Thomas named to North Mason School Board seat

The North Mason School Board unanimously voted for Nicholas Thomas to replace retiring District 4 Director John Campbell at a special meeting Dec. 14.

During his interview for the position, Thomas said “being a dad” is one of his reasons for applying for the position. He said he really wanted to get involved.

“I can only do so much as a Pee Wee football coach,” he said.

Thomas has lived in the area for 20 years and works in instructional design for the Navy as a civilian.

He told the board he can help improve communication with community members.

“There’s so many different opinions,” he said. “We can’t fix everything in this community, but if people can at least be heard and know they’re being heard and being acknowledged … we can at least have a public discussion about these things.”

The board wanted to know how Thomas would handle disagreements with his fellow members. He said being respectful and listening.

Thomas said that’s how he would approach the job in general. If parents and teachers feel like they are being heard, “it just changes the dynamics,” he said.

“Instead of ‘us against them,’ it becomes ‘we,’ ” he said.

North Mason resident Mark Knowles was also a candidate. He said he was approached by a community member to apply for the position and thought it would be a good way for him to have a direct impact in the community.

Thomas will be sworn in at the January meeting.