Mission Valley school board candidates profiled
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LAKE COUNTY — School board seats throughout Lake County are up for contention this year with multiple people on the ballots for every school district. Ballots were mailed April 13 and are due at the election office in the Lake County Courthouse by mail or in person by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 3.
Arlee School District
In Arlee, Brian Bigsam, Ron Ritter, and Sarah Travis are all vying for the two open positions on the five-member board.
Brian Bigsam, the current vice chairman, has worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for almost 28 years. A chair for the Gaming Commission and on the Mission Valley Consumers Board in addition to his three years already in the position, he has a lot of board experience both on and off the Reservation. Bigsam says he does it for the community and for his family, and he considers everyone within the Reservation boundaries to be family. So, he says, he does it for everyone.
Rob Ritter has been an Arlee resident since the 1980s, and previously served on the school board for ten years in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The last major build project done at the school was organized while he was still on the board, and so he feels he has some knowledge and experience he could offer as a new school building project is discussed. He would like to see the school be successful in its endeavors, and also feels as a board member he would have a fiscal responsibility to the community to try and make sure the district is run in the most beneficial way for both students and for the community at large.
Sarah Travis grew up in a rural town and spent 15 years as a Deputy Sheriff before retiring due to injuries. She worked in the jails, courts, on patrol, and as a School Resource Officer. She has also served in several roles in organizations such as MOPS, Peer Support, Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, and Habitat for Humanity. Having homeschooled for about nine years, she says she’s learned a lot about what a good education should be and why public education is failing. She stands for parental rights, parental choice, transparency in spending and administration, community involvement, and teaching kids how to think rather than what to think. Travis says a common misconception is that her Christianity would unduly influence her work on the school board. She says she does not believe it is the school’s or government’s place to indoctrinate children in any religious or political leanings. She says they moved to Montana for freedom and autonomy, a treasure worth holding tight.
Charlo School District
In Charlo, TJ Harold-Marmon is running again for her two-year trustee position, while Adrian Roylance, Terrance Robert Rosenbaum, and Stephanie Smith go for the three-year seat.
TJ Harold-Marmon, this race’s incumbent, was born in Plains and moved to Dixon 23 years ago. She was the first in her family to earn a college degree, which she utilized in her position as Business Manager and Clerk in the Ronan School District. She has two girls who attend the Charlo school. Appointed to the Charlo trustee position in October 2021, she feels she is a good fit for the position because, as the clerk for the Ronan school, she attended all of the trustee meetings, understands school finance, budgets, and has knowledge of school laws. She says her views are conservative and deeply rooted in the Montana way of life. She said she will serve the Charlo School District well.
Adrian Roylance, an incumbent who has served on the board for the last few years, was a football coach for junior high students in Charlo for 15 years. With four kids of his own, two in school right now, one approaching, and one already graduated, Roylance says he feels at small schools people can really make a difference while on the board. One of the biggest focal points since he joined the board was the improvement of the Charlo reading program, which he feels has really helped students and reflects in their test scores. The biggest reason he’s running again is for the kids, he says, as education is extremely important.
Terrance Robert Rosenbaum is a lifelong Charlo resident and graduate of Charlo School. With two kids who have also graduated and two others still in the school system, he says he wants to be on the school board to make a difference. Rosenbaum says he feels that Charlo School has lost touch with their own policies and feels the school board members need to be more involved with the parents. He says he would like to see what’s going on, and if he could make a change for the better for the community, that’s what he’d love to do.
Stephanie S. Smith has three years of experience on the Charlo board, but says her family has decades of experience with Charlo schools. As her husband and oldest son graduated from the school, and her two youngest are currently enrolled, she says she feels the Charlo school has given her family the skills needed to achieve in life and feels their success is largely a result of this school. Now that her children are older, Smith says it’s her turn to give back. She wants to see the school continue to provide the best foundation possible for kids to succeed.
Polson School District
In Polson, Devon Cox, Dana Hewankorn, and Nathaniel Netzer are vying for two three-year terms, left open by retiring board members Tim McGinnis and Steve Dupuis.
A one-year slot has only one candidate, Joanna Browning, who will finish out the rest of a term vacated in 2021 by Caroline McDonald. Hewankorn was appointed last July to finish McDonald’s term, but has opted to run for a full three years.
Dana Hewankorn, a Kootenai tribal member, has lived in the Elmo/Dayton area since 1996 and has had children in the Polson School District for decades. She is currently raising four grandchildren who attend Linderman Elementary and Polson Middle School. Hewankorn holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in Tribal Historic Preservation and an associate degree in Native American Studies, all from Salish Kootenai College. She earned a master’s in Tribal Administration and Governance from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She has worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes since 1993, including positions with the Tribal Education Department and The People’s Center. In 2018, she took a position with Tribal Health’s Reason to Live Native Suicide Prevention Program, then returned to Tribal Education this February as the Project Aware program manager.
