Knopp and Terry Run for School Board

WAITSBURG - After serving 24 years on the Waitsburg School Board, Greg Zuger will step down in November. Two candidates, Russ Knopp and Margaret Terry, are running for the School Director Position 5, being vacated by Zuger.

Former Waitsburg Elementary principal and teacher, Russ Knopp, says his four decades as a teacher, principal, and school board member, along with his commitment to putting students first, make him a well-qualified as board member.

Knopp attended Seattle Pacific University from 1962-66, but took a break from school to accept his first teaching/coaching job at Bridgeport, Wash. on an emergency teaching certificate. He taught at Bridgeport for two years before moving to Walla Walla where he completed his teaching certification and graduated from Whitman College.

From 1971-1991, Knopp taught and coached in Garfield, Wilbur, and Coulee-Hartline, except for a brief stint from 1977-1980 when he sold insurance. Even then, Knopp remained involved in education by serving on the Coulee City school board.

In 1988 Knopp was named Educator of the Year at Coulee-Hartline. He has fond memories of a four-year stretch coaching middle school basketball at that school, when the boys won 39 games in a row.

"That was the most fun I've ever had coaching. Those kids would do anything for you," he said.

During those years, he traveled nights and spent summers in Cheney, to earn his masters degree from Eastern Washington College.

In 1991 Knopp became middle school principal in Kettle Falls where he worked until he accepted a position as Waitsburg Elementary School principal in 1993. Knopp served as principal here for seven years before returning to the classroom in 2000. He then taught middle school in Waitsburg until his retirement in 2012.

"I love kids. Being principal took me away from the kids, which is my calling," he said.

Knopp said the kids are still his number one reason for wanting to be on the school board. He feels strongly that schools need to develop a strong vision for 21st -century education; a vision that prepares students for the information age rather than the industrial age.

"Our students today will face a much different world from the world we faced, so we need to do our best to prepare them for their world, not ours," he said.

Knopp also has a heart for students that have difficulty in the traditional learning environment.

"I've said for lots of years, you can't mess up the top half of the kids. In terms of gifting, what are we doing about the struggling learners that aren't verbal and linguistic learners, or maybe just don't do well on tests?

Knopp sees inadequate funding, lack of local control (especially unfunded state and federal mandates and testing requirements), and curriculum that doesn't meet student needs as major challenges the district faces.

As a board member, Knopp hopes to work with other board members, administration, staff and students to develop and maintain policy that will provide meaningful, affordable learning opportunities for students, preparing them for life, whether that includes further education or work.

"I'd like to see us get to the place where we teach kids what they need to learn in terms of creativity and collaboration – important skills and practices needed in the real world. I don't want to be a thorn in anyone's side. I want to be that person, if elected, to help us think about, 'is there another way?' I can't overstate it – I'm here for the kids," Knopp said.

Margaret Terry

Margaret Terry, wife of Dr. Kyle Terry, feels she has reached a time in her life where she can have the most positive impact on the school board. She has been regularly attending board meetings since applying as a candidate several months ago.

The Terrys moved to Waitsburg from Bakersfield, Calif. in 2010. In Bakersfield, they owned a medical clinic in the nearby community of Delano.

Terry obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at California State University in Bakersfield, but says nursing is her second career. She worked for many years as a geological draftsperson, photographer, and graphic artist.

"The oil business is unpredictable and when my job was eliminated during a downturn, I chose to return to school and pursue a nursing career. I worked as an operating room nurse for numerous years, then as a nurse case manager. Later, while raising our son, I worked part-time in my husband's medical office as the financial manager," she said.

Terry has held leadership positions in numerous committees in the past, including search committees, was president of a nursing organization, and is the current team leader for the Blue Mountain Chorus, Sweet Adelines.

Terry says the issues facing this and all school boards are complex and challenging. "I believe I have the ability to understand complex issues, and with solid interpersonal skills, I can work with the other board members, community members, and educators to find solutions," she said.

Terry says that when making decisions for the district it's important that the interests of all parties involved be considered, including students, parents, taxpayers and educators.

Creating the optimum learning environment for students, such as facility upgrades and air conditioning is among Terry's top priorities.

"I believe that student success is the most important factor. To that end, I support the local capital projects bond issue to implement necessary improvements in the district infrastructure," she said.

"Waitsburg is a great town. Although we have been here for only five years, I feel a part of this community and would like to be of greater service. I was raised in a household of educators and have always taken an interest in education. Now, with a son in high school and two grandchildren in elementary school, I felt I could be most helpful on the school board," she said.