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The Henrico School Board heard from nearly two dozen speakers Sept. 20 who came to support one of the three candidates to serve as the interim Tuckahoe District board member – Melissa Dart, Bill Pike and Marcie Shea. The board will select one Oct. 4, and the new member will be sworn in Oct. 5 meeting and will join the board for its Oct. 11 meeting. He or she then will serve through the end of next year, filling the seat that had been held longtime member Lisa Marshall, who resigned last month to continue her fight against breast cancer.
Eleven speakers expressed support for Dart, a member of the school system's Special Education Advisory Committee; nine for Shea, a former Freeman HS physics teacher; and two for Pike, a former principal at Lakeside Elementary.
Of Dart, one speaker said: "I know Melissa will work not just for Tuckahoe children but for all children." Said another: "I don't think you will find a more dedicated person."
One woman told the board that Shea "has a fervor for young learners," while another described her as a "perfect combination of confidence, compassion and common sense." Former DSF principal Anne Poates said Shea has "deep capacity for learning & enthusiasm that is contagious."
Former Lakeside Elementary School librarian Rhonda Riddick gave an impassioned endorsement of Pike – with whom she previously worked at Hermitage High School as well – describing him as her hero.
"My hero is strong and quiet – he does more listening than talking and is always there when anyone needs help."
The first six speakers endorsed Shea, showering her with a variety of praise for her enthusiasm, ability to seek out all sides of a discussion, care and dedication to children.
"She has a unique combination of skills, passions, experiences and talents for any task that she undertakes or any committee that she serves on," speaker Emily Boddy said. "Marcie would be dedicated to serving Henrico and all its students."
Another speaker who taught with Shea at Freeman High School recalled her as firm but fair and said that she held her students to a high standard "and they rose to meet the challenge of her expectations."
Several speakers endorsed Dart after having served alongside her on the county's SEAC group and witnessing what they described as her tireless effort to advocate for children with special needs, including her own.
"I don't think you will find a more dedicated person," speaker Annie Kasper said.
Speaker Bob Shippee read a number of letters from other Dart supporters and said that he'd seen first-hand her abilities as a leader and problem-solver.
Speaker Samantha Davis, the vice chair of the SEAC group, compared Dart to a Labrador because of her eagerness, ability to observe and listen, desire to serve others and uncanny knack for never tiring.
When Pike moved to Lakeside Elementary, Riddick recalled, faculty members there were curious about whether he could adapt from teaching high-schoolers. Those questions quickly disappeared when he learned to open juice boxes in the cafeteria or took a troubled child out to shoot baskets and talk, she said.
"He inspired us to be better and to give everything to our students. He's always there when anyone needs help."
Another resident endorsed Pike, suggesting that his experience as an assistant principal and principal gave him a better sense of what is required to manage schools effectively.
