Experience and understanding. We believe that these are the essential qualifications that the residents of Harvard are seeking from members of the School Committee. Kirsten Wright, a longtime Harvard resident, is a perfect choice for school committee.
Kirsten has 30 years of educational experience at the middle-school, high- school and special-education levels. Throughout her career, Kirsten has developed a unique and crucial understanding of the needs of our students and the critical factors necessary for a successful school system.
Those who know Kirsten, can attest to her knowledge and passionate belief in the Harvard school system. This is demonstrated by her position on the Hildreth Elementary School Council. During her time on the council, Kirsten has shown her strong skill as a consensus builder, which is essential in moving the Harvard school system forward.
After seeing firsthand the impact of bullying at Oak Meadow Montessori School, where she currently teaches middle-school science, Kirsten was instrumental in developing and implementing an anti-bullying protocol at Oak Meadow. The significance of bullying at schools around the country has been well documented. As recently as March 17, Fox News reported on how the fifth-graders at Hildreth Elementary School have been dealing with bullying.
From a personal perspective, our daughter, Maddie, was a student in Kirsten’s seventh-grade science class at Oak Meadow Montessori School last year. When Maddie was asked to describe being in Kirsten’s class and how much she had learned in the class, her straightforward and simple answer was “she is just the best.”
In addition, our daughter, Peyton, became a fixture at the Ryan Field “Snack Shack” this past summer after Kirsten graciously welcomed our spunky 5-year-old into the shack to help sell hot dogs and soda while Kirsten watched her son, Joey, play baseball. Kirsten approached Peyton’s interest in the snack shack as the ultimate teacher. She taught her everything there was to know about selling freeze pops and making change. Never before has a 5-year-old become so interested in attending her older brother’s Little League games.
We believe Kirsten Wright will make an outstanding member of the Harvard School Committee and we urge the citizens of Harvard to vote for her on May 4.
MARK & ROSEMARY VANDORPE
Harvard
