New banner 8-21-09
 April 15, 2016
School Council Elections
  
  
The School Council Parent Representative Election will be held Thursday, April 21. You may vote in the front office between 7am and 7pm. This date is also Evening of the Arts.

You may vote for up to three candidates and the top three individuals receiving votes will serve a two-year term. The bios below may also be seen in the front office and on the school website. (On the DES website, you will see "School Council" once you click on the "About Us" tab.) Thank you to those parents listed below for offering their leadership to School Council.

Parent Bios

Katie Frame

 
Grades of Children
Charlie (2nd), Will (7th), Nick (9th)

Professional Experience
Marketing Professional for SintecMedia

Volunteer Experience
DES BookFair co-chair (5 years)
DES Nominating Committee (2 years)
DES BoxTops Chair (1 year)
DES Hospitality Committee
Murphey Candler Women's Auxiliary 


Why you want to serve on the school council?
I am an active volunteer in the DES community and have been a parent in Dekalb schools for 10 years. I have been part of DES for 6 years, and I think we have the best teachers, administration and parents working together for our kids.
  
I believe that parent input in the school community and the Dunwoody Cluster is important. As the parent of students in all three of our cluster schools, I understand the different needs of children as they grow, and can bring a unique perspective to the discussion. I have served on school council, and I understand how school governance works and the issues that face schools in the Dunwoody cluster. 
  
I will use my experience to be a voice for parents and I will advocate for DES in the Dunwoody cluster. I have served on many committees and I understand how to work with others for the benefit of our school.  I am committed to making DES the best possible place for our children to grow and learn. 
  
We have so many incredible teachers and parents at DES. I would be honored to be part of it by serving on the School Council. 


Megan Cann


Grades of Children
Clara (3), Madeline (K)

Professional Experience
RN-Emory St. Joseph's Hospital-Cardiovascular ICU

Volunteer Experience
Co-President of the PTO at DES (2015-2017)-intimately involved in the organization, communication, and functioning of programs overseen by the PTO

 
Room parent for Ms. Madden's class
DES School Council (2013-2015)

Dunwoody United Methodist Church-Sunday School teacher for both a kindergarten and 3rd grade class, serve on Staff Parish Relations Committee, serve on Strategic Planning Task Force Committee, usher, co-chair of Vacation Bible School (2014, 2015), member of the Parent Advisory Council for the DUMC Preschool (2011-present)

Why you want to serve on the school council?
I would be delighted to serve on the school council for DES because I passionately believe in the importance of education, and not just for my own children, but for all!  I feel like there are few greater gifts that we can give our children than exposure to the best educational opportunities possible.  My experience on the school council for the past two years as well as in the community has made me keenly aware of significant overcrowding and fiscal constraints within the area, and I would appreciate the opportunity to help ensure that these concerns are appropriately addressed.  Moreover, I believe that my experience with the Parent Teacher Organization at DES is gainful on the school council as I have great insight on visions and needs at DES as expressed by staff, students, and parents.  I am committed to working diligently for the needs of DES to help ensure an optimal learning experience for our children, and I would appreciate the opportunity to continue to utilize my knowledge, experience, and dedication for the benefit of DES.


Michelle Lane


Grades of Children
3rd, 1st, (toddler)

Professional Experience
I run a media strategy and investment LLC, specializing in not-for-profit clients. I spent my early career years working for advertising agencies. Before moving to Atlanta, I also worked in high school marketing and admissions.
 
Volunteer Experience
Currently, I serve as Chair of the DES Visiting Author and Tours committees. I enjoy volunteering as Room Parent, STEM Day assistant, and Mystery Reader. Over the past two years, I have also chaired Community Business Support and Nominating committees.
 
Beyond DES, I served on Atlanta's Cristo Rey Feasibility Board to open a college prep school dedicated to educating and empowering students from economically-disadvantaged communities.

I also teach first grade Sunday school.
Why you want to serve on school council
Serving as an approachable, effective communicator between parents, DES, and the county is important to me. I am interested in serving on School Council to support our students' achievement and overall school progress. I would like to strengthen the relationship between the many fantastic Dunwoody schools so that we can boost performance and work together to better leverage our students' needs and goals within Dekalb County. Thank you for your consideration!


Anurag Jain


Grades of Children
Grade 1

Professional Experience
20 years (software, sales, marketing), B.Eng., M.Sc., MBA


Volunteer Experience
6 months as part of Leadership Development program

Why you want to serve on school council
I feel strongly about education as it has played a vital role in my career, of course starting from my own school years with some great teachers along the way. The school council is an excellent support system for all of us to understand the goals and needs of the school as well as the areas it requires to focus on. Operational aspects, school ratings and other advisory areas require planning, which I would like to contribute towards using my industry experience.
 
