18 I The Lovell Chronicle I October 28, 2010 www.LovellChronicle.com
BIG HORN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER ONE BOARD
David Monk • Cowley
BIOGRAPHY: I was born in Lovell and lived between Cowley and
Lovell during my childhood and attended Cowley schools. After high
school I attended the National College of Business in Rapid City, S.D.
and Northwest College in Powell. I worked at several jobs for local
companies until I was hired to work for Amoco Production Company
and moved with my wife, Sherie, to Meeteetse. We lived in Meetee-
tse for 10 years until I had an opportunity to transfer to Elk Basin
and move back to Cowley and live close to family. We purchased a
small farm outside Cowley and raised our children there. They both
attended elementary school, middle school and high school in Big
Horn School District #1. I have been active in working with youth in
my church, as a board member for the Cowley Drainage District, the
Cowley Planning Committee, the Big Horn Co. Land Planning Steer-
ing Committee and as a Cowley Republican Precinct Committeeman.
Joan Zier • Deaver-Frannie
BIOGRAPHY: I married Freddie Zier and moved to Deaver in June
of 1990. We have two children who are currently attending Rocky
Mountain schools. Maci is 16 and a sophomore in high school and
Zachary is 12 and in the seventh grade. I graduated from the Uni-
versity of Alaska in 1997 with a degree in Health Information Man-
agement - and worked at Powell Valley Health Care from 1988 until
2001. I worked as an analyst and assisted with risk management
and utilization review. I quit my job to be able to spend more time
with my kids and to help my husband with his business in 2001.
:ii
Koleen Sponsel • At-large
BIOGRAPHY: I was born in Lovell and raised in Cowley. My family in-
cludes my husband Nick, daughter Jessica Jarrett and husband Jar-
ed Jarrett of Cowley, son Joshua Sponsel and wife Lindsey Sponsel of
Cowley, son Nicholas Sponsel, a student at the University of Wyo-
ming, and four grandchildren - Easton and Madilynn Jarrett and
Emma and Jaxson Sponsel. I graduated from Cowley High School
in 1978 and worked for School Dist. No. I for approximately 10 years
as an aide and a secretary. I owned and worked for Stevens Whole-
sale for approximately 10 years. I am currently employed at CETCO
9eight years) as a customer service rap.
Tricia Despain Aagard • Burlington
BIOGRAPHY: I'm a Wyoming native and have lived in Burlington for
over 12 years. I am a graduate of Lovell High School and the Univer-
sity of Wyoming with a degree in education. I was raised in Lovell
where my parents still reside. My husband, Wade, and I own a con-
struction business in Burlington and are the parents of five children -
four of which attend Burlington Schools.
Diana S. Ballinger • At-large
BIOGRAPHY: I was born in Kansas and raised in the Colorado Rock-
ies. We moved to this area in 1977 and have lived here off and on
ever since. My husband worked in the oil field so we did some moving.
We have been back here since 1997.
Paul Rasmussen • At-large
BIOGRAPHY: I was born in Basin and raised in Burlington. I gradu-
ated from Burlington High School. I attended Ricks College for a
year, and then I moved back to Burlington to run our family farm.
I have farmed for the past 36 years. My wife also grew up in Burl-
ington. I have five children. Three have graduated from Burlington
High School, and two are still in school.
THE CHRONICLE RECEIVED NO STATEMENT FROM THE FOLLOWING CANDIDATE:
Brett Crosby • At-large, 2 yr.
WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO SEEK OFFICE OR TO SEEK
RE -ELECTION?
MONK: I have enjoyed serving on the Board for Big Horn School
District #1 for the past 12 years. We have just completed the
training given by the State School Boards Association for
Leadership Governance and have set some goals for the dis-
trict. I would like to do my part to see those goals come to
fruition.
AAGARD: As a parent, I live with the decisions the school
board makes every day. I want to be involved in the decision
making process and build upon the good schools we already
have.
ZIER: I am running for the school board because I believe all
people are entitled to fair: anal acc relrsentation. Our
,. school district encompasses a: large area containing many
small towns, and I feel each of those areasshould have prop-
er representation.
