PENDLETON — They are familiar with South Madison, but a school board position would be a first for candidates striving for the District 1 At-Large spot on the South Madison Community School Corp. Board of Trustees.

Angie Brown, Jeanne Fredericks and Tom Jewell are in the running to replace the position currently held by Amy McGinnis, who is not seeking re-election.

Though being a member of the school board would be a first, all three have extensive backgrounds in education.

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They all have a goal of wanting to give back to the community’s school district, too, in hopes of, in some way, delivering similar positive experiences they — and their children — have had both as staff and students.

Brown said running for school board or any office is a first for her. She has been a resident of Pendleton since 1994 and spent 16 years in education from 1991 to 2007. She was a teacher at North Putnam Schools, located in the west central part of Indiana, and at Fall Creek Valley Middle School in Lawrence Township.

She is currently corporate secretary/treasurer of B.L. Brown Construction and Excavating Inc., in Pendleton.

She said she believes her experience and wisdom from her time in education and in business would be a plus for the board.

“Growing up, I loved school and appreciated my teachers and coaches and how they supported me,” Brown wrote in her campaign flyer. “I wish all children felt that way about their school experience. I have been very blessed, and in the Bible, Luke 12:48 states, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ I take that to heart. If I can assist in a child’s positive school experience, I would be honored to fulfill a responsibility God has put upon me.”

Her children have gone through or are currently in the school system. Her son, Neil, is a senior at Pendleton Heights High School and is currently No. 1 in his class.

Fredericks has not run for school board before, but she was an appointment consideration a few years ago to complete a board member’s term.

She has 35 years of experience in education, as a teacher, coach and administrator.

After teaching and coaching in northern Indiana, at Oregon-Davis High School, and in Anderson, Fredericks was hired in 1994 for those same duties at Pendleton Heights High School.

In 2000, she moved to the South Madison central office as director of school improvement.

From 2005-11 at Noblesville Schools and 2011-13 at Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Fredericks was the K-12 director of curriculum.

She retired in 2017 as the Director of Education for Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky.

Fredericks has been a resident of Pendleton since the early 1990s and had all three of her children go through the school system and now has grandchildren attending East Elementary School.

“I’ve been a member of the community for a long time,” she said. “And, I have always wanted to give back to the community.”

If elected, Fredericks believes her time in the South Madison central office would be a big plus.

“I have a pretty good idea of the role of the school board member,” she said.

Jewell is a familiar name in South Madison education, too.

A majority of his 34-year background was spent as a teacher and coach in the school district. He is currently retired.

His children have gone through the school system that he formerly taught and coached in. He also has experience as an administrator.

Jewell spent 24 years teaching at East Elementary School. He was formerly an assistant coach for both the girls cross country and girls track programs at Pendleton Heights High School, where he also served as an assistant athletic director under John Broughton.

After receiving an administrator’s license, Jewell spent eight years as an assistant principal in Anderson. He has been retired for eight years.

“I wanted to get back into education in some format,” Jewell said. “All of our kids had a good experience here and I want to contribute in some way to see that (current students) can have a good experience, too.”

Jewell said he has no agenda. He wants to do his part in “giving back to the community.”

Three other school board members are running unopposed in November’s General Election. They are current president Chris Boots (Green Township, District 3), Vice President Buck Evans (Adams Township, District 1) and Mike Hanna (Fall Creek Township, District 2).

Hanna was appointed to his position early this year, replacing Mark Brizendine, who moved out of the township.