Top Priorities
- I will work collaboratively with the Superintendent, staff, students, and parents to make Bethel public schools a safe environment conducive to learning.
- I will work collaboratively with teachers and staff to ensure their viewpoint is valued and represented in setting educational policy and allocation of resources.
- I will work collaboratively with community members and businesses to foster strong, positive relationships and partnerships that will improve our community’s well-being.
Why are you running?
As a Bethel School Board Member, I will serve as an educational advocate on behalf of our community in order to advance the educational vision for our schools, pursue its goals, and encourage progress as we work together in a diverse society. I will strive to ensure an excellent environment for our students. These students are OUR future, and it is OUR responsibility to provide them with the best tools possible for success, during their school years and beyond.
Biography
I ended my 25-year teaching career in 2021 to move closer to my family in Bethel. Since then I’ve dedicated my time to helping my daughter and her family as they purchased, reopened, and revitalized our town’s theater, Greenwood Features. I help liaison with local schools for field trips, strategize and execute fundraisers for local non-profits, and manage the full party and events calendar. You can also sometimes find me working behind the concession stand when the theater needs an extra hand, or my preference, the owners are able to take a night off.
During my 25-year teaching career, I taught in Maryland, North Carolina and Washington State. All three states had large school systems with Maryland being the largest, 86,000 total students in 126 schools. As a regular educator I taught Kindergarten and 1st grade. As a special educator, I taught K-3 students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in a behavior support program. For the past 2 years, I have been a substitute teacher for Bethel Public Schools.
Now that I’ve retired from a career of over two decades in early education, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to continue to help students and teachers in the classroom as a volunteer at Rockwell Elementary.
My daughter jokingly describes me as shameless, and says “an at&t representative hates to see me coming.” And while the board of education job is more serious than a mysterious phone line charge, I’ll dedicate the same level of commitment to fighting for what’s right when it comes to ensuring our students. and teachers’ well-being is prioritized, students are learning at an age appropriate level, and your tax dollars are spent responsibly.
Background and Experience
Kindergarten/1st Grade/Special Education Teacher/Team Leader/Teacher Mentor, Maryland/North Carolina/Washington State schools
Substitute teacher, Bethel Public Schools
Master of Arts in Special Education, Catholic University of America
Bachelor of Arts in Education, Cum Laude, Pacific Lutheran University