It is with great pleasure and excitement that I endorse Christine Bernstein for the Los Alamos School Board.
While both candidates are dear friends and mentors, I believe that Christine Bernstein offers the enthusiasm and experience necessary to address the complex issues that students in Los Alamos face today.
I am a product of Pinon Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School and Los Alamos High School. My brother attends Pinon Elementary, my mother was raised in Los Alamos, and I am considering returning to Los Alamos one day to raise a family of my own. Needless to say, Los Alamos is my home and I have a vested interest in its education system and promoting an inclusive, cutting-edge community.
As a graduate of LAHS in 2011, I had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Bernstein both while serving on the LAHS Student Council and as her teaching assistant. As Student Council Advisor, she went above and beyond, serving as the liaison between the students and the administration. She encouraged us to pursue activities that would reach each and every student in order to promote a more inclusive environment. As her assistant, I saw the direct impact of her teaching style, with students consistently enjoying her classroom and pursuing her advice and mentorship outside of regular class hours. Even after my graduation, while attending the University of California—Santa Barbara, Mrs. Bernstein consistently checked in with me and other former students, offering words of advice and encouragement.
Los Alamos is a difficult community for many students to grow up in. An emphasis on grades and popularity as standard of success can be detrimental to an individual’s confidence and ability to set future goals. Many students suffer from constant feelings of inadequacy. This is not news to anyone raised in Los Alamos, or anyone raising children in Los Alamos. As we see an increase in mental health issues and violence among students, it is critical that educators’ views are central in determining how to improve our education system.
As a lifetime educator, Mrs. Bernstein will be the first to tell you that her job goes beyond classroom content and extends to creating a supportive environment that prepares students for taking on an ever-changing society. Her constant hunger for improving her own teaching style has influenced her to adopt unique classroom techniques that promote content comprehension over rote memorization. Students’ analysis and critical thinking is a central goal in her classroom. She does her absolute best to reach each and every student, attempting to help them to secure knowledge to the best of their unique ability. While this is a difficult goal to achieve, it is an admirable one and should be supported by the community as a whole in every way possible.
The voices of experienced educators are vital in the Los Alamos school system. Mrs. Bernstein is a lifetime educator. She is a mother to children in the Los Alamos school system. She is a mentor and a friend. She is an avid runner, climber, and community member. She is the new and invigorated voice that the Los Alamos School Board needs.