RSU 21 School Board of Directors Campaign

Hello.

My name is Kirstan Watson. I’m 44 years old. My husband and I live in Arundel where we’ve been for 20 years now. We own a small property management and cleaning company which we’ve enjoyed operating for 24 years. In addition to working full time and running a business we are in the exciting process of building a new company - which of course everyone knows is the ideal time to run for public office!

I was born in Arundel and attended Mildred L Day School from Kindergarten through 5th grade and at that time Arundel was its own school system. In 6th grade I was enrolled at Sea Rd School which is where I was first introduced to this wonderful school community and I remained in the school district thereafter, attending Kennebunk Middle School and went on to graduate from Kennebunk High School in 1998

When I was collecting signatures to appear on the ballot I had some incredibly profound conversations but what struck me was that nearly everyone I met with said 3 things to me.

The first - thank you for stepping up to to do this, followed by - are you crazy? Finally they each asked my why; why am I running for school board?

When I was a child, school was my refuge.

I had a challenging childhood with a difficult home life and the adversity I faced could have stood in the way of my learning and development and to be candid, at times it did.

When I joined what at the time was known as MSAD 71, it was life changing. I found myself welcomed into an environment where I was encouraged, supported and given the opportunity to grow into the best version of myself. I realize now that the reason I was afforded access to such a wonderful education and all the opportunities it provided is because there were caring and engaged adults in this community doing the hard work of ensuring that our schools were safe, nurturing environments where each student’s unique identity, skills and needs were honored and where new skills were introduced and encouraged to develop.

This school system saved my life - I don’t say this to inspire sorrow but rather to emphasize how critical our public education system is, and to celebrate how meaningful it can be especially for kids whose resources are limited. I feel called to repay the tremendous debt of gratitude I feel and that is why I am running to serve on the RSU 21 School Board of Directors.

I believe passionately that every child in this community deserves access to an education that affords each of them the opportunity to reach their full potential. I would be honored to be part of carrying that tradition forward, while continuing to build on and improve our school system in an ever changing world.

Thank you.