John W. Henley          

Occupation: Law enforcement administrator

Age: 38

Contact: John.w.henley@hotmail.com

Record of service:

Since July of 2006 I have been a civil servant working as a law enforcement professional for the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Education:

I am a proud graduate of the Carson City School District. I am also a certified public manager.

Henley

 

A brief statement about your platform.

Academic excellence: Ensuring that all students receive a rigorous and well-rounded education that prepares them for success in life.

Equity and inclusion: Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all students, regardless of background or circumstance.

Mental health: Advocating for the well-being of the students and the faculty,

Community engagement: Fostering open communication and collaboration between the school district, families and community stakeholders to address concerns and make informed decisions.

Innovation and growth: Supporting innovative and sustainable teaching practices, technology integration and professional development opportunities for educators to continuously improve student outcomes.

Responsible budgeting and fiscal management to maximize resources and support student achievement.

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

There are several reasons that I consider myself the best candidate:

Professional experience: I have been serving in the public sector since 2006. I have significant experience working with stakeholders to develop and administer policies that adapt to the needs of those stakeholders while conforming to the guidelines of legislation. This experience will help the district maintain and develop policies that serve the needs of the district and its community members while sticking to legislative mandates.

Family experience: My family moved to Carson City in the early 90s. I attended school within the Carson City School District, graduating in 2003. Additionally, I have had three children attend schools within the Carson City School District, two of which have graduated and are attending university while one is still attending school within the district. My first-hand experience with the district policies and the district's history of success is instrumental to the continued success of the district.

Teamwork: A school board is a team of members, each of which has unique perspectives and opinions. Members must work together towards a cohesive vision. I have a considerable history of working within a team towards common goals within my professional life as well as in my personal life. I am open-minded and considerate of different viewpoints and concerns.

Analytical: School board members make important decisions based on fact-based data. It is important to understand what types of data will show the success or otherwise of a particular policy and to be able to figure out reliable ways to obtain it. Test scores may be a source, but they do not paint the full picture. I have significant experience in analyzing data points and making informed, fact-based decisions.

Michelle Pedersen

Occupation: Deputy clerk of marriages for Carson City
Age: 46
Contact: ElectMichellePedersen@gmail.com, ElectMichellePedersen.PoliEngine.com

Record of service:

I dedicated 14 years to Carson City Little League, including 8 as a board member – 6 years as president and vice president, and a decade as head coach. I’ve served 13 years as the parent volunteer coordinator for Youth Theatre Carson City. 3 years as a board member on the CCUSBC board (bowling association) with a focus on the youth. 17 years volunteering in the schools, including time in classrooms and front office, assisting on photo days, with flu shots, health screenings, eye exams, fieldtrips, and PTO events. I spearheaded a spirit program for many years where classrooms competed to show pride in their school. 13 years of classroom fire safety presentations with my husband. For several years I organized and ran a lunchtime intramural sports program where 5th graders had to set and achieve weekly behavioral and academic goals with their teachers to earn their ticket to play. I’ve served the elementary and teenage youth programs in my church for 15 years. I volunteer at a youth camp for a week every summer, where we serve over 200 teenagers, unplugged in the mountains. I am currently the Registrar for SafeGrad at CHS… and so much more!

Education: Santa Teresa High School, class of 1996.

Pedersen

 

Briefly describe the core duties of the position you are running for.

School board trustees shape the District’s educational landscape. We establish clear goals, aligning with the visions and expectations of our educators and community. We make financial decisions that have the greatest impact on student success, while maintaining integrity and stewardship over tax-payer dollars. We advocate for children’s futures.

A brief statement about your platform.

As a voting community, we have an obligation to today’s youth to make decisions that set them up for success. They have no voice in choosing the leaders that shape their foundations. When we age out of the work force, it is this rising generation that will take over the economy and infrastructure that sustains us all. It is imperative that we make decisions that prepare them for their future, not our past. In this everchanging global society, we have a paramount obligation to keep their educational experience free from undue external pressures, free from political influence or outside agendas. We must keep the learning atmosphere inclusive, and protect the integrity of their academic development – for the sake of their futures as well as our own. After nearly two decades of daily presence in schools, I have seen firsthand the struggles our children and educators face each day. Morale is low, apathy is high. As a board, I feel we owe it to both the students and educators to advocate for better wages to ensure that we draw highly-qualified staff who want to stay. When staff feels valued, the investment in them is returned by their investment in our children.

