School Council Nominees - Election Week of May 13th

The School Council nomination period closes today.  Below are the nominees as of 2:45 PM.  The nomination period closes at 5 PM today, May 9th.  

Voting will occur from Monday, May 13 to Thursday May 16.  A table will be available with ballots before school Monday-Thursday next week.  Voting may also be done in the School Office.  A table will be set up for easy voting on Thursday evening before, during, and after the PTA meeting and talent show.

Each parent/guardian of a CURRENT Evansdale student can vote in the election.  Three new representatives will be elected and you may vote for three people.

We are unable to offer electronic/on-line voting due to inability to verify parent/guardian status through an online mechanism.  

Here are the nominees:

Biographies of School Council Nominees for 2013-2014 Election

Casey Barton Behravesh

Casey Barton Behravesh has two daughters, a 1^st grader and a future Evansdale Eagle. Casey is a veterinarian and works as a disease detective at the CDC where she investigates outbreaks caused by contaminated food or diseases spread between animals and people. Casey regularly volunteers at Evansdale including as room parent, various PTA and foundation activities, and for her daughter’s Girl Scout troop.  Casey strongly believes in the benefits of a public school education and wants to help Evansdale continue to be an excellent elementary school! She has a great background to support the advancement of STEM in our school.

Becky Bitsko

Becky Bitsko has enjoyed joining the Evansdale community during her son’s first year in pre-K. Becky has a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University, where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in child development. She also recently completed training through the Georgia Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopment and related Disabilities (GaLEND). Becky is currently a health scientist at CDC working on children’s mental health where she leads research and outreach activities on Tourette Syndrome. Becky has enjoyed volunteering as a room parent in pre-K, and at many events throughout the year and is interested in getting more involved.

Natalie R. Culpepper

My husband and I have lived in the Evansdale area for ten years and as an advocate for education, I come from a long line of educators.  Part of my influence came from my own parents who served as advocates of education as PTA presidents and my mother has taught elementary school for almost 40 years.   As a mother to an emerging 2^nd grader, I see my role as not only to support to my child, but also to be a partner to his teachers and all staff at Evansdale who have made it their life’s mission to educate and positively influence the students.  My desire to join the Evansdale School Council is to continue the positive legacy and to serve as a source of decision support for you and your administration as we all work together to help all students at Evansdale soar.

Sylvia Flower
Sylvia Flower, an Atlanta native, went to Lakeside High School and then attended Emory University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.  She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Medical Science from Emory School of Medicine to become a Physician Assistant.   Sylvia currently practices in a small but very busy family medicine group in Lilburn, providing care for a wide spectrum of patients.  Her professional passion is disease prevention, particularly diabetes and heart disease.  2012-2013 is the Flower Family’s second year at Evansdale.  Drew (currently a 1^st grader with Ms. Mitchell) and Lindsey (now a kindergartner with Ms. Patrick) currently attend Evansdale and Connor is a future Evansdale Eagle.  This year Sylvia Co-Chaired Eagle Trek in the fall, an event that raised over $70K for the PTA and Evansdale Education Foundation.  She also volunteered as a Kilometer kids sponsor and facilitated Junior Achievement in her daughter’s kindergarten class.  Last year Sylvia helped to Co-Chair TV free week.  Sylvia is extremely excited about the upcoming changes to Evansdale, particularly the STEM program and language immersion!

Rodney Jones

I have an MBA in Finance from Georgia State University and have worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Assistance for the past 19 years – assisting homeowners and businesses recover from crippling disasters.  I grew up in the area (attended Sagamore Hills and Lakeside) and have one child – an upcoming first grader – in Evansdale and am really interested in making sure he and his classmates have the best possible opportunities for success.  I am a detail-oriented person who will make sure to hold people accountable when the best interests of Evansdale are on the line.

David McGrail
David and Maryann McGrail have lived in the Evansdale neighborhood for over 15 years.  They have a 3^rd grade daughter at Evansdale and 6^th grade daughter at Henderson Middle (who attended Evansdale Pre-K – 5^th and was in the Magnet program).  David has a BBA in Real Estate from Georgia State University and is a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.  He has been active in both Residential and Commercial Real Estate for nearly 20 years.   His knowledge of the local real estate market and issues that affect it and Evansdale bring resources to the table that will benefit all Evansdale area students, teachers and parents.  He currently co-chairs the Evansdale Grounds Committee with Scott Foerst and Jerry Appleman and has served as a room parent at Evansdale and Board Member of the North Umberland Swim Club.  David enjoys coaching soccer and volunteering in various capacities at both Evansdale and Tucker First United Methodist Church.  David enjoys spending time with his family, staying fit via CrossFit and playing golf.

Denise Miller-Tso

Denise Miller-Tso has lived in the Evansdale community for 13 years.  She received her Master's in Nursing at Emory University, and is currently working part-time as a nurse practitioner.  She has served as room parent, Spiritwear Co-Chair, and Co-VP of Programs for the PTA.  She was also a founding member of the Evansdale Education Foundation. Denise has been instrumental in previous Fantastic Friday events, Kilometer Kids, and the PTA Nominations Committee. She is currently the Book Fair Co-Chair.  Denise is married, with 2 current Evansdale Eagles.  When she is not busy with work or helping out at Evansdale, she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with friends and family.

Patryce L. Yeiser
My name is Patryce Yeiser. Prior to moving to Evansdale we had four children at Livsey, now attending Henderson Middle. Our younger three children are new to Evansdale this year. We have really enjoyed Evansdale and are quite pleased with its strong family involvement, its small intimate setting where parents and teachers can effectively communicate and work together to maximize every student’s learning. In addition to being the mother of 7 children, I have worked as a scientist in Pediatric Infectious Disease at Emory for 16 years and have participated in many high school outreach programs encouraging youth to pursue a career in the sciences.  I believe my experience would be helpful in an advisory function to the administration at Evansdale.  I believe that a common-sense inquisitive approach to teaching the sciences will engage children and make them more in touch. Once a child feels lost in class it is easy for them to become disheartened and lose interest.  I believe that every child starts out with an intrinsic curiosity we can nurture into a love of science and math.