RUSSELL – The newest member of the Gateway Regional School Committee is Debbie Dunn of Chester. Dunn was an art teacher for 27 years in the North Middlesex Regional School District, teaching grades one through twelve.
Originally from Springfield, Dunn bought her house in Chester two years ago, and moved here with her husband after she retired from teaching last year. Dunn said when she was growing up in Springfield, driving down Route 20 was the highlight of her childhood.
After reading about the challenges facing the Gateway district this past year, she decided to volunteer to fill the long vacant third seat for the town.
“I’m new to the area, but I do have a background in education. I thought maybe a new set of eyes and a different perspective might be helpful,” Dunn said.
She said that there are some similarities with Gateway and North Middlesex.
“It was larger, but also a regional school district, and it also had contracted,” she said.
Dunn said that it would be great if all the seats from all the towns were filled, to show the community’s support and interest.
A working artist, Dunn specializes in orthodox iconography, working in egg tempura and watercolor painting. She is currently working on a commission from an Orthodox Church out east. She and her husband attend St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Pittsfield.
