LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Ron Reichle was nominated by a student.

"Reflecting on my educational journey, I've had ups and downs. I have faced extreme anxiety my entire life and have always struggled with it, especially at school. There would be days when I'd wake up consumed by anxiety, causing me to be extremely sick, and days when all I'd want to do was sleep and not go to school. So, for me, school wasn't something I necessarily looked forward to," said the student.

"When the first of September came around (the day school started), I'd always wake up with mass anxiety and a sense of dread that I couldn't seem to overcome…That was until I walked into first-hour history class and met Mr. Reichle at the beginning of my sophomore year at Arrowhead Union High School," said the student.

"Imagine your average dress pants, button-up shirt, and tie teacher who's starting to go bald but isn't really quite there yet—that's Mr. Reichle. Except, he wasn't your average teacher. You see, Mr. Reichle was different, and I could tell he was right once he opened his mouth," said the student.

"'Good morning,' he'd shout with enthusiasm every day, bright and early at 7:20 AM, always causing me to jump out of my chair. This energy and enthusiasm helped me wake up a little, learn and retain knowledge, and have fun," said the student.

"When I first met him, he seemed like a grumpy old man, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Mr. Reichle possessed a youthful energy that you wouldn't have expected and was completely unmatched by any other teacher I have ever had (and I've had some excellent teachers). Mr. Reichle brought this energy into the classroom every single day, into every lesson, with every word, without fail. He made class, heck, he made school fun," said the student.

"One day in particular, I remember walking into his classroom, and all of the lights were dimmed. In the back was a table filled with treats, but Mr. Reichle wasn't in sight. Then, after the bell rang, a 6-foot-4 wizard trampled into our classroom, yelling, 'Good morning!' Yes, that's right. Mr. R got a table full of snacks and dressed up as a wizard just because he wanted to make class fun," said the student.

"Mr. Reichle left such a good impression on me during my sophomore year that I decided to take an AP class just so I could have him again in my junior year with AP European History, which was an absolute blast. There was the day that we celebrated Winston Churchill's birthday just because that was Mr. Reichle's favorite historical figure or the time he made a whole skit to teach us how people would react to receiving bizarre gifts during the 1600s," said the student.

"Not only is Mr. Reichle a great teacher, but he's also an amazing girls' basketball coach. From everyone I've heard, Mr. Reichle is a blast to have as a basketball coach, bringing the same energy he brings into the classroom onto the court. He's also a father of two, who, I'm sure without them knowing, has helped me retain much knowledge about the Industrial Revolution with some lessons from Mr. R," said the student.

"Like I said earlier, I used to come to school every day with mass anxiety almost without fail. Every moment, I felt like I should have stayed quiet in my corner. But, as time passed and I listened to Mr. Reichle scream more and more, I slowly began to come out of my shell. And halfway through my sophomore year, I began to shout out answers in class. I began to look forward to school. I no longer had anxiety every single day," said the student.

"Mr. Reichle helped me in more ways than I think he knows. He helped bring the childhood energy that he had back into my life. Mr. Reichle told us about becoming a history teacher to show why history was important and fun. And boy, did he not fail. Oh, and returning to that AP Class, I got a 98%, my best grade ever. Mr. Reichle is my favorite teacher I have ever had. So thank you, Mr. Reichle, for bringing all that fun and joy into my life, for teaching me about the importance of the past, and for bringing the kid in me back out again," said the student.