By LISABETH LUENINGHOENER
Los Alamos
I want Los Alamos Public Schools to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all of its students. That means allowing our students to thrive in in-person school without the fear of being exposed to COVID and bringing that home to vulnerable family members.
It also means fostering an environment where they are allowed to thrive because they are safe, both physically and emotionally. Melanie Colgan is the candidate in my district that I know will work towards these goals.
As a nurse (RN, MSN) Melanie has worked hard to use her knowledge to keep our schools open. In the spring, she voted to re-open our middle and high schools up to afternoon activities, so that those students who needed more in-person support could receive it.
This fall, she voted for universal masking. Cases on each campus have remained isolated instead of spreading and requiring quarantine or even a return to virtual instruction like many campuses in New Mexico and across the country. In her life as a nurse, Melanie has shown her concern for our community by administering COVID tests and vaccines in Los Alamos and Española. Melanie will help our kids stay in school by advancing the policies that make it safe for them to do so.
In her many, many years of work on the PTO, both as president and organizer of Barranca’s largest fundraiser, Melanie has worked to provide teachers and families with the support they need to be effective in school. This ranged from packing bags of food for vulnerable families to take home for Winter Break to providing funds for valuable teacher training.
Her community work does not end with the schools, she has also served as a coach, Girl Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, and volunteer with the New Mexico Medical Corp. In all of these roles she has shown compassion and leadership. She will work to make sure our schools remain a welcoming place for all of our students.
I have no doubt that Melanie is running because she feels passionate about our kids and community and that she will research and make informed decisions in the best interest of both.
I’m not the only Barranca parent who feels this way, below is a small sampling of District 4 families and individuals who are endorsing Melanie Colgan for School Board.
- Jill Lang
- Cindy Byerly
- Anna Nowell
- Caron and Jeremy Inglis
- April Wheeler and Melissa Goldman
- Tara Adams
- Timothy and Rebecca Foley
- Catherine Puranananda
- Nalani Kimball
- Debra McCrady
- Kirsten Stromberg
- Charles and Stephanie Nakhleh
- Ellen Mills
- Karyl Ann Armbruster
- John and Andrea Determan
- Karen Holmes
- JoLynn Baily
- Tom and Betty Scherrer
- Matt and Kate Cleveland
- Theresa Cull
- Jennifer Hollingsworth and Howard Coe
- Andrea Cunningham
- Shaun and Ashley Wrightson
- Meg Fiengo
- Lucas and Melissa Laeser
- Carissa Waida and Mike Pratt
- Rhonda Simmons
- Seth and Beth Brown
- Jennifer Best
- Mary Ann Lindahl
- Michelle Rosette
- Eron and Teri Kerstiens
- Carrie DeBurgomaster
- Michael Adams
- Ali Semanision
- Melissa Doran & Michael Rosenow
- Linda Casias
- Suzanne and Gregory Lee – “We are grateful for a candidate in our district who supports universal masking for in-person schooling. Our eldest child has flourished with the return to in-person schooling – something that would not have been possible without universal masking.”