The campaigns are underway and I am asking our community to allow me, once again, to take a seat at the board table of our School District 72.
I believe very strongly in the power of the public school system to create and sustain a civil society and shape our world. Who amongst us does not have memories of school and how the experiences there shaped who we are? For some, those memories are less positive and they took a toll. My belief is that we can do better in ensuring that every child’s experience is positive and every child has success. That every child leaves school with the skills and confidence to meet the challenges of their lives and contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of their world.
I believe the board I have participated on for the past four terms has this same focus and has made significant gains in meeting that goal. I and the current board are aware of the responsibility trustees have for the trust of families to protect the quality of our system while remaining vigilant in examining and exploring it for improvement. The challenge is to strive for excellence while using taxpayer’s dollars wisely. I am confidence that with the guidance of our Secretary Treasurer and a broad stakeholder consultative process, we have met this challenge.
I am proud of the district’s attention to the goals and actions needed to achieve success for all learners. The weaknesses that have existed for Indigenous learners and their families, cannot be overlooked. I must believe that we have begun a journey that will lead us to a much stronger future. Through the guidance of the district’s Indigenous Education Advisory Committee and Equity Committee we will do the work to continue to improve the experiences and outcomes for Indigenous children. I am also proud to be part of a board that has developed policy to ensure the respect for human diversity as critical to creating the learning environments where all can thrive.
I graduated from Carihi and have lived in the community for my adult life. My children attended and graduated from the schools here. This has allowed me to participate in a wide range of community initiatives over the years. I have had the privilege and pleasure, of working with families and young children as an early childhood educator for over 45 years now. I continue to work closely with the early years community in a number of roles and sit at the Early Years Council Table striving to understand and develop collaborative strategies to ensure children and families thrive in our community.
With the recent expansion of the Ministry of Education to include Child Care, I feel I have unique insight to contribute to this new focus of the board. I am hopeful that with the board and life experience I have had, the community will allow me a seat on the board for another term.
– Submitted by Joyce McMann