1. Please provide a short biography. Why have you chosen to run for trustee?
Medicine Hat has been Yvonne’s home for the past fourteen years with her husband and three children. For the last four years, she has diligently and wholeheartedly served as a school board trustee for the Medicine Hat Public School Division, and has a vested interest in creating the best possible environments for students. Prior to her role as trustee, Yvonne gained six years of experience in board leadership, employee relations, and financial management serving on the executive of a local preschool. Previously, she practiced as a Registered Nurse specializing in pediatrics, renal dialysis, and long-term care management. Yvonne has enjoyed her role as trustee, in which she actively engages with school councils, is keen to hear from student delegates at board meetings, and strives to remain informed on the interests of her community’s families and MHPSD’s dedicated staff.
2. What are your top three priorities for your division, and how would you work to meet those needs?
1. Ensuring a high-caliber education for all students by providing a parent’s voice, which is essential for perspective and balance on the Board of Trustees.
2. Advocating for dual credit and trades opportunities by continuing successful work that has brought valuable, engaging, and meaningful programming choices.
3. Prioritizing options for academic, second language learning, and sports-related pursuits by focusing on the successes and continual improvement of our current programming.
3. How would you aim to attract and retain students within your division?
I would continue to enhance and expand dual credit and trades opportunities. MHPSD’s offerings include access to college level courses through dual credit scholarships, such as Veterinary Technical Assistant at Olds College, Health Care Aide, and Introduction to Trades at Medicine Hat College.Prairie Sky Collegiate, a new partnership with Lethbridge Polytechnic, provides career pathways for students grades 7-12 in the trades, health care, and criminal justice. A third offering is the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), whereby high school students accumulate hours towards apprenticeship, completing their first or even second year of certified trades apprenticeship. I would also support the continual advancement of our Hockey and Ringette Academies, launched in 2024. In the program’s first year, 125 students enrolled, resulting in student retention and engagement. My experience and relationships from my first term will serve me well to expand on the valuable work of Medicine Hat Public School Division.
