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It’s the end of the school year and our LifeChanger of the Year program is taking this as an opportunity to celebrate all the great work that educators around the country are doing.

As the school year winds down and barbeque season picks up, take a moment to reflect on a school employee who went above and beyond this year. Maybe it’s a teacher or coach at your child’s school or maybe you have a family member or friend who you’ve witnessed put in countless hours to make a positive difference.  Too often this work goes unnoticed but you can change that.

We opened nominations for the 2017-18 school year in May, earlier than we ever have, and right now we’re encouraging students and their families to thank an educator by nominating them for this great award.

We are also highlighting a new honor that will be awarded in the fall. The Spotlight Award will shine a spotlight every year on particular disciplines in education worthy of note.

This year we’re focusing on school secretaries, administrative assistants, office managers and others without whom no school could function as it does. And, we’re still encouraging nominations for any school employee for our other 16 awards.

You can check out the details on the LifeChanger website.

The LifeChanger program has truly become a year-round initiative this year. We only just finished making awards for the 2016-17 school year.

Our final surprise pop-up ceremony for a national winner happened just before Memorial Day.

Ben Stanton is an art teacher at Ralph Bunche Elementary School in the Compton Unified School District in California.

He was recognized for using a nurturing atmosphere for expression that has made a lasting impact in the lives of his students.

“You have given us hope to turn our goals into actions,” one student wrote of him. “Therefore, you are helping us discover ourselves and our hidden abilities.”