MONTE VISTA— Five candidates will be running for three open seats on the Sargent School Board in the November election. Current board members President David Steinert, Vice-President Eric Pfannestiel and Treasurer David Bower will not be seeking re-election.
The five candidates competing for an opportunity to represent the Sargent School District are Yael Defaye, Tyler Mitchell, Michele Peterson, Nathan Burkhart and Tyler Kyfinn.

Yael Defaye
Defaye was born in Paris and lived in Europe for the first 29 years of his life. He traveled to different continents and met new people and experienced different cultures. He arrived with his family in the San Luis Valley in 2006. Defaye became a U.S. citizen in 2012. He has worked in the fields of computers and new technologies, specializing in healthcare for the last 10 years.
“Education has become a priority to me through the lives of our children, the photography workshops I teach and volunteering for the SLV-4H. The Sargent School district has taken a good direction in providing better education and has added more hands-on programs and a variety of certification paths. My goals as a board member would be to continue this route, focusing on the students and their futures, whether that be college, vocational/trade school or serving our country in the military and encouraging more communication with the Sargent staff, students and families,” he said.

Tyler Mitchell
Mitchell is a 2002 graduate of Sargent High School. He went on to pursue and obtain a B.S. Degree in Bio-Resource and Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University. He currently owns and operates a farm in the Sargent community with his father and brother. “I have continued to stay involved with Sargent School since returning from college, by coaching various youth sports as well as serving on the District Accountability Committee for two years. My wife Melissa and I have two daughters that are in first and third grades. I am running for school board because I care a lot about our school and community. I know there are going to continue to be many challenges ahead, and feel I can help come up with solutions. I would like to see Sargent continue to be a top-notch school that it is,” he said.

Michele Peterson
Peterson grew up in the Sargent area and is a Sargent High School graduate. She attended Ft. Lewis College and obtained a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in secondary education. “I have three children, a boy in high school, a daughter in junior high and another son in elementary. I volunteer for three boards at Sargent: District Accountability Committee, Sargent Youth Sports and Music and Fine Arts. I am very grateful for the opportunities the school and its community offered me when I was growing up. I would like to reciprocate and offer my time. I believe that with the wide spectrum of interests, plus a child at every level, it gives me a balanced view on the events and activities involving Sargent School. I would like to see Sargent continue to grow and compete with other schools, not only in our area, but in the state and nation. Our youth has great potential. I would like to help them achieve that potential,” said Peterson.

Nathan Burkhart
Burkhart is a graduate of Sargent High School. He currently has three children attending the district. He is running for school board because he would like to become more involved with their schools and education.
Tyler Kyffin
As of press time Kyfinn did not return requests for more information.