HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-12-22, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2005.
Hard headed elves
Santa’s elves sang about how distracted their boss had become and warned of the dangers
of middle-aged skating during the Blyth Public School Christmas concert Dec. 14. From left:
Mike VanWyk, Marlayna Kolkman, Keyonia Johnston, Nikki Hartin, Trystan Weber, Jordan
Reinink, Ryan Nesbitt and Marion Studhalter. (Heather Crawford photo)
AMDSB’s Westley begins 4th term
O Christmas tree
Brussels kindergarten students decorate the Christmas
tree with home made decorations at the annual Christmas
concert Dec. 13. (Heather Crawford photo)
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Stratford trustee Meg Westley
walked uncontested into her fourth
term as chair of the Avon Maitland
District School Board on Tuesday,
Dec. 13, at the board’s 2005-06
inaugural meeting.
“I think people are pleased with
what she’s doing. Meg’s done a
wonderful job,” outgoing vice-chair
Randy Wagler told reporters
following the meeting.
Wagler, was nominated to replace
Westley — ' along with Huron
East/Central Huron trustee Shelley
Kaastra and Stratford’s Doug Pratley
— but joined his colleagues in
declining to allow his name to stand.
In her acceptance speech, Westley
returned the favour, praising Wagler
as “someone who has tremendous
integrity, dedication and
thoughtfulness.” The Exeter trustee
was again nominated for vice-chair,
but again declined to accept the
nomination and allowed North Perth
representative Jenny Versteeg to take
that post by acclamation.
“I would still enjoy the position,-”
Wagler explained. “But I really
think we need to give leadership
positions to other members of the
board, to spread the experience
around.”
Westley, one of three trustees on
the nine-member board (along with
Wagler and one-time chair Colleen
Schenk) who were elected prior to
the 2003 municipal election was
largely upbeat in her post
appointment comments. The
freedom to be upbeat, she suggested,
comes from a level of financial
certainty provided by the current
provincial government — a certainty
that has allowed to board to do
things like sign long-term labour
agreements and work on
philosophical, “big picture”
initiatives like the so-called
“character education” community
forums and policy regarding the role
of trustees.
“I recall, last year, expressing
apprehension that, because they
seemed to get along so well, that
trustees would rest on their laurels
and not challenge themselves to do
better,” the returning chair said. “I
don’t think that has happened, and
I’m really pleased with the way
we’ve taken on this task of trying to
define what we do as trustees.”
Otherwise, she made only brief
mentions of the struggles — such as
school closures and severe funding
limitations — faced by the board in
the late 1990s and early 2000s.”
In the five years I have been on the
board ... we have watched the
public image of the board evolve in
very subtle ways,” she commented,
when thanking communications
manager Steve Howe for his
contribution.
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