2016 DA Delegate Story

ND United President Nick Archuleta

ND United Vice President for Education Karen Christensen

NDU Vice President for Public Employees Gary Feist

ARCHULETA, CHRISTENSEN, FEIST RE-ELECTED TO OFFICE Eleven delegates run for six NEA slots

By Linda Harsche, NDU Communications

ND United President Nick Archuleta, Vice President for Education Karen Christensen, and Vice President for Public Employees Gary Feist ran unopposed for their positions on the ND United Board, so they were automatically elected to their respective offices.

Eleven members have filed for delegates to the National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly in Washington, DC, July 2-7, 2016. An election for the six open slots will be held during the ND United Delegate Assembly, April 16, 2016, in Bismarck.

Following are bios and photos of the members running: Stacy Adamson, a physical education and health teacher in West Fargo’s Harwood Elementary, was born and raised in West Fargo.

After graduating from West Fargo High School, she went on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree, doubling in Health/Physical Education and Sports Medicine from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD. Adamson also has a Master’s degree in Teacher Leadership from NDSU in Fargo.

She has served as Harwood’s building representative and presently is the Vice President of the West Fargo Education Association.

Deb Beeler, a Speech Pathologist in the West Fargo Public Schools, is in her 34th year of teaching in the state of North Dakota. Thirtytwo of those years were in the West Fargo Public School system.

Beeler is in her fourth year as serving as treasurer for West Fargo Education Association (WFEA). Prior to serving as treasurer, she was an Elementary Representative on the Executive Board for WFEA. Beeler also served as a building representative.

She graduated from North Dakota State University with her Bachelor’s degree in Speech/Language Pathology and the University of North Dakota with her Master’s degree in Communication Disorders.

Beeler continues to be active in her church, an advocate for the students she works with, and says she enjoys spending much of her time assisting her aging parents.

Adamson is married and has three children.

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Danielle Borseth is the current president of the Mandan Education Association. Borseth is originally from New Salem, where she attended high school. She received her undergraduate degree in K-12 Health and Physical Education from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. In 2009, she received her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, MN. Borseth began working on her teaching degree in 2001 in Valley City, concentrating on Elementary Physical Education. She has been teaching seventh and eighth grade health for the past seven years in Mandan.

She has been a member of ND United (NDU) and the National Education Association (NEA) since attending college.

Borseth has a strong belief in education of youth and the teachers who are in the trenches every day, making sure that every student succeeds.

Jennifer Conlon has been a physical education instructor in the Mandan Public School District (MPS) for 21 years. She has been an NEA and Mandan Education Association (MEA) member for all of those years.

Conlon has served as Head and CoNegotiator multiple times while in Mandan and is currently the Vice President of the MEA. Other positions she has held include: MEA Building Representative, Facilities and Finance District Committee Member for the MPS, Chairperson, Committee Member of MPS District Wellness Committee, Lewis and Clark Elementary Needs Committee, SPARK Physical Education Curriculum Facilitator for MPS and Standards and Benchmarks of Physical Education Committee Member in Mandan.

She believes it is important to be involved and serve in one’s associations in order to have a voice in the education process.

Connie Deutsch, an Instructional Materials Manager/Education Support Professional (ESP) for the Fargo Public School, is on the ND United ESP Advisory Board. She also serves as Fargo Education Association (FEA) Secretary.

Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Deutsch came to Fargo in 1978 after meeting her husband in Atlanta. After 37 years, she’s

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still at the Fargo Public Schools today. Even though she had an Associate degree in Accounting, Deutsch stayed home until each of her children started school.

Deutsch started subbing for the Fargo Public Schools (FPS) in various positions: SPED Para, office proctor, and finally found a position in the counseling office of Fargo’s North High School that she loved. Luckily FPS received a School-to-Work grant to hire a Career Resource Specialist. She worked for North High School in that position for 11 years. Deutsch was also the Student Council Advisor for three years, on the school’s School Improvement Committee and part of the FPS’s first Technology Initiative.

