One of the commonly asked questions I receive on the campaign trail is: “Do you have children in the district?” The answer to that is yes, I have six of them. They inspire me every day with their charisma and intelligence. Being able to take an active role in ensuring that they, and all the students in our district, get a well-rounded education, is a driving force for me.
Here are my six children, my six reasons for running for the Parma City School District Board of Education:
Guinevere
Guinevere, 4, is the baby of the family. She attends the district’s First Step Preschool and we appreciate the services the district provides for her special needs. Guin is a spunky little firecracker that continues to teach me to never underestimate or limit a child’s potential based on a diagnosis. She has thrived in a setting surrounded by other special needs students and peer models in the same classrooms.
Scarlett
Scarlett, 5, is excited to be in Kindergarten at Pleasant Valley in the STEM program. She watched three of her older siblings go through STEM programs and has impatiently been waiting to dive in herself. Scarlett is the epitome of the phrase “too smart for her age” because she absorbs knowledge like a sponge from her older siblings. She loves being their assistant for school projects. As a parent, I see the benefits the STEM program has for long term educational success. As a PCSD Board of Education candidate, I aim to continue arts and science programs in schools to ensure students have options to learn and grow.
Gino
Gino, 9, is in fourth grade and is the most innovative one of the bunch. He shows us every day how to engineer solutions, finding new ways to problem solve. Gino was a part of the first Kindergarten STEM class at Pleasant Valley. He was incredibly fortunate to be the first round of lottery picks that year. Gino struggled with literacy and had to work hard to keep up with his peers. Together with his teachers, and great support from his siblings, he was able to catch up. This experience highlighted how crucial support staff, including literacy specialists, is in our buildings.
Hailey
Hailey, 11, is in 6th grade at Greenbrier Middle School. She excels in the classroom, priding herself in making honors every report card. Hailey also enjoys art club and student choir. Some of her favorite projects in art club included painting window panes and chalk artwork outside the school. Beyond the art itself, I watched her gain friendships, life lessons and values that will continue to shape her into the amazing person she is becoming. The Arts are important for many reasons and seeing my daughter’s growth reinforced my belief that they must remain a vital part of a well-rounded educational experience.
Frankie
Frankie, 12, is our numbers whiz kid. He is in 7th grade at Greenbrier and is thrilled to be taking the football field as a Yoemen for the first time. Frankie was the last 5th grade class participating in STEM at Pleasant Valley and struggled a bit transitioning into his 6th grade’s standard curriculum. This became a learning experience for the whole family about social interactions. We instilled the value that being yourself is the best policy. By the end of the year, Frankie had a smile on his face and a stellar report card.
Brady
Brady is our 16-year-old high schooler. He is not mine by blood, but he certainly is mine by heart. Brady excels in both academics and athletics. He plays baseball for the Parma Redmen Varsity team and the Hurricanes Select baseball organization as a catcher. Brady intends to go to college to major in accounting. We are excited to begin exploring college campuses and programs.
Each child is unique and has their own set of needs, but one of the things they have in common is they are all students in the Parma City School District. They are my inspiration to consistently put our children’s needs first and that pushed me to run for Parma City School District Board of Education.