One race only for Prairie Rose Public Schools board; Three candidates running

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on October 18, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

Five of the six openings for trustees in the Prairie Rose Public School board were filled by acclamation, but one race remains ahead of election day Monday.

Three candidates are running for the trustee position in ward three, including Darren Howes, Lee Sheward and incumbent Pam Cursons.

Cursons has served two terms as trustee. She says she is motivated by the opportunity to support locally developed courses that build both academic and life skills.

If re-elected, her priorities in her third term would be to promote equity, to develop teachers and support staff and to prioritize student mental health and well-being by ensuring accessible resources.

Prior to serving as trustee, Cursons was a bus driver, which she says gives her unique insight into student needs outside the classroom.

Darren Howes says his career in post-secondary education has provided him with experience in strategic planning, policy development and supporting student achievement that would translate seamlessly to the trustee role.

Howes says his priorities as trustee would include building stronger connections between schools, businesses and post-secondary institutions. He also wants to continue advocacy for the new school in Redcliff.

Howes, a union leader, says his negotiation experience and fiscal understanding would make him an asset to the Prairie Rose school board.

As a mental health professional and a college instructor, longtime Redcliff resident Lee Sheward believes she has a skillset that would allow her to excel in the trustee position, with the added bonus of serving the community she loves.

Sheward has been a family counsellor for 37 years and recently retired from more than 20 years of teaching in the early learning and childcare diploma program at Medicine Hat College.

If elected, Sheward wants to focus on improving engagement with families and the community, making the trustee position more visible and more accessible to the people it serves.

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