MANCHESTER, MI – Two of Nolan Peterson’s most memorable moments in education came long before he ever took the reins at the head of a classroom.

The first came from his favorite teacher growing up — a third- and fourth-grade instructor who, he said, made sure every student who walked in felt loved, heard and capable.

The Chelsea native said it was a lesson he later realized he wanted to one day apply himself as an educator while working as a camp counselor in college. It was an overnight program through the now-closed Judson Collins United Methodist Camp, he said, where groups of campers of different age levels changed every week.

One day, Peterson got a heads-up one camper never had a good time. So, he approached the high school-aged camper and asked what he was thinking and feeling.

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