A fresh start towards excellence

Earlier this week, we held our inaugural meeting to swear in the five people who, over the next four years, will our community’s interests as members of the West Vancouver Board of Education. As I start my second term as a Trustee, I am looking forward to what we can accomplish in the next four years.  Congratulations to all those who have been elected to guide education in the district. I am joined by returning Trustee, and newly elected Vice-Chair, Dave Stevenson and I want to extend a special welcome to Trustees who are serving for the first time: Nicole Brown, Pieter Dorsman and Sheelah Donahue.

Like me, all of our Trustees have either had or still have children attending school in the West Vancouver School District. Every day, thousands of parents put their child’s future in the hands of our dedicated staff. As a parent, I am deeply committed to quality education, and I am grateful that our children get the best in academics, arts, athletics and social/emotional support. It’s truly an inspiring place to work and learn, and I am proud to serve another term to continue that tradition of excellence.

There are thousands of success stories in this district, and few have the same plot. Success usually takes place incrementally, rather than in one fell swoop. Just as students invest years of time to learn and grow, the work done in schools takes time – and the pace and content of that learning is different for every child.

As members of the Board, it is our job to advocate for continued student success and set the priorities for the difficult, but satisfying work that goes on daily in each of our schools. We have worked hard over many years to build a unique ‘West Van’ approach to education to ensure that all of our children have an opportunity to reach their full potential.

I am proud to say that the actions taken by the past board over the last three years have made a huge difference for students, staff and the broader community. The success of the plan has been driven at all times by working to realize the vision set three years ago in the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan: “To provide the finest educational experience in the country – for the benefit of our children, our employees, our community and our world.”

When that the previous Board’s five Trustees sat down with senior staff to build the plan in 2011, we knew that the vision was ambitious, and that it had to be more than just a document in order to have meaning and impact. But given the stakes – the very future of the next generation – we believed, as I continue to believe, that it is our role to continue this fine work on behalf of the citizens of today and tomorrow.

I am looking forward to working with our new Board and District staff to see how much more we can accomplish over the next four years!

Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Broady, Chair
West Vancouver Board of Education