LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jim Berryman-Shafer was nominated by his colleague, Rachel Leach.

For the last 30+ years, Mr. Berryman-Shafer has worked tirelessly in a variety of capacities to make the Silver Springs community a better place. He is an amazing teacher, and he is an even more amazing counselor.  He does a million things behind the scenes and after hours that no one ever hears about, and he still somehow manages to make the school year run as smoothly as ever.

Mr. Berryman-Shafer is a wealth of knowledge, and he never fails to support teachers, students, staff and families when he is asked to help, regardless of the request. He cares deeply about everyone at SSMS. He could have retired two years ago, but he decided to stay because he felt his work at SSMS wasn't quite done.

"We are incredibly lucky to have him as our counselor. He is amazing in a million different ways and I cannot imagine how life at SSMS will work when he retires at  the end of this year," said Leach. "Saying that he has touched many lives would be a serious understatement of his impact on this school and community."