Candidates Share Ideas for St. Ignace Schools
By Paul Gingras

Two new candidates are running unopposed for seats on the St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education. Kathy Campbell and Sean Arthur are seeking four-year terms in the Tuesday, May 8 election. The new trustees will replace outgoing board secretary Sheri Oja and trustee Andy Brown, who have served since 1999.

Kathy Campbell

Kathy Campbell, 48, is a substitute teacher at St. Ignace Area Schools. She was graduated from Guilford High School in 1976 and earned an associate's degree in liberal arts from Mitchell College in Connecticut. Later, she attended Jacksonville University in Florida, prior to transferring to Florida Atlantic University, where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology. Her graduate work focused on cognitive development.

Mrs. Campbell lives in St. Ignace with her husband, Bill, and their children, Jimmy, 15, Joey, 12, and Jenny, 8.

Having children in elementary, middle, and high school offers her important insight into the school system, she said, which will help her contribute to board decisions. Substitute teaching regularly at all grade levels also "helps me to have an accurate picture of the situation within the schools," she said.

Her background in psychology will help her in her new role, Mrs. Campbell said.

It "has given me experience dealing with a variety of people and situations, as well as being part of a team," she said.

Prior to the birth of her children, Mrs. Campbell worked at the Woodmere Head Injury Center in Connecticut. Later, she moved to Cincinnati to help open the Head Injury Recovery Center of Clifton, where she set up and headed the cognitive department. Mrs. Campbell then helped open the Rehabilitation Continuum in Cincinnati.

The family moved to St. Ignace in 2005.

Previously, Mrs. Campbell's children were enrolled in two other school districts, which she said will enable her to make insightful comparisons among all three school systems.

Budget problems are "the most important, and probably the most difficult issue facing the school board," she said. The board's challenge will be "continuing to provide a quality education" in the face of potential cuts.

Mrs. Campbell said the district's staff is its most pronounced strength.

"I have been extremely pleased with the teachers that my children have had since we moved here," she said. "They have all gone far

"Creative problem solving will be essential in order to maintain the programs that make Les Cheneaux extraordinary," she said. "The challenge is to create the kind of academic environment that will attract new families to Les Cheneaux."

She believes the district's strengths include exceptional sports, music, and drama programs, which she notes "are vital to a well-rounded educational experience."

"The school enjoys tremendous community support," she said. "There is a broad network of support for students who need extra help."

Some things she wants to help the district improve include creating a school improvement team to focus on student academic achievement, and supporting development of the school library as a source of information about the Michigan Department of Education's kindergarten through 12th grade benchmarks and standards.

Mrs. McGreevy wants to help the board focus on six qualities of effective schools recommended by the book "Failure is Not an Option: Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools" by Alan M. Blankstein. Those qualities are: common mission, high levels of achievement for all, collaborative teaming, datadriven decision making, engaging families and community members, and building leadership.

She wants to help staff members as they begin to adopt Michigan's educational benchmarks and standards, and initiate a plan for students who perform beyond grade level.

She believes students from Les Cheneaux do well at the college level.

"However, there is never a time to stop working to be better at what we teach and how we teach," she said. "I believe that writing skills and higher order thinking skills must be a priority if we are to encourage students to become future leaders in their communities. It is the responsibility of the school district to continually assess effectiveness through curriculum development, regular curriculum review, staff development, collaboration time for staff members, and community involvement through a school improvement team."