The Tripod

Three members of the Trinity College community are running as candidates for the West Hartford Board of Education. Starting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Visiting Lecturer in the Allen K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric Elin Katz, Principal Lecturer in Language and Culture Studies and International Studies Naogan Ma, and Andrew Bannon-Guasp '13 will all be listed on the ballot.

Katz and Ma both are running on the Democratic ticket, and say that their most important goals are to provide for neighborhood schools and to discover ways to keep class sizes at practical levels. Bannon-Guasp has similar reasons for his candidacy.

"As a member of the West Hartford Board of Education, I will work to eliminate the achievement gap by providing resources to the students who need them the most," he said. "Additionally, I believe that class sizes need to be smaller than they currently are and that extracurricular activities that promote good study habits need to be emphasized in our schools to start students off on a good track in life."

Before teaching, Katz graduated from the Boston University School of Law and worked for 13 years as an environmental attorney. She then received her M.A. in English from Trinity, and received the Paul Smith Distinguished Master's Thesis Award for her novel One Good Reason in 2007.

Katz's grandfather served as president of the school board in Windham, N.Y., and her mother was a teacher. This educational presence in her life played a large role in her decision to become a candidate. "I've always grown up believing in service to the schools," said Katz, in a press release on www.trincoll.edu.

Ma received her B.A in English and M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University, and has taught at Trinity for 25 years, instructing courses on Chinese language and two First-Year Seminars. She also has served on the Executive Committee of China Cooperative Language and Study Programs of Council on International Educational Exchange and is the Vice President of the Greater Hartford Chinese Culture Center. Ma also finds the possibility of serving on the Board of Education a wonderful privilege. "Not to contribute, for me, would almost be a crime," said Ma.

Bannon-Guasp is a graduate from Conard High School, and a First-year at Trinity. He served on the Board of Education as a student representative while in high school, and also organized fundraising events on the student council. Though younger than the other candidates, Bannon-Guasp believes he has plenty to offer.

"Young? Yes. Unqualified? No," he said.  "I don't have experience as a parent, but I can bring a young person's perspective."

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