By Tyler Dahlgren

It’s mid-morning on a crisp Friday in October and Wilber-Clatonia superintendent Justin Petersen sits down at his desk, grinning ear-to-ear.

It’s not uncommon for Petersen’s mornings to put him in one of these moods. He’s intentional about spending the first couple of hours of each day out and about, spending time with teachers and kids, and, aside from developing relationships, the smile he wears is his reward.

“I played Plinko with a fourth-grader earlier this morning,” the first-year superintendent said, “and that will be fifteen of the best minutes of my day. It’s what we’re here for. It’s such a cool job, being able to make a positive impact on those students.”

It’s a job Petersen’s new to, although you wouldn’t know it. In the superintendent game, Petersen’s a rookie, but he’s immersed himself in this place south of Lincoln and in his network of fellow administrators.

It already feels like home.

“It’s been really cool seeing the passion people around here have for their community and for their school,” Petersen said. “They’re a very hardworking community that takes pride in what they have. It’s a super proud Czech community. I mean, it really is, and they should be.”

Petersen’s proud to be a part of it, and he’s happy to be here. A self-proclaimed “late-arriver” to education, Petersen tried a little bit of everything after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he played basketball for the Mavericks in the mid-2000s. 

A conversation with his father, who taught shop for 31 years in Louisville, changed everything.

“I just hadn’t found that thing that I was passionate about,” said Petersen, who was just about to turn 30 at the time. “I’d been in banking, done some construction, but that didn’t really make the fire burn. I looked at my dad’s career, shadowed a special education teacher at Louisville, and just decided to dive into it.”

Here he is, a little more than a decade into a career that has included foundational stints as a SPED teacher, a basketball coach and a building principal. For Petersen, it’s been both a whirlwind and a complete joy.

“That first year of teaching is always about trying to keep your head above water, but being around the kids was so much fun that I haven’t doubted this journey for a second,” said Petersen, who has made fun a priority every step of the way. 

As an elementary principal in Yutan and then Broken Bow, Petersen said he stole as much stuff from other people as he could. To foster the culture he had in mind, he had to.

“We started out with High Five Fridays, and every day I was out front of the school with music playing and greeting every kid with a fist bump,” he said. “On Fridays, we’d bring over the varsity football or volleyball teams to join in, fun stuff like that. I’d tell my staff, ‘Every kid walks through these doors, and we have no idea what they’re going through.’ Some of these kids have seen more than I’ve seen, and I’m 40-years-old. So to me, for the eight hours that they’re here, I want them to smile and have fun.”

As a head basketball coach, Petersen further developed as a leader. He credits then-Yutan Elementary principal Trevor Hoegh for peaking his interest in administration, and superintendent Mitch Hoffer for guiding him into his first role. Petersen is currently working towards his ED Specialist degree from Wayne State. After 15 credit hours, he was eligible to apply for superintendent jobs, but the situation had to be just right to consider moving his family from Broken Bow.

“When this position came open, it weirdly checked a lot of the boxes and it got me a little closer back to home,” said Petersen, who only filled out one application. “It was a job that I really wanted, but I also knew that I had a really good job where I was coming from. I knew that this is a good school district, with a lot of good things going on. Then when I really sunk my teeth into the research, it confirmed that.”

Petersen was offered the superintendent job and accepted in January. Over the next several months, he traveled the three hours between Broken Bow and Wilber as much as he could to familiarize himself with his future home. He played golf and attended a Wolverines basketball game with his predecessor, Ray Collins, who became a friend. 

He met each member of the school board over lunch and made sure that first conversation didn’t include an ounce of business.

“Those are six people I have to get along with and have a good working relationship with,” he said. “I have nothing but great things to say about them. I get along great with them and have really enjoyed working together.”

In May, Petersen and his family (his wife Brittany and three sons Jase, Mack and Brye) officially made the move.

“The transition couldn’t have gone any better, honestly,” said Petersen. “Darren Tobey, my superintendent up at Broken Bow, was amazing during that period. He was adamant that I get down to Wilber-Clatonia at least a couple times each month.”

Petersen can’t quite speak Czech yet, but he has hit the ground running in his new digs. He was blown away by Wilber’s Czech Days, a spectacle that every Nebraskan needs to see at least once. He attended Clatonia days and is making an effort to meet as many community members. Last week, he had coffee with Wilber citizens. This week, he’ll do the same in Clatonia.

“The more people see you out and about, especially in a small town, the better,” Petersen, who grew up in the small town of Manley, said. “It means a lot for those people to see you out and about, so we try to get to as many things as we can.”

Petersen has been wowed by the teachers in his new district, who he feels have welcomed him with open arms.

“I’ve got nothing but great things to say about our staff,” he said. “Our teachers have really great attributes, and a passion for what they do. It makes my job easier. I’ve gotten along with all of them well, and they’ve been a joy to work with.”

The Petersens have only been in town for six months, but they’ve packed a bunch into a short amount of time. Wilber-Clatonia’s first-year superintendent had a little bit of a head start, thanks in large part to the network of people around him.

“Creating that web of people around yourself is so important,” Petersen said. “This can be a lonely profession if you allow it to be. I have people in my corner on the tough days, and as fun as this job is, there are days that are going to be tough. Those are the days that you can reach out for help, and you don’t feel like you’re on an island.”

This place, Petersen said, already feels like home. There is one thing on the list he hasn’t checked off, though.

“Word on the street is that Strokers has really good wings on Tuesday nights,” Petersen said. “We’ve got to get there to try that out.”

You’d have to imagine the bar and grill in downtown Wilber has an open table for him.