Kendra Watson:
Please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the NPS School Board.
My name is Kandra Watson. I have been a resident of Nowata County for 31 years. My husband and I both graduated from NPS, both working in jobs based out of Nowata County. After the many great opportunities we have been blessed with in this community, we feel strongly about our children attending and continuing to attend Nowata Public Schools. Hoping to provide an un-biased, invested outlook and help continue positive growth in the school and community.
What credentials and attributes will you bring to the board?
Teamwork, Problem Resolution
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Nowata Public Schools?
Strengths: Strong community involvement, forward-thinking education, creative engagement with students
What are some ideas or changes you would like to implement at NPS?
I do not have any individual agendas. I am looking forward to serving the community as a team, alongside the other board members, assessing upcoming decisions/concerns as a group for the well-being of all involved.
What is your vision for NPS over the next 3-5 years?
Having a successful, consistent environment in which the kids can learn and grow. Continue to support staff who truly care about the well-being of the children they serve. Acquire and retain staff talent.
Tamara Maddux:
Please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the NPS School Board.
I grew up and went to school in a community smaller than Nowata so I believe in small schools! Both of my boys attended all 13 years at Nowata as did my husband and his parents. I have lived and worked in Nowata since 1989.
I have always considered running but wanted to wait until my boys were out of school so I could be totally unbiased. I also have been able to retire recently so I have more free time now to dedicate to giving back to the community. I call Nowata home and I want the best for generations to come.
What credentials and attributes will you bring to the board?
The first thing is working 40 years full time mainly in accounting and budgeting. I also worked almost 10 years in city government which will be an advantage when it comes to the rules and regulations that are very different than the private sector. Also I am one who is not afraid to speak up, voice concerns or ask questions.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Nowata Public Schools?
Strengths - I believe we have some of the best teachers and staff around along with a great community who wants to help every child succeed.
Our STEM program is ahead of many other schools our size and we are still able to offer band, choir art and many athletic programs that help keep our students engaged. So many schools our size have had to cut all the extras to the point of not being able to offer something for everyone.
We’ve started updating our facilities over the last 15 years or so after many years with no improvements at all. We have one of the best gyms around and I hear that year after year when we host our tournament and even more if we host playoff games. People notice this and nice facilities are important when businesses or industries are looking at moving to our community, it is a win for everyone.
Weaknesses - Declining enrollment which is a statewide issue not just a Nowata issue.
A lack of community communication. If the great things going on at NPS aren’t spread as news then only the bad things are heard in the local gossip chain.
What are some ideas or changes you would like to implement at NPS?
I would love to see a mentorship program started. I think we have the people willing to help give guidance to our kids, we just need to get it rolling. I also would like to see more participation by school groups in local events. Some examples are Citywide cleanup day, parades (not just the band, many groups can represent) and festivals. We need to show community pride if we want community help and teach kids how to have community involvement. I touched on this earlier but I think it is crucial we have a better line of communication with the community about what is going on at NPS any needs that there are and all things good at NPS. The community doesn’t know the good if we don’t tell them, they can’t help us if we don’t ask. We also need to figure out a way to get more parental involvement, I’m not sure how we do that but we can surely come up with some ideas and try our best.
5. What is your vision for NPS over the next 3-5 years?
To work on getting the enrollment up by making NPS a school kids want to be at versus home school or transferring. Make NPS the school parents and kids want to transfer into and educators are lining up to get hired at. In step with that is more retention of quality educators.
We are going to have to face the fact it is time to look at the feasibility of repairs and upgrading of the elementary school building versus building new due to the age and continuous repair issues that have plagued the building.
Making NPS the school kids want to attend and educators want to work!
Tamara Maddux