Covington selected for school board

Brenda Covington was chosen Monday night by the Grand Coulee Dam School District directors to join their the board.

Covington and Lisa Lyngar were interviewed for about half an hour each to fill the Electric City area spot on the board left vacant earlier this year, with the board choosing Covington after deliberating in executive session.

Covington will finish the unexpired term of the position left vacant by Joette Barry, which has less than two years left on it. Covington will have to run for re-election for a four-year term.

Covington said she obtained her master’s degree in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology from Montana State University, eventually landing a job for the Colville Confederated Tribes in 2008.

She has a son in first grade, as well as a preschool-age daughter.

“I think recognition of students and their successes has a pretty big impact,” Covington said, tearing up a little. “When we recognize and acknowledge our students’ achievements, no matter how small or grand, it really affects them. And I know my little guy, he’s been student of the month a couple of times, he gets Raider Bucks and Raider Best and he comes home excited to be here. I think some of the systems LR has set up to acknowledge the students can have a really profound effect on their desire to be here and learn, and I think that’s pretty awesome.”

Covington, echoing what Lyngar had said in her interview, said that communication seems to be one of the biggest challenges in the district. With parents, teachers, students, and the board all having busy schedules, Covington suggested using more technology, such as email systems, more website updates, and more Facebook involvement from the school as a means of addressing that issue.

Covington expressed “a desire to see kids succeed in whatever they want to succeed in.”

“I think it would be a worthwhile commitment to collaborate with the school board in trying to guide our vision for the community, and the future, and what they want to see for the kids,” Covington said.

Lyngar has three kids in the district now, and two older children who had been in the district. She expressed a strong desire to be involved. “I want to see if I can improve on things that need improvement, try and do my best to take part as a team, to improve our school system,” she said.

Lyngar emphasized that she wanted to see better communication between teachers, paraprofessionals, administration, the board, and students, expressing a desire to see the parties be happy and resolve conflicts.

Lyngar also cited bullying as a big concern within the district. “I don’t know why it’s so bad,” she said. It just seems like some kids are disciplined, some aren’t. If they’re bullying, we need to solve the problem.”