10/05/2022
Get to know Holly and her vision for the TCAPS school board.
Growing up, I had to weather many first days of school. I remember being nervous, but also hopeful about what the school year would hold for me. I was often the new girl and one of the only Indigenous people in my school. Sadly, I remember feeling unwelcome in my classroom at times for reasons that I couldn’t do anything about. My mother would remind me that if I had a good education and worked hard, I could be anything I wanted to be. She was an unfailing optimist who believed in our public school system. Despite her faithful encouragement, my struggle to be included by my peers was sometimes overwhelming. That’s where teachers and school staff stepped in. Too many to name, but never forgotten, they went beyond their teaching rubrics and lesson plans to help me feel safe, supported, and inspired. They showed me that I was smarter than I thought and even though I was different, I had something important to contribute. Without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Who am I? I am a parent of three students - one TC West Senior High School graduate, one senior, and my youngest who will be starting next year. I am the proud aunt of a neurologically diverse student at Eastern Elementary School, and advocate for students who need more support than others. I am a proud mother, wife, and Indigenous member of what I believe is a great and loving community in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I am also an attorney, Tribal Judge, teacher and Co-Executive Director of a non-profit that utilizes creative practice to support clean water, racial equity, and youth empowerment.
Wearing many hats in the education world has offered me a diverse and well-rounded perspective of the education system. I attended public schools in the Detroit area until I attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, where I graduated in 1987. Following graduation, I earned degrees in Social Science/Anthropology and Art/Theater at Michigan State University. My post-graduate work focused on education. Eager to continue learning, I earned my law degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. I began my legal career working for the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education Legal Department. While there, I wrote school policies, created magnet school charters, and conducted student and teacher discipline hearings. I also served for the Office of the Public Guardian in Cook County, where I represented over 238 children in the abuse/neglect courts. I moved on to private practice for several years before returning to Michigan. I continued my career here as a Tribal Judge and guardian ad litem while also working briefly as a substitute teacher for TCAPS, and as a preschool assistant for the Leelanau Children’s Center. I found teaching college courses for first year students for the University of Phoenix for 8 years to be incredibly rewarding. I’ve spent a great deal of my career working for children whether directly or by advocating via the law or by influencing legislation as part of the several learning initiatives committees. I am trained in all aspects of alternative dispute resolution as well as public service board governance. In my spare time, I help to provide diversity training and advocacy through Title Track and NME3 while also volunteering for the Grand Traverse Area Children’s Garden as a board member. While these are just some of the experiences and skills that make me who I am, none of it would’ve been possible without access to an excellent education.
An excellent education is created by a large web of co-occurring supportive actions. These include:
1. A strong, well-funded base of teachers, staff and administration.
2. Curriculums that go beyond “what is expected” and contain accurate history, inclusivity, and room for creative practice. These curriculums also need to be supported by steady, ample funding for materials, books, and experiences that bring teaching to life.
3. Educational leadership that works together to uplift what is in the best interests of students and their education. By supporting the new TCAPS strategic plan - we can do this. Transparency, integrity, and commitment are key.
4. An atmosphere that inspires students, staff, and teachers alike to love learning. This is one of the single most important tools that we can give our children. This necessarily includes play time, the arts and creative practice, the outdoors, movement, as well as the standard academic subjects.
5. A healthy, safe, and green learning environment. Our children are on their phones and computers so often now - we need to balance this with time in our region’s beautiful country, with accompanying learning opportunities. Further, we need to raise up our buildings and grounds into healthy “green” spaces that are good for our children and the planet.
As a member of the TCAPS school board, I will bring my experience to support our students and educational system with these goals in hand. I believe that with the abundance that this area holds both in funding and in people power, we can make TCAPS schools some of the best schools in the country.
