After the Gilpin County School Board meeting on September 21, the Board introduced the public to the three candidates for the School Board for the 2021 to 2022 school year.

The three candidates for the two open positions on the School Board election on November 2 are Sarah Swanson, Kirsten Goodlett, and Drew Albrecht. They were asked questions by Student Council President Halle Yocum and Vice President Sarah Lovett.

Questions were provided by students, School Board members, and teachers and given to each candidate before the meeting. All the candidates have lived in the Peak to Peak area for many years, and are raising their own children in Gilpin Schools.

Sarah Swanson: Current Board Vice President

Swanson was elected in November 2017 to a four-year term. She would like to be re-elected to the Board for four more years.

Since moving to Gilpin County in 2011, she has dedicated much of her time to supporting various community non-profits. She has served as the president of the Board of Directors for Eagles’ Nest Early Learning Center from 2012 to 2015.

She is a volunteer with Girls Scouts of Colorado and a classroom volunteer for Junior Achievement. In addition, she volunteers as a coach for youth soccer and basketball through the Gilpin County Recreation Center.

Swanson and her husband have two children attending Gilpin County Schools. She is a professional fundraiser with more than 20 years of experience.

As an independent consultant, she supports non-profits with all areas of fundraising including annual giving, major gifts, corporate and foundation grant writing, volunteer management, capital campaigns, and event planning. Swanson has a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and an M.A. degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University.

Contact her at sswanson@gilpin. k12.co.us.

Kirsten Goodlett: Candidate

Kirsten Goodlett is a Colorado native and has lived the last 13 years in Gilpin County with her husband, an 8-year-old son, who attends Gilpin County Schools, two one-year-old labs, a beagle, two cats, and two chickens.

“I have worked in education for the last 22 years as a driven educator, with a passion for learning and supporting students and families,” Goodlett said. “I began my career as an English teacher in juvenile corrections.

“I moved to inner city Denver and taught at Cole Middle School. I worked at Gilpin for 13 years, first teaching English and Spanish, while earning my counseling license. I worked as the Gilpin counselor for the second half of my time at Gilpin. During the last two years, I earned my administration license.”

Shortly thereafter, she worked for Jefferson County as a district counselor, supervising and supporting counselors across the district. “In Jeffco, I developed a strong passion for supporting the mental health of our students and spent time in professional learning opportunities that supported this learning,” Goodlett said.

She has a B.A. in secondary English with a minor in Spanish, an M.S. degree in school counseling, and a certification as an education specialist in school administration and leadership.

Drew Albrecht: Candidate

Drew Albrecht has lived in the Peak to Peak area for more than 17 years, first in Dory Lakes and now in Apex. He has worked in construction, building skyscrapers and commercial buildings.

He got tired of the job, went back to school, and then taught high school mathematics. He and his wife have two children attending Gilpin Schools.

Candidates will be elected at the November 2 special election conducted by Gilpin County.