“Schools are often the common denominator in bringing communities together,” she says. “I am running for a position on the board so that I can further serve the community and our most treasured resource, the children.” Hewankorn notes that during her 30-year career she has focused on forging meaningful relations between education partners, the local community and the Tribes. The candidate also points out that the school district is located on the homelands of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d Orielle people. “It’s incredibly important that the original people to this place are represented at the board level.”
Devon Cox was born in St. Ignatius, raised in Dixon, and attended grade school and high school in Charlo. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University and now owns Massini Group, a small business specializing in data analytics and business-to-business marketing.
Cox and his wife live in Polson with their six children, ranging from 2 to 12 years old. He’s worked with kids through Mission Valley Flag Football, the Boys and Girls Club, and coaching Polson High School football.
“When you know the children in our community you want to help give them the opportunities they deserve,” he writes. If elected, he hopes to “help build an environment to develop valuable skill sets and experience to prepare our students for careers and lives.” He also believes “we all have an obligation to pour ourselves into service as we have the opportunity.”
Nathaniel Netzer, the third candidate for the two positions, was born in Mandan, ND, and has lived in Polson for 10 years. He attended Bismarck State College and North Dakota State University, earning a degree in Instrumentation and Control which he has deployed working in the oil fields for eight years and currently as a technician at the Weyerhaeuser Columbia Falls manufacturing facility. “I believe my insight into blue-collar work can help facilitate the continued growth of our technology, trades, and alternative education programs,” he writes. “By broadening educational options, students who graduate from the Polson School District would have the opportunity to be competitive anywhere in the country.”
Netzer, the son of a public-school teacher, says education has been an important part of his life, its value “engrained into my foundation – something I am strongly thankful for looking back.” As a father of four boys, he wants to instill those values in his sons and make sure they have “the best educational opportunities.” He’s been impressed with the Polson School District and if elected hopes to serve as “an advocate for the children, for the community and the teachers.”
Joanna Browning, the sole candidate on the ballot for a one-year term, grew up in Polson and graduated from Polson High. She earned a bachelor’s in sociology and environmental education from Western Washington University. After serving more than two years in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, West Africa, she earned a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Salish Kootenai College and now works at St. Luke Community Healthcare, as does her husband, who is also a registered nurse. “I look forward to serving the community as a member of the Polson district school board,” she writes.
Polson voters will also see two bond measures on the ballot: one would raise $32.1 million to expand and renovate Cherry Valley, Linderman and Polson Middle School; and the second would raise $17.76 million to expand and remodel the high school. Both measures would also increase safety and security at all four schools. Visit www.polson.k12.mt.us for more information.
Ronan School District
The Ronan School District has incumbents Kevin Detwiler and Diana Luke running for their seats against Matthew Connally.
Matthew W. Connally, or “Pastor Matthew,” serves as the pastor of the Pablo Church of the Nazarene and the satellite campus, Movement, in Polson. He has served as a substitute teacher in the Ronan School District since 2016 and thoroughly enjoys building relationships and interacting with the kids. He especially enjoys conducting the middle and high school bands when the opportunity arises. Connally and his family are involved with Pablo Elementary where his two children attend, and his wife works as a paraprofessional. He says he has a deep love for the community, loves to build relationships with people, and will bring a conservative and common-sense viewpoint to the position.
Kevin Detwiler is a veterinarian at Mission Valley Veterinary Clinic, the owner since 1994. He and his wife have been active in the school district with kids participating in many sports and activities, including Show Choir and Jazz Band for more than 10 years. Over the years, Detwiler has talked to students at K. William Harvey Elementary as well as Ronan middle and high schools during lunch and learn sessions and career days about careers in veterinary medicine. He has also been a participant in science night at K. William Harvey Elementary. Detwiler has served on the board of trustees for six years. During that time, he has served on the negotiations and calendar committees. He says he has found the time spent serving the community as a school board trustee to be very interesting and rewarding. He says he was glad to be a part of the district’s successful, common-sense approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a business owner for over 30 years, Detwiler says he will continue to bring a realistic and common-sense attitude to his duties as a school board trustee in Montana.
Diana Luke is running for her second term on the board of trustees. A Ronan High School graduate, she graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. After moving back to the area, she began working with Lake County Environmental Health as a registered sanitarian and is now the director. Her three stepdaughters all graduated from Ronan High School and she has one child attending Ronan Middle School. Active in Lake County 4-H and the Polson Presbyterian Church, Luke says she joined the board because she was interested in the health and welfare of students and staff. She has served on the building/ground and transportation committee, and has learned there are many aspects to serving on the board that she wasn’t fully aware of as a member of the public. Luke said she would like to continue to serve school district no. 30 residents.
