New BOE members

New BOE Members
Posted on 07/12/2022

Helping to Lead Our Bulldog Nation
By: Christine Harper
#BulldogNationAheadofthePack

            Last July, I wrote our Ledger articles highlighting our seven Board of Education members.  After the April election, the district now has two new board members: Scott Nichols and Kara Clovis.  No matter who these seven individuals are, their responsibility as BOE members is making decisions that help make our schools better.  For this article, I wanted to highlight our new BOE members, who they are, and what they want for MPS.

            Scott Nichols is not new to the BOE.  Previous to this term, Scott served three years on the Board from 2018-2021.  Scott was born and raised in Mexico.  He and his wife Sheila have three children, Brooke (14), Gage (13), and Caleb (7).  Currently, Scott serves as a Captain with the Little Dixie Fire Department and in February received his 20-year Ax for his years of service.  He is a supervisor at True Manufacturing where he has been for almost 12 years.  For the past three years he has worked part-time as an EMT for Audrain Ambulance District.  During the Summer, you can find Scott at the ballfields coaching his boys’ baseball teams.  In the Spring and Fall, he coaches his youngest son’s soccer team through the YMCA.  Scott enjoys hunting, fishing, and beekeeping.

            Scott says some of the rewarding things about being a Board member are graduation and seeing all of the accomplishments of the students and seeing all of the opportunities students have to help set their lives up for their future, such as additional credit classes, introductions to local career opportunities and trade school training and certifications.  He says the biggest challenge of being a BOE member is always having an open mind and knowing everyone has a difference of opinion, but at the end of the day, doing what is right for the students in our district.  Scott’s vision for Mexico Public Schools is “to foster the thought process that every student matters, is valued, and is worth fighting for.  We should continuously work to improve our education and opportunities for our students because they are our future.”

            Our second new BOE member is Kara Clovis who is filling the one-year seat that opened when Mr. Pascoe resigned.  Kara is a 2007 MHS graduate.  After graduation, Kara joined the Army and did two terms of service.  She returned to Mexico, and she and her husband are raising their two daughters, Isabella (8) and Charlee (5).  Kara has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Missouri.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering, traveling, and looking into new research opportunities.  Someday, she would love to travel the world and help provide basic medical care and education to those in need.

            Kara said her greatest reward as a BOE member so far has been witnessing the “behind-the-scenes” dedication that is put into improving the district governing body and the compassion that employees of the Mexico School District have towards the district and the students.  She said the greatest challenge so far has been not being able to help the district in ways that a non-board member would be able to help, such as serving as a substitute teacher.  Kara’s vision for Mexico Public Schools is “to foster an environment that is rich in education, safety, inclusion, and health that promotes excellence in all children.  This vision includes the partnerships between families, community stakeholders, and district employees to ensure the needs of our students are met both at school and at home.”

Being a Board of Education member is a responsibility that each of our seven members takes seriously.  They have dedicated themselves to making the best decisions they can so that the leadership in the district can do what they need to do to provide the best education for our future.