Former bug kid (and current bug adult), Chicago hot-dog lover, and avid Great British Bake Off watcher, Mary Renner has joined the Ripples staff as an advisor for the 2025–26 school year. 

“I was happy to do it and kind of just got sucked in from there,” said Renner. “[I love] how special this group of kids is, and how fun it is to see [them] all working and coming together. The product [they] put out for the time given is so impressive and just cool to witness.”

Renner’s path to working in education was a long but rewarding one. Currently, she teaches as a part of the Edgenuity program.

“I was in school to become a middle school English teacher, and I kind of fell out of love with education because I was a COVID grad,” Renner said. “I was in a kind of funky time in life where I was really questioning the path I was going down, and I stepped away from that and kind of came back to it after kind of having life experience to push me back in this direction. Coming back to it reinforced what I love about education and introduced  me to the age group that I prefer. I really like high school.”

Renner took a break from the education career path for a bit, returning when she was offered the job she currently has at Shorewood.

“In many roundabout ways I ended up at Shorewood, and kind of on a whim. I was working in a kitchen and the hours and lifestyle was kind of wearing on me, and I was looking for a drastic change,” Renner said. “I saw that they were hiring, and I just went for it and I am very grateful I did…it became something I never expected it to be.”

After working for a few years at Shorewood, Renner was offered the position of advisor for the Ripples newspaper. Renner enjoys working with students and the teaching staff.

“[They’re] a really cool group of kids that I actually enjoy the company of, which I think is kind of rare,” Renner said. “My peers are so impressive and I’ve learned so much from them.  I think that’s what keeps me here: the team I work with and the kids we work with.”

Renner has especially enjoyed the company of the Ripples Editorial Staff during layout week, as well as the process of seeing the paper come to life.

“I love being a Rippler. I think layout week is the highlight, as cliché as that is. When I go home, my sister and I joke that I feel like I’m in ‘All the President’s Men’, but if they were all teenage girls and Pira.”