Letter of Recommendation for Michelle Livingston for

Sandown’s Citizen of the Year 2016

Michelle Livingston is a great example of the spirit of Sandown, NH. Michelle has been a resident of Sandown for 18 years and has two beautiful and talented children in the Timberlane Regional School District. She and her husband Tim are very active in their children’s lives. Her daughter Natalie is an extremely talented singer, dancer and actress. Her son Justin is equally as talented and enjoys playing the drums as well as performing. Michelle has been instrumental in their development. Some parents may stop at the door and let their children off at play rehearsal, not Michelle, she is right there by her side helping with the stage and props.

You may say that many parents have the same love and devotion for their children, and you would be correct. But over this last year Michelle showed a dedication to all of the children of Sandown that was much deeper. There was a Warrant Article (WA) that called for the removal of Sandown from the Timberlane Regional School District. There was much confusion surrounding the WA, whether it was just a study or a process initiated to remove Sandown from the district. Many residents were confused and under informed about the details of this process. This is where Michelle stepped in.

Michelle spent countless hours studying and trying to understand the exact meaning of this article. Once she understood that this was much more than a study and it in fact was initiating a process for Sandown’s removal from the schools she had to act. Immediately she spearheaded a team of residents to provide information to the voters of Sandown. Her team was called Citizens Against Withdrawal (CAW). CAW began to bring information to the people. She tirelessly answered questions, held meetings and explained her understanding of the potential impact. Her effort was tireless, fair and informative. She selflessly gave every available moment to make sure our town was informed and could make an educated decision.

This was not about her kids as they were 13 and 16 years old and may not have been affected by the change as it would take several years to implement. This was about her community and doing what she felt was right.

It is Michelle’s community minded caring, participation and tireless effort that we believe embody the qualities that Sandown Citizen of the Year should exemplify. Please accept this brief synopsis of Michelle’s service over the past year as an unwavering recommendation.

Signed: