Submitted by Dr. Paul Farris, Superintendent of White Pass School District
Sometimes being courageous means that a person can drop whatever they are doing and help someone in need, even if the timing isn’t good or even if that person is exhausted. That all happened to Angie Bowen in White Pass. As a White Pass graduate, she has lived in the valley on a 100-acre farm since she can remember.
Angie has been the Business Manager of a two-person office in Randle since 2015. She learned about school finance by first being a secretary, then an accounts payable manager, and finally by being promoted to Business Manager. She credits the Capital Region ESD for its Business Manager Academy for holding her hand, walking her through the first few budgets, and constantly answering the phone while she was learning the job.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Angie and her husband, Derek, have a daughter/athlete at White Pass. “We try to go to every athletic event possible. We enjoy helping the teams, and because White Pass co-opts with Morton School District for sports… it means a lot of travel. Our daughter also competes in a number of horse-riding events also, so our calendar seems to be full.
But what makes Angie so incredibly courageous is that this busyness didn’t stop her and her husband from doing something even more special! A third-grade girl in the district was in a very difficult situation and needed to live in a different home. To avoid the whole Foster Care system, Angie and Derek volunteered to bring her into their home. They worked out a system with the girl’s parents to help them as long as necessary… and they are raising her as their own this school year. Angie said, “ The Foster Care system is overloaded. Some homes are phenomenal, but now it is a ‘hit and miss” system. We thought we could help reduce her trauma.”
In addition, Angie and Derek have invited a 4th-grade boy into their home. He had had a very difficult year, and Angie thought, “Kids just seem to be attracted to our home. So far, it has worked great. We all enjoy horse riding and being with family on the farm.”
Thank you, Angie, for being our May nominee for Profiles in Courage in Public Education. We are proud to know you!
Would you like to nominate someone for our Board of Directors to honor as a profile in courage?
- Any employee, resident, volunteer, or student in one of the 44 school districts and one tribal school represented by Capital Region ESD 113 is eligible to submit candidates for consideration to [email protected].
- Please keep submissions to 400 words or less. Photos are also welcome.
- A small committee will review the applications. The Board Chair will read one selection each month prior to our Board meeting. In addition, that month’s submission will be prominently featured on our ESD 113 website.
Think about the heroes in your life who have done courageous things to support our students and staff members. We want to honor the wonderful role models who have been working in our public schools!
