Both the Evergreen Catholic and Pembina Hills school boards will have some new faces at the table this fall, with only one sitting trustee in the Westlock area seeking re-election.
Pembina Hills trustee Jackie Comeau is seeking another term, while Annette Bokenfohr, Jan Hoffart and Evergreen Catholic’s Rodney Oko are taking a pass.
“I really enjoy it and I feel we’re going into a new direction,” said Comeau. “I love going to the schools, meeting the kids and meeting the staff.”
Comeau said she was proud of helping Pembina Hills consolidate its schools into Pembina North Community School in Dapp to help keep class sizes manageable, a file that had been on the board’s desk for quite some time.
“The past board had passed a motion to make the Dapp School to a K to 9 school,” said Comeau. “Then when we came on, they hadn’t gotten it all done in their term. The actual closure of the schools hadn’t occurred yet, so that had to be done after we were trustees.”
She added that she was excited to work with Dave Garbutt as the new superintendent and would like to stay on to help the new blood settle into their positions on the board.
All three trustees who are not running again each listed personal reasons for their decision to step aside. Bokenfohr is looking to become a stay-at-home grandmother, Oko is eager to enjoy his retirement and Hoffart is hoping to spend more time with her partner.
“I love this job,” said Hoffart. “If it was a different time and circumstances, I would definitely throw my hat in the ring again.”
All three Pembina Hills trustees cited the area attendance survey — the first of its kind in 28 years — as a major milestone.
Hoffart advised anyone planning to run for the board that it’s a lot harder than it looks.
“When I think back four years ago, having been a former teacher, I thought I knew a lot about school divisions,” said Hoffart. “Very shortly after, I realized I didn’t really know anything. It has been four years of incredible learning and huge relationship building.”
Bokenfohr said that she was going to miss being on the board, but after seven years on the board it was time for a change.
“I wanted to become a trustee to represent the parents and the communities and do what was best for the kids in the schools,” she said. “You have to have passion to do it. It’s a lot of hours you don’t expect, but it’s also very rewarding. You get to work with some great people.”
Oko listed the new playground at St. Mary School as one of the highlights of his time on Evergreen Catholic Schools.
“That was a real big undertaking by the playground committee,” he said. “It’s important that the children have optimum learning situations. I enjoyed my four years.”
