John Nelson- Choose Thistlewaite and Stevens for D21 Board

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented difficult challenges to the D21 educational system. Our board, administrators, teachers, support personnel, students, and parents have responded with creativity, flexibility, imagination, and common sense to keep our students safe and to fulfill our mission to provide a quality education.

I believe that Rebecca Thistlewaite, and Brian Stevens are two candidates running for the D21 board that will best be able to carry out the mission of our school district, which is to work towards having a quality educational system that will educate, motivate and graduate our students to be successful in their life pursuits and chosen careers.

Rebecca brings her wealth of experience and good judgment, perceptive problem solving, and her past commitment to active participation on the Mosier Community School Board and her current participation on the D21 School Board to her work. She values integrity, honesty, civil discourse, and collaboration. She has the unique ability to understand the gist of the issue at hand and to articulate it with clarity, to the public as well as other board members.

Brian Stevens brings enthusiasm for collaborative board work from his past experience as a volunteer in a variety of community functions, and mentoring and coaching children in The Dalles for the last 19 years. Brian has also worked in the surgical department at MCMC, caring for patients’ needs. He is able to apply that quality of service to our district as a board member. He promises to bring proven, attentive leadership, common sense, the ability to collaborate and his personal commitment to the business of the Board’s work.

I enthusiastically endorse these candidates for elected positions on the D21 Board.