Let me tell you a story. A story of ten 13-year-old Thurston boys. A couple of them get up before school to be guests on our Laguna Beach radio station. They go on air to talk about the club they have started to raise money for scholarships for graduating seniors at LBHS. Tyler Russell, station owner, asks what kind of things they are doing, they mention collecting goods for their annual garage sale and sports equipment for their school’s Sports Swap. Enter Sheri Morgan. She calls the station and demands that the now recorded interview be pulled down from the radio station website because the boys are “stealing her brand”. Who and what exactly was she fighting for at this point? The radio station called Ten Boys families multiple times incredulous.
Sheri proceeded to bully all 10 families in long-worded email after email about the Ten Boys Who Care stealing her brand. She typed on and on about the boys deserving no share of their collections to their school (the fundraiser was established for 50/50 split from anyone who brought items). Thurston PTA even denied writing checks to Ten Boys Who Care so they gathered volunteers to accept personal checks.
I hope you are seeing the point. Ten young boys started a club (not a 501 C3, just a club) (a teaching moment), got up early (a life lesson), spoke on a radio show (a teaching moment), fundraised for their schools (a teaching moment). Compare that to a raving, overzealous, combative PTA person blocking their grandparents’ ability to hear them on the radio?! (I guess that was a life lesson.) Our poor radio station employees (I won’t say how they described her), the poor administrators at Thurston (I won’t say how they described her) but more importantly, the poor young Thurston philanthropists being attacked by this woman. Now, she wants to steward the district?
Shelving at least 10 other examples… suffice it to say Sheri Morgan might mean well every time she gets up on the podium to hear herself talk into the microphone, and those of us actively involved in school have seen it over and over, but when it comes to children learning and keeping a level head to govern, I recommend she stay on this side of the podium. I wish her well; I just hope folks would vote for candidates who have been teachers who have seen how overzealous parents can railroad progress to meet their agendas. Let’s build a better Laguna Beach school board by voting for seasoned educators Kelly and Jan.
Carrie Reynolds, Laguna Beach
