Peter Gammelgard may seem like an ordinary teacher with an ordinary life, but in reality, it is far from that.
Gammelgard has been teaching for almost 15 years, and he began his journey at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He studied and got his bachelor's in mechanical engineering and minors in physics. He fell in love with physics when his teacher hired him to teach labs his sophomore year. He also got to participate in teaching engineering.
“When I was in graduate school, I got to teach a little bit in the engineering department and I really enjoyed it,” he said. “And I knew it was something I really enjoyed doing and it wasn’t for another few years that I actually started teaching.”
Gammelgard was then accepted into Montana State University where he studied and got his master's in civil engineering.
Finally, he went to Chico State to get his teaching credentials in math, physics and chemistry.
He started teaching in Kyrgyzstan, a small country located in central Asia. There, he taught with his wife, Katie Gammelgard, at an international school. Gammelgard was a middle school math teacher as well as a high school physics and math teacher.
Gammelgard’s time in Kyrgyzstan left a lasting impression on him and has allowed him to see the world differently and live with more gratitude in his life.
“For starters, Kyrgyzstan is a very poor country, and I think that living somewhere different from what you’re used to brings perspective that you can’t really get any other way,” Gammelgard said. “And so living in a place where people made on average $200-$500 a month, or less than that, really changes how you see things.”
“The idea of hardship is drastically different where there aren’t the resources that we have here. It makes me really grateful for what we have and it can also make me a little frustrated when people think that life is hard when there are millions and millions of people who don’t know when their next meal is going to be.”
Kyrgyzstan has also left Gammelgard with lasting memories and positive experiences.
“It was also just really amazing anywhere you go, generally, people are awesome and there are interesting and exciting things to see and do and learn. It was all of those things,” Gammelgard said.
After his time teaching in Kyrgyzstan, he moved back to the United States and settled in Nevada County, a place he considers his childhood home.
“I was born in the Central Valley and I lived in a little town called Kingsburg, near Fresno, kinda, but when I was five my family moved to Nevada City, so I consider Nevada City to be my hometown and for the most part my memories are from Nevada City,” Gammelgard said.
He grew up doing lots of fun outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and skiing.
“I really developed my love for the outdoors,” Gammelgard said. “We lived in a place where my brothers and I could ride our bikes and adventure with our dogs and I loved it, it was great. We did family road trips and lots of good stuff. It was fun.”
The outdoors had become a huge part of Gammelgard’s life — especially skiing, which he learned to do when he was just 5 years old. It has remained a hobby in his life.
“When I was in college at Gonzaga I skied in north Idaho at a place called Schweitzer,” he said. “There are some amazing memories there because of college buddies and that was probably the place I skied the hardest, because when you’re 20 years old and you think you can do anything. My buddies and I acted like we could and I broke a rib.”
Gammelgard continues to ski at many resorts in Tahoe, but his favorite remains Sugar Bowl.
When you don’t find Gammelgard shredding snow on the mountain, you can often find him teaching his students and sharing his passion for science.
Junior Troy Chapman recalls his favorite memory of Gammelgard.
“I remember this one time he was demonstrating force or something, so we all went down because his classroom was on the second level, we went down to the ground and then he brought his skateboard and leaf blower and propelled himself around the school using the leaf blower, that was super cool,” Chapman said.
Chapman has been in regular physics and is now participating in AP Physics, and is captivated by Gammelgard's teaching.
“He is a great teacher,” Chapman said. “I think he really cares a lot about the needs of his class. He’s kind and understanding and doesn’t treat any question like it’s a stupid question
“He is always very respectful and just a great teacher. I think he does make sure we keep order in his class pretty well and he doesn’t let people get into trouble or stuff. I think he’s good at explaining stuff in a way we understand, going nice and slow, and making sure that everyone gets the concepts.”
Gammelgard lives an exciting life of sharing his passion and inspiring those around him. He also reminds us to care for others and be grateful for what you have. One of his dreams is to help clean up Ukraine and help with war-restoration programs after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian War.
“Things like that make me excited,” Gammelgard said. “I like helping and being useful, so finding ways to be useful would be awesome.”