Lauren Kawai
As a former teacher, I am passionate about education and as a parent, I love being involved with our schools. In addition to serving on the Smith PTO’s Teacher Appreciation Committee, I have enjoyed volunteering within our schools in other ways. From being a room parent every year for my children since my oldest (now a sixth grader!) was in kindergarten, to volunteering in the cafeteria and the library, I love the chance to get in the schools and see the kids and teachers in action. I also enjoy serving our community. I have served on many different committees within the MOMS of Oakwood since joining almost 11 years ago, including being the co-president and I am also a current member of the Oakwood Farmers’ Market, Citizens for a Better Oakwood, and the Oakwood Inclusion Coalition. I have a heart for education and for service.
I am a product of the Oakwood School system myself and my husband and I are actually high school sweethearts. We chose to settle and raise our family here because we love the schools and the community. We love going for walks in the neighborhood and seeing the smiling faces of our friends and neighbors. We love being able to walk our children to school, visit Wright Library on a regular basis, and walk or ride our bikes everywhere from the Farmers’ Market to Dorothy Lane Market to Smith Gardens. Our schools are a hugely important part of our community and I want to continue to maintain the excellence we have while also building upon that by making necessary improvements.
I am the mother of three children, each with their own unique personality and their own sets of strengths and challenges. I know that a one-size-fits all approach can’t work in parenting or in education so I will make sure that we work on making improvements where necessary, especially as it pertains to our special education services.
I am a caring person and a good listener. I enjoy hearing about others’ experiences and finding ways I can help. When I am on the school board, I look forward to continuing to listen and using the feedback I receive to help inform our decision making process.
Laura Middleton
My wealth of experience, talent, and commitment to our schools and community would make me an excellent school board member. As a Clinical Child Psychologist, I have devoted my career to helping children achieve their potential. I believe my training and expertise in child development and mental health could be invaluable to the school district.
I have experience working as a Clinical Child Psychologist in schools, and I co-authored and implemented a school-based resiliency program for students K-12. I have a tremendous amount of experience with children with a variety of special needs (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, ADHD, emotional and behavioral difficulties, chronic and acute medical conditions). I have worked with families receiving special education services, sitting in IEP meetings supporting and advocating for students, regularly reading IEPs, and conducting private assessments that are often used by schools.
In addition to my professional background and expertise, I believe my personal qualities would also make me an excellent school board member. I have a strong work ethic. I’m efficient and effective in accomplishing tasks and reaching goals. I am also a relational person; I work hard to understand others’ points of view, and I enjoy working cohesively with others. It is a challenging time to sit on a school board, and our school board needs members to fearlessly face obstacles with grace and grit. I believe I possess the qualities to accomplish this while fostering unity in our schools and community.
Furthermore, as a parent of two children in the Oakwood school district, I am strongly invested in the success and well-being of our schools. I am committed to maintaining excellence in our schools, fostering innovation, and making improvements where needed so that all students can thrive.
John Wilson
I’ve been a board member for four years, and this experience has given me the opportunity to learn about the school system and the needs of the students, families, and staff of Oakwood City Schools. I listen to the members of the community and proactively seek to understand their perspectives. I ask the difficult questions of the administration while still supporting the mission and vision of our community schools. Additionally, I’m a practicing educator with decades of experience in the classroom. I apply this real-world knowledge of how school works to the matters brought before the board.