LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Shannon Kopperud was nominated by a colleague, Clay Olstad.

"Mrs. Kopperud is an amazing educator who never gives up on a student. She educates each child on their individual needs related to academic abilities, behavior, and personal struggles they may be dealing with. She has that calming sense that she radiates to her students and colleagues, making life better," said Olstad.

"Mrs. Kopperud is the type of superior teacher who spends every minute at school focusing on how she can help another student be successful in her classroom and with important life skills like responsibility, accountability, and perseverance. It is very common for Mrs. Kopperud to have students in her classroom during her prep time and daily lunch break. She is always willing to give up her own time to help a student accomplish a goal," said Olstad.

"Another area in which Mrs. Kopperud truly excels is her ability to implement and her strong belief in the importance of differentiated instruction. She always meets the needs and challenges of each academic learner, especially with her ability to teach language arts. A huge strength of hers is teaching students how to read and improving each student's ability at their fluency and comprehension level no matter where they are currently," said Olstad.

"Mrs. Kopperud has many strengths as an educator, but one of her best strengths is her ability to create one of the best "Family" classroom environments I have ever witnessed in education. She puts in countless hours of work before school, after school, on weekends, and during summer vacation to give her best genuine effort to her students," said Olstad.

Mr. Olstad recalled a quote from Malala Yousafzai that reminded him of Mrs. Kopperud, "One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world."

"This quote means if anyone can bring positive change into the world daily, it is a teacher.  Don't ever think that a teacher's efforts are insignificant or do not make a difference.  Measuring a teacher's positive influence on someone's life is hard, especially for students.  But, that is exactly what Mrs. Kopperud does by positively changing the lives of her students and families," said Olstad.

"She is, and will continue to be, a LifeChanger to many students and families at Rushford-Peterson Schools!" Olstad said.