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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Where should education in Creighton be headed? That's the question voters in Creighton and Denare Beach will ask themselves next week when they elect a new Creighton School Board. Seven candidates _ five incumbents, a former trustee and a newcomer _ are vying for the five positions available on Oct. 24. For the first time, trustees will be elected to terms that last four years instead of three. The Saskatchewan government previously brought in that change for school boards as well as municipalities. Creighton School Division No. 111 oversees one school, Creighton Community School, with a six-member board. Hermeline Fagnan, the board's designated Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation representative, will return to the board via acclamation. Here is a look at the seven candidates. * * * Tracy Andrusiak A board member since 2000, Tracy Andrusiak still enjoys being involved with Creighton Community School and the decisions that affect its students. 'My top priority is just continued involvement (and) keeping it safe and a great place to learn,' says Andrusiak. An educational assistant in Flin Flon, Andrusiak says CCS has evolved a lot over her board tenure. 'You learn different things every year, so I think it's (important to be) moving forward and just looking for ways to improve it and just keep getting better,' says Andrusiak. Ray Biberdorf As a retired teacher, Ray Biberdorf says he has the time and experience to help guide the Creighton School Board. A trustee since 1994, Biberdorf stresses the importance of educating young people for success and giving parents and the community a voice in their education system. If elected this time around, Biberdorf says his top priority will be fostering student achievement. 'I would like our students to get well educated (so that) when they're done school they're ready for the world of work, university, trade school or whatever,' says Biberdorf. Terry Brown 'I think I still have something to offer,' says Terry Brown, who spent 32 years as a trustee prior to losing his seat in 2009. A plant protection officer at Hudbay, Brown expects to retire soon and have more time to devote to the board if elected. Brown says his top priority would be 'to keep providing the high quality of education to our kids' along with good extracurricular programs. Brown, who backed the move, says the addition of a high school in Creighton has worked out well. Half of Brown's previous time on the board was spent as chair. Janet Clark After retiring as its administrative clerk, Janet Clark still wanted to be part of Creighton Community School. Clark has been on the board since 2006, serving the last four years as chair. Clark says she wants people to be proud of the school and for students to have self-respect and get 'the best education' to prepare them for life. Clark says student achievement would be her top priority if elected. 'It's so important that we aim towards that,' says Clark, who also stresses the importance of professional development for teachers. Heather Jacobson Creighton's longest-serving school trustee, Heather Jacobson is hoping to keep her seat at the board table for another four years. 'I really enjoy children, which I don't really get enough of on the school board, but I enjoy them and I like to just keep my hand in the education field,' says Jacobson. A retired teacher and principal, Jacobson says her top priority if elected next week would be straightforward. 'Just to keep Creighton School the best school there can be,' Jacobson says. Jacobson has been on the board since 1991. Davis McKay Student safety would be Davis McKay's top priority if elected to the board. 'I think supervision of children needs to be looked at,' says McKay, who has heard of incidents of students not being properly supervised in the schoolyard. Reviewing safety is one reason why McKay has tossed his hat into the ring. Others include a desire to bring fresh ideas to the table and to reevaluate board policies, including those relating to special-needs students. McKay is a stay-at-home dad and university student studying social work through distance-ed. Rhonda Werbicki For Rhonda Werbicki, 'education is really important' for all children. 'I want them to be entitled to the same quality education that you might find in the big city, and I want to make sure that our school does that,' says Werbicki. Werbicki says her top priority would be 'just to make sure that our school maintains the quality of education that it should, that our kids can pass standardized tests in the province and be (at) the same (level) as kids in the city.' A trustee since 2009, Werbicki is a lab technologist at the Flin Flon General Hospital.
