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Dear Editor:
I’m writing to express my support for three candidates for the Noblesville School Board: Christi Crosser, Stephanie Lambert, and Bret Richardson. I am an engaged parent of three Noblesville Schools students, an active volunteer and mentor in the school district, a Miller Ambassador, a graduate of NHS, a lifelong Noblesville resident, and a Conservative.
While the other slate proclaims to be the “Conservative Choice” (in this “non-partisan” race), that proclamation is certainly not enough to earn my vote, and I hope it’s not enough to earn yours, either. I attended both the Noblesville Common Council and the student-led Noblesville High School candidate forums (which you can watch online), and there are four key areas in which Christi, Stephanie, and Bret stand out: Engagement, Preparation, Leadership, and Vision.
Engagement
Active engagement in all 10 schools as well as our city is essential for school board members. Christi and Stephanie are frequently at all of the schools in their current roles on the school board. Bret also frequents the schools throughout the district in his role on the Noblesville Schools Education Foundation (NSEF), including monthly School Spotlights at every school highlighting educator and student-initiated grants and the partnership between NSEF and the district.
They are mentors and regularly serve the district as well as the city in different capacities. If there is a district-led or city event, it’s not unusual to see one, two, or all three of them serving, such as at the annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive, Kindergarten Club which welcomes new students and families to the district, the Multilingual Family Night each summer prior to the start of a new school year, or SERVE Noblesville events.
I noticed this week that the Noblesville Diversity Coalition (NDC) sent questions to all six candidates, and only three candidates took the time and effort to respond: Christi, Stephanie, and Bret. NDC is an essential partner in our city and our schools. Engagement with the community is literally one of the six strategic goals of the school board.
The fact that Christi, Stephanie, and Bret are the only three who responded to the NDC’s questions is very telling. They’re engaged in our schools, they’re engaged in our community, and they deserve our vote.
Preparation
Noblesville Schools offers a program called Miller Ambassadors which runs the length of one school year and provides a deeper understanding of the district in areas including academics and student services as well as operations and business management.
While it may not be required, I think it should be a priority for anyone running for the school board to have completed or to be a current participant in the program. You don’t know what you don’t know. With 10,000 students and over 1,800 employees (the largest employer in Noblesville), there is a lot to learn. Completing the Miller Ambassadors program creates a foundation in which to continue to learn and engage and facilitates connections with district and city leaders, educators, and other community members that are invaluable.
Christi, Stephanie, and Bret are the only three candidates who have completed this program. They are prepared, and they deserve our vote.
Leadership
As the current President and Vice President of the school board, Christi and Stephanie (respectively) have already demonstrated their leadership, and I am confident that it will continue if re-elected. As the current NSEF President as well as a recent co-chair for Noblesville’s Bicentennial Committee, Bret also has a track record of excellence in leadership that will no doubt be utilized if elected to serve on the school board.
While you can look at public record of facts and figures to try to paint a picture of leadership successes, what you may not see in official meeting minutes, a vote count, or a budget summary are essential skills that make Christi, Stephanie, and Bret highly effective leaders: they are active-listeners, approachable, reasonable, and respectful. They consider the needs of all students. They are analytical and realize that challenges that are presented to the district are multifaceted and require critical thinking, collaboration, and efficiency when problem solving and making decisions.
They are proven leaders, and they deserve our vote.
Vision
As leaders of the current school board, Christi and Stephanie, along with the other board members, recently developed the Board of Trustees Strategic Goals: Academic Excellence, Compassionate Care and Support, Exceptional Staffing, Strategic Capital and Resource Management, Engaging Community Relations, and Celebrated School Culture. These goals reinforce the Vision, Mission, and Commitments of Noblesville Schools.
Christi, Stephanie, and Bret’s campaign pillars align with the district’s vision and mission as well as the school board’s strategic goals. They are committed to teachers, staff, and students as well as fiscal stewardship. Whether you attended the candidate forums, viewed the recordings, or have spoken with Christi, Stephanie, and/or Bret in person, you know they’ve established these pillars through collaborative and meaningful conversations with school administrators, educators and staff, students, parents, and community members.
If you’re still not sure whether the vision of Christi, Stephanie, and Bret is the best fit for our district, you can attend the annual State of the Schools next week on Oct. 30 to listen, learn, and draw your own conclusions.
Christi, Stephanie, and Bret have a strong vision for Noblesville Schools, and they deserve our vote.
I recently read a new book by Sharon McMahon (@sharonsaysso) and the content seems particularly relevant in this election season, especially in our local elections. The Small and The Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement (McMahon, 2024) is hopeful, encouraging, and demonstrates the power of ordinary Americans who have the courage to step forward where they are needed. I highly recommend it, and you can find it at our library or Chapter Book Lounge, our new local bookshop.
In her introduction, McMahon explains, “I wrote this book because I have long suspected that the best Americans are not always famous. More than twenty years of research has confirmed my intuition. The best Americans are not the critics, they are the doers … They are those who know that one becomes great because of who they lift up, not who they put down” (p. 11).
Strong schools and strong communities go hand-in-hand. We’re fortunate to have both in Noblesville, and I firmly believe that a major contributor is that we have so many “doers” in our community. Christy, Stephanie, and Bret are doers, and they deserve our vote. They are individuals who elevate others and will continue to elevate our schools and our community.
For the Noblesville School Board, the choice is CLR – Crosser, Lambert, and Richardson.
Lindsay Kaplan
Noblesville