Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
For over 40 years, Debbie Edwards was heavily involved in the Yelm area as a member of the Yelm Community Schools (YCS) board of directors, and following her defeat in last November’s Thurston County general election, she took the time to reflect on four decades of service.
In the last election, Edwards was defeated by first time challenger Ryan Jewell and would serve her in final meeting as a school board director last December.
Edwards, less than a month after her final YCS board of directors meeting, caught up with the Nisqually Valley News to reflect on over four decades of service in the Yelm community.
“40 years gets you thinking. 40 years ago, I never thought I’d last and I never set out to go that long,” Edwards said. “I should’ve kept a journal. There’s a lot of memories and a lot of things we did. It’s been sort of bittersweet trying to remember things, and I should’ve jotted them down.”
The longtime school board member noted she was originally asked to throw her name into the hat for appointment in 1984. According to Edwards, her husband, Gary, was originally set for appointment, but due to his schedule in law enforcement, he couldn’t take the job.
“They interviewed me and I was appointed. Since then, we’ve built Lackamas, Mill Pond, Fort Stevens, Yelm Middle School and added the different schools. The growth is certainly there. We had to do, as a board, what we thought was best for the community,” Edwards said. “There were a couple of things that always stayed the same and were very consistent, such as school funding challenges and the needs of putting the kids first. That’s been the consistent thing. The main difference from 40 years ago until now, we didn’t have social media. When the community wanted to know something, they went directly to the superintendent. It was the newspaper that had the information. You’d make a phone call. People would ask questions. Then social media comes in, and I’m old school.”
Edwards added that there are good aspects to social media, but noted misinformation and “keyboard warriors” don’t help the cause of promoting the school district. While Edwards ignores the online noise, she believes there’s still plenty of good people in the local community.
“There’s good people in the community that have been there and supported the schools,” Edwards said. “I still think there’s a lot of good people who support the schools and want what’s best for the kids. Try to stay involved because with the volunteers we’ve had over the years — they helped make the district and make us successful.”
Additionally, Edwards is hoping to see community members continue to step up as volunteers — especially in a time with so much uncertainty within YCS.
“I started out as a volunteer. They wanted to know if I’d help with a fun day, or something like that, at Prairie Elementary. Then, they asked me to join a committee and sooner than later it was the PTO,” she said. “You need volunteers in a district, in a building, in order to be successful. I know everyone is busy, but I think we’re getting back to that. We have a lot of great volunteers who have stepped up to the plate and it makes a big difference.”
Edwards added, if you were to examine any successful school district — one of the common denominators would be great volunteers. She also voiced her support and appreciation for her colleagues district wide.
“I appreciate the teachers, the staff and administrators, the superintendents. I did a little adding and I’ve been with six superintendents and 16 different board members. I think the main message is that we all have and had the best interest in what was best for the kids. You have to work towards that goal and make the right decision for all of our kids,” Edwards said. “I appreciate the fact that, over the years, the community has stood by me and stood by the district. When I think of the accomplishments that happened over the years, like Lackamas, YMS, dollars for scholars — and what we’ve accomplished as a community.”
Edwards noted, despite her departure from the YCS board of directors, she’ll still continue to be actively present and involved within the Yelm community. She also has an optimistic outlook on the future of YCS.
“I’m optimistic for the district and the future. I have confidence in the current leadership and I think the community is going to continue to step up and move forward. They all know there’s a lot of hard work, and they have to do it together,” she said. “That’s my wish: is for the community to become more involved. Don’t listen to the misinformation on social media. Go directly to the superintendent or the board.”
