PCM School Board Election Candidates 2023

Name: Kelsey Fiorentin

Age: 32

Occupation: Pediatric Emergency Room Nurse

1. Please introduce yourself and explain why you are running for school board.

My name is Kelsey Fiorentin. I graduated from PCM in 2009. I live in Prairie City with my husband Bruce and our four children Blake, Lincoln, Greyson, and Cooper. We also have a mini bernedoodle named Millie. I am running for school board to be involved in the growth and improvements of our school district. It is my goal to make sure we consider what is best for everyone in the district when making decisions, and empower and encourage our youth to be the best versions of themselves.

2. What’s the best quality of PCM schools? What can the district improve on?

The best quality of PCM schools is that it is in a small community where everyone supports one another. It is also great to have smaller class sizes like we do because the students are more than just a number and really get the attention and help they need.

I feel that the PCM district could offer more options for kids who are not into sports. While we do have a great athletics program, it’s important for the kids who may not be into sports to be able to be involved in something else and have somewhere they feel they fit in.

3. What challenges do you see in public schools and how to you propose to address them?

Drugs are an increasing issue in public schools. As a nurse who sees the impact these drugs have on kids and young adults first hand it is important to me to educate children on the dangers of these drugs and the effects they have on your body and your life. I think implementing programs such as D.A.R.E. in the classroom is very important to continue. It is imperative that we find ways to present these issues to the older students in a way that they can relate to instead of something they don’t want to pay attention to.

I also think bullying is a huge problem in schools and will continue to be a problem especially with increasing use in social media platforms. We need to implement programs that will shine a light on how detrimental bullying can be on someone’s life. I believe this needs to be introduced early in the children’s educational journey and reinforced as they move throughout the district.

4. Where would you like to see PCM grow?

I would love to see more opportunities in education pertaining to technology and computer programs. The future is full of technology and giving the students a taste of all the opportunities available to them in the field of technology would make a huge impact on their goals. More programming classes or coding classes and clubs for example would be fun and educational for the kids!

I also think more immersive experiences for the high school students would help them be able to better navigate their career and college pathways.

5. What is a parent’s role in the educational system?

Parents need to be willing to work along side the teachers to best serve the students. It is definitely a team effort when working with children. We need to support each other in order to achieve the best outcomes. As parents we also need to show our children what a difference hard work, determination, and perseverance will make when it comes to their education and how that follows them through their lives.

6. What other school issues are you most passionate about?

Another issue I would love to talk more about is the mental health of our students and our teachers alike. There is a major lack of resources when it comes to mental health, not only in the district but in the entire state. This is something I would love to address and tackle head on. When our students are struggling with mental health issues they are not able to thrive, especially in the school environment. They can’t focus on what they need to and instead only focus on the bad, often isolating themselves. This is magnified by social media use where everyone’s lives seem to be perfect. They need to know it’s okay to not be okay.

Teachers also struggle with mental health issues. Not having enough resources, dealing with uncooperative students and parents, and constantly trying to find new ways to introduce the material they are teaching can be exhausting. We need to support our teachers and make sure they have the mental health resources they need available, as well. If we don’t help and support our teachers they can’t help and support our students.