Two candidates are in the running for the Northern Lights School Division subdivision two as the election date draws closer.
Incumbent Herb Norton and new candidate Richard Petit are both vying for the position. Subdivision Two includes the communities of St. George’s Hill and Buffalo Narrows.
Herb Norton
With the division two years into their five-year strategic plan and with so much to do, Norton does not want to leave before the five years are up, he said. Student readiness and improvements in basic reading and writing skills are two important aspects of the plan, he said.
“When they leave preschool, they're ready for kindergarten, kindergarten to grade one, and so on. So [let’s] go through and be able to follow the child through and make sure they're learning all the way through the system.”
Preparing children for life outside of school is also something that the division wants to focus on, Norton said. Especially from a culture standpoint and job preparedness standpoint, Norton wants schools to, “promote a good healthy living, productive citizens to carry on after school.”
With will take parents and students making education more of a priority, he said.
Norton has lived in Buffalo Narrows for 40 years with his wife working in the correctional facility until 2016 when it shut down, he said.
When he was first elected to be a school board trustee during the 2018 byelection, Norton said he saw it as an opportunity to do some good in his community.
Richard Petit
As a father and grandfather of Buffalo Narrows’ former and current students, Petit wants to give back to the educational system that has educated his family, he said. Petit is also a former educator following his retirement in 1999.
Especially now with the challenges of the pandemic, having a healthy educational experience is very important, he said.
“I would be a good asset to be on the school board to help make some really good decisions around the health of our community health of our students and especially our teachers.”
The Twin Lakes Community School in Buffalo Narrows is quite old, he said, and with other communities being fortunate to get new school projects, Petit wants to work towards seeing a new school built in his community.
Petit was born and raised in Buffalo Narrows and has volunteered a lot for his community, including as a member of the local recreation board and the Mississippi Broadcasting Corporation Board of Directors, a fundraiser for the arena and hall, and as a founding member of the Northwest Credit Union.
