Principal Ben Hunt says Eastside Elementary School is in the “opportunity business.”
“When you go into education your goal hopefully is to make a difference,” Hunt said. “And it’s twofold. We have an opportunity every day to make a difference, but also, as educators, we are creating opportunities for our students.”
And when it comes to creating those opportunities, Hunt seems to live by an important motto: “We have to make learning fun.”
Io walk down the halls of Eastside Elementary is to see Hunt’s passionate drive for students and teachers alike evident everywhere. He was recently nominated for the 2023-24 LifeChanger of the Year program.
Sponsored by the National Life Group since its inception in 2011, the LifeChanger of the Year is an “annual program that recognizes and rewards K(indergarten)-12 educators and school employees across the country” based on their impact in making a significant difference in students’ lives “by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership,” the program’s website states.
The program has honored more than 6,700 school employees from more than 1,800 school districts in the country.
Each year, nominees have the opportunity to win an allotment of cash prizes, both individually and for their school. In the program’s history more than $650,000 has been awarded to schools and their employees.
If Hunt were to receive the grand prize for the 2023-24 school year he would be awarded $10,000, split between $5,000 individually and a $5,000 donation to the school. Additionally, four grand prize finalists will be awarded $5,000 split between $2,500 for the individual recipients and a $2,500 donation to their school.
LifeChanger Awards are also given out to 10 other finalists, where $3,000 is split between $1,500 individually and a $1,500 donation to their school.
‘A surprise and an honor’Hunt has spent 22 years in Whitfield County Schools. He first taught sixth- and seventh-grade social studies and science at Valley Point Middle School and spent four years as the assistant principal for Eastbrook Middle School before joining Eastside Elementary in 2010.
When Hunt was made aware that he was nominated for the award by co-worker Tollis Bond, who works part time at Eastside as a special education teacher after retiring, he said, “It was a surprise and an honor.”
“Just to be honored, especially when I get to see what other people do every day, I was taken aback and really surprised,” Hunt said. “Just being nominated is a pretty amazing honor, because as an educator you don’t get in it for the money or the summers. You get in it to make a difference and to be a life changer. and receiving a nomination, at least to one person, shows that I’ve at least tried to do that.”
Bond, who recveived the 2015-16 LifeChanger Award during her time as a kindergarten teacher at Northwest Elementary School in Chatsworth, said Hunt’s drive to go “over and beyond” for students and teachers has impacted more than just that one person at Eastside.
“He’s always wanting to do nice things for everyone and it’s really just a blessing to be at a place that you get excited about going to every day; he makes it special,” Bond said. “The school as a whole is a great team of people and everybody wants to help those kids. I haven’t seen one person there that’s sour or just wants to leave right at 3 o’clock; they all are willing to do what needs to be done for those kids. I’m really blessed to work there.”
Making an impressionBond said Hunt brings an unmatched energy to the school and “has a heart for each student that walks through those doors,” something she said was evident in the summer home visits to new students.
“The first time I met him was during the home visits,” Bond said. “Before school started, he, along with kindergarten teachers, (paraprofessionals) and I went and visited every child that was going to be coming into kindergarten. We went to every one of their homes, saw them, talked to their parents, welcomed them and gave them popsicles. He took time out of his summer to make all of those kids feel welcomed and know that they were going to be part of a group of people that cared about them. I’ve never seen principals do that before.”
Detailing the things Hunt and Eastside Elementary staff do to make lasting impressions on students, Bond called to mind Psalm 127:3.
“The Bible tells us that children are a gift from God, so we have a great responsibility to make their lives better,” Bond said. “And what a great platform as educators we have to help them.”
Third-grade teacher Erin Cupp said that welcoming attitude has made Hunt worthy of a nomination.
“One of the things that really stands out to me is that he knows just about every child’s name here,” Cupp said. “We have almost 600 kids and he knows them all. He makes sure that every kid feels welcome and acknowledged. The culture that he creates here at school, he makes it a fun place but also challenges us to make it academic, and he encourages us to step up our game.”
Not just a ‘boss’Lauren Nadeja, a third-grade teacher at Eastside, said Hunt displays a “why not” mentality when it comes to making lasting memories for students, whether it is making rap songs and music videos to match lessons, dressing as Buddy the Elf from the 2003 holiday film “Elf,” buying a snow machine for students to make the school entrance into a winter wonderland or dressing in Hawaiian shirts and playing the ukulele in the lobby during mornings.
“It’s hard to explain how awesome it is to have someone that is so driven and so thoughtful about taking care of not only our students but us as a staff and making sure our needs are met so we can take care of our kids,” Nadeja said. “Having a leader like (Hunt) is what makes our school so special. Anyone can come in here and see there’s some great things happening here at Eastside.”
Those sentiments were shared by second-grade teacher Renee Clark.
“As a teacher, he encourages all of us just to take our teaching and activities to the next level for our students,” said Clark. ”We might have an idea and he will just help us to take it to that next level and amp it up in order to get our students engaged and involved in learning. He’s not just our boss, we are working together as a team.”
First-grade teacher Nubia Ruiz, who first met Hunt in sixth-grade when he was her assistant principal at Eastbrook Middle, said “opportunity” does come to the forefront when she thinks of Hunt.
“Once I went off to college I stumbled upon not knowing what I wanted to do in my life,” Ruiz said. “One day I saw him and I told him I was stuck and he said, ‘Why don’t you come to Eastside on Fridays and teach art?’ I knew nothing about art, but he said to give it a try. He gave me that opportunity. I realized this was where I was meant to be and I wanted to be a teacher. I’m here because of that.”
‘The greatest’Fifth-grade teacher Brittany Taylor said Hunt has been a “mentor” to her for 20 years,” from teaching her in seventh-grade at Valley Point Middle to being her principal at Eastside.
“He’s just so inspiring for all of the students and teachers involved,” Taylor said. “He encourages us to take chances and to be innovative, and he really pushes us to develop our professional skills.”
Eastside media specialist Holly Jones said Hunt can be summed up in simple terms.
“He is by far the greatest,” she said. “He makes everybody feel like they belong here. He’s my family, that’s how I think of him. He makes this place what it is. He changes lives and changes (students’) worlds. He makes them feel like they are the most important kid in the school at any moment.”
Whether or not Hunt receives one of the LifeChanger of the Year Awards he is still fulfilled, he said.
“It’s the best job in the world for me,” Hunt said. “Every day I get to come to work and I get to work with amazing adults and fantastic students and see families that I’ve known for years. I’m not the reason for their success, but hopefully I can be part of opening doors for people. That’s the goal. You only get one life, so live it up and make it count.”