There is just one new member of School District 69 (Qualicum)’s school board after nominations left all candidates to be acclaimed ahead of the Oct. 20 election.
Filling the seat vacated by Jacob Gair is Laura Godfrey, a former trustee at School District 48 (Sea to Sky) in the Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton area from 2008 to this latest election.
Having moved to the Qualicum Beach area more than a year ago to retire, Godfrey said she was excited to nonetheless continue her work as a school board trustee at SD69.
A Parent Advisory Council chair for five years, Godfrey said it was a natural progression to run for trustee in Sea to Sky.
“I was a parent of kids that were in the school system,” she said. “My children did very well in school, and I really wanted to have all children in that district to have the same experience.”
One major achievement she was part of in SD48 is a reconfiguration where a small elementary school was repurposed in partnership with Squamish Nation “to help form a school looking through an aboriginal lens,” said Godfrey.
“We have a great relationship with the Squamish Nation (at SD48). I would like to continue to have a great relationship with the Qualicum and Nanoose nations here.”
Godfrey said she’s also a big advocate of arts and music programs, and said she’s excited to see the programs offered at Kwalikum Secondary School and Ballenas Secondary School.
She added that she feels there’s an opportunity to “ride the wave” as the new curriculum is rolled out in the upper high school grades.
However, her main goal to start will be to become acquainted with local schools, educators, programs and education partners.
Godfrey’s liaison schools are KSS, Qualicum Beach Elementary and CEAP Secondary and Elementary Programs.
