Candidate for
Board Member; Grossmont Union High School District

Biography of Eve Marie Stine 2002

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and am the oldest of my parents' three daughters.

We moved to the San Fernando Valley when I was three. I attended St Joseph the Worker Catholic School for grades 1-8 (each of my classes had at least 60 students and 1 teacher). My activities during those years included dancing (tap and ballet), French lessons, Girl Scouts and playing with neighborhood kids.

I attended Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, a girls-only Catholic college prep school. It was a fantastic experience for me. There were only about 100 girls in my grade, class sizes were about 20-25 and we learned that girls could do just about anything. I joined many clubs--French, International, Drama, CSF, Service and Science. I was also a member of the Drill Team's Flag Corps.

I was the first member of my family to complete college. I attended UCLA and earned a BA in Economics. Although I started out with a major in Math/Computer Science, the physics and calculus eventually became too difficult for me. The Economics major allowed me to take all of the necessary course work required to become a CPA. I worked during college and school breaks, first as a sales clerk and then a bookkeeper. I supported myself completely during my last 2 years of college.

After college, I worked for a few small local CPA firms until I got the necessary experience to fulfill the requirements for becoming a Certified Public Accountant. I was also studying for the exam, which I took 3 times to pass all parts. Finally, in July of 1980, I became certified (not in the British sense, I hope) after which I promptly left public accounting and took a job with a subsidiary of TRW as Accounting Manager.

In the meantime, I met and married my husband John, who is also a CPA. He received a good job offer in San Diego, and as we were expecting our first child, we moved here and bought a house on Mt. Helix, where we still live. We decided that it would be best for our family if I became a stay-at-home mom.

In 1986 Andrew started kindergarten at Murdock Elementary and I joined the PTA. I held just about every position in that organization, including President from 1992-1994. I became a typical soccer mom. I ferried my kids to T-Ball, Caps, and Little League, AYSO and swimming lessons, and Mr. Benjamin. I helped keep score, worked in the snack bar and was a team mom. I was also very involved volunteering at the school, in the classroom and in after school clubs. I was a leader in the very successful Science Olympiad teams for 4 years and I started and ran a gardening club for 2 years until teachers initiated a school garden program. I was a member of the School Site Council and GATE Parent Advisory committee for a couple of years each as well. Murdock PTA gave me the Honorary Service Award in 1994.

During these years, John started his own tax accounting firm and I began to work for him on a part time basis. I still do this work, and am very thankful that I have the background, and time, to assist with this family business.

Also during this time, some women friends and I started The Book Group. This group of women continues to be very important in my life as we not only read and discuss books, but we help each other during family and personal crises and school board elections (several of us have run for school board). We have also begun traveling together periodically and find it highly satisfying.

My children attended Spring Valley Middle School and while they were there, I volunteered to tutor kids in the classroom, mostly math and science, and at an after-school tutoring program. I continued to help with PTA activities and held officer positions in La Mesa-Spring Valley's Mt. Helix Council PTA for several years. The Mt. Helix Council awarded me the Honorary Service Award in 1997.

About this time, I started reading some very troubling newspaper articles about the Grossmont Union High School District, where my children would soon attend high school. I needed to see for myself, so I began to attend the Board meetings in 1994. I was appalled. I continued to attend Board meetings from that time forward so that I would always be informed about whatever new issues might arise early enough to protect my kids.

I joined the board of the La Mesa-Spring Valley Educational Foundation in 1996 as treasurer. I continued in that position for 3 years, even after my children had moved on to the Grossmont Union High School District. I was presented with the R.O.S.E. award in 2000 for "exceptional service to the students" of the LM-SV school district.

I first became a member of the Grossmont High PTSA in 1995, when Andrew started high school. I continued attending School Board meetings and in 1996 I became a representative for the District Advisory Council, which I continue. I have served on the WASC and Staff Development committees of Grossmont High and help out generally with the swim team and the grad night committee.

At the district level, I have served on the committee that crafted the Parent Involvement Board Policy, the committee that interviewed the candidates for Asst Supt. Of Business, the District Boundary Committee for 2 years, one of the calendar committees, the recent Guidance Task Force, and Foothills Council PTA as Treasurer and, for the past 2 years, President. In 2001 I received the Continuing Service Award from Foothills Council PTA. I also received a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Assembly for "exemplary efforts providing caring leadership and communication with parents during a time of crisis" following the horrendous events in March 2001. And in June 2002, I received the California PTA Golden Oak Service Award from my colleagues in the Foothills Council PTA, an especially dear honor from people across the Grossmont district who themselves volunteer tirelessly for the welfare of students.

I served on the community committees that organized the recall of Nadia Davies and the elections of Tom Page and Ted Crooks. I contributed hundreds of hours to these efforts for the good of my own children and others in our community. I was also a co-chair with Ted Crooks and Lisa Hamann, chair of the Parent-Teen Connection, organizing the Best For Kids Expo in the fall of 2000.

Two years ago I spearheaded efforts to catalog and improve the inadequacies of student restrooms throughout the Grossmont District. This is a continuing concern but one which now has much wider support. I set up and maintain a website (http://www.foothillscouncil.org) for the benefit of the PTSAs in our district but which has grown in scope to include information of use to many teens and their parents. I will continue to maintain this site for the coming school year.

My two sons have received an excellent education in our public schools. They are both National Merit Scholars. Andrew is currently attending UCLA as an Astro-Physics major. Jeffrey began attending USC this fall as a Business/International Relations major. I couldn't be happier and more proud of my sons' hard work and success.

I have greatly enjoyed working with so many wonderful people throughout all these years of my children's schooling. I hope to continue to work as a responsible member of the board of the Grossmont District with an eye toward what is best for students. To that end, I intend to lobby hard this summer and fall for the passage of an adequate facilities bond for the Grossmont Union High School District community.