Washington District Education Association

Area Delegates
Area 1 Sara Hester 4254 Sara.Hester@wesdschools.org	Hello! My name is Sara Hester and I am working on my fifth year as a teacher in the Washington Elementary School District at Shaw Butte School. In those five years, I have taught art for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, and have taught second and third grade as a classroom teacher. This year I am teaching third grade with the second grade class I had last year. Looping, so far, has been an incredible experience! After the students leave, I can be found working on both the Social and Courtesy Committees at my school. I have been a Washington District Education Association member for all five years that I have been teaching. This will be my third year as a Building Representative for Shaw Butte. I learned very quickly that the only way to change things at my site was to record and report any infringement of employee rights. Having the Association behind our campus through some tough years was incredibly helpful and eventually led to very positive changes. During the last school year, I was elected as the Executive Board Delegate for Area 1, which includes Mountain View, Desert View, Lake View, Desert Foothills, and Arroyo Schools. I am very excited about helping these schools develop relationships, membership, and leadership. I was also elected to represent the WDEA at the Arizona Education Association’s Representative Assembly in April and again to represent the WDEA at the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly. Both events were highly informative, interesting, and fun. Please know that your voice is heard at the state and national levels. This year, I am also taking on the responsibility of editing the WDEA’s monthly newsletter, the Voice. Please look for each edition in your mailbox and take some time to learn a few new things about your organization.
Area 2 Mike Scantlin 2533 Mike.Scantlin@wesdschools.org	I have been a WDEA member since 1994. I have taught 5th and 6th grades and currently teaching 8th grade history and government, a total of 31 years. I have attended AEA delegate assemblies and NEA delegate assemblies; to include serving on numerous committees at the district level. Recently, a lot of my energy has been directed at the school board and state legislative elections. Also, I am currently a member of the school board contract team.
Area 3 Lyndy McKay 3468 Lyndy.Mckay@wesdschools.org	I began my relationship with WESD in 1972, when my oldest daughter started school in the district. As a parent I was very involved in the activities of my 2 daughters schools, PTA & volunteering. I was around the school so much, that someone jokingly said “we should hire you”. After some consideration I agreed and applied at the district. I have been at Washington Elementary School since 1987. I have spent most of those years as a Title I Assistant. The last 5 years, I have been an ELL Testing Specialist. I am starting a new adventure for 2008/2009. I am now at Cactus Wren Elementary School, a school 1/3 the size of where I have been. I love it. I am working as an assistant for 2nd and 3rd Grade. My days fly by. Coming from a family of long line Union supporters, I have been with WDEA just about from the beginning of my employment. I still believe and live by the values my family instilled in me. Working together for the good of all, makes our leadership strong and as a team, we can do anything Life isn't about getting through the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
Area 4 Nancy Putman 5973 Nancy.Putman@wesdschools.org	I teach first grade at Lookout Mountain. This is my tenth year in the district but my 32nd year to teach. I have taught in five states and have always been active with NEA. I serve WDEA as membership chair the past eight years and serve on the executive committee as an Area Delegate. I also serve as an AEA Board of Director representing WDEA, Glendale Union and Glendale Elementary. I am Vice President of the Washington Education Foundation. NEA/AEA/WDEA does so much for me as a teacher. I would never teach without being a member of the association.
Area 5 Darrin Squire 5434 Darrin.Squire@wesdschools.org	I have been teaching in the Washington School district since 2000. I teach choral and general music at Cholla M.S. and love it. I am a product of this district; I attended Mountain View Elementary K-6 and Royal Palm Junior High for 7-8. Now I continue to be a product of this district but from another perspective. I have been a member of the WDEA since I began working in this district and I believe this organization has a duty and a calling to be the voice of the people who do not feel that they have a voice in the district. This is why I have chosen to become heavily involved in numerous committees at the district level and within the organization of the WDEA. As a father of 3 and husband who is the sole “bread winner” for the family I focus my time and energy on issues which will help motivate, enrich, adequately compensate and reward hard working education professionals. I am proud to be a member of the WDEA and to work together to improve our community and change lives.
Area 6 Nina LaPine 2207 Nina.Lapine@wesdschools.org	My name is Nina LaPine and this is my 18th year working in the Washington Elementary school district. My career has been dedicated to serving students with emotional and behaviorally difficulties. I have been a self-contained teacher as well as an counselor and intervention specialist. Currently, I am the CCB Intervention Specialist at Manzanita working with five self-contained classroom with students in preschool through sixth grade. I have been a member of the association since the “Crisis in 1994.” It was during this period that I realized the importance of both a unified voice and unified action. I decided to stop complaining about the working conditions and morale in the district and to put my energy into making things better. Over the years I have served the WDEA, its members as well as all employees and the district as a whole. I have done this in a variety of leadership positions ranging from Building Representative to Vice President and from Membership Chair to Negotiations Chair. Currently, I serve as Building Rep at Manzanita and Area Delegate to the Executive Board. I also am the author of Solving Employee Concerns or the SEC. During my years serving in various association roles, I have observed first hand how WDEA makes a difference in employees’ lives. Sometimes we prevent problems from ever happening. Sometimes we solve problems that already exist. Sometimes we are not able to fix things, but I know we are able to make them better than they would have been without our advocacy and involvement. I have also become more convinced than ever that by learning to work together even better that we can make things even better for ourselves, for our district and for our students. Please join us in this work. If you are not a member, become one. If you are a member, become involved. If you are involved, encourage others to work along with you! P.S. By the way … I'm married to Elvis a.k.a. Mike Scantlin!
Area 7 Seith Lewis 5939 Seith.Lewis@wesdschools.org	I am Seith Lewis and I am in my sixth year of service in the Washington Elementary School District. My first year I taught 5th grade at Sunburst Elementary and I have taught the last five years at Lookout Mountain also in 5th grade. I proudly serve as a member of the leadership team and as a site council member at Lookout Mountain. Currently I am working towards my Master’s degree in Educational Leadership through Northern Arizona University and I hope to be finished in the spring of 2009. I have been a Washington District Education Association member for the past five years. This is my fourth year being a site representative for Lookout Mountain Elementary School and I am in my second year as the Area 7 Delegate for the association. As a member of the association I have been able to take part in the negotiation process for the past three years. It is nice to know that through the association you do have a say in decisions about your salary and your working conditions. Also being a member has allowed me to connect with other teacher and administrators in the district who share the same joys and frustrations that I have. I look forward to working with you in the near future. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford
Area 8 Laurie Richards 5474 Laurie.Richards@wesdschools.org	My name is Laurie Richards and I teach 7th Grade Social Studies at Cholla Middle School. I have taught in WESD since 2001 and have loved every minute of it! I decided to become more active in our association after a colleague encouraged to run for Area Delegate. I was surprised to be elected, but I am so glad that I took the chance. I now see how valuable the association is to our district, our teachers and our students! I am amazed at how much I did not know was going on and how much the WDEA advocates for our teachers and students! I have been involved in district committees such as the Social Studies Adoption Committee, Social Studies Curriculum Articulation Committee, and various sub-committees through Planning and Steering of which I am still a member. Within my school, I sit on the Professional Development Committee and am the Student Council adviser. I have also recently been appointed to a position on the Quality Teaching and Learning Committee with the AEA. Outside of education, I have a wonderful husband and an adorable daughter who I cherish! I live by the motto- Do what you can for others, kindness is never forgotten.