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Whalen says time is right for her to join SD5 board
Patricia Whalen believes that the time is right to take the leap into local school district politics, citing her experience working in School District No. 5 administration and her community project manager experience.
“I’ve worked for both the Secretary Treasurer and Human Resources Department at the SD5 Board office. I have also been a school secretary and a noon hour supervisor. So I have a full-circle appreciation of our education system and the amazing work that our school staff and administrators provide every day,” said Whalen. “I have also developed projects and formed many partnerships that have brought community agencies and families together to support young children right across the East Kootenay.”
Up until May of this year Whalen was the coordinator for the Cranbrook Early Childhood Development Committee and was instrumental in helping to move forward our City’s first fully accessible playground ‘Generations Park’ for children with disabilities.
Whalen is also especially proud of her role collaborating with community partners to fundraise over $900,000 to develop the Kootenay Child Development Centre in downtown Cranbrook.
“In these days of tight budgets you have to be resourceful to build community capacity. Grant writing, event management, public awareness, marketing and promotion are the tools you need to get things done,” explained Whalen. “If volunteers are giving up their free time to work with you to achieve something big, you better have the skill-set to bring everything together and deliver. I’d love to be able to bring those skills and my proven track record to the SD5 Board.”
Earlier this year Whalen took on the job of Manager with Children First, a local initiative funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development which helps build family-friendly sustainable communities both within the early child development field and the broader community.
“Even before I took on the role with Children First I knew that a good education is the best way to break the cycle of poverty that I see with too many of our Cranbrook kids,” said Whalen. “SD5 has made some significant gains with StrongStart and full day kindergarten, but I think we need to look at ways to integrate community efforts and our education system more effectively and efficiently to really start having a long term impact.”
The mother of four believes that over the past three years the current Board has been open and responsive to parents. Whalen feels that her own approach of being willing to listen and to do her own homework to improve our education system would complement the efforts of current trustees.
“Whether we are confronted by a lack of funding for special needs students, sports activities, or other operations, I do have the motivation to research and find as many answers as I can,” said Whalen. “Many of those answers come from consulting with parents, support staff and teachers who want a fair and open-minded individual who is an independent voice for the community. At the end of the day, we all want to ensure that our students have the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to reach their fullest potential. I would welcome the opportunity to be part of that on-going effort, for not just maintaining what we have but also for improving classroom conditions, particularly for our at risk students.”
