SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
We are so lucky to have three great candidates running for School Board this time around. All three have either children or grandchildren in our schools, and all are committed to making our schools great. Remember to come to Meet the Candidates night on Thursday, March 9th from 7-9pm at Rye Public Library.
If you can't come- or even if you can, please read their bios so you can decide who will be the best fit for the two available positions:
Jeanne Moynahan (Incumbent)
Hi, my name is Jeanne Moynahan and I am a candidate for re-election to the Rye School Board. I am presently in my eighteenth year on the board.
I have lived in Rye for 60 years. I attended Rye Elementary and Rye Junior High Schools and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover. Ken, my husband of 48 years, was a Rye firefighter for 39 years. We are now retired and living on a fixed income. We have four children: Jennifer, Tim, Brian and Anna. All of our children attended the Rye schools and Portsmouth High School. We have 11 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren and one great-grandson. Three of our grandchildren live in Rye and two presently attend the Rye schools. Our grandson Patrick is now a senior at Portsmouth High School, Hannah is an 8th grader at Rye Junior High and Abigail is 3rd grader at Rye Elementary School. We currently take care of three of our grandchildren while their parents work.
I have dedicated myself to community service in Rye all of my life. I have been a member of the Safe Routes To School Task Force, the Rye Schools' Crossing Guard, ensuring the safety of our children, whether they were walking, riding bikes or buses or being transported by their parents and I am presently the Transportation Coordinator for Rye Emergency Management. I have been a parent/grandparent volunteer, room parent, and held several positions within the PTO/PTA. I have served as school board chair, vice chair and secretary as well as the school board representative to the Rye Budget Committee. I serve on the SAU 50 Policy Committee, Transportation Committee and am the delegate to the NHSBA Delegate Assembly. I was chosen as the first "CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN" by the NH School Administrators Association in 1994.
Why am I running for re-election? I LOVE my job! I love taking part in shaping the futures of our children. I have worked through many changes in our schools, including a major renovation and addition project involving both schools, a new teacher evaluation plan, and the introduction of new curricula. We are now facing decreasing enrollment at both of our schools, and we need to decide what that means to the town. I hope to use my experience and history to continue the work our board has done setting goals and action plans for the future.
I respectfully ask for your vote on March 14th.
Thank you!
Jeanne Moynahan
Paula Tsetsilas
Dear Voters of Rye,
I am excited to announce my candidacy for Rye School Board. To fully understand the commitment for this position I have spoken at length with six current, past and out-of-district School Board members. I have come to appreciate their passion and philosophies.
My love for learning was instilled at a young age, and was nurtured by teachers who inspired and challenged me. This is a gift I hope to pass along to my three school-aged children, as well as all Rye children, by supporting our Administration and teachers to meet the needs of our varied student body.
Six years ago, my husband and I moved from Portsmouth in large part because of the excellent reputation of Rye’s schools. From that moment, I made a personal commitment to be an involved parent. First, I served a 2-year term as PTA co-President followed by a 1-year term as PTA after-school enrichment coordinator. I am proud of the work the PTA accomplished during this period: strengthening the school community, educating the public on important parenting topics, and enhancing our after-school enrichment programming. Second, I helped raise awareness of the potential Wedgewood campus expansion for outdoor experiential learning at Rye Junior High. The land was ultimately purchased through a fundraising campaign led by two active parents. Most recently, I have been educating the public on declining school enrollment trends.
I think this is a particularly exciting time for the School Board as we all embrace change—a change in how education may “look” in the district because of declining enrollment as well as how it’s delivered to 21st century students. Change can be difficult but it is also necessary to stay relevant. You and I may not always agree on all the issues; however, I promise to listen as we grow and learn together with the same goal of giving our children the best possible education.
I would be humbled to earn your vote on March 14. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.
Respectfully submitted,
Paula Tsetsilas
603-502-9292
Gary Bowser
Why run for school board?
The easy answer is because I’m a parent of 3 girls under the age of 11 and I want to help them experience the best education possible in these challenging times.
The more complicated answer is that our family has sent our children to private school in Portsmouth for the last 9 years. Last year, we made the decision to send one of our children to RES, the primary reason being access to different opportunities and resources. In the last several years at Saint Patrick School we have experienced a multitude of changes. The experience of going through the growing pains at Saint Patrick School and the added perspective of the RES community, I was moved to act when I read Principal Lull’s email identifying two seats opening on the board.
With a wife working in education as an art teacher, as a resident of Rye for the past 15 years and the hands on experience working with teams and building successful businesses, I felt compelled to see how I could more actively serve my community.
Background-
As a former college athlete, coach and elementary school behavioral aide, so my experience working with and for a team focused on the best outcome for young children is an important part of my past experience.
As a business owner focused on sound and profitable business practices, the opportunity to work with members of the Rye School Board, faculty and staff is an opportunity for me to share my skills and expertise while participating in community service for my own personal growth.
Team Work-
Accountability, goal setting and prioritization are critical to the position of a school board member. Being a leader and contributing member of a team have been priorities in my collegiate, professional and personal life. I have coached swimming, worked with special needs students, and built teams and small businesses in multiple industries and believe in clear and consistent communication as the cornerstone for success.
Change-
Advancements in education, developments in teaching methodology, as well as the integration of technology, make this an exciting time for education, educators and students. Balancing financial and resource challenges to maximize these advances, is a task worthy of taking on.
I’d like to be a part of positive change in our community and I believe election to a seat on the Rye School Board presents an opportunity to do just that.
Thank you for your support in this endeavor.
All the best,
Gary C. Bowser