On July 1st, Brad Peters became the new superintendent of the Andes Central School District. He was interviewed and hired in February but did not officially become superintendent until the first of July. Peters grew up in Winner, where he spent his elementary and high school years. He graduated from the Winner School District in 1977. Brad then attended Black Hills State University (BHSU) majoring in history with a physical education minor. He played four years of football and two years of baseball for BHSU. Later in his career, Brad did his graduate work in educational administration at the University of South Dakota.

Peters did not start college planning on being a teacher. He knew he wanted to coach and enjoyed working with kids, and eventually realized that teaching would be a good fit for him. The Burke School District was his first full-time teaching job in 1982. He taught there for two years before moving back to his hometown of Winner. He taught for the Winner School District for seventeen years total. He then worked as a principal or in administration for the Todd County School District, West Central School District, Dell Rapids-St. Mary Catholic School, and the Yankton School District. Peter’s first position as superintendent was at the South Central School District in Bonesteel. Before taking the position as superintendent at Andes Central, he was the superintendent or the Bon Homme School District for five years. He took the job at Andes Central because he knew people from the area, and it is a good school system that intrigued him. Peter’s feels that being a people person that can easily relate to and engage with people and his forty-one years of experience in education are qualities that help him succeed in his position as superintendent. Brad’s personal philosophy on education is that he believes the teachers are the ones that make the difference. Teachers building positive relationships with their students is what makes the difference to motivate students to be more successful. Technology should only be used as a supplement to aid the teachers and students. Peter’s leadership style is to not micro-manage people. He believes in hiring good people and trusting them to do their job. He utilizes open communication and making sure that everyone is on the same page. Even though has not been in the position very long, he has enjoyed getting to know the Andes Central staff. The most time-consuming parts of his job thus far have been paperwork for federal programs and the large learning curve of just getting acclimated to the school and his position there.

Like many other school districts, he feels that the most challenging area that need to be focused on are testing scores. He wants the school to be very diligent about improving standardized testing scores. One of the other big challenges the school faces is student attendance. Peter’s wants the school to be a safe, healthy environment for students and staff so that both can be successful. He also wants the community to feel welcome at the school because it is the community of Lake Andes’ school.

Peter’s is a very motivated and goal-oriented individual. He grew up with a solid work ethic and has an innate competitiveness that helps him strive to succeed at whatever task he is doing. His goals for the school are to take one day at a time and attack the issues that the district faces head on to better meet the needs of his students with emphasis on creating and maintaining a safe environment.

Brad is married to Joan (Mueller) Peters, who is from Freeman originally. They met while they were both teaching at Burke. They have four grown daughters and three grandchildren. Peter’s enjoys hunting deer and pheasants. He tries to get out on the Missouri River a few times a year to fish. He was an officiant for football and baseball for many years. He is a small-town boy and has really enjoyed the slow-paced life of Lake Andes and the beautiful new school the town has.

Welcome to Lake Andes and congratulations on your new position. We cannot wait to see what you will do to enhance our school and community!