The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Back when Murray Skeavington was a parent criticizing the Flin Flon School Board, he knew he would have to put his money where his mouth was. So rather than just talk about the level of dysfunction he saw, in the fall of 2002 Skeavington pursued and won a spot on the board. 'My feeling was that if I am going to speak out against it, I have to be willing to step in and do something about it,' he recalls. Eleven years later, Skeavington remains not only a school trustee, but one with the broad respect of his colleagues. On Tuesday he was elected to his third consecutive _ and sixth overall _ term as chair of the board in a vote among trustees. 'I feel glad that they feel I'm doing a good enough job to keep me on as chair,' said a humbled Skeavington. 'I think we have some exciting things happening and that are going to be happening in the division in the next little bit, so I'm excited for that.' Skeavington, an oiler at Hudbay, said the board's key challenges relate to maintaining enrollment and lobbying the province for more vocational education opportunities. When Skeavington was a parent disenchanted by the school board of the day, he had two sons in school. Now he has no children in the classroom, but he said that's not a factor in how he fulfills his role as a trustee. 'We want to provide the best education for every kid in our area,' said the soft-spoken Skeavington. 'Whether I have a kid in the system or not, I think you have to make a decision on what's best for everybody.' By way of secret ballot, trustees elected Skeavington to another one-year term as chair on Tuesday. He defeated a lone challenger in Trish Sattelberger. Joining Skeavington as vice-chair, just as she did last year, is Karen Yeo. She also defeated Sattelberger.
