We are writing as friends in neighboring towns within ACSD to share our support for Mary Heather Noble as a candidate for the ACSD school board. 
Like many of you, we have spent hours on text chains and in backyards (then zoom); talking, listening, and struggling to determine the best path forward for our schools and our district. Like many, we are daunted by how complex ACSD’s path forward is. But we are united in the belief that we need more leaders like Mary Heather to support the next phase of this process. 
As a friend, we know Mary Heather as a whip-smart investigator, a thoughtful communicator, a coach and mentor to many, and an advocate for her own child’s education needs. She has engaged more in this process than most and she brings a steadfast determination that ACSD can progress with student success and equity at the forefront. 
We don’t always agree on the best path forward for ACSD because, like many, we can struggle to see beyond our own family’s needs. It is natural to hunker down when there is a threat, and the threat of losing necessary supports or closing schools is so real that many cross-town friendships have frozen. 
We have spent the last three years in conversation turning over the possibilities for ASCD. We are frustrated with the increasingly vitriolic dialog among neighboring towns and we are heartbroken that the financial reality of our district has left us with paltry options. We vacillate between fearing our district will crumble and looking up to realize there is so much bounty here: skilled teachers, devoted parents, a generous community, and incredibly resilient children (who deserve adults who can model for them what it looks like to communicate, problem solve, and persevere.) Now more than ever, we need leaders who can piece together our shared path.
We are voting for Mary Heather for many reasons, but chief among them is that when we talk to her, we catch glimpses of a vibrant ACSD that offers opportunities for all children K-12 to thrive as individuals, and to become better people because of their peers.
Emily Blistein, Middlebury 
AJ Vasiliou-Price, Cornwall