SAD 41 superintendent remembers board member Sheila Ellis

To the Editor;
This week the SAD 41 community lost a valued board member and friend. Sheila Ellis passed away on May 31 after a battle with cancer. Sheila was a long-time member of the SAD 41 Board of Directors. She began her service on the board in April of 2008 and remained a member until the day she died. Sheila was one of the first people I got to know when I came to the district nine years ago. I always appreciated her loyalty and commitment to her work on the board. I quickly learned, that above all, Sheila valued honesty. Over time, Sheila became much more than a board member, she became a valued colleague and friend.

Sheila was a voice of reasonableness, with a strong personal faith and a deep sense of integrity. She let these virtues guide her personal life as well as her work with the district. She was passionate about the schools and the education of students and always strived to do what was best for kids. She once told me that she was most proud of the decision the board made to create an alternative program for high school students because, “It gave them another opportunity to succeed in life.” This was the essence of Sheila Ellis.

Sheila may have left us in a physical sense this week, but her character and her spirit of integrity will live on. Sheila had a very strong personal compass, one which helped her discern sincerity from insincerity, fact from fiction, right from wrong. May we all be guided by these same virtues that Sheila Ellis brought to us.

Sheila, thank you for your service to the students of the community. We are all privileged to have known you.

Michael Wright
SAD 41 superintendent