Coming from the technology industry, I can help the school council evaluate new technologies and programs for both teachers and students. These have the potential to transform and accelerate the way learning takes place. I would like to see DES lead by example in the DeKalb school system.
 
Lastly it is about becoming aware of the education system, participating and collaborating with other individuals from the school as well as parents to help meet the school's objectives for 2016-2017.


Danielle Bahr


Grades of Children
2, 1 at DES & pre-K, 2s at CMK

Professional Experience
Adjunct Professor - Elementary Education at GSU

HS Science Teacher - Cooperating Teacher for Stanford, Department Head, Administration Council, Student Advisor, Site Coordinator for State Testing, Planned/Coordinated HS Graduations, Science Fair Coordinator, HS Soccer Coach

Curriculum consultant

Volunteer Experience
Lay-minister (Youth Group Leader, Youth Group Teacher, Women's Group Instructor, Cub-Scouts Leader, Instructor (college-level religion courses), Coaching, Room Parent at CMK/DES
Why you want to serve on school council 
I'm an educator and a mom.  I have four kids who will all attend DES. I believe in public education, I believe in teachers and I believe in kids. When the community and school come together to solve problems I believe that they can work together to develop an equitable learning environment where all students can achieve success. DES is already a great school because of its staff and committed parents. I have experience that will enable me to contribute effectively and meaningfully as DES continues to move forward and become an even better school. I would be honored to represent the parents of DES on the school council by sharing your concerns, advocating for your student's best interests, and by my commitment to continuing to improve and develop an already great place.



Rachel Gurvitch (Sneh)


Grades of Children
4th grade boy (Jonathan Sneh)
1st grade girl (Naomi Sneh)
Pre-K girl (Abigail Sneh)

Professional Experience
Associate Professor in the School of Education at 
Georgia State University 
(Department of Kinesiology and Health). 
As a teacher educator in the state of GA part of my responsibilities is to prepare the most effective educators.


Volunteer Experience
I contribute to DES as a teacher educator and as a parent. I have selected DES to be a site school for our GSU student teachers. My colleagues and I have been working with DES students in the areas of Health and Physical Education throughout the year. In addition, my students and I have been volunteering at the DES field day in the past several years. Personally, I volunteer myself as a mystery reader several times throughout the year and contributed to diversity discussion meetings in the past years. Outside DES, I routinely engaged in many professional service-oriented activities at local and national levels.

Why you want to serve on the school council?
I was born and went through K-16 education system in
Israel. I came to the USA as a graduate student therefore I believe I can bring an international perceptive to the parent council membership. In addition, as a higher education faculty in GA I stay informed with all educational policies, initiatives and trends from a state and national level and I believe I can offer a border perceptive to many issues discussed by the parent council. I have made a commitment to better public education and I hope I can help this process via my service as your representative on the DES parent council.


Liesa Nichols


Grades of Children
2nd and 5th    

Professional Experience
9 years of investment analysis and money management for a large, southeastern brokerage firm, and 8 years as auditor of Wall Street brokerage firms for security regulation compliance.  Hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Volunteer Experience
At DES, I've been a room parent five times, and also volunteered as a STEM parent, and on Field Day, fall festival and picture day.  Outside of DES, I serve on a local preschool board, making sure the school does what is best for the children and manages its money wisely, determining teacher salaries, and making logistics decisions.  I am also a Girl Scout leader, teach both adult and children's Sunday school, and run a summer adult lap swim program at our neighborhood pool.
Why you want to serve on the school council?
I want to offer a level-headed, practical voice to the council, keeping the focus on what is best for the students and support school management in operating the school in the simplest, most efficient and logical way possible.



Amanda Becker
    


Grades of Children
Ali is in 5th grade and Addison is in 1st grade

Professional Experience
Prior to having children, I worked in the advertising industry for 12 years specializing in (national) media placement for various companies.


Volunteer Experience
(Ali came to DES in 1st grade, coming from Chestnut). I have been a member of the PTO since that time co-chairing various committees: marquee, media center, visiting authors, spirit night/ family events, and the  5thgrade celebration. In addition, I have volunteered during field day, lunch bunch, room parent, and staff appreciation.
 
Outside of school I have volunteered with the Junior League of Atlanta, Temple Sinai, North Springs Women's Club, and the CHOA Dunwoody Friends Group.
Why you want to serve on school council
I would like to serve on the school council because I want to lend my support for the next two years as Dekalb County starts to restructure and redistrict the Dunwoody schools. Our school council, PTO, and school administration must have a strong unified vision and voice as to how to respond to the county.
 
Thank you for your consideration!