Submitted by Vice-Chair Maria Hampvent
May 11, 2022
May is the month we embrace our values of respect and responsibility. These, like our other values, are evident at every school on the coast. These values were also present at the recent British Columbia School Trustees Association’s (BCSTA) annual general meeting. The event entitled From Grief to Medicine was an honouring of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action in a very real and palpable way. We benefitted from Elders from all over BC, speaking their truth, but also dignifying us with traditional teachings, traditional herbology, oral history and ceremony. We witnessed our BCSTA president and our provincial minister of education both be blanketed and given headbands as part of a ceremony that has rich cultural ties to humility. The weekend was so impactful, so full of heart and hope for a better future walking together. The room was full of awe, respect and dignity for the First Nations, and other Indigenous speakers’ teachings: representing such a valuable asset for all of us in this time of being on Turtle Island.
Responsibility is the ability to respond, as opposed to react. I believe that modeling responsibility is integral to good governance, not only for big picture thinking, but also scanning the horizon to the future needs of public education. Using values-based leadership, as well as a purpose-filled strategic planning process to guide our work, even amidst potential hiccups along the way, allows us as a district and as leaders to respond mindfully, rather than react. Thankfully the core competency in social emotional learning: self-awareness and mindfulness education are also woven through the district, evident as we appreciated the wisdom of the high-school participants of the district leadership student engagement event trustees were thrilled to attend in person last month.
Respect and responsibility are dear to our board, values that are not simply school district values, but values we all hold dear to our hearts in our own lives. It is how we approach our roles as trustees and the reasons many of us chose to step into leadership to run and serve in public office. They are values woven into our whys, and we hope that that is felt throughout the district.
?ul nu msh chalap