 I want to thank Amherst Media for this opportunity. I am Lauren Mills and I am running for a seat on the Amherst Regional School Committee. I have lived in Amherst for two years and moved here because of family. I have two children in the Amherst Elementary School System and my youngest who is four has yet to attend school. But when she does, I want her elementary school to have the factors that are important to all families, caring attentive teachers and administrators. High academic achievement, community engagement, Amherst is diverse because so many families come here on the reputation of the quality of Amherst public schools. When I toured a neighborhood school for my daughter, she immediately wanted to go to the same school as her brothers. Neighborhood schools are important in fostering close relationships with students and families. Community engagement and inclusivity is a primary way that education remains strong. A student's academic success requires that support comes from school and reaches home where parents can become involved in their child's education and maintain a connection with teachers. In 2019, soon to be 2020, all of us knows how it feels to be the other, whether facing our own challenges or being aware of our friends and neighbors' experiences. I see being a member of the school committee as a way to serve my community that has become Amherst, a way to be involved, encourage my children to also be examples of leadership, a voice in planning initiatives that will continue to make the most important part of education, educating our youth to be successful in work and life. I was born and grew up in Boston, Mass, went to school in Brookline through the MECCO program. Early education has always been an interest of mine, not just as a parent. I also worked as an assistant in the classroom at the Page Academy School. I attended a program at Urban College in Boston on early childhood development. I think the long list of community members and institutions that have instilled in me the deep sense of community responsibility, how Hawthorne Youth and Community Center, Wing Center Young at Arts program, and Roxbury Community College, my mother and my husband, who gives me the flexibility to volunteer, and I also thank my children. I want to thank my friends that I have come to know in Amherst that continue the spirit of community and encourage me to get involved. I want all our children to be confident in their academic future, and I think that starts with belonging, feeling that you have a place in your classroom, in your neighborhood, and in your own future. I hope you decide that I, Lauren Mills, will be one of your choices for school committee. Don't forget to vote on November 5th.