In 2008, she took a 12-month, newly created position at the District Office. Deutsch works with Instructional Materials for all classroom teachers in grades K-12, SPED-ELL, and Title. Deutsch also works with a Summer Technology Camp in June, which is for educators.

Lisa K. Dullum is completing her 16th year of teaching. For the first seven years, she taught K-12 music in Bowbells and Grenora.

The past eight years, she has spent her time teaching elementary music for West Fargo Public Schools.

Dullum has been a member of WFEA since she started teaching in West Fargo, and in the past few years she started taking a more active role as WFEA Executive Board Secretary, multiple committees, and as a building representative. She is now serving as President of the West Fargo Executive Board.

Dullum chose to take a more active role because those who have been leading for many years would be retiring, and Dullum feels it was important to take the initiative to learn from those leaders/mentors.

She is excited for the opportunity to be involved in her local association and is looking forward to the possibility of being involved at a state level.

Jolene Sand, a first-grade teacher at L.E. Berger Elementary in West Fargo, is originally from Hillsboro.

Sand received her Bachelor’s degree from Mayville State College. She also got her Curriculum and Instruction Master’s degree from St. Thomas University in Minnesota.

She has served as an Elementary Representative of the West Fargo Education

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Association and on the negotiations team.

Sand is married to Kent Sand, and they have three children. Derek is attending the University of Wisconsin-Stoudt, Kenna Joe is attending UND, and Kennedi is a senior at West Fargo High School.

Heather Guy-Spickard, a high school English teacher for six years and Department Chair in Fargo for three years, has served as Fargo’s Executive Board Representative, Building Representative, Negotiations Team member and ND United Delegate.

Guy-Spickard has also taught English in Forest Lake, MN and Yuma, AZ. She received her BA in English from the University of Minnesota-Morris Teaching Certification and her MA in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University in Arizona.

Union membership became Guy-Spickard’s second career. Fully immersed in the NEA at all levels, she became a negotiator in her fourth year of teaching, in addition to the positions at the building level.

Lyndsey Swanson, a first-year, sixth grade teacher in Wishek, is originally from Casselton. She attended school in Casselton and furthered her education at Valley City State University (VCSU).

Swanson has an Elementary Education degree with a Kindergarten Endorsement.

She also has a Title I reading and math credential. At VCSU, Swanson also worked at an on-campus job.

After student teaching in Valley City, Swanson graduated Summa Cum Laude and began teaching in Wishek.

She is looking forward to advancing her professional growth and developing the profession of education.

Association of North Dakota. He has been involved in school improvement, the North Dakota Theatre Arts Curriculum Frameworks Committee, the North Dakota Reading Association, and the North Dakota Geography Alliance. He is actively involved in the Lions Club and has held many leadership roles.

Special recognitions include: Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers (three times), listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Professionals (two times), and a Melvin Jones Fellowship Awardee. He is a life-member of the North Dakota Firefighters’ Association, a Melvin Jones Fellow and has received four Lions Club International President’s Certificates of Appreciation.

Thueson is married to Lynell, and they have one son, Mark.

Whitney Wolf, a kindergarten teacher at Discovery Elementary School in Grand Forks, serves as a Building Representative at Discovery.

She was born and raised in Minot, graduated from Minot High School and received her Elementary Education Degree with her Kindergarten and Reading Endorsements from Minot State University.

Growing up, Wolf was an active member in Key Club, Thespians, Theater, and Character Counts Club. She was also a member of the Student Education Association (SNDU) during college Upon graduating college, Wolf started teaching second grade in Garrison where she was a part of the Garrison Education Association Party Planning Committee.

Last fall, she was able to be a part of opening a brand new school, Discovery Elementary in Grand Forks.

Tim Thueson is a Title I Coordinator and Title I math and reading teacher at Solen. He formerly taught in McClusky, Pettibone and Sheyenne.

Thueson graduated Cum Laude from Mayville State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. He received his Master of Science degree in Education from Minot State University.

Thueson served as president, vice president and negotiating team member on the local level. Besides NDU, he is a member of the Communication, Speech, and Theatre

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