Candidate for
Board Member; Ross Valley School District

Born and raised in Fairfax, I was the second generation of my family to receive an elementary education in this district. Education has always been important to my family. My grandfather, George Kendall, was Superintendent of Marin County Schools in the early 1930s. Most of my adult life has been spent in schools, either as a student or as an educator. For nearly thirty years, my career has focused on the improvement of teaching and learning.

My husband, Dick, and I chose to call the Ross Valley home shortIy after we were married. I began teaching at Wade Thomas School in San Anselmo in 1961. After taking time off to raise our three daughters, I returned to teaching at Manor School and then White Hill Middle School, both in Fairfax. During this time, I led professional development for other teachers in school improvement projects funded by state and local grants awarded to the district.

During the 1980s, I was part of a team of teacher/coaches who taught classes in instructional skills through the Marin County Office of Education. Individual classroom coaching was offered to schools throughout the county. In this capacity, I served teachers in San Rafael, Dixie and the Shoreline School District. While at the Marin County Office, I served as the co-director of the Teacher Advisor Project and as the administrator of the Principals' Center. I then became the principal at Neil Cummins School in the Larkspur School District.

Later, I worked for five years as a school consultant for a private organization, the Child Development Project, serving schools in the east and south bay areas.

In 1990, the Ross Valley School District was awarded a five-year school improvement grant from the Marin Community Foundation. I served as the director of the Collaborative Learning Communities, working closely with teachers, administrators, parents, business and community service leaders in the Ross Valley. In partnership with the Autodesk Foundation, teachers were introduced to project based learning. New methods for assessing student learning were developed. In addition, leadership training was provided to school employees and parents, with a focus on consensus decision-making.

My decision for early retirement was spurred by the arrival of five grandchildren within a three year span. Now, those grandchildren are students in the district and I am ready to resume my life's work. This time I will focus my energy as a member of the team responsible for setting district policy. I wish to serve my community as a trustee of the Ross Valley School District.