The following was submitted by the candidate
Sheila Egan Varela is running for Milton School Committee to maintain the academic excellence of the Milton Public Schools, sustain the financial accountability of the system and to bring a hands-on voice from the current parent community to the committee.
- Town Meeting Member since 2005
- Current Pierce Middle School PTO Leadership Team
- Former Site Council Member, Collicot Elementary School
- Former Chair, Collicot Cultural Committee
- Six years as St. Agatha’s Parish Faith Formation Teacher
- Currently employed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Educational Publishing
- Adjunct dance teacher In Sync Center for the Arts
Sheila has been a town resident in Milton for 14 years. Her daughter is a freshman at Milton High School and her son is a sixth grader at Pierce Middle School. Sheila has worked in educational publishing for over 20 years, and she is currently employed at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Publishing in Boston as a Lead Text and Literary Acquisition Specialist. She works on the production of PreK-12 educational products. Sheila has also been an adjunct dance instructor at In Sync Center for the Arts for the past 10 years, teaching many students from the Milton community.
She has served as a Town Meeting member, proudly representing precinct 8 for the past 10 years.
In addition, Sheila has been a dynamic community leader in Milton ever since her children were of preschool age. She was part of the town’s Safe and Equal Schools campaign, which ensured the final building funding for the new Cunningham and Collicot Schools. She was also co-chair for Yes4Milton! and a key voice for Invest in Miton, two highly successful town-wide campaigns to maintain Milton’s outstanding quality of life.
Sheila’s experience as a school parent leader is unnmatched: she was an active member of the Collicot PTO for eight years, serving as chair of the school’s Cultural Committee, Class Parent for four years, Collicot One Book One School Committee and Collicot Site Council. She has taught Faith Formation at St. Agatha’s Parish for six years, and she currently serves on the Pierce Middle School PTO Leadership Team.
Sheila hopes she can count on your vote on April 28!
#VoteVarela
Dear Editor:
We are writing today to endorse the candidacy of Sheila Egan Varela for School Committee. As members of the Pierce PTO Leadership Team, we have worked closely with Sheila for a number of years and she is a tireless worker, with fresh and fair ideas. As the only candidate that is a Milton Public School parent with children currently in the schools, Sheila has the experience and knowledge to understand all issues, from French Immersion to the development of middle school sports to AP Biology. She always listens to all sides of an issue. She has the pulse of the parent population, can build consensus with various groups, and will continue to move the schools in the right direction. It is evident that she is a knowledgeable, thoughtful, and reasonable candidate. To continue to move the Milton Public Schools in the right direction, with the right leadership, please vote for Sheila Egan Varela on April 28.
Sincerely,
Karyn Viveiros, Tricia Heelen, Marie Kelly
Pierce PTO Leadership Team
The co-founders of the Friends of the Milton Schools, who spearheaded the building of Milton six new schools, are proud and honored to endorse Sheila Egan Varela for School Committee. Sheila is the leader that Milton needs now.
Why Sheila? Here’s why.
In 2004, Sheila Egan Varela was asked to attend a meeting to complete the Cunningham Collicot buildings and gym override. She enthusiastically stepped up to the plate to organize her Precinct 8 neighbors and her friends, becoming one of the town’s newest voices and leaders.
Sheila has made a lasting impression on all of the parents and citizens in Milton. Her hard work and leadership for the Parent Teacher Organizations at Collicot and Pierce has been noted an admired by many. She is a mother of two children currently attending the Milton Public Schools: Grace, a freshman at the High School, and Miguel a 6th grader at Pierce. She is married to Julio Ricardo Varela, who is also involved in volunteering and coaching in the town.
Sheila is also a vocal Town Meeting member. She says what she thinks and means what she says. She has served in this capacity for 10 years. She wears her heart and passion for all of Milton’s children. She wants them to achieve all that they can and is willing to volunteer her time and energy for our town.
We are honored and proud to endorse Sheila Egan Varela as the next School Committee Member and hope that you will join us in voting for her on April 28th, 2015.
Judy White Orlando & Steve Morash
I am pleased to see so much activity in this election season. Although I am a life long resident of this town, I do not believe it is a qualifier to run for town wide office. When I look at candidates, I want to know how they have served their community. There are many ways to serve. I plan to vote for Sheila Varela and Lee Michael McLean for the two school committee seats. Sheila has been a tireless advocate for the Milton Schools as a town meeting member, school site council, P.T.O member and leader in our school building project..She will be ready to go on day one! Lee Michael serves on the Warrant Committee with me and is also a town meeting member.He is passionate abut education. He has a thorough knowledge of the budget and works very well in a committee format. He asks good questions to inform his decisions.He has great energy and enthusiasm! Please join me in electing Sheila and LeeMichael to the Milton School Committee. They have served our town well and will continue to . use their talents to improve the schools.
We have three very interesting candidates for the two open School Committee seats.
LeeMichael McLean works in business for the VHA as Director of Business Development and Performance Improvements. Sheila Egan Varela works in educational publishing for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kevin Donahue is a Doctor, a Radiologist at Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with Lee Michael on the Warrant Committee for the past budget cycle. You get to know a lot about someone over the course of dozens of meetings discussing complex budgets as well as other issues that come before that Committee. LeeMichael possesses a keen and creative intelligence. He often demonstrates a unique approach to thinking that produces new insights. At the start of the campaign he noted on his Facebook page research showing that 74% of Middle School girls express interest in STEM courses, but only .3% of girls at the High School level select courses in Computer Science. This is a problem in a system with a growing emphasis on STEM, a problem that needed to be recognized before attempts to diagnose and address it could occur.
Combined with his knowledge of the School Committee budget and a graduate degree in International Finance, LeeMichael would a very valuable addition to our School Committee. Please join me in supporting him with one of your two votes on Tuesday.
Sheila Egan Varela has been deeply involved in the Milton Public Schools for over a decade. I met her working on an override that was essential to maintaining services in our public schools. As a leader of that effort she performed with boundless energy, making individual connections and building networks of young Milton parents to ensure that what was at stake was fully understood. She’s also served as a Site Council member at Collicot and on the PTO at Pierce. And she has represented Precinct 8 in Town Meeting for a decade.
Her commitment to the Town and Schools, her background in educational publishing, and her outstanding people skills have earned Sheila my second vote for School Committee and I hope she’s earned yours.
Philip Mathews