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

I have four children, ages 14, 17, 18, 20. In the 20 years since becoming a mother, my focus has always been creating an environment where children can thrive. A place where youth can explore their passions, find their strengths, develop confidence and gain an understanding of the value within them. This is evidenced by the way I’ve poured all my energy and spare time into everything ‘youth’ – whether it’s sports, the arts, schools or the community - they are my passion. I’m not sure there’s a team my kids have been on where I wasn’t team mom. I love an opportunity to be present – not just for my children, but for their peers as well. Sometimes, something as simple as feeling like an adult sees them, values them, and is cheering them on, is all it takes to light a spark in a child and encourage them to strive for better – to invest in themselves. I am not seeking this seat to advocate for a political party and its agendas. I am not seeking this seat to serve any outside influences. I am seeking this seat to do what I’ve always done – and that is to protect the environment where our children grow, learn and develop. I am here to advocate for them, and them alone. While I have never sought political office, I have served in many leadership roles throughout the community, managing large volunteer staffs, even larger budgets, and thousands of youth. I am not emotionally reactive. I am very logic-driven. I can take differing views and find common ground to build from. I’m am firm in defending my view points, but not so rigid that compromise is unreachable. I am organized, I am responsible, and I am dedicated to being a voice for our children.

Joy Trushenski

Occupation: Retired caseworker for the Nevada Department of Corrections

Age: 72

Contact: truejoy927@att.net

Record of service:

I served in the Navy for 6 years and the Navy Reserves for 4 years. My classification was ocean systems technician and I served in submarine surveillance, having a secret clearance. I attended training in California and served in Wales and Virginia. After my Navy tour ended in 1989, I joined the Navy Reserves. I spent 1 year in the Navy Reserves working in Concord, California during Desert Storm, dismantling secured ammunition in train cars and transferring the ammunition to ships where it was secured. As an ocean systems technician, 2nd Class, I received an Honorable Discharge in December 1993.

In 1990, I was hired to work as a caseworker for the Nevada Department of Corrections. I worked at Wells Conservation Camp, Northern Nevada Correctional Center and Nevada State Prison. I retired in May, 2011. Since about 2014, I have been a non-paid lobbyist for conservative causes in the Nevada Legislature. I have volunteered for about 10 years, at the senior center. I am a Christian and attend Calvary Chapel, here in town.

Education:

After high school, I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I went in and out of schools and ended up working my way through college. I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in social science from Kearney State College in 1977.

Trushenski

 

Briefly describe the core duties of the position you are running for.

The responsibility of the board is to make sure all students are achieving at their highest level by learning to read, write, spell and add, subtract, multiply and divide, in accordance to their grade level. The board makes decisions about curriculum, in accordance with the Nevada Revised Statues on Education.

A brief statement about your platform.

I support transparency in our schools. I want to know exactly what is being taught to our children. I champion parental rights to have a say in what is being taught and not politicians, the Nevada Department of Education and the Federal Department of Education. I support teaching phonics, cursive writing, civics, and a fair and balanced teaching of American and world history. I want our students to know the difference between a republic representative government, a democracy, a socialistic government and a communistic/dictatorship. I want an increase in math and science standards. I champion a technical trade curriculum for those who will be attending a trade school, after high school. I support teaching critical thinking and not Critical Race Theory, which teaches division against races. I believe our students spend too much time in front of a computer going through computer generated lessons. I support more traditional teaching methods and less data collection of our children. The main goals of education is teaching our children to read, write, know proper grammar and spelling, know arithmetic and not be afraid to speak in front of others. I want our students to know their rights come from God and not government.

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

I believe I am the most qualified to serve on the Carson City School Board because I have extensive education, traveled the world and support parental rights above government rights. I am not your average school board candidate. I will fight for truth and free speech in our schools.