Christine Williams (parent)
Board Chair
cwilliams-board@prairiecreek.org
As a parent of two children at Prairie Creek I’ve watched them thrive at the school in a way that has awed and surprised me as a parent. I am honored to serve on the board and contribute to the school’s stability, longevity, and ability to model and communicate the magic of progressive education to other communities and educators. I also serve on the school's Arts Committee, where I’ve greatly enjoyed working with PCCS’s dedicated teachers, staff and parents to help design, plan, and raise funds for the annual arts residency. In my professional life, I own a small business that provides advisory, communications and project management services to developers and architects of large scale mixed-use projects. Our family -- including my husband, two children, and dog Bowie -- lives in downtown Northfield, where we settled several years ago from the east coast.
Tim Goodwin (community member)
Board Vice-Chair
tgoodwin-board@prairiecreek.org
I am an professor of education at Bemidji State University (working remotely and living in Northfield). I have a master’s degree and doctorate in education and have written and made numerous presentations about progressive education teaching methods and environmental education. Previous to teaching at BSU I taught 20 years in K-12 which included working as a founding teacher and the first director of Arcadia Charter School in Northfield. After working at Arcadia, I served on its board and currently am president of the Arcadia Building Company which owns the Arcadia building. Both of my children attended Prairie Creek (a number of years ago now) and I have been a long-time supporter and friend to Prairie Creek Community School.
Ryan Kiesel (teacher)
Board Treasurer
rkiesel@prairiecreek.org
Beth Molitor (parent)
Secretary
bmolitor-board@prairiecreek.org
I am grateful to continue to enhance my involvement with Prairie Creek Community School by serving on the School Board. From the moment I learned of Prairie Creek's exceptional progressive education, I was ecstatic that a project-based school focusing on inclusiveness and social awareness is part of our community. My two children attend PCCS where I see the strong mission and Habits of Mind exercised every day. Professionally, I have focused on business management and research data analytics at HealthPartners/Park Nicollet for over 20 years. My strengths include strategic planning, process improvement and change management. I have an undergraduate degree in Business Computer Information Systems and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Saint Thomas.
Personally, I live in Farmington on a hobby/fruit farm with my husband and children. We enjoy spending time together being active outdoors biking, hiking, skiing, swimming and practicing yoga. We also travel and embrace the other adventures life brings.
Nancy Dennis (teacher)
ndennis@prairiecreek.org
I began teaching at Prairie Creek when it became a public charter school in 2002. I am homegrown to Prairie Creek’s progressive approach to education and credit my wonderful colleagues with continually challenging me to become a better teacher. I entered the profession as a second career after receiving my Masters in Education from UW- River Falls. I deeply love this school and am honored to serve as a board member once again.
My husband and I live just outside Northfield and have two adult daughters who currently live in Washington state. Our younger daughter was fortunate to have the chance to attend Prairie Creek. Connecting with family and friends, reading, playing board games, and being outdoors and active makes me happy.
Shelly Dickinson (community member)
sdickinson-board@prairiecreek.org
My husband and I moved to Northfield in 2003 when I started teaching at St. Olaf College. We've been a Prairie Creek family for almost a decade, when our daughter started as a Nuthatch just 10 days after our son was born in 2010. I'm continually awed by the care and thoughtfulness of the teachers and staff, and so thankful to be a part of this child-centered community where the values of progressive education are so alive. PCCS has been such a positive part of our lives - I've even had the pleasure of teaching some alumni in my classes at St. Olaf! I've been involved in a variety of volunteer activities at PCCS over the years, and am excited to have the opportunity to deepen my involvement by serving on the board.
Jessica Provancha (parent)
jprovancha-board@prairiecreek.org
My family recently relocated to Northfield in order to be closer to family. After learning about Prairie Creek’s mission we know its strong progressive educational setting was a match for our family. PCCS follows our values system, the joy of learning, above all I have the comfort of my child being known by all. I am the parent of a K/1 student and we are so fortunate to be part of the PCCS community. Being a new family to the area, I want to give back to our community. I can't think of a better way to do that than helping the next generation have a successful start in their educational journey. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and relocated to the Twin Cities for college. I have a degree in ASL interpreting and have been in the field for about 12 years. I started my career in education and served in the Red Wing School District for one year and then served 7 1/2 additional years in the Mankato School District. I currently work as an interpreter in medical settings, higher level educational settings, legislative/social justice initiatives, climate action, and advocacy work being some of the areas that I have knowledge and previous experience with. I am currently serving on the parents board for Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and look forward to serving the families here at Prairie Creek too.
Lyndsey Reece (parent member)
lreece-board@prarieicreek.org
I am honored to have this opportunity. My family is in its second year at Prairie Creek, one being a Kestrel and one a Crane. Throughout the two years we have experienced the joy and connections within this passionate community. I am proudly getting to know the community at a deeper level and have been a strong advocate for our families and staff. I have been honored to be a part of the Incident Command Team, discussing the health and safety of all during this unprecedented time. My role in Public Health is one that focuses on the overall wellness in families and youth ranging from 0-21. This passion expands outside that role as I find many other ways to support the community. My many years of education and degrees have given me many skills and experiences but I believe life experiences are truly where we learn and grow in our journey.
I am a passionate individual with a desire to guide a community to an overall state of well-being. I believe that building a healthy community begins with our youth. We can learn so much from our youth and I have seen that Prairie Creek strives to learn from the students.
I have a love of nature, camping, hiking, and I enjoy a good book. I look forward to learning more from you all and serving this community no matter what.
Margit Zsolnay (parent member)
mzsolnay-board@prairiecreek.org
Keith Johnson
(Accountant/Chief Financial Officer: ex-officio member)
Simon Tyler
(Director: ex-officio member)