After a controversial election for Oakwood School Board, three nominees remained victorious; John Wilson, Laura Middleton and Lauren Kawai.  This election divided voters in the Oakwood Community, but the three candidates that won seem excited to get started and continue their work.

“I was ecstatic when I won. Laura and I went to John’s house and celebrated when votes started to get called,” Kawai said. 

The three candidates have very different experience in the political world, yet are all parents of Oakwood students. John WiIlson, who is the only incumbent of the three candidates, is a lifelong teacher and currently works at the Career Technical High School in Greene County. Lauren Kawai grew up in Oakwood, and she has two children who currently attend Smith Elementary School. Laura Middleton is currently a physiologist at Dayton Childrens, and thinks her experience can be helpful to students. 

“It obviously felt great [to win] and I hope we can make some real change while being on the board,” Middleton said. 

From the get-go, these candidates have been adamant on making change with one of their highlighting factors was stressing the importance of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion council. 

“We hope that the task force will help foster a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all. We hope it helps students be more prepared for the diverse world we live in,” Middleton said. 

The EDI task force was a highlight of their campaign. Similarly, the importance of Social and Emotional health for both students and staff has been a staple principle in their campaign. Their plans included many things like community building, perspective taking and stressing empathy for all.

“Social and emotional well being is important because students can work their best if they are not mentally well,” Wilson said. 

The three nominees seem adamant on making changes in the Oakwood School system if you would like to learn more about the Kawai, Middleton, Wilson Campaign their website is linked here.