Skip to content

Carson and Scinski victorious in PHPS races

Two women with backgrounds in education beat out their male opponents to win the two remaining seats on the Pembina Hills Public Schools board in the Oct. 16 Municipal Election.
Jackie Carson (left) and Wendy Scinski defeated challengers Ken Mead and Doug Pearson in the Oct. 16 Municipal Election to claim the remaining two seats on the Pembina Hills
Jackie Carson (left) and Wendy Scinski defeated challengers Ken Mead and Doug Pearson in the Oct. 16 Municipal Election to claim the remaining two seats on the Pembina Hills Public Schools board. Carson will represent the Westlock South ward, while Scinski will represent the Town of Westlock. Westlock North is already represented by incumbent Jackie Comeau, who got in by acclamation.

Two women with backgrounds in education beat out their male opponents to win the two remaining seats on the Pembina Hills Public Schools board in the Oct. 16 Municipal Election.

In the Westlock South ward, Jackie Carson defeated Ken Mead 604 to 360, while in the Town of Westlock ward, Wendy Scinski scored a decisive victory over Doug Pearson, 409-177.

The remaining seats on the seven-member board were filled by acclamation.

Carson, who has three children currently attending school, has taught at both the elementary and high school levels and has also acted as a mentor teacher with the field experience program at the University of Alberta.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the election and grateful for the support I received from community members and parents,” she said, in an e-mailed statement.

Carson added that she was very proud of voter turnout in her ward, noting that in the 2013 election, there were only 489 ballots cast for the Westlock South trustee position, while this time, there were 964 ballots.

Carson said she is ready to embrace her new role with enthusiasm, an open mind and a dedication to the people she’ll be working for.

“I’m excited to work with my fellow trustees and education partners to ensure the vision of our communities is expressed in the experiences of our students,” she said.

Carson acknowledged there is a great deal of change coming to all school divisions through proposed amendments to Alberta’s 30-year-old School Act. She said she is actively looking forward to learning about these revisions and how they relate to the transportation needs of students.

She noted her priorities are becoming involved in the division’s capital planning process to support modernizations of older schools, as well as addressing a decreasing student population.

“Most importantly, I will work on establishing relationships with students, parents, fellow board members and the broader community.

“I will promote transparency, understanding and a collaborative approach towards meeting the needs of our children to ensure their greatest success in learning.”

Scinski originally started her teaching career as an associate principal at Fawcett and also taught for four years at Busby School.

However, she spent the bulk of her education career at Dapp School, where she was also the principal of the Hutterite Colony Schools.

She also worked two years as the assistant superintendent of employee services, facilities and transportation at Pembina Hills before she retired in 2014.

Scinski said she was very pleased by the outcome of the election, adding, “I am looking forward to having an active role within PHPS once again.”

While some things have changed at the school division, she said she is sure that it will feel quite familiar.

While working for the division and serving on the board are different roles, adjustment is part and parcel of an educator’s career.

“I began my career as a teacher and many of the opportunities I have had along the way weren’t always planned,” she said.

“Having said that, each new experience has been exciting and has given me an opportunity to grow and to learn. I view being a school trustee as another exciting opportunity to support education in PHPS.”

Incumbent Jackie Comeau was already elected by acclamation for the Westlock North ward of Pembina Hills. This was her second term on the school board, having first been elected in 2013.

On the Barrhead side of Pembina Hills, incumbents Jennifer Tuininga and Judy Lefebvre were acclaimed to the Barrhead North ward and the Barrhead Town wards respectively. Both were elected to the board in 2013.

Newcomers Kerry McElroy and Nancy Keough were also acclaimed to the Barrhead South and Swan Hills wards respectively.

The new board will be sworn in at the next board meeting at the Pembina Hills main office in Barrhead Oct. 25 as Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken will administer the oath of office.

This will also serve as the organizational meeting where the board will select its new chair and vice chair, as well as appoint trustees to various committees.


Kevin Berger

About the Author: Kevin Berger

Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks