LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Thomas Crane was nominated by his spouse, Cassi Crane.

"I've taught at Chapel Hill Junior High for eight years, and my husband made a career change two years ago and is in his second year of teaching. In just two years, I have seen him make a positive change in the atmosphere of our school," said Mrs. Crane. "His passion, motivation, hard work, and willingness to help everyone he can is so encouraging to watch and learn from."

Being one of the few male teachers in the Junior High, Mr. Crane has built great rapport with his students. A few weeks before his nomination was submitted, his mom received a text from someone at his church thanking her for raising such an influential young man. The woman's daughter is adopted and has had some issues with trusting males in her life. She stated that Mr. Crane had been such a strong influence in her life and she enjoyed going to his class everyday.

"About a month ago, a parent told me how thankful she was to have such a strong, influential, positive teacher and coach for her son. She expressed that she was nervous about her son starting 7th grade until she found out her son would have Coach Crane," said Mrs. Crane. "As a wife, it warms my heart and makes me incredibly proud to be married to a man who makes a difference in the lives of our junior high students, because he has already made a huge difference in my life from the moment I met him."

On the court, Mr. Crane has helped transform the junior high basketball program into a more organized, disciplined, and motivational environment. Prior to his arrival, coaches treated junior high students in a relaxed manner, but now that he and his co-coach are in there working together, the program is transforming young men, both on and off the court. They are held to a high standard and expected to act respectfully on and off the court. When they see Coach Crane, they immediately "straighten up" because they want to do well for him. That is the sign of a teacher/coach who is making a difference. 

"Everyone knows how challenging and frustrating the first two years of teaching can be, and I have watched my husband enjoy every single minute of it," said Mrs. Crane. "He encourages me because he exemplifies that no matter how challenging or frustrating things can be, there is always a reason to smile. I couldn't be more proud of my husband and the influential, encouraging, disciplined, and positive teacher/coach he already is and is continuing to become. His determination from the beginning to mold our young junior high students into responsible high school students and adults is such a great approach to this profession. He is doing a great job of preparing students for the responsibilities that they may face in their future."