St. Ignatius School District
Two candidates are vying to replace retiring trustee Stan Delaney in St. Ignatius.
Tony Incashola Jr. introduces himself in Salish: Xest sx̣lx̣alt pesyáʔ (my name is Tony Incashola Jr.). An enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, he was born, raised and educated in St. Ignatius. He and his wife have three children, and the oldest two attend elementary and middle school there.
He earned a bachelor’s in science degree in forestry from Salish and Kootenai College, has worked for the CSKT Forestry program for two decades and currently heads that department.
He’s running for school board in order to “do my part of providing the best learning environment possible to promote community success for current and future generations.”
“I want to see our school provide a variety of learning experiences for all students’ possible future paths – not only through traditional education, but also career-oriented trades and cultural awareness,” he writes.
Darren Orr has also spent most of his life in the Mission Valley and is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School. He worked at the Cenex in St. Ignatius for many years, including a stint as store manager, and earned an on-line bachelor’s degree in business management. Orr is now employed at Tribal Health, where he works in medical records.
He and his wife, Wendy, have three children; his two daughters are in high school and his son graduated from St. Ignatius High. He’s been active in the local chamber of commerce, helping out with annual community events including the Easter Egg Hunt, Good Ol’ Days and the Christmas Carnival, was a Cub Scout leader, and worked with businesses across Lake County as a trainer for the state’s Serving Alcohol Safe program. He and his wife are also active in the Bulldog booster program.
Orr believes his experience working on committees and with various community groups is a plus. “I like to get things done and work hard.”
If elected, he would consider it “a privilege” to work with the board and staff. “It’s a big responsibility and I look forward to the challenge,” he writes. “I have the schools’ best interests at heart and understand that what’s best might not be what’s the most popular … It’s about doing what is right, what’s best for the school and students and staff.”
McGinnis and Steve Dupuis.
A one-year slot has only one candidate, Joanna Browning, who will finish out the rest of a term vacated in 2021 by Caroline McDonald. Hewankorn was appointed last July to finish McDonald’s term, but has opted to run for a full three years.
Dana Hewankorn, a Kootenai tribal member, has lived in the Elmo/Dayton area since 1996 and has had children in the Polson School District for decades. She is currently raising four grandchildren who attend Linderman Elementary and Polson Middle School. Hewankorn holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in Tribal Historic Preservation and an associate degree in Native American Studies, all from Salish Kootenai College. She earned a master’s in Tribal Administration and Governance from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She has worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes since 1993, including positions with the Tribal Education Department and The People’s Center. In 2018, she took a position with Tribal Health’s Reason to Live Native Suicide Prevention Program, then returned to Tribal Education this February as the Project Aware program manager.
“Schools are often the common denominator in bringing communities together,” she says. “I am running for a position on the board so that I can further serve the community and our most treasured resource, the children.” Hewankorn notes that during her 30-year career she has focused on forging meaningful relations between education partners, the local community and the Tribes. The candidate also points out that the school district is located on the homelands of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d Orielle people. “It’s incredibly important that the original people to this place are represented at the board level.”
Devon Cox was born in St. Ignatius, raised in Dixon, and attended grade school and high school in Charlo. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University and now owns Massini Group, a small business specializing in data analytics and business-to-business marketing.
Cox and his wife live in Polson with their six children, ranging from 2 to 12 years old. He’s worked with kids through Mission Valley Flag Football, the Boys and Girls Club, and coaching Polson High School football.
“When you know the children in our community you want to help give them the opportunities they deserve,” he writes. If elected, he hopes to “help build an environment to develop valuable skill sets and experience to prepare our students for careers and lives.” He also believes “we all have an obligation to pour ourselves into service as we have the opportunity.”
Nathaniel Netzer, the third candidate for the two positions, was born in Mandan, ND, and has lived in Polson for 10 years. He attended Bismarck State College and North Dakota State University, earning a degree in Instrumentation and Control which he has deployed working in the oil fields for eight years and currently as a technician at the Weyerhaeuser Columbia Falls manufacturing facility. “I believe my insight into blue-collar work can help facilitate the continued growth of our technology, trades, and alternative education programs,” he writes. “By broadening educational options, students who graduate from the Polson School District would have the opportunity to be competitive anywhere in the country.”