BALLINGER: I recently graduated from Northwest College
and during my time I took some government classes and am
hooked on serving my community. I am anxious to get in-
volved with how my community is run and would like to get
my hands in the mix.
RASMUSSEN: I have been on the school board for the past
four years, and I would like to continue to serve my com-
munity. Now we have good school facilities in our school dis-
trict, but I think we need to continue to improve the quality
of education that our students receive.
SPONSEL: I have served on the school board for 16 years. We
have some great things happening at School District Num-
ber 1. Students at Burlington and Rocky are all very fortu-
nate to attend state-of-the-art schools. The board has been
focused on facilities for a long time. It's exciting to begin the
process of changing that focus to student achievement.
WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE -
STRENGTHS, EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP STYLE,
ETC.?
MONK: I have gained knowledge and skills by attending the
trainings that are offered by the State School Boards Asso-
ciation, the National School Boards Association and attend-
ing every monthly and special meeting of Big Horn School
District #1 School Board, with the exception of three, over
the past 12 years. I began my service as a member of the
board, was elected as vice chair and served there for seven
years, and I have been serving as chairman for the past two
years.
AAGARD: Education is my love. I taught seven years in Elko,
Nev., in an elementary school and was involved with many
aspects of education. I'm actively involved in the Burlington
Schools with my children's classes and support groups and
seek to volunteer whenever possible.
ZIER: I am a straightforward and motivated person. I feel the
most effective way to deal with things is to do so in a direct
manner. I have solid roots in this community and am com-
mitted to helping our schools be the best they can be! I am
willing to put all the time and energy I have into this posi-
tion. I will make a full commitment to helping our school dis-
trict be the best place to go to school in Wyoming.
BALLINGER: My strengths are the fact that I have had chil-
dren and grandchildren in this school district. During my
time at Northwest I was the class president and as a nurs-
ing student I have learned about Maslow's hierarchy and am
also very interested in how we as humans interact during
good times and challenging times.
RASMUSSEN: In addition to serving on the school board, I
was also the President of the Bench Canal Company for 24
years. I have a strong record of community service including
six years as an EMT. I also believe strongly in sticking to the
policies that we have as a district, but I do believe that some-
times we need to reevaluate policies that we have so that we
can improve them. I think honesty and hard work are the
two strongest values I can bring to the school board.
SPONSEL: Our board recently completed training on Leader-
ship Governance. We spent many months and hours of train-
ing developing leadership policies, a District vision, mission
and expectations. I have a lot of time invested in this process
and would like the opportunity to see it implemented and
hopefully witness positive improvements in reading, writing
and math and see higher ACT scores district wide. I believe
that we have the tools necessary.
Urgent news for people who had
HIP REPLACEMENT
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
HAPPEN IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND/OR IN THE
OPERATION OF THE LOVELL SCHOOLS IF YOU ARE
Questions
ELECTED? ARE THERE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE
TACKLED?
MONK: There has been much time and energy spent in the dis-
trict on the construction of the many new facilities we have
built over the past few years. With the completion of these
projects undivided attention can now be placed on student
achievement.
AAGARD: I would like to see the current projects complet-
ed. We have beautiful new buildings in Cowley and a great
building in Burlington and it would be nice to get the fin-
ishing work done for the various programs. We have a lot of
good going on that I want to build upon.
ZIER: I do not have a specific agenda; I am entering this posi-
tionwith an open mind. I truly want our schools to be the
best in the state. In every, district there are changes that
need to be made and issues that will need to be addressed. I
plan to approach each issue and situation objectively. I will
not allow personal opinions and feelings to influence my de-
cisions.
BALLINGER: Some of the issues that I am looking forward to
tackling include the new school setup in our district of put-
ting the middle school and high school in the same building.
I look forward to helping get the community involved with
the transition. It is exciting to have the elementary, mid-
die and high school in one town. In the situation of Burling-
ton I am interested in finding ways to keep the school open
and operating. The option of busing these students is not one
that I see as in the best interest of the students.
RASMUSSEN: We recently went through leadership gover-
nance training by the Wyoming School Boards Association.
