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From left: North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, 2024 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson, and Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller.

Pictured from left: North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, 2024 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Sheila Peterson, and Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller.

Sheila Peterson has taught for 22 years. Currently, she teaches peer-to-peer and physical education at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck, North Dakota. Peterson graduated from Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota, with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 2000 and a master's in technology for Education and Training from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, in 2006. 

Peterson has served in a variety of roles throughout her career. She has worked as a trainer for professional development for teachers around the state and taught physical education, life skills, reading strategies, and English. While working for Bismarck Public Schools, she has been a member of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support team for 7 years and has been a guiding coalition member for middle school physical educators for the past 10 years. She has served on the North Dakota Society of Health and Physical Educators board for the past two years. 

Peterson was named Wachter Middle School teacher of the Year in 2013 and the North Dakota Middle School Physical Educator of the Year in 2017. She believes learning through experience and facilitating learning based on student interest is essential to learning. As a teacher, she wants students to be on their toes, always wondering what weird thing they are going to learn next. She strongly believes in the importance of supported leaps and being a catalyst for change and innovation.