Board of Education & Governance
Board of Education
School District 46 is governed by a seven member Board of School Trustees elected by the public every four years. The Board sets policies and directions for the operation of the district and its schools. As a result of the October 2018 municipal election, six new trustees joined one returning trustee to form the Board of Education of School District 46 – Sunshine Coast.
The current board was sworn in at a ceremony on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at the School Board Office and trustees will remain in office until October 2022.
The general public and parents are encouraged to attend regular school board meetings held at the School Board Office located at 494 South Fletcher Road in Gibsons. The board’s meeting schedule, include agenda packages and minutes of previous meetings, can be found here.
At the meeting taking place on November 10, 2021 trustees re-elected Amanda Amaral as Board Chair and Maria Hampvent as Vice-Chair. Trustee Pammila Ruth was re-elected BCPSEA Representative and Trustee Tonya Ste. Marie was re-elected BCSTA Provincial Council Representative.
The entire board can be reached by email to trustees@sd46.bc.ca.
The Board of Education of School District 46 (Sunshine Coast) is comprised of (L-R – back) Trustees Maria Hampvent (Vice-Chair), Samantha Haines, Stacia Leech, Sue Girard, Tonya Ste. Marie, (L-R – front) Pammila Ruth, and Amanda Amaral (Chair) .
“I attended West Sechelt Elementary School and I am currently in Grade 12 at Elphinstone Secondary School. I hope to apply to university to study Life Sciences and eventually build a career in this dynamic field. I have a passion for creative writing, playing the alto saxophone, painting and digital art. I also love many sports, especially playing volleyball. I have been a Girl Guide since 2015 and enjoy working to make a difference in the community.
Having the opportunity to listen to students from throughout the district and communicate their opinions, ideas and concerns is truly a privilege. I will work hard to find creative ways to engage and reach out to students, so they can have a platform to be understood and included. I believe that the student voice is influential and can lead to concrete actions and changes in their learning experience. I know this will be an exciting role and I look forward to meeting, working and having fun with incredible people along the way!”
The board is very excited to welcome Student Trustee Achee to the board table for the 2022-23 school year.
Trustee Leech has lived on the Sunshine Coast since 1980. She recently retired from the Roberts Creek Community School Society where for the past twenty years she was the Executive Director of the Society. For the past twelve years her work was focused on research, development and implementation of school based social and emotional programs.
As the Director of the Health Canada funded ‘Mind the Gap’ project she was responsible for all aspects of an initiative to deliver and evaluate social emotional interventions in the student, teacher and parent community of School District 46.
She is a certified Facilitator and had the privilege to act as Board Chair for many Sunshine Coast regional committees, initiatives and not for profit societies.
Since retiring from the Roberts Creek Community School Society, she has been working as an independent contractor; teaching eight-week, mindfulness based, stress reduction courses and conducting a province wide survey of student and teacher well-being. “We know that stress costs us all and has an impact on school and family life – surveys and research give us a greater understanding of the stresses inherent in the system? I feel that SD46 is well positioned to contribute to this provincial conversation”.
Trustee Leech is a supporter of the environmental literacy initiatives in our schools. And will be encouraging a regional approach to these initiatives.
She has two grandchildren who live in Gibsons; they will be in starting school soon and will joyfully keep her connected to the children and classroom teachers of School District 46.
Trustee Leech served as Vice-Chair from November 2018 to November 2020.
Trustee Ruth has lived on the Sunshine Coast since 1991, raising her two sons with her husband here in Gibsons. Her eldest son is currently going to University of Victoria studying to become a teacher and her youngest is completing his final year at Elphinstone Senior Secondary.
Before becoming a school trustee, she ran a licensed family daycare for seven years and had been extremely involved in the PAC at her children’s schools. She was a PAC executive almost from the get go. She lobbied for computers in the school, crossing guards and for a safer intersection when government funding was drastically cut. She attended meetings regarding the new elementary school despite her youngest moving up to the high school before its completion, in order to make sure that the parent viewpoint and concerns were being met.
She decided to become a school trustee to ensure that parents and students would always have a voice at the district level.
Over the previous term she had the pleasure of working with for student trustees, now five, and has watched them grow as leaders. “How can we govern an organization focused on students if we don’t listen to what they have to say?”
Pammila was first elected to the board in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 for a second four year term. Pammila served as Vice-Chair from December 2017 to October 2018 and as Board Chair from November 2018 to November 2020.
