Catherine M. Tokarz: Heather Drolet will be strong advocate for children and teachers throughout the district

To The Daily Sun,

Election season is upon us once more. Aren’t we lucky to live in such a society? Aren’t we lucky to live in one of the most beautiful areas of the world? This letter is in support of Heather Drolet’s candidacy for the Ward 6 representative to the Laconia School Board. I’ve known Ms. Drolet and her family for several years and have found them to be kind, good neighbors and respectable citizens of our hamlet. Ms. Drolet is an educator in the Concord School District, wife of a small business owner and a mother of two children in the Laconia School system.

As reported in The Laconia Daily Sun in 2015 when the New England Development Council sent a representative to Laconia to host a series of focus groups to assist with the selection of a permanent superintendent, Heather Drolet was the only person who came to the public forum to share her ideas of the qualities this candidate must possess. The representative from this council stated that Ms. Drolet was “the voice of the community.” That is both heartwarming in that she took the time and interest to attend and embarrassing that the rest of us didn’t. However, Ms. Drolet’s comments actually did speak for many within Laconia when she stated her objectives, which included favoring a progressive superintendent with a willingness to try "outside of the box" strategies. Her ideas are now offered within the school department including applying technology in the classroom and offering “real world experiences,” think the Huot program featuring education in plumbing and heating, health science, law enforcement, building construction, and automotive. Ms. Drolet stated that she’d prefer a superintendent with teaching experience who would be a good listener and be proactive rather than reactive. She also stressed the importance of having a superintendent with a strong presence in the community with the ability to form partnerships with the many resources we have in Laconia, both civic and private business organizations. We have found that in our current superintendent, Steve Tucker. In closing, Ms. Drolet stated her ideal candidate should strive to ensure equitable access to all learning opportunities and maintain sound relationships with administrative staff and classroom teachers and continue to encourage professional development. Ms. Drolet will embrace her own words and be a strong advocate for our precious children and our amazing teachers throughout the district. Ward 6 constituents, please join me on Nov. 2 at Leavitt Park Club House, 334 Elm St., and elect Heather Drolet as our representative to the Laconia School Board.

Catherine M. Tokarz

Laconia