BANGOR — A challenger is hoping to win a seat on the Wood School Board of Education in the Nov. 8 general election.
Newcomer Lisa of Best Heimsath will face two incumbents – Sharon Anne Myrkle and Peggy Harden – for two available four-year terms on the school board.
Wood School, located in Bangor Township, is one of Michigan’s few rural one-room school districts. Classified as a “magnet school”, it has approximately 25 students from kindergarten through eighth grade who are taught by two teachers.
Here is the information on the three candidates, in alphabetical order:
Harden, 66, is a resident of Bangor Township.
“I’m old school and I believe that’s the mindset needed for the school to operate successfully as it has for over 100 years without federal funds,” she said. “I would like our curriculum to continue to focus on the basics of reading, writing and math, which our students’ test results show is working.”
Heimsath, 40, is a resident of Bangor Township.
“I would like to help ensure that the learning environment reflects positive relationships among all participants,” she said. “Students should come to Wood School and feel comfortable that their educational and emotional needs are being met. Staff should feel supported and given the necessary resources. As a parent, I would like to be an advocate for others parents, making children the top priority. I want to continue the unique one-room school experience that makes Wood School so special.”
Myrkle, 83, resides in Bangor Township.
“I’m a retired teacher and I’m very interested in educating our young people because they are our future,” she said. “I strongly support the one-room school concept for grades K-8.”
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