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April 5, 2016

2016 Board of Education

Candidate Information

The following candidate profiles are for voter information only.  Fair Grove PTO does not endorse any particular candidate.

There are 6 candidates running for two seats on the board.

Kecia Maxwell

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Kecia and her husband David have lived in the Fair Grove School District for the past six years along with their three children: Hunter (Grade 10), Harley (Grade 9) and Hannah (grade 4.)

Kecia graduated from Fair Grove High School in 1997.  She completed her Associates degree in Dental Hygiene at OTC in 2010.

She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, outdoor activities such as riding ATV’s and summers at the lake.  Her children are active in sports and extracurricular activities and she enjoys watching them play.

Kecia has volunteered her time the past four years assisting with the Varnish Program and Oral Health Screenings in Southwest Missouri.  She has had the privilege of speaking at Fair Grove’s Career Day twice and is an Ambassador for Crest Oral B, speaking at campuses and Continuing Education Conferences through out the state.  She is a Registered Dental Hygienist.

If elected Kecia will bring her voice to stand up for those that can’t stand up for themselves.  She is a great listener, which enables her to analyze and make rational decisions with out a conflict of interest.  Kecia would like to see Fair Grove schools continually update technology so that students are prepared for their future.

Kecia can be reached at 417-227-0450 or kmaxwellrdh@gmail.com

 

Jerry Peterie – Incumbent

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Jerry and his wife Kathy have lived in the Fair Grove School District for 16 years.  Their son Gavin and daughter Nikki attend Fair Grove Schools.

Jerry has served on the Board of Education for the past three years.  In that time he has gained a great understanding of the role of a board member and has a good working relationship with school Administration.  Jerry brings a background in finance to the board.

Since 2002, has worked as Co-Owner and Vice President of Mortgage Banking and Branch Development with Gershman Mortgage.   His focus outside of work is his family and mentoring youth.  Currently, Jerry is the Fair Grove Parks Baseball Director.  He served on the Killian/Cooper Baseball Park Board for 7 years, coached Mighty Mights for 8 years and loves to golf and hunt.

If re-elected Jerry would continue to monitor the school’s financial position, ensure kids come first in decisions and work to increase the connection between the school and the community.

Jerry welcomes community questions or concerns about the district and can be reached by phone at 417-860-0621.

Mike Gilbert

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Mike has lived in Fair Grove since 1978.  His two sons, Sean and Cameron Gilbert attended every grade in Fair Grove. One is a police officer and the other one has an engineer degree and will graduate as a doctor from Missouri University in May. Mike’s wife (Kari) passed  away in 2004.  They ran the Mighty Mite program from 1989 – 1999.

Mike has his Microsoft Certification and is employed as the IT director for Commerce Bank.  He is also a member of the Springfield Crime Stoppers Board and has served as it’s president in the past.

Mike previously served on the school board for nine years, acting as President for six years. Mike enjoys working on the school board and has attended every meeting since 2006.  He most enjoys being able to give back to future generations.  He is proud of the reputation Fair Grove Schools has and would like that to continue.

If elected, his top three agenda items for the future of Fair Grove Schools are Technology, Curriculum, and Finance.  He would work to continue the Technology upgrades to train our children to be able to compete in the work force.

Mike can be contacted at  417-894-8478

Matthew Cobban

No Information provided by the candidate.

 

Jeffery Elliston

family

Jeffery lives with his wife Hiromi, daughter Jane and son Jesse.  Jeffrey graduated from Fair Grove in 1992 and went on to earn a BA in English from Rice University and MATESOL from Monterey Institute of International Studies.  He has taken classes at Drury University to obtain teacher certification in Missouri.  His children are the fifth generation of his family to attend Fair Grove Schools.  Jeffery enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, jogging and kayaking as well as reading and traveling.  He and his family regularly attend Community Southern Baptist Church and are very active in the Springfield Sister Cities program.

Jeffery works as a switchman with the BNSF railway and is an Adjunct at Drury University.  He has previously taught in Missouri, California and Japan.

Jeffery says, “ Fair Grove should be an academic star in SW Missouri.  People should choose to move [here] because of the education our children receive. Teachers should compete for an opportunity to work in our community.  Better education…means better career opportunities in the future.”  Jeffery’s goals if elected would be to expand career and technical training opportunities by ensuring our school has real world technologies and equipment for students to use; work to access reduced tuition from OTC as other schools in Greene County do; and ensure students receive career and college guidance that match their goals.

Jeffrey can be reached at  jeffelliston@hotmail.com and he thanks you for your consideration

Scott Hill

Family (1)

 

Scott and his wife Tiffany have three children, Chance, Makenna and Sidney.  Scott graduated from Fair Grove High School in 1989 and currently works for TruGreen.  Scott enjoys hunting, fishing and sports.  His children are active in sports and he spends his time chasing after them.

If elected, Scott would bring his level headedness to the board.  He is able to listen to both sides of a situation and to determine what is best for the majority.  He wants to do his part to help the school and continue to keep Fair Grove moving in a positive direction.