1. Please provide a short biography. Why have you chosen to run for trustee?
I was born and raised in Medicine Hat where I attended MHCBE schools grades 1-12. I obtained my B. Ed and M.Ed through the University of Lethbridge. I began my teaching career with the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education in 1985. I have taught mostly at the elementary grade level both in the classroom and online.
I officially retired from a very rewarding career in 2019. However since that point in time I have served as both a substitute teacher for MHCBE and a Reading/ Math Bridging the Gap Intervention teacher at both St. Patrick’s and Mother Teresa Schools.
Although I truly enjoy learning and teaching, I have decided to step away from the classroom setting and to run for a trustee position in order to apply my skills and experience at a more decision making level. I believe my recent time in the classroom has provided insight and is an asset regarding future academic, spiritual and social policy development.
2. What are your top three priorities for your division, and how would you work to meet those needs?
A) Be a strong advocate for publicly funded Catholic education through my commitment to offering students a strong academic foundation rooted in faith, values and community. I understand and highly value how our faith guides and permeates all that we do in our classrooms and school community at large. I will continue to nurture and build upon the strong foundation that MHCBE has built.
B) Provide transparency and accountability in order to build trust within our school community. I believe families, students and staff deserve to know how decisions are made and how resources are allocated. I am committed to ensuring that all actions taken by the board reflect the best interests of our students and ensure confidence in our schools.
C) Continue to provide Strong and relevant educational paths of learning. I am committed to providing strong academic programming while also exploring more innovative approaches that prepare students for a rapidly changing world, while meeting their diverse learning needs.
3. How would you aim to attract and retain students within your division?
I believe we can retain and attract students by offering high quality, diverse and faith based programming delivered by teachers and staff who nurture with kindness and are guided by Catholic values. We must work toward providing learning environments and educational programs that are going to meet the needs of the future. In addition we must also explore programming that provides opportunities for diverse learners to experience success academically, spiritually and socially.
