My vision for Westwood
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While the restrictions that the district followed during the height of the pandemic were important and necessary for the safety of our community, we must now turn our attention to the social and emotional health of our children. It is our duty as a district to build up the social deficits that are clearly evident across our student population. These efforts will not only improve academics, but will also reduce bullying and instill kindness and compassion in our children.
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We all have one thing in common: We want our students to graduate from Westwood prepared to compete and succeed in the global marketplace. Let’s implement a plan that ensures all students can reach their fullest potential regardless of their race, socioeconomics, gender, sexuality, religion, or neurodiversity and ability.
A classroom that explores all aspects of diversity and inclusion develops our children into leaders who are respectful, patient, and kind. And I can’t think of more important lessons for our children. By deepening our focus on equity and taking care to put into practice the recommendations of the WPS Equity Audit, we will support all our children with what they need to thrive, even – and especially – when those needs are different than those of the majority. And we will strive to make Westwood a welcoming community for everyone.
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I constantly hear, “We moved here for the schools.” Just like my family did in 2018. And families continue to flock to Westwood to be part of our great community. In order to keep up with the growing demand for our schools and invest and grow in meaningful ways, we need innovative and transparent approaches to strategic planning and financing to sustain our excellence.
We have important work ahead of us: Onboarding a new superintendent and Director of Student Services; bringing two school communities together when we open our new school; and attracting and retaining the very best educators to lead our classrooms.
Ensuring our forward progress requires thoughtful, careful stewardship, intentional planning, and transparent communication. If elected, I’ll bring my direct leadership style and my curious and collaborative nature to work for Westwood.
As a Westwood School Committee member, I will work for a system that educates the whole child, ensures that every child feels a sense of belonging and is taught to their fullest potential, building for the future while sustaining our academic excellence today.
At the end of the day, we want our students to be good humans, learn to think critically, be curious and inquisitive, and graduate with the confidence to find their path and change their world. We need educators and senior leadership committed to these values to lead with tenacity and courage.
I have more than 20 years of communications expertise in Higher Education at both Harvard and MIT. And I know the characteristics and skills our next generation needs to compete and succeed after graduation. These are exciting times for our community and I can’t wait to bring my skills, my commitment to Westwood, and my passion for public education to the School Committee as we deliver on our promise.
While these are important issues to me, I especially want to hear from you. I want to hear what challenges your family is facing, understand your perspective, and hear what excites you about the future of Westwood.