NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2021SD4605
September 9, 2021
SD46 Board of Education welcomes new student trustee to the table
SUNSHINE COAST, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The trustees of School District 46 (SD46) are very pleased to welcome Matthew Douglas to the role of student trustee for the 2021-2022 school year.
Matthew Douglas was sworn in on September 8th at the regular meeting of the Board in Gibsons. Douglas is the 9th student trustee in the district’s history. He is sure to continue the rich legacy of having an influential student voice at the Board table on the Sunshine Coast. The Board of Education’s Strategic Plan includes as its first goal, “Our students’ voices will be respectfully heard and acted upon.” For further information on student voice in SD46, please see Regulation 1290, Student Leadership.
In order to properly support the student trustee, the district has established a District Student Leadership Team (DSLT), which includes students from all of the high schools. This team helps the student trustee to understand issues that are relevant and important to the district’s student body and to provide a venue for student discussion and support. The DSLT meets monthly with the superintendent of schools, and secondary principals and vice-principals. The DSLT is selected at the end of the year through an application and interview process. Students hold a seat on the DSLT in both grade 11 and 12 and elect the grade 12 student trustee in June of each school year for the subsequent school year.
Douglas graduated from Kinnikinnick Elementary school and currently attends Chatelech Secondary. His passions are music, the outdoors, such as hiking and kayaking, and reading and he is looking forward to applying to post-secondary for general sciences.
Douglas commented, “When it comes to the topic of this school year, I’m excited. Excited to reach out to more students so that I can better understand and voice the needs and opinions of the SD46 student body. Excited to really learn in detail the hard work and effort put into making each student’s education progress as smoothly as possible. Excited to see what I can do and leave the district knowing that I had the ability to give back to the systems and people that have raised me and my peers to be the people that we are today. These are exciting times, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen!”
“We look forward to having Matthew join us at the Board table this year. Student voice is an invaluable asset to trustees. It assists in making decisions that better meet the needs of our students, helping us understand important student issues and providing us insight into the day-to-day experiences of our SD46 student community. We applaud Matthew for demonstrating the courage to step forward and represent SD46 students this year. Welcome to the Board table Matthew!” said Board Chair Amanda Amaral.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Murawsky
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent | Communications Officer
Direct: (604) 886-4489 | Mobile: (604) 989-7879
Web: sd46.bc.ca
We are honoured to live, learn, play and work on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw and the shíshálh Nation.