Elissa Dyson School Board Chair I’ve really enjoyed serving
on the Onion Creek School Board and trying to make a difference in the lives of
our students. When I moved to our community 23 years ago, having worked for the
previous 15 years as an administrator at the UW, I never expected to become so
involved in the challenging world of K-12 education. But every time I go to our
school and interact with our kids, our staff, and members of our community, I
am thankful for the opportunity to share in such a special adventure!
Andy James School Board Director: Legislative Representative
I am proud to have
served on the Onion Creek School Board for the past 16 years. I am also
currently representing 29 area school districts on the board of directors of
the Washington State School Directors’ Association. My commitment is not only
to our students and community, but also extends to the public school system
statewide. Keeping small school districts like ours a viable part of the
state’s public school system is a top priority of mine.
Jerry Slater School Board Director: Transportation, Facilities Jerry and his wife Lois
have raised six children and have 12 grandchildren. Jerry grew up in a rural
area in the Midwest and attended a small
country school. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years, and then worked
for a Spokane
newspaper for 17 years as Facilities Engineer Supervisor. He now enjoys working
on their small Onion Creek farm, hunting, fishing and water sports. He is a
passionate advocate of giving children the education, tools, and opportunities
necessary to attain their lifetime goals.
Linda Wier School Board Director: Community/Staff Liaison
As a person with 3
children attending OnionCreekSchool,
I am concerned about the quality of the education they and their classmates
receive. I believe we have a responsibility to the children of our community to
make sure they have a good grasp of basic skills so they can become productive
citizens. It is also fundamental to learn how to learn so they can become
lifelong learners. I like how our school works to expand the kids’ world and
experiences beyond their immediate community and teaches them how to get along
with a wide variety of people, young and old.
Joel Anderson School Board Director: Technology I'm Joel Anderson, a member of the Onion Creek Board of Directors, a substitute teacher and
the technology coordinator at Onion Creek School.
I taught at Onion Creek School from 1974 to 2004. When I came it was
still a one-room school with one teacher, one bus driver, and a
three-member school board. By the time I retired, there were four
regular teachers and one special services teacher. There was a
superintendent/principal, a transportation coordinator, a
custodian/maintenance person. a food service director, a business
manager, three part-time instructional aides, and a five-member school
board. The present configuration is almost the same, though I wasn't
replaced and the special services/P/K teacher is scheduled to retire at
the end of this year and may be replaced by a part -time person.
