School District 91 held its first meeting with its new Board of Education Nov. 14, and seven trustees were sworn in while elections for board chair and vice-chair were also held.
Steve Davis was selected as chair and Nadine Frenkel as vice-chair of the Board.
Davis said: “I’m very excited to work with our amazing staff and our returning and new board members in the coming years. We are at a pivotal moment in education in our province, with a new funding agreement coming and new curriculum in place. Our strategic plan gives us a base to build from that will give us ways to measure how we are doing. I’m looking forward to great opportunities to improve outcomes for all our students.”
Superintendent Manu Madhok commented that he is looking forward to working alongside the new Board members to continue the work on the strategic plan, and thanked to the outgoing trustees for their excellent work. Tim Maertz (nine years), Lynda Maertz (19 years), Tom Bulmer (four years), Lucille Mattess (four years) and Adele Gooding (seven years) have been school trustees who “diligently served our students and educators in helping move our district forward during their many years of service.”
Here is a brief introduction to SD91’s new Board of Education:
Steve Davis
Steve works for the Regional District and is entering his third term as a SD91 trustee. Steve is married with three daughters who attend school at Decker Lake Elementary and Lakes District Secondary. Steve and his family are active in the community and enjoy the outdoor recreation and travelling. Steve represents the Decker Lake / Granisle area.
Nadine Frenkel
Nadine is returning for her second term as a trustee representing Vanderhoof. Nadine is married to Brian, a Vanderhoof municipal councillor, and is a proud grandmother. Nadine is a long-term resident of Vanderhoof and works at the local MLA constituency office.
Rick Pooley
Rick as our former Assistant Superintendent for SD91. Rick has been enjoying retirement and has been involved with local community volunteering since retiring. He was acclaimed as a trustee for the Burns Lake area and is excited to work with the school district again in this new governance role. Rick and Hilda are very proud grandparents and were just welcomed with a recent granddaughter last month.
Sarah John
Sarah is from Saik’uz First Nation and a busy mom with two pre-school boys. Sarah follows in her mother and grand mother’s footsteps by serving in a leadership position to help improve the lives of community members. Sarah is very excited to begin her work as a new trustee in Vanderhoof and looks forward to contributing to the Board’s goals. Sarah is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at SFU.
Dave Christie
Dave is the Economic Development Officer for Fraser Lake and this will be his first experience as a school trustee. Dave has a lengthy and varied background in business, logistics and municipal governance. He previously worked for a regional bussing firm and multinational soft drink company. Dave’s stepson attends FLESS and he looks forward to beginning his trustee orientation and contributing to the Board and School District.
Cheryl Peterson
Cheryl is a very well-respected local educator who has been a teaching for 25+ years. Her experience working in First Nations education and special education will bring knowledge and expertise to her new role. Cheryl has two sons attending FSJSS and is a long-time resident of the community. Cheryl is she is very excited to be a school new trustee for Fort St. James.
Nyree Hazelton
Nyree is a mental health therapist and she lives on beautiful Tchesinkut Lake and has a daughter attending Francois Lake School. Nyree attended Muriel Mould elementary as a child as her dad, who was born and raised in Burns Lake, was a local dentist. Nyree’s grandmother served as a school district trustee for 12 years and encouraged her grand-daughter to run as a trustee for the Francois Lake/Southside region. Nyree is working on a graduate program and will bring significant expertise to the Board in her first term as trustee for the Francois/Southside area.
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