I am writing in support of Briana Spencer.

I was honored to be the language arts teacher at Nixyaawii Community School for 12 years. Briana was a student of mine in the early years of the school but later transferred to PHS. She has certainly made her mark in the years since then!

Teaching at NCS, I got to know many Native American students. Culture often plays a big part in the lives of students of color, and respecting one’s elders is an expectation. There’s a deference implied that an older adult knows more than the young person and has knowledge and expertise to impart. By listening, he or she can learn valuable information. Briana is a good example of someone who has learned to listen first and then to take action.

Learning styles can also affect how well students do in classes, a fact of which I’m sure Briana is well aware. The majority of my students were Native American. I often received heartfelt and well-written essays, but the student might not speak up in class. I noticed more introspection and a need for more time to really think through what a student wanted to say, rather than to blurt out something just to be heard.

Often, in traditional classrooms, a quick response to a question is expected, leaving students little time to recall information. In crowded high school classrooms, my students might not sit up front, might not speak up first, but they were listening and thinking.

Briana Spencer knows about students of color because she is one. Those who know her describe Briana as a sincere, hard-working, committed, and enthusiastic young woman who’s continually working to make this world a better, more inclusive place for all students. Briana is knowledgeable about the culture not only of Native students but also of the Latino and African American cultures.

Minority students are often the students who fall by the wayside and don’t graduate. She can offer insights and advice from a personal perspective. Briana is in a unique position to make a huge difference because she has experienced being a minority student at PHS, understands some of the challenges, and has lived in the area all her life.

Briana will care about and represent all the students at PHS. I am proud to endorse Briana Spencer for the Pendleton School Board, Position 7.

Mary A. Green

Pendleton

The East Oregonian does not run endorsements of more than 400 words.

The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.

We run local letters of endorsement on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 7. You can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801.

We will publish our last letters on Saturday, May 15. Any letters received after the deadline will not run. Election Day is May 18.