February 7, 2008

MRH Board of Education Candidates for April, 2008 Election

Three, three-year director positions on the MRH Board of Education are open in the April 8, 2008 election. Four candidates have filed for the three positions. Below are the photos and biographies as submitted by each candidate. Candidates are listed in their order of filing and as their names will appear on the ballot.

Maria Langston

The greatest joys in my life, my sons Michael and Matthew, are students at MRH. Our family has called Maplewood home for 10 years. My husband Mark and I have been active members of our community and have worked on our city’s revitalization.  I have a Bachelors Degree in Communications from SIU-E and am employed as Development Director for Children’s Miracle Network.  Previously, I was the Marketing Director for KEZK & Y98 & WIL Radio stations. I’ve served as President of the MRH Early Childhood Center PTO for three years. I have also served on the Teaching and Learning Council, the Calendar Committee, and CSIP committee. Our family won the MRH Family of the Year in 2007. I am a board member of Mosaic Services and co-coordinator of the MRH Community Engagement Task Force. The future is in the success of our children and our children’s success is largely in the hands of our school district.  When elected to the Board, I will stand up for our kids, work to have a transparent Board, help build trust in our schools by working with the community, will respect the challenges of our taxpayers, and value our financial accountability.

Stephen Findley

I have lived in Maplewood with my wife Pascale and son Jonah since May 2001. Our second son, Danny, is a lifelong Maplewoodian, born July 2001. My wife and I both teach, she at SLU, and I at Webster U. Our boys are thriving in MRH schools, and are now in third and first grade, respectively. I attended public schools in Kansas, where my dad was a farmer then minister, then went to college in Houston and graduate school in Boston. Since our oldest started at the Early Childhood Center, I have been very involved in MRH schools. I joined the ECC PTO in spring 2002 (my son’s first semester in preschool), served as a PTO officer, and volunteered as a reader with first-graders, among other things. I was lucky enough to be appointed to the school board in November 2005, then elected in April 2006, and have very much appreciated the opportunity to serve on the board. If re-elected, I intend to continue to work hard for the best possible education for our kids, since first, our future depends upon it, and second, we owe it to them.

Ben Stotler

I am the proud parent of a Maplewood Richmond Heights elementary student, a 3rd generation MRH graduate, current member of the MRH School Board and 30-year resident of Richmond Heights. My wife, Courtney, is also a MRH graduate. My father, Denis Stotler, and father-in-law, Robert Harsh, both served multiple terms on the MRH Board of Education, including terms as president. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri and am currently employed as the Chief Operations Officer at Carrollton Bank. Prior to 2003 I was employed for 10 years at Pioneer Bank in Maplewood. In addition, I am currently a member of or have served on the following committees: “Join the Race” capital committee for the high school and middle school athletic complex Maple Days committee Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation Maplewood Kiwanis Club “PACT II” long-range MRH planning committee Richmond Heights - Clayton Joint Merger Study Infrastructure Subcommittee Richmond Heights TIF Commission If elected, I will respectfully serve and engage the ethnically and financially diverse MRH community keeping in mind the paramount responsibility of furthering student achievement, while ensuring sound financial decisions and accountability.

Christine Wagnon

I am an active Richmond Heights resident of 13 years. In addition to caring for my 2 children and working outside the home, I have volunteered in the ECC writing center, the elementary school library and art class. I have served as a room mother, Girl Scout leader and member of the elementary playground committee.  I’ve worked as a substitute teacher both in M-RH and the St. Louis Public Schools. I earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Iowa. I worked for 13 years for the Saint Louis Symphony in special events and facilities management and currently am employed by Safe Connections (formerly Women's Support and Community Services).

For more information, contact MRH School District at (314) 644-4400.