Douglas County School Board to interview candidates for vacant position Tuesday

Today, Tuesday Jan. 9, the Douglas County School District Board of Trustees will interview three individuals who have applied to fill the position left vacant after Trustee Tony Magnotta tendered his resignation.

The three individuals who have applied are Ricky D. Lewis, Yvonne Wagstaff, and Stephen J. Theriault.

The meeting will take place beginning at 4 p.m. at Douglas High School in Minden, or can be viewed online.

Each candidate was requested to respond in writing to three general questions regarding their interest in becoming a member of the board.

Those questions were as follows:

1) Your interest in serving on the Board of Trustees
2) Your education, experience, training or other skills you would bring to the position; and
3 )Your perspective on the major challenges facing public education in this Country, and specifically, within the Douglas County School District.

In addition, brief interviews will take place during the board meeting during which an additional six questions will be asked to each candidate.

After interviews are completed, the board will vote to choose a trustee from the three candidates, or continue to accept applications.

The candidate responses are as follows:

Ricky D. Lewis

My name is Ricky D. Lewis, and I would like to be considered for the Douglas County School Board Trustee vacancy.

I am a retired master electrician. I have lived in the same house in Douglas County for the past 22 years.

I have been married to my wife Debra Lewis for 50 years and we have three adult children, Melissa 42, Daniel 39, and Paul 34. I have 2 grandchildren that went to Douglas County schools K-12 and graduated from Douglas High School. My grandson was an “A” student who was a wrestler and set records as a weightlifter. He also participated on the track and field team. His accomplishments in athletics at DHS and the wonderful way the coaches treated him there, makes me want to give back to the system that contributed to my grandson’s success. He has turned into such a fine young man that I am so proud of. He now serves in the US Army National Guard while attending Western Nevada College.

My main reason for wanting to serve on the Douglas County School Board is to be able to assist other young people to strive for success. I would like to be able to encourage them and let them know that they can achieve great things if they are willing to work hard for them.

I have been active in my local church for the past 10 years. Those who know me consider me to be a very reliable and responsible individual. I am willing to dedicate the time and effort required to serve my community as a school board trustee and I hope that you will consider me for this position.

Yvonne Wagstaff

I am interested in applying for the open school board position for District 1. I live within the district and would like the opportunity to represent our community. I haver lived here for almost 10 years and have grown to love this wonderful area.

I was a stay at home mother for 18 years raising 6 children, 3 of which graduated from Douglas High School while the other 3 are still attending DHS and CVMS. I believe that my role as their mother has always been and always will be the most important job I could ever do.

I have volunteered in every school that my children have attended. I believe that taking an active role in their education is the best thing I could do for them as their mother. When my youngest started Kindergarten I became aware of the need for substitutes within our district and so I began working in the kitchen and also as a Paraprofessional while still volunteering.

I enjoyed visiting the schools around the valley and up at the lake. When a position opened up at Pinion Hills Elementary to work within the Special Education department and also as a Playground Aide, I felt blessed to have the opportunity to work where my children attended school.

Six years later I am still working at PHES as a Playground Aide. I love being able to work with the children, inside the classroom and out, and with a variety of teachers and staff that care about each student.

Seeing the diversity of what they need and how best to help each student and teacher is important as support staff within the district. I know that there are many issues that have been addressed here within Douglas County, some have been resolved and many have become heated topics. Keeping an open mind and listening to all sides before making any decisions is vital to the best possible outcome. Every student and teacher deserves a school board who can work together to help facilitate a good working and learning environment, ensuring that our student needs always come first.

I would love the opportunity to serve our amazing students, teachers and community to help our school district grow and improve.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Stephen J. Theriault

President Jansen and Board,
Please accept the following letter noting my interest in serving to fill the remainder of Tony Magnotta’s term. My qualifications, expertise, and experience are listed below.

- Home owner with 28 years residence in Minden, Nevada.
- Two adult children who graduated from Douglas County Schools and attended Nevada colleges
- Retired college professor with Emeritus distinction; former Department Chair and Faculty Senate Chair who served on a range of committees designed to benefit students, the institution, and the community.
- High School Substitute teacher.
- Doctor of Education degree with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership.
- A broad range of previous successful leadership and committee roles in the private sector.

Why I want to contribute to my county’s educational efforts:

- Although my college educator experience only encompassed a dozen or so years, I was always involved in a range of activities at our institution, including service as the Native American Student Association Club Advisor, partnered with our National Honor Society Advisor in food drives for those who were economically challenged, I sponsored community events such as the Black and White Movie night on our campus, and a public facing live interview with two local WWII veterans discussing their experiences. There was much to be learned from these two fine gentleman and the event was very well received (theater was filled to overflowing). My point is I am a well-rounded and experienced professional with much to contribute to our Board of Trustees.

- In a nutshell, I love education! I fully believe that long after many of us are gone to our final resting place, the lessons we share with the children in our schools today live on in ways that do considerable good for many. I believe my experiences in Douglas County and Nevada education make me uniquely qualified to fulfill this role.

- Most importantly today, I have four grandsons in the district and want to ensure that they get every benefit from our school system possible. Douglas County is a great place to raise a family and live. I believe I can help to make it even better.

Warm Regards,
Stephen J. Theriault, Ed.D., MBA