Netzer, the son of a public-school teacher, says education has been an important part of his life, its value “engrained into my foundation – something I am strongly thankful for looking back.” As a father of four boys, he wants to instill those values in his sons and make sure they have “the best educational opportunities.” He’s been impressed with the Polson School District and if elected hopes to serve as “an advocate for the children, for the community and the teachers.”
Joanna Browning, the sole candidate on the ballot for a one-year term, grew up in Polson and graduated from Polson High. She earned a bachelor’s in sociology and environmental education from Western Washington University. After serving more than two years in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, West Africa, she earned a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Salish Kootenai College and now works at St. Luke Community Healthcare, as does her husband, who is also a registered nurse. “I look forward to serving the community as a member of the Polson district school board,” she writes.
Polson voters will also see two bond measures on the ballot: one would raise $32.1 million to expand and renovate Cherry Valley, Linderman and Polson Middle School; and the second would raise $17.76 million to expand and remodel the high school. Both measures would also increase safety and security at all four schools. Visit www.polson.k12.mt.us for more information.
Ronan School District
The Ronan School District has incumbents Kevin Detwiler and Diana Luke running for their seats against Matthew Connally.
Matthew W. Connally, or “Pastor Matthew,” serves as the pastor of the Pablo Church of the Nazarene and the satellite campus, Movement, in Polson. He has served as a substitute teacher in the Ronan School District since 2016 and thoroughly enjoys building relationships and interacting with the kids. He especially enjoys conducting the middle and high school bands when the opportunity arises. Connally and his family are involved with Pablo Elementary where his two children attend, and his wife works as a paraprofessional. He says he has a deep love for the community, loves to build relationships with people, and will bring a conservative and common-sense viewpoint to the position.
Kevin Detwiler is a veterinarian at Mission Valley Veterinary Clinic, the owner since 1994. He and his wife have been active in the school district with kids participating in many sports and activities, including Show Choir and Jazz Band for more than 10 years. Over the years, Detwiler has talked to students at K. William Harvey Elementary as well as Ronan middle and high schools during lunch and learn sessions and career days about careers in veterinary medicine. He has also been a participant in science night at K. William Harvey Elementary. Detwiler has served on the board of trustees for six years. During that time, he has served on the negotiations and calendar committees. He says he has found the time spent serving the community as a school board trustee to be very interesting and rewarding. He says he was glad to be a part of the district’s successful, common-sense approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a business owner for over 30 years, Detwiler says he will continue to bring a realistic and common-sense attitude to his duties as a school board trustee in Montana.
Diana Luke is running for her second term on the board of trustees. A Ronan High School graduate, she graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. After moving back to the area, she began working with Lake County Environmental Health as a registered sanitarian and is now the director. Her three stepdaughters all graduated from Ronan High School and she has one child attending Ronan Middle School. Active in Lake County 4-H and the Polson Presbyterian Church, Luke says she joined the board because she was interested in the health and welfare of students and staff. She has served on the building/ground and transportation committee, and has learned there are many aspects to serving on the board that she wasn’t fully aware of as a member of the public. Luke said she would like to continue to serve school district no. 30 residents.
St. Ignatius School District
Two candidates are vying to replace retiring trustee Stan Delaney in St. Ignatius.
Tony Incashola Jr. introduces himself in Salish: Xest sx̣lx̣alt pesyáʔ (my name is Tony Incashola Jr.). An enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, he was born, raised and educated in St. Ignatius. He and his wife have three children, and the oldest two attend elementary and middle school there. He earned a bachelor’s in science degree in forestry from Salish and Kootenai College, has worked for the CSKT Forestry program for two decades and currently heads that department.
He’s running for school board in order to “do my part of providing the best learning environment possible to promote community success for current and future generations.”
“I want to see our school provide a variety of learning experiences for all students’ possible future paths – not only through traditional education, but also career-oriented trades and cultural awareness,” he writes.
Darren Orr has also spent most of his life in the Mission Valley and is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School. He worked at the Cenex in St. Ignatius for many years, including a stint as store manager, and earned an online bachelor’s degree in business management. Orr is now employed at Tribal Health, where he works in medical records. He and his wife have three children; his two daughters are in high school and his son graduated from St. Ignatius High. He’s been active in the local chamber of commerce, helping out with annual community events including the Easter Egg Hunt, Good Ol’ Days and the Christmas Carnival, was a Cub Scout leader, and worked with businesses across Lake County as a trainer for the state’s Serving Alcohol Safe program. He and his wife are also active in the Bulldog booster program.
If elected, he would consider it “a privilege” to work with the board and staff. “It’s a big responsibility and I look forward to the challenge,” he writes. “I have the schools’ best interests at heart and understand that what’s best might not be what’s the most popular … It’s about doing what is right, what’s best for the school and students and staff.”
