LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Ben Peter was nominated by his principal, Clark Olstad.

Mr. Peter works with seventh and eighth grade Physical Education students and is a LifeChanger to all of them.

“I have had many personal conversations with parents of Mr. Peter’s students. They often comment that he has been the most positive teacher influence in their children’s lives,” Olstad said. “Parents continue to comment that Mr. Peter makes Physical Education class fun. At the same time, he holds their children accountable to give their best effort each day, maintain a positive attitude, and to treat other students with respect.”

Mr. Peter holds himself to the same high standards and expectations as that of his students. He is the type of person that will always volunteer to work at school functions to make the overall district a better place. Over the past fifteen years, Mr. Peter has been heavily involved in school sports. He has coached ninth grade football and junior high boys' basketball. Mr. Peter is actively involved and is currently serving as the varsity softball coach, volunteering to help with elementary school basketball, line judges at volleyball games, and even referees for games.

Over the past several years, Mr. Peter has dedicated hours of his personal time to creating one of the best softball complexes in the area. Improvements have been made to the field, fences, dugouts, scoreboard, concession stands and the storage shed, all under his leadership.

Mr. Olstad recalled a quote from Vince Lombardi that reminds him of Mr. Peter. “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

“Mr. Peter is very committed to his school district and is one of those rare individuals who truly believes in volunteerism for the greater cause. His efforts have helped our school and community become a place all families and students can be proud of”, Olstad said.