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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, O ct ob er 2 0, 2 01 0 1 4 By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Two newcomers are trying to fill the Halton District School Board Ward 5 and 6 seat cur- rently vacated by Bruce Jones. While candidates Kelly Amos and Debbie Renkema have both been busy campaigning from door to door talking to residents, only one trustee will be elected to represent the ward. Kelly Amos As a former Ward 5 and 6 trustee, Amos is hoping that she would once again be the voice of parents. Aside from running a co-op pre- school as president and vice president for three years, the 51-year-old mother has volunteered in the classroom, participated in the River Oaks Public School council, was school council chair at White Oaks Secondary School and is current- ly involved in HDSBs Parent Involvement Council. Amos, who owns a water filter business for homes, says she decided to run again this year to make sure that students achievements and successes are recognized. The trustees role involves representing the parents in your community and keeping a focus on the student. Were trying to focus on making sure there are programs that allow all children to succeed, she explains. In order to do this Amos believes proper communication to the community is essential. She says there needs to be more communica- tion and that she will address this issue by re-implementing some of programs that she established as a trustee. I had a family of schools group where all the school councils came together. Im going to do that again. I will also hold regular meetings to discuss issues and improve communication between all schools, says Amos adding that this will enable the exchange of ideas and resources between different school councils. Another issue that Amos plans to address is the amount of fundraising that is done by the board. I think theres too much focus on fundrais- ing, she says. We shouldnt have to make it a way of life. We shouldnt have to be supplement- ing to raise money for classroom supplies and the computers and the musical instruments and other aspects of school. According to Amos, HDSB fundraised more than $30 million last year. Thats a huge number, she says. We want to make sure that the funding for students is at the appropriate level so we are not having to supplement with fundraising. Amos says her most memorable moment as Ward 5 and 6 trustee was participating in the Terry Fox Run as the River Oaks mascot. I dressed up in the bear costume and ran with the kids, she recalls. Youre seeing the kids and youre talking to them and you are actually interacting with them. Thats the mem- ories I have because thats what it is about. Its all about the students. Debbie Renkema Renkemas volunteer experience with the HDSB ranges from recruiting and coordinating volunteers to being school council co-chair, assisting in classrooms and even delivering piz- zas. Renkema, a mother of two school aged chil- dren, runs an embroidery business which she established after leading what she describes a successful and corporate entrepreneurial career in the health insurance industry. She says one of the most important things shes learned through her experiences in the corporate world is that by arriving at solutions collaboratively there is a greater likelihood of long term success. Thats why she promises to engage and involve the community, educators, school councils and the school board in the decision making process. By engaging we can build a collaborative process that will result in our schools being able to pace themselves and keep pace with the expectations of the world as whole, she explains. As a trustee she plans on addressing three issues. The first is having appropriate education and life skills for all, which encompasses meeting students unique needs. Meeting these needs is key to student engagement and achievement, says Renkema. The second issue is working with limited funding. Although funding may be limited, the focus should still be on the fact that education must inspire students, educators and administration, she says. Lastly, Renkema believes there must be more stability with school placements and boundaries. Ward 5 and 6 has seen a considerable num- ber of students being shuffled from one elemen- tary school to another in recent years, she explains, adding that there needs to be more sensitivity on the impact that this has on stu- dents. Renkema also hopes to get everyone involvednot just parents when it comes to making decisions about the school system. A lot of individuals who no longer have chil- dren in public elementary or secondary school say this doesnt affect me. But it does affect everyone because you are planning for the future. These are the people that are going to sustain our economy, she says. Fifteenth in a series Kelly Amos Debbie Renkema Two compete for vacant Ward 5&6 public school trustee seat It takes 8 muscles to read this ad. Dont take your muscles for granted. Over 50,000 Canadians with Muscular Dystrophy take them very seriously. Learn more at muscle.ca