Brookfield Central Class of 1958

Barbara Consigny is a member of the original graduating class of Brookfield Central (BC) in 1958, and continued to give back to the community as a Brookfield Elementary Kindergarten teacher for many years.

Barbara began her educational career at Leland Elementary School in Elm Grove before attending Hawthorne Junior High in Wauwatosa. When Brookfield Central opened its doors in 1955 as Brookfield High School, Barbara was part of the inaugural class, and as the school filtered in grades, hers stayed the oldest for all three of her years at the high school. During her time at BC, she has involved as a cheerleader and in the school newspaper, and had too many impactful teachers to count them.

Barbara graduated in 1958 and continued her education at UW-Madison where she studied teaching. After receiving her degree she taught in the Madison area, and married her husband Ned in 1962. They had four children together and she ran her own four-year-old preschool while her children were young. Consigny returned to public education and taught in Milwaukee until she was offered a Kindergarten position at Brookfield Elementary. “I absolutely loved teaching my students,” she reflected. “It was the most rewarding job to work with them and help them learn to love learning.”

In the 1980s, she also earned her Masters degree in Education from Aurora University. Barbara remained actively involved in the Elmbrook community as her children followed in her footsteps and also graduated Brookfield Central. In 1997, she was proud to receive Elmbrook’s Employee of the Year Award, and in 2004, she retired from Brookfield Elementary. “It was a very fulfilling career and I loved every minute of teaching in Elmbrook,” she stated.

Today, Barbara loves spending time with her children and grandchildren, enjoys traveling across the U.S. and Europe, and is an active member of her book club and volunteer within her community. “I love this area and I loved teaching in Elmbrook,” she reflected, “it’s so kid-focused and that makes all the difference.”

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