Pavia running for school board
Ingrid Elena Pavia, the mother of two school-age children and an avid school and community volunteer, is running for Boundary County School Board.
Pavia, 47, is running for the seat in Zone 1, which is the northern section of the county. The seat is currently held by Gil Hagen, who reportedly plans to run for another term.
The election for the seat will be held 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Mt. Hall School.
“I want to give the people of Boundary County and the Kootenai Valley a voice,” Pavia said.
Pavia, who referred to Hagen as “a good man,” is involved with the Horizons project, Safe Routes to Schools with Boundary Area Transportation Team and Friends of the Arts. She has served as a volunteer at Valley View Elementary through the Parent-Teacher Organization, the helmet drive and math-a-thon; Pavia headed up the latter for seven years.
She said she also planted the seeds to turn Mt. Hall Auction into a fundraiser that benefits the entire school district.
Pavia also wrote application for a $120,000 grant for a school resource officer. The funding paid the salary for having a Bonners Ferry DARE police officer in the schools for three years.
She also was involved in Boundary County Search and Dive Rescue for four years. With that, Pavia taught young children how to stay safe when lost in the woods.
She also belonged to Boundary County Coalition for families.
“Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President said, ‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power,'” Pavia said in her announcement to The Herald. “William James, a pioneering American psychologist, author, and philosopher said, ‘A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain.'”
“Now I ask that you make your own statement for the history books on Tuesday, May 20,” she continued. “Voting ‘For the People,' ‘By the People' with confidence will give far greater value to the families who (presently and in the future) comprise Boundary County and the Kootenai Valley. Only then will we be enriched at depths yet realized from which to share our wealth.”
“Collectively, we can prove a healthier character for one reason and one reason only,” Pavia said. “To fulfill all of our needs with greater purpose within our multi-faceted community. But ultimately it is up to you as an individual to decide which is stronger.”
Pavia said she has and will continue to listen to people whole-heartedly, objectively research all of facts in depth, share them for consideration, and represent constituents with the utmost regard for the greater good.
“No matter who you vote for, I wish you peace through clarity of what is intrinsically vital and the empowerment from within to rise to those occasions your spirit finds worthy,” she said.