Write-in candidate emerges for school board

Nichole Diver is running for Cloquet School Board as a write-in candidate, joining Melissa Siltanen Juntunen and LeAnn M. Butler in a race that will feature three open seats.

As a write-in, Diver won't be listed on the ballot in November, while Juntunen and Butler will because they filed in advance of the election deadline. That means voters will need to remember Diver's name when they go to the polls or mail in a ballot.

That shouldn't be an issue. Born and raised here, she is an enrolled Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa member. She and her husband, Keith "Bud" Diver, Jr., have children in elementary school, middle school and high school in Cloquet, plus a 3-year-old and a daughter who is 22.

"I'm going to have children in the school district for a long time," she told the Pine Knot News.

Diver would bring a different skill set and perspective to the school board. She lives on the reservation and wears several hats in her career. A social worker by training, she currently works in public health on the reservation as a health educator for ages 5 all the way up to elders on a range of curricula and training, including nutrition, budgeting, physical activity, mental health, and indigenous perspectives. Additionally she has worked in child protection with caregivers who were tribally licensed foster care providers. She also contracts with the University of Minnesota Duluth to provide training in the competency and implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Minnesota Family Preservation Act for social workers across the state of Minnesota.

"Native American children make up 18 percent of the Cloquet School District," Diver said. "My goal is to bring a unique insight to help broaden the scope and perspective of the district."

As an Anishinaabe person, Diver said she is guided by a strong traditional focus on seven generations forward and behind.

"To fulfill this as a community member, I believe that we must take care of the youth by providing adequate resources and support to ensure that they can care for themselves and their future," she wrote in a campaign statement. "My pursuit of becoming a school board member is founded in my own experiences as an individual who grew up, has established a career, and is currently raising children in this community."

Diver said their family's experience in the school district has been positive.

"My kids play almost every sport and my boys are active in student council," she said, noting the boys are heading into eighth and ninth grades and their daughter will be a second grader. Her husband has coached football and basketball. She said she feels the district is working toward inclusivity and acknowledging greater diversity.

"I'd just like to help further the strides the district is making," she said.

Questions? Contact Diver at [email protected].