There will soon be a new face to the school board for School District 10.
Nakusp man Steve Gascon beat out three other candidates during a by-election on Sept. 12 to become the district’s newest school board trustee.
“I found out that I had won the night the voting had completed. I was pretty nervous and my emotions were wavering between confidence and insecurity throughout the day,” said Gascon.
“After I saw the results, I was overcome with happiness and excitement.”
In the end, Gascon got 120 votes, Aiden McLaren-Caux got 81 votes, Carlee Hughes got 70 votes and Judy Struck got 17 votes.
Gascon’s roots in Nakusp are extensive, to say the least. He’s raised his children in Nakusp for the past five years and is currently the pastor for the Arrow Lakes Alliance Church.
Gascon has been actively engaged in the community by coaching hockey players and helping run playground, ballpark and services and support committees.
“I just love this village and I love being part of it in any way that I can,” said Gascon.
“Given the small size of this community, I always feel I have an opportunity to make a positive impact here.”
Gason said he wants to focus on strong academics during his term and make sure every student can read, write and communicate to the best of their ability. As a school board trustee, he also wants to make sure music, arts, language, textile, woodworking and other classes are accessible to kids to help them during their learning development.
Transparency will be another big value for Gascon as he starts his new position.
“I’d really like the board to improve upon how they speak and share information to people in the district,” said Gascon.
“One opportunity could be to record more of in-person camera meetings and make them accessible to the public. I want people to know what school board trustees are talking about, what were working on and the struggles and issues we might be facing. By doing this, we’ll get more input from the public and be able to discuss it with one another.”
While Gascon will only be a school board trustee for two years before another election occurs, he’s still confident he can work with the board to help them navigate through these uncertain times of a global pandemic.
Gascon hopes to learn more about his official start date as the school board trustee at a parent’s advisory council meeting at Nakusp Elementary School on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Four candidates outline their vision as next SD 10 school board trustee
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