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School trustee candidates

On October 17, Squamish voters also elect 2 school trustees for the Sea to Sky school board. 5 people are running: April Lowe, Leanne Roderick, Dalia Shehata, Lisa Turpin, Robyn Walters. You can vote for up to 2. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

April Lowe · current trustee

Current trustee and chair of the Sea to Sky school board, seeking a second term. A retired teacher who taught in the corridor for more than 30 years, and a mother of four. [source]

What they say they will focus on:

• Names as her biggest accomplishments the district's strategic plan and the difficult decision to return Blackwater Creek Elementary (D'Arcy) to kindergarten to Grade 3, which she called fiscally responsible. [source]
• Says student safety comes first in transportation, and that "there really is no affordable way for our students to safely get from Squamish to Whistler to ski." [source]
• Says mental health will always be a concern, including "additional counsellors or other adult support" for students. [source]
• Has pushed for a pedestrian bridge over the Mamquam Blind Channel as a student safety issue. [source]
• Says the board has resolved its dispute over trustees working remotely. [source]

aprillklowe@gmail.com · Squamish Chief: April Lowe seeks second term as Sea to Sky school trustee · Squamish Chief: Sea to Sky school board debate turns heated over in-person work

Leanne Roderick

New candidate. A professor at Simon Fraser University with a PhD, and a parent. Her website lists 16 years of experience in education and policy. [source]

What they say they will focus on:

• Long-term planning for school buildings and maintenance so growth is sustainable, working with the District of Squamish. [source]
• Wants the school district to be open about projected high school enrolment, space and timelines for land and provincial funding, and to make the case for another school "well before" a crisis. [source]
• Teach critical thinking and information literacy, and adopt a district policy on how students use artificial intelligence. [source]
• Student transportation: buses, safe walking and cycling routes. Sees youth e-bike use as a sign that community infrastructure must catch up. [source]
• Strong basics in reading, math and science, plus digital and financial literacy and pathways into trades, college, university and other careers. [source]

Campaign website · leanneroderickfortrustee@gmail.com · Squamish Chief: Squamish trustee candidate wants policy to catch up with AI, e-bikes

Dalia Shehata

New candidate. Owner of Happimess Art Studio and a parent of two children in Squamish schools for a decade. Has volunteered on parent advisory councils, the district parent council's inclusion committee, and school district and municipal accessibility committees. [source]

What they say they will focus on:

• Accessibility: "The closest thing to my heart is accessibility." Wants schools to go beyond the minimum required. [source]
• Inclusion of every kind, including LGBTQ+ students, seen through the lens of disability and learning differences. [source]
• Clearer communication with parents, including when something goes wrong at a school. [source]
• Stronger, more consistent district policy on carrying out students' Individual Education Plans. [source]
• Working with teachers, support staff, principals, the District of Squamish and other governments so efforts are coordinated, not duplicated. [source]

Campaign website · agencydalia@gmail.com · Squamish Chief: Dalia Shehata joins race for Sea to Sky School District board

Lisa Turpin · current trustee

Current trustee, seeking re-election. Her 2022 profile in the Squamish Chief described her as a bylaw administrator with the District of Squamish, a former Lions Bay councillor and a former early childhood educator with the Vancouver School Board. [source]

What they say they will focus on:

• Careful spending, for example buying equipment and cybersecurity tools for all schools together. [source]
• Transportation and regional transit; says she has joined meetings with MLA Jeremy Valeriote on transit across the corridor. [source]
• Mental health and addictions support for students and staff, and access to healthy food through the Feeding Healthy Futures program. [source]
• Safe routes to school, including the long-awaited pedestrian bridge, and student safety on ride-hailing trips to Whistler for training. [source]
• Points to board policies on animals at schools and more outdoor shade for students as work already done. [source]

lisaturpin@icloud.com · Squamish Chief: Lisa Turpin runs for re-election as Sea to Sky school trustee · Squamish Chief: Sea to Sky school board debate turns heated over in-person work

Robyn Walters

New candidate. A mother of two who moved to Squamish from North Vancouver a year ago. Was a district manager with the Vancouver Farmers Markets for 10 years, ran an in-home daycare and a small bookshop, and has been treasurer of her daughter's school parent advisory council. [source]

What they say they will focus on:

• Mental health: asks whether enough is spent on education assistants and school counsellors. [source]
• Review spending and make sure teachers get what they need to keep classrooms up to date. [source]
• More face-to-face engagement with the community through regular meetings. [source]
• Safe walking routes, such as parent-led "walking school buses" like those in North Vancouver. [source]
• The District of Squamish and the school district should plan land use and growth together. [source]
• Equity, diversity and inclusion: work with principals and teachers so the strategic plan shows up in classrooms. [source]

robynwalters.bc@gmail.com · Squamish Chief: Robyn Walters runs for school trustee role

Official list and contact details: District of Squamish · Sea to Sky School District 48.