Kristin Swynford - New Kent County School Board District 2 Representative

12/31/2023

Congratulations and thank you to all involved with the groundbreaking ceremony of Fire Station #6 in Bottoms Bridge.

12/11/2023

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the New Kent County School Board. The following were my final comments at the December 4, 2023 meeting. My term ends on December 31, 2023.
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Last year, I was sitting in Dr. Nichols’ office and he shared with me a book on the "The Five Graces of Life and Leadership". I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the first grace which is Gratitude by thanking the people that I am grateful for and the help that they provided to me the last 8 years of my service on the school board.

First, to Becky Ringley - thank you for your encouragement, guidance and support when I ran for this position in 2015 and took office in 2016; your experience and wisdom was invaluable; you gave me very simple advice, but it was extremely helpful and I will forever be grateful for your kindness.

To the residents in District 2 - thank you for allowing me to serve and represent you on this board. Thank you for letting me listen and learn from you and thank you for advocating for your children, your grandchildren and the teachers and staff that comprise our school district.

To Tommy Tiller, my board of supervisor counterpart in District 2 - thank you for partnering with me and bringing transparent government to our citizens through town hall meetings. Together, we were able to share important and timely information with citizens and provide answers to questions from voters.

To Thomas Evelyn, Ron Stiers, and John Lockwood - thank you for your leadership. I am confident that you always have the best interest of the county in mind when making decisions and I know we created two boards that mutually respect each other and collaborate together.

To Miss Patricia Paige, thank you for your service. Local government is not glamorous. Sometimes it rains, or snow, the power goes out, the cable doesn't work or there is too much traffic on I-64 and the county roads. You never complained. You wanted to help make New Kent better and you did. Rest in eternal peace my friend.

To Rodney Hathaway, our county administrator, thank you for your grace, patience and dignity in how you conduct your job and represent the county. New Kent is so lucky to have you.

To Dr. Myers, our previous school superintendent, thank you for your leadership and the legacy that you left after your tenure.

To Dr. Nichols and his leadership team including Jonathan Hochman, Haynie Morgheim, Ross Miller, Richard Dirmeyer, Tim Po***ck, Mervin Hence, Allison Anderson, Shawn Terry, Johanna Davis and Leslie Smith - thank you for the countless hours that you work to carry out the mission of NKCPS which is to provide a supportive learning environment where all students are creative in their work, caring for others, and engaged in higher order thinking.

To the principals at our 5 schools (Chris Valdrighi, Frank Wheeler, Tammy Krejarek, Chris Pilger and Dr. O’Dea), thank you for your day-to-day support of our students.

To my fellow school board members (Mr. Meade, Ms. McBeath, Ms. Barber and Ms. Staskiel) - thank you for your time and service. I will miss working with all of you. And I truly mean that!

To my husband, David, and our 2 children, Jack and Caroline - thank you for allowing me to pursue this goal to lead and serve which took time away from our family; I appreciate and love you all!

And, finally, to all the students - thank you, good luck and may you always be !

10/31/2023

I am writing in support of Molly McBeath for the New Kent County school board position in District 5. It has been an honor to serve alongside Molly who was appointed in June 2021 to replace the seat vacated by the late Dr. Gail Hardinge.

Molly has the experience, professionalism, and skills necessary to continue in her current seat on the board. She adapted quickly to the role and developed strong working relationships with the administration, school board and board of supervisors. Molly understands the important local issues at the forefront of education including the teacher shortage, teacher and staff compensation, school safety and learning loss from the recent pandemic. She listens to parents and advocates for all students.

She is running as an independent voice for all those associated with the school system and understands that core educational concepts can be taught unhindered by political views. Schools should not be political playgrounds influenced by political party affiliation or outside and out-of-state interests. The school board is an important local office and necessitates that its elected officials make locally informed decisions without any political party interference.

Please vote for Molly on November 7 as the incumbent for school board in District 5. She thinks critically about difficult issues, discerns the best school policies, selects the best school leadership, and serves all her constituents with active concern and interest.

10/30/2023

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the New Kent County School Board, representing District 2 since 2016.

I am posting in support of Elizabeth Smith Remorenko and ask that you strongly consider voting for her on November 7 for the open seat on school board in District 2. She is the most qualified, committed, and prepared candidate for this position.

Elizabeth is a parent of 2 children that attend New Kent County Public Schools and she was born and raised in New Kent. She attended our schools and graduated from the Governor’s School. She exemplifies the New Kent Portrait of a Graduate and personifies the desired outcome of a public-school education.

She began attending school board meetings regularly in 2019 and has been a consistent voice for students, parents and teachers. Elizabeth is actively involved in our schools and community. She is a member of the superintendent’s parent advisory committee, volunteers regularly in the schools and with the PTO, coaches youth field hockey, serves the local chapter of Girl Scouts and donates time to the Little Free Pantry.

Quite simply – she shows up. She believes in our schools and is willing to devote her time and talent to improve and build upon the foundation that has been laid at each of our five schools. Elizabeth is a professional and will serve the board well with her critical thinking and decision-making skills.

In making my determination, I reached out to each of the other candidates seeking this position to learn about them, their goals and objectives and their strategies for improvement. I respect their desire to serve, but truly believe that Elizabeth is the best candidate for school board in 2023.

Thank you.

08/28/2023

If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.

08/28/2023

Mark your calendars!

08/11/2023

Congratulations to Aden Alexander from New Kent who presented his 11th grade internship project to Governor Youngkin at CodeRVA recently. CodeRVA is an innovative, regional public high school focused on preparing students for college and careers in computer science and coding.

07/04/2023

Proud to serve New Kent County along side Thomas Evelyn, a committed and collaborative partner who always has the best interests of the community at heart.

02/19/2023

Reminder about this important event scheduled for Tuesday, February 21 at 6 pm at the New Kent High School auditorium. Thank you.

Across the country, schools are seeing an increased usage of THC edibles by students. The New Kent County Sheriff's Office and New Kent County Public Schools are partnering in an upcoming informational evening session for guardian(s) and student(s) regarding controlled substances, including THC edib...

02/13/2023

New Kent County Public Schools and the New Kent Sheriff's Department are collaborating on an informational forum on the dangers of edibles and how they may impact the youth in our community. This event will be held at 6pm on Tuesday, February 21 in the New Kent High School Auditorium and open to the public. Thank you.

Across the country, schools are seeing an increased usage of THC edibles by students. The New Kent County Sheriff's Office and New Kent County Public Schools are partnering in an upcoming informational evening session for guardian(s) and student(s) regarding controlled substances, including THC edib...

12/16/2022

Congratulations Dr. Nichols!

👏 👏 Congratulations to NSPRA's 2022 Superintendents to Watch!

From a record number of nomination submissions received this year, 25 superintendents from around the country were selected for the honor in recognition of their innovative and effective use of technology to engage and inform the school community, and to expand two-way communication and outreach efforts. https://bit.ly/3FyA0p7

12/07/2022

Please complete the survey asking for input regarding the winter break in the 2023-2024 school calendar.

https://www.newkentschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=20861&pageId=50876441&fbclid=IwAR3pQAH16JFH611zCE0lTZ1YvMi0_5xr12wZKBYm-Ndhlrq04IwQtkbaAlo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The NKCPS calendar committee is seeking public input for the division calendar creation process for the 2023-2024 school year. In order to create a calendar that meets the needs of students, parents, and the community, the committee is looking for feedback on the length and dates of winter break. Du...