Two vie for School Board Zone 5 seat

Christensen
Christensen

Two people are seeking the Zone 5 School Board seat.

Melanie Christensen and John Dye both have children in the schools and both place a high priority on family. Dye is a current member of the board.

There are 11 candidates for four of the five seats available. One seat, has one candidate who is currently a school board member and is running unopposed.

The zones and candidates are: Ryan Heckman, Chris Olson, Trenton Talburt and Adam Yager in Zone 1; Jessica Branham and Stephen (Drew) Rosser in Zone 2; Leslie Jackson, Eric Rowlee and Sarah Saragusa in Zone 3; Mindy Cawthon (incumbent) in Zone 4; and Melanie Christensen and Johnnie Dye in Zone 5.

Registered voters living within the Pea Ridge School District boundary must live in the same zone as the candidate for whom they vote.

Melanie Christensen

Melanie Christensen, a homemaker, is also a substitute bus driver for the Pea Ridge School District, a position from which she says she'll have to resign if she wins the seat.

She's seeking the seat because "I want to help make a difference in the school. I love the school district."

"We're growing immensely and I would love to be a part of that change," she said adding that her volunteering in the school system has enabled her to see the school programs first hand. "The school is the bread and butter of Pea Ridge. I think striving to make it great is a continual process and it's important."

"One of the things that is important to me is to see resources allocated equally across activities in the school -- sports, art, band. I would love to see the programs grow as the student population is growing and would love to see resources help good teachers stay in the district."

Christensen and her husband, Dee, have been married for 20 years and have six children: Aden, a 2020 PRHS graduate; Tate, a 2021 PRHS graduate; Maren, a student at PRHS; Sadie, a student in the junior high; Kahle, a student in the middle school; and Michael, a kindergarten student.

"I love family. And, I love this area and I love the school," Christensen said. "I really have a passion for making it the best school we can have. I really think we can achieve -- striving for excellence."

Christensen said she was born and raised in California and attended Brigham Young University in Utah after high school. She has lived in northwest Arkansas for 15 years and Pea Ridge for 10 years.

"I'm currently finishing my degree in Family Studies through BYU," she said.

"I feel like in Pea ridge, kids have more opportunities to participate in opportunities, activities, because the student population is smaller and there are not as many who compete," she said. "To sum it up, I care about family and I care about the kids and I want to see them thrive. I would love to see all the kids leave our district ready for the next thing."

She said she is is a church youth leader, Band Booster president, charitable relief organization president, school volunteer, committee director of NWA Emergency Preparedness Fair, Boy Scout mentor and soccer coach for Pea Ridge Thunder.

She said her strengths include project management, strategic thinking/planning, drive accountability in self and others, thirst for learning, compassion for others, big picture thinker and refiner

John Dye

John Dye is a certified public accountant and gym owner.

Dye, who is on the board and served one term before the current one, said: "I want to complete what I helped start ... continuing the progress the school has made. I have been a part of a lot of what has occurred and I want to help that continue.

"I've supported our administration, where we're going as a school district," he said. "We've set some things in motion and done a lot of good things to get where we are. I'd like to continue that.

"I continue to look for ways to move our school forward as we grow both in number and facilities using my expertise as a CPA. I have worked closely with our school administration these past several years dealing with the many issues and opportunities in our district with integrity and diligence."

"We need to focus on the kids -- where our kids are going future wise and the environment we've created," Dye continued. "My focus is on the students and our growing town. My passion and care is for what we're trying to accomplish as a school district -- where we're leading our district."

He and his wife, Bobbye Jo Dye, have three children: Kamree, a senior at PRHS, Jace, a freshman, and Gannon, a fifth-grader.

A native of Seligman, Mo., Dye attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. He has lived in Pea Ridge for 16 years.

He said his mother is a retired school teacher, giving him insight into the needs of teachers. He said his wife has taught and has education degrees and education background and is very involved with schools and Bright Futures.

He is a deacon and treasurer at First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge, and coaches pee wee football, basketball and baseball.

He said his strengths are his knowledge of finances, as well as owning a small businesses and being connected to community.

Dye is currently on the School Board, a position to which he was elected in 2020 ousting Ryan Heckman. He had served a five-year term and was president of the board before being unseated by Mindy Cawthon in 2019.

  photo  Dye
 
 

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