Community Service Deserves Our Thanks
Champagne, Byrd, and Bowen have served East Penn well
Thanksgiving is-- by far-- my favorite holiday of the year. I wait to put up Christmas decorations until December not because I'm a scrooge, but because I hate to see Thanksgiving overlooked, overshadowed, or skipped. It's the one holiday the big box stores and other corporate interests still haven't figured out how to get us all to buy lots of stuff we don't need.
In the spirit of giving thanks this week, I want to extend a special thanks to Paul Champagne, Allan Byrd, and Jen Bowen. All three are East Penn school board members who chose not to run for re-election earlier this month, and so had their last meeting on November 13th. School directors are unpaid volunteers. They make both difficult and important decisions for the entire community, but seldom receive the thanks they deserve. Paul served on the board for eight years; Allen for five and a half, and Jen for two years.
I served with Paul for six of his eight years, and sat next to him during school board meetings. I always admired the energy and humor he brought to our district. He has a direct, no bullshit approach that helped the district make better decisions, and helped the community better understand the issues at stake on many topics. He always came to board meetings well prepared, and always took the time to explain the reasoning behind his votes.
I also served with Allan for three and half years. He was an extremely thoughtful board member. He listened well, taking in all the available information before coming to a decision. When he spoke, he always made it clear that the good of ALL kids in the community was his first priority. And as a sidenote, I appreciated Allen too for some of the more informal times where I got to learn more about his personal hobbies, including photography and a love of trains.
I did not overlap on the board with Jen, and haven't met her personally. But I have watched many of the meetings since she joined the board, and appreciate the seriousness with which she took her position. In particular, she could be counted on to consistently advocate for the kids in our district with disabilities or special needs.
I'm looking forward to the new energy, new ideas, and new perspectives that newly elected board members Shonta Ford, Tim Kelly, and Gab Klotz will bring to East Penn. But Paul Champagne, Allan Byrd, and Jen Bowen will be missed. Thanks to all three of them for their hard work and dedication; they've done more than their fair share in guiding a school district we all can be proud of.
Thank you for this!!