach with sand between their toes.
Her love of physical activity and sports started at a young age. She always loved being active and spending time outside. She played many sports growing up, eventually focusing on soccer and basketball. As a high school All-American and a member of the U.S. Youth National Soccer Teams from the age of 14 on, Jessie grew up traveling around the world at a young age and was fortunate to be surrounded by amazing female role models. She has always felt the importance of being a female role model as a teacher of sports and Physical Education.
Jessica went out West in 2001 to attend Santa Clara University where, as a freshman, she contributed the assist that scored the winning goal to help SCU win their first ever NCAA Division I National Championship. She also was a member of the U.S. National Team that won the first ever U-19 Women's World Cup in 2002. Her college accolades include being a member of both the Soccer America All-Freshman All-American Team and the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 2001 and 2002, and the prestigious honor of being the 2002 NCAA Tournament’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.
Jessie’s exposure to travel at a young age through soccer, led to her love of it. After college, Jessie traveled aboard and eventually decided to live and work in New Zealand. During this time she participated in WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and also had coaching and hospitality jobs to support her travels. Jessie and her husband Kenny continue to love traveling and can’t wait to bring their children with them to these memorable places and explore new places together too!
Jessica has extensive soccer coaching experience at all levels and holds an USSF “B” coaching license. She has coached club soccer on both the East and West coast, as well as at Olympic Development Program, High School, and Division One college soccer. Jessica has a Bachelor's Degree in English with a minor in Studio Art, a teaching credential in Physical Education, and a Master's Degree in Education. In addition to teaching Physical Education, she has six years of experience being a Yearbook Advisor, which tapped into her passion for writing and art!
Jessica and her husband Kenny have three children, Brayden, Tatum, and Kayleigh. They decided to move to Castle Rock in June 2022 and they said they definitely found home! Jessie believes in the importance of community and likes to work within the community she lives in. You will often see her family and her participating in the many community events in Castle Rock. Jessie couldn’t be more excited to become a part of the Renaissance Crew. She feels extremely fortunate to have found a special place that aligns so deeply with her core values as an educator. She has always had a passion for finding creative ways to inspire kids to enjoy physical activity. She realizes her important role in her students' present and future mental and physical health, and works hard to make her instruction meaningful, engaging, interactive, educational, collaborative, and fun!