I feel that when we fully implement this program, which al-
lows the school board and administration to work more effec-
tively together, that our schools will have better learning en-
vironments. This system also requires that we set goals for
student achievement. I believe that setting goals and plan-
ning, as a team, to work toward those goals is one change
that we can make to increase student achievement.
SPONSEL: We have highly qualified teachers and support
staff, dedicated and caring administrators but, most impor-
tantly, amazing and talented kids. It is my wish to engage
the communities of Big Horn County School District No. 1 to
support our District Vision of"Embracing a tradition of ex-
cellence while preparing individuals for success."
WITH TIGHT BUDGETS FACING OUR COMMUNITIES,
WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN REGARD TO EXPENSES AND/0R
PROJECTS?
MONK: The funding model employed by the State of Wyoming
gives the money to each district in a block grant. This allows
each district to allocate their dollars in the areas they feel
are most important. Our district spends about 80 percent of
its budget on salaries. This has allowed us to attract and re-
tain highly qualified staff.
AAGARD: I want to ensure quality resources for our children's
education...whether it be in buildings or otherwise. The chil-
dren are the priority.
ZIER: Budgets are always an issue; this is even more evident
in the current state of our economy. I believe we can effec-
tively administer the budget in our district with proper
management and by cutting waste. I am confident we can
do our best to make sure our students and staff has access
to the best teachers, materials and educational opportuni-
ties available.
BALLINGER: I would be new to this area, but have been read-
ing about some companies that are willing to help schools
with funding for different projects. I would be interested in
getting more information on these options.
RASMUSSEN: In regard to facilities, I think that we could
make an additional improvement by adding bus barns. I be-
lieve that this is important in maintaining safe transpor-
tation for our students, and protecting the money we have
already invested in our buses. Given that we live in an age
where technology is important, I think that it is also criti-
cal that we increase the amount of technology available to
our students.
SPONSEL:. Working as a team of dedicated community mem-
bers, school board members, teachers and administrators
we can do great things but the number one priority should
always be students.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THE
SCHOOL BOARD?
MONK: I would like to continue to be a part of the team that
provides the support for the success of the students of Big
Horn School District #1. A few of the indicators of this suc-
cess are the continued rise in our test scores, a rise in our
graduation rate, the number of students who complete a vo-
cational education track and/or the number of students who
complete the Success Curriculum and receive a Hathaway
Scholarship.
AAGARD: I will listen to the communities and do my best
to make wise decisions to continue the legacy of producing
amazing high school graduates who make the world a bet-
ter place. With my own children currently attending our
schools, my perspective will make a difference.
ZIER: My goal is to become a part of this school board, and to
make sure that our kids continue to have the best facilities,
best teachers and best learning mateilh:that ttley'r/eed to
educate them to the best of their abilities -, '
BALLINGER: I believe that every group can use new faces
and view points to look at challenges from different angles.
I think that I would bring with me the fact that I have re-
cently been a student. I am a strong researcher and am in-
terested at looking into finding project support for our school
district. I look forward to serving my community in this po-
sition.
RASMUSSEN: I will make a difference on the school board by
listening to the concerns of others. I believe that one of the
most important things that a school board member can do
is listen. This includes listening to parents, concerned citi-
zens, students and other school board members about prob-
lems and finding solutions to those problems.
SPONSEL: I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on
the school board for the last 16 years, and it wouldbe a privi-
lege to continue my service. School board members are the
guardians of education and as guardians of the education
of all children, the challenge is great. I am up for the chal-
lenge!
Several hip replacement systems used since 2003, including
ones made by DePuy and Zimmer, have been recalled or
had sales suspended due to an increased need for a
second hip replacement. If you had or need a second hip
replacement or are having unexpected hlp problems, call
us now for a free cousultatfon at 1.800-THE-EAGLE (toll-free).
No fees or costs until your case settles. We practice law only
in Arizona, but assoc/ate w/th lawyers throughout the U.S. d
:: .ii. GOLDBERG & OSBORNE
!:: ' ,1... ,,..o¢--,.L 1-800-THE-EAGLE
:i::::::i!:i::i : www. 180Otheeagle.com
B
2010
