School Committee Candidate Evan Berwick

Seekonk Patch sent a list of questions to the seven candidates running for two school committee seats in the April 1 election. Below are the questions along with the answers submitted by candidate Evan Berwick.

—Jonathan Friedman, editor

Name: Evan William Berwick

Age: 18

How many years have you lived in Seekonk? I have lived in Seekonk my entire life.

How many children do you have in the Seekonk public schools? Do you have any children who previously attended Seekonk public schools or plan to send children to the Seekonk Public schools in the future? I have no children in the Seekonk Public Schools. I have no children at all for that matter. 

What is your current involvement with the school district (PTO membership, volunteering, etc.)? I am an active volunteer in the schools, and am currently constructing a set for the High School Play on March 22, 23 and 24. 

What is your day Job? If you are retired, what was your former job? I don't hold a day job at the current time. I am enrolled full time at the New England Institute of Technology in East Greenwich, RI for Video and Audio Production, and commute there four days a week. 

Why are you running for school committee? I am running for school committee because I believe that Seekonk has a great school system that needs a fresh perspective from a recent former student. I want to work with Administration, Faculty, Parents and Students to improve our schools' financial health and community outreach. Seekonk has an excellent school system, but there is no such thing as perfect. We can always work and strive to make our schools an even better place. 

What makes you a better choice than your opponents? I don't really feel that any one candidate is more or less qualified than another for School Committee. Rather I feel that the voter must decide between the directions candidates would like to take the school district. I want to have a more involved community, and an active alumni association. I also want to get creative, and go out there to raise new funds for district needs, to improve our schools financial health.

I want to extend our community outreach and form a closer relationship between our business community and our school district so we can help to secure internships for our students. With these initiatives I believe that I can make a lasting difference in our schools, and I hope that the voter will see this, and consider that my age provides me with a unique perspective and knowledge of the issues that affect our students from firsthand experience as little as 10 months ago. I respectfully ask for one of your two votes for school committee so I can bring a fresh perspective with new ideas to our town and continue to improve upon what is already great. 

What is the state of the school district? Are there problems that need fixing? If so, what would you do to fix them? Our schools are in excellent shape, we just need to further refine what is already very pure. We need to take all the steps, in conjunction with the Seekonk Police Department, to ensure that our school is as safe as possible for our students. Volunteering my time to help the SHS Drama Club in the past few weeks, I found that there were a lot of cellular dead spots that I hadn't really noticed before. While using cell phones for communication between backstage and the back of the auditorium I lost the call roughly 6 times in one night. Eliminating electronic dead spots is important to making sure communication is always available, especially in times of crisis.

I would also look right away for new sources of revenue for our FY15 budget, which would give me adequate time to establish an active Alumni Association, and to pursue advertising at our athletic facilities, the latter would provide a near steady source of revenue that a budget could be extended with to help cover use fees and transportation fees that we are currently passing on to our students. 

As a member of the school committee, you have just one vote and need at least two people to agree with you to get anything approved. How well do you work with others? What is your experience with productively working in a group? I understand that I am just one voice on the committee, and that I would need to persuade others to work with me to accomplish goals. This isn't a hard task for someone like me who is always working in groups at college, but doesn't always share the same opinion with group members. I know how to collaborate with others and how to come to an agreement that will benefit both parties and still accomplish my intended goal.

While I was at the high school last year, I was the Executive Producer of the Video Yearbook. Not only did I have to work with the other members of the class, but I had to collaborate with the two Associate Producers, who could override my decision if they wanted to. I got experience explaining myself and showing point by point why I believe my idea was good. I also got experience being shown flaws in my plans, which we all worked together to mend.

I also had to work closely with the paper yearbook club, and collaborate meeting times and shooting dates so we were able to make the most efficient use of time. This experience coupled with my current immersive college experience makes me an excellent communicator and an excellent negotiator, skills that I would be happy to bring with me to the Seekonk School Committee. 

What do you like to do in your free time? I'm really not too sure what I like to do in my free time, because it feels as if I never have any. Most days when I plan to take it easy and relax, I get a call from someone asking me to help them, or film something, or fix something. More often than not, I'll also end up volunteering for something I learn about last minute because I never like to leave someone shorthanded if I know that they could use the help. That doesn't sit right with me. On the days that I do get to have some free time to myself, I enjoy working on my 1969 Ford LTD. 

Is there anything else we should know about you? I'd just like to reiterate my plan for Seekonk. I want to raise new revenue without new taxes. I want to engage our business community, and I would like to have and engaged and active alumni association to help fundraise for district needs. I will work my hardest for our schools, lobbying for your child's education. We can do this together, I just need your vote on April 1.