Meet Colleen Schoenfeld, school board candidate

Colleen Schoenfeld

submitted by Colleen Schoenfeld

My name is Colleen Schoenfeld and I am running for the Manchester Community School Board in this upcoming November 5 general election. I am taking the opportunity to introduce myself to the community for those I’ve not yet met.

I moved to Manchester in 2019 and have two of my three children, Charlie and Lucy, enrolled in Manchester schools. My oldest son, Tray, is serving in the Coast Guard and is now stationed in Connecticut with his wife and two sons. My mother, Amy, also relocated to Manchester and has made it her home.

I have fallen in love with Manchester and am so glad Charlie and Lucy have the opportunity to grow up in such a close-knit and kind community. I plan to do my best to assist the efforts of our school board and school administrators and staff in providing the best possible education and opportunities for our students and families. I believe schools in any town are the lifeblood and heart of a community and Manchester is no different. With strong, excellent, welcoming schools we attract and retain people and families in Manchester. I am running for school board to serve our community and do my part to contribute to that mission.

I have spent the bulk of my adult life in service to others and will carry that over in service to the school board and our community. I enlisted to serve our country in the United States Army in 2003, later commissioning, and served for over 11 years. Following the military, I sought to help others by working at Central Michigan University and then at the University of Michigan to prevent and address incidents of harassment, discrimination, and sexual harassment. I then founded and continue to run a nonprofit called the Center for Equity Education where we provide services related to building and maintaining working and learning environments that are welcoming and inclusive to all.

I am an active member of our community and try to stay as involved as possible. I help with coaching our youth wrestling team and am a member of the American Legion, the Lion’s Club, the DDA’s Michigan Main Street subcommittee, and the Manchester Area Historical Society. I also volunteer in other ways as often as I can. You can also find me working part-time at our local Ace Hardware store.

I look forward to continuing to serve the Manchester community and hope that you will consider voting to support my bid for the school board. I also look forward to getting to know more of my neighbors and community members in the place I call home and plan to grow old in.

Editor’s note: the Manchester Mirror will publish one press release per candidate announcing their candidacy. View all of the Manchester Mirror’s election policies here: https://themanchestermirror.com/about/contact/.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.