LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Publisher’s note: Answers to the following questionnaire were submitted by Crestwood CUSD #4 Board of Education candidate Marisa Sunkel and are largely unedited, outside of minor stylistic changes to ensure compliance with AP Style guidelines. Any views or opinions expressed in this piece do not reflect the opinions of The Prairie Press or its editorial team.
Briefly explain who you are and provide some background information on yourself (age, hometown, occupation, etc.).
I am 33 years old, raised in Marshall Illinois. After graduating high school, I attended Harrison College for business admission, where I obtained an associate's degree.
I also currently own a local trucking company. I am the sole owner of JMS Trucking and Excavating, where we are carrying on the legacy of the late Larry Wooten, who started Wooten Trucking. I have three beautiful children, two dogs, and two cats.
I am passionate about education and know that it looks different for everyone. I also am passionate about helping others in whatever way I can and instilling good values and not only my family, but showing them to my community as well.
Briefly recap or describe your own education experience as a student (and as an educator if applicable).
Growing up in a small town, I knew everyone and everyone knew me. My mom worked in the schools and so, that meant everyone really knew me. I remember having teachers that I absolutely loved, and having teachers that I was excited to say goodbye to.
Most things in school came easy for me, and I was very fortunate in that. Once I hit junior high, I remember starting to struggle with certain subjects, but because I wasn’t “struggling enough” I wasn’t one of the children that was able to receive any help.
In high school, I remember finding different ways that helped me learn better, and some of those tactics are still ones I use to this day. I truly believe that schools are invaluable resources for our communities and our children, and their employees deserve our utmost respect.
In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue (or issues) facing your school district? Please limit your answer to three issues/topics at most.
•Transparency between the school and the parents/guardians
•Accessibility Accommodations
If elected, what immediate action would you propose to address the issue(s) mentioned above? What long-term plans would you propose to address the issue(s)?
•Transparency- I would be a voice for the people, staff, students, and their families alike. Encourage more public notice for the taxpayers to be aware of what is happening and what the school needs, and encourage relationships built on respect and trust between the school and the community.
So many of the families I have spoken with do not feel like their concerns are heard or that they can bring them to the attention of anyone at the school because nothing will be done. That is not okay at all.
In the long term, I believe that the immediate actions imposed can have lasting effects that we will eventually see benefits from.
•Accessibility Accommodations- The population of disabled students in the Crestwood District is a large number, when you think about how small Crestwood District actually is.
My goal in this is to be a voice for the children and the families, and bring knowledge to people who may not be affected firsthand by these challenges. Something that is advertised as “works” for the disabled community may not actually work as everyone’s disability, as each disability and ability looks slightly different.
Bringing awareness, education, and implementing the necessary changes will have an immediate effect as well as a lasting one for the current population in the district and the future students.
What parts of your experience as a professional or volunteer do you believe would suit you well on the school board?
I think that volunteering with every aspect of people and it has opened my eyes to so very much. It has shown me that compassion comes in all forms and that empathy and kindness will never go unnoticed. You never know how simple it is to be helpful and how easy it is to find a solution or compromise until you show the people involved in the situation compassion.
Working in customer service and with the public has also opened my eyes to a completely different way to deal with issues, giving me a much more level- head to deal with them and a way to think outside the box to look for solutions.
In your opinion, what is the value and importance of the public education system?
I believe the public education system is one of the highest importance to keep in tact and so very invaluable to our community. Not only does the public education system have the benefit of helping the children learn all sorts of things, but sometimes the school is the only safe place for some students. If that means the only place that is warm or cool, clean, with bathrooms, electricity, food, or safe people, it is so very important to these students.
The way the schools help kids find their friends, the sport that they click with, the kind of books they love, or the career field they want to go into is a wonderful asset that we should continue to always support.
If given the authority to do so, what would you change about the public education experience?
I would love to find a way to help the parents/guardians more involved in the everyday. Make the school more inviting to those who want to help, as I believe showing the students the support of the community would have such a positive impact on the student's behavior and student attendance.
In addition to the student benefits, I think the staff and community will benefit greatly from community involvement and support.
What are the strengths of the public education system?
Between providing an education to everyone, providing a safe place, to providing employment for the local communities of all varieties, the strengths are easy to see.
The public education system that I believe in and see through my children’s education has truly come so far; however, it isn’t done growing. We, as a community and support system for our children, need to be dedicated to making sure their education is of the highest importance.
What other information do you want readers of The Prairie Press and members of your community to know about you?
I just want to extend a thank you in this space to the people that I have gotten to know through this process.
The support of the community members in the Crestwood District has been invaluable, and I am beyond thankful to have met each of you and spoken with you about things that you haven’t thought were addressed properly or that you would like to see changed.
I hope that you will trust that if elected, I will do what I can to help ensure that our children’s education remains of the utmost importance and that Crestwood continues to feel like a family.
(The above surveys were provided to candidates running for school board election inside of Edgar County by request of the individual candidate. All candidates have the option and opportunity to submit their responses. The views expressed are solely that of the candidate. Candidates can inquire about surveys by contacting info@prairiepress.net)