New member appointed to Abby board
There will be a new face sitting at Abbotsford School board meetings next month after the board of education found a replacement for Juanita Hammel, who left the board in December.
The board had three candidates to choose from on Monday night, with Kraig Schindler, Bart Schreiber and Ivone Vázquez all submitting applications for consideration.
All three have long-standing ties to the Abbotsford area, with all three receiving their educations from the district.
“All are graduates of here, all have college degrees,” board president Don Medenwaldt said. “Any one of them would be a good addition.”
After deliberating for several minutes, the board selected Vázquez, who will serve the duration of Hammel’s remaining term, with Vázquez needing to seek re-election in April of 2021.
Vázquez, a native of Mexico, moved to Abbotsford in 2005. She graduated from Abbotsford High in 2008, and received a business degree and minor in Spanish from UW-Stout in 2012.
Upon graduation, Vázquez lived in Green Bay, and worked for ShopKo, but returned to the Abbotsford area, where she worked with Abbyland Foods in the safety department, and then for Wausau Coated Products as an international sales rep.
More recently, Vázquez and her husband own and run La Botana bar in Abbotsford.
In her application letter Vázquez said her difficulties during her time at Abbotsford High inspired her to pursue the vacant seat on the board of education.
“When I was in high school, I didn’t receive the help, guidance or encouragement that I needed, or that my parents were expecting,” Vázquez wrote. “Once I enrolled (in college) . . . I received all the support that I was looking for. Because of that experience I decided to work at the admissions office and helped out high school students to understand the importance of higher education.”
Vázquez cited the importance of having a Hispanic presence on the board to reflect the growing Hispanic population within the Abbotsford School District.
“I strongly believe that the Abbotsford High School board needs Hispanic representation, someone that can express and be the voice of those families’ students that deserve a better future,” she wrote.
Vázquez closed her letter by saying she is proud to be a graduate of Abbotsford High, and a business woman in the community.
_ Superintendent Sherry Baker informed the board that the final FEMA application for a storm shelter/auditorium was submitted Jan. 23.
_ Network administrator Jesse Meddaugh said he has started implementing a fingerprint reader for the food service department, which will replace the barcode readers the district is currently using. Meddaugh hopes to go live with the fingerprint reader in March.
_ The board accepted the resignations of Jaelyn Friedenfels as middle school volleyball coach, Craig Haffenbredl as middle school boys basketball coach, Christine Rau as JV volleyball coach and Jose Olvera as JV baseball coach.
_ The board approved Christine Rau as middle school volleyball coach and Jose Olvera and Rebecca Schmelzer as JV baseball volunteers.
