Election Questionnaire
Why did you decide to run in the 2010 school board election?
I have been honoured to represent the Ward 3 community as a Trustee for the past twelve years. I hope to be able to continue to work with the Board to continue to build and enhance a strong School Division, and to continue to provide the programs that educate and build capacity in the children of Pembina Trails.
What experience will you bring to complement your role as school trustee?
In addition to my experience as a Trustee, I was a member of the Board of Agassiz Child Care Centre for 17 years, and was chair or co/chair for many of those years. I also volunteered for many years with Red River Nordic Ski Club as a Jackrabbits coach , board member and race organizer. For a number of years, I volunteered for parent council and canvassed for charities in my community.
My work experience includes work as a paralegal, both for law firms and for private industry. I am currently the Executive Director of a regulated health profession in Manitoba.
My son and a daughter both graduated from Pembina Trails Schools - my son from Vincent Massey Collegiate’s French Immersion program, and my daughter from Fort Richmond Collegiate. My son completed a law degree and is currently an articling student. My daughter chose a technical education and is successfully pursuing her career as a hairstylist. Their experiences as they moved through school and made choices for careers gives me a perspective on the many choices children and their families make as they move through school and embark on life and education beyond high school.
What are the major issues you would like to stand for and why did you choose these issues?
- I support collection of data to determine how well we are serving the needs of students. PTSD has implemented programs to assess literacy across elementary grades and to measure student engagement across the division. The global picture from these and other initiatives will assist in determining where future efforts should be directed.
- I support funding to English as an Additional Language programs in our schools. We must ensure that students who have immigrated to Canada are successful in their transition to Canadian classrooms and society.
- I support initiatives to match educational practices to 21st century needs. Students need to learn to assess and filter the torrent of information that we receive daily, and education must provide students with skills to integrate knowledge and understanding with these vast sources of information. PTSD schools have begun exciting new initiatives to integrate learning across multiple subject areas to create the educational experiences that students need.
- I support initiatives to learn about best practices in education. Our schools are working to understand and enhance student engagement. This is a central issue in educational discussions within the Division, and I support programs to enhance student engagement across all grade levels.
Is there anything in particular you would like to change in your school division? In your ward?
I believe that Pembina Trails School Division is a wonderful Division with caring and talented teachers and staff. I believe that our students receive an excellent education in a caring environment. The changes that I would like to see in the Division are improvements on initiatives already begun –
- to ensure that our students are safe, we need to continue to work with teachers, parents and students to eliminate bullying,
- to ensure that our buildings are safe environments for students, we need to continue to upgrade safety measures such as lighting and security systems,
- to ensure that our students are ready to learn, we need to continue to learn about what engages students, and provide programs that interest and fulfill our children as they spend each day at school.
- to ensure that our students have excellent educational experiences, we need to continue to provide and improve opportunities for teacher professional development.
Do you have any other comments regarding your candidacy?
I hope to have the opportunity to continue as part of the Board of the Pembina Trails School Division. The opportunity to learn and grow during the past twelve years has been a rewarding experience, and I am passionate about continuing to work on behalf of the children of Pembina Trails. My experience on the Board has included two years as Chair of the Board, two years as Vice-Chair of the Board, three years as Chair of the Finance Committee, and I have served as a member or chair of all of the standing committees of the Board. I have been a representative of the Pembina Trails School Board to the Board of Winnipeg Technical College for the past three years, and I am currently Chair of the Governing Board of Winnipeg Technical College. I hope to be able to continue to serve the Division in similar roles for another four years, both to continue my own learning and to work to continue the history of excellence for the children of Pembina Trails.