Three new faces will join four returning trustees at the school board next month when Betty Baxter, Lori Dixon and Christine Younghusband are sworn in along with incumbents Greg Russell, Silas White, Lori Pratt and Dave Mewhort Dec. 6.
Forty per cent of eligible voters across the Coast cast their vote for school trustees Nov. 19.
Younghusband garnered the most votes in Sechelt with 1,531 ballots cast in her favour.
"I feel overwhelmed, excited, pleased. It was hard to tell how the campaign was going," Younghusband said. "It was reassuring that people out there in the community really understand my purpose, which is to support kids in their learning."
She feels the new team is "phenomenal."
"I like that it's a nice mix between incumbents and new people. I like the diversity of the group," she said, adding she feels the new trustees will be a lot more vocal.
Incumbent Dave Mewhort took the second seat for Sechelt with 1,503 votes.
"I feel honoured that the people of Sechelt have enough confidence to let me go another three years and represent them," Mewhort said.
He feels the new board will work well as a team.
"We've got some new blood that will bring some new ideas to the board table, and we've got some veterans as well, so I think it's a good mix," he said.
In Gibsons, White took the lone seat with 1,074 votes, beating out incumbent Fran Heppell who garnered 660 votes.
"I'm excited by the number of votes that were cast for school trustee in Gibsons, and want to keep that high level of community engagement in public education going through this term," White said.
"The diverse mix of experience, backgrounds and new energy on our new team immediately makes us one of the most impressive boards in the province, and I feel that by the end of the next term, our district will also be established as one of the best places to be educated in B.C."
Heppell was on the board for one term, and although she wasn't pleased with losing her seat, she stated, "It's a democracy. The people have spoken. I knew it wasn't going to be easy at all. I'm not surprised by the result for my personal race, but I had good support in the schools, and I felt it was incumbent on me to run," she said.
In Area Two, comprised of the Sechelt Indian Gov-ernment District, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone and West Howe Sound, Baxter, Dixon and Russell took the three available seats.
Incumbent trustee Russell gained the most votes with 1,034.
"I'm very thankful for the support," Russell said. "It was a little more interesting and challenging this time with seven people who were all pretty good people, so I must have said something right."
He is looking forward to working with the new board and hopes they will refine their focus this term.
"One of the things the new board really has to get back to concentrating on is our role senior management looks after the operations, we represent the community," he said.
Baxter brought in the second most votes with 830.
She was delighted with the win, saying she hopes to work with the new board to create a better working environment.
"I think we need to work on being a better employer. I'm hopeful about our new senior management team, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them well and getting a good working relationship," Baxter said. "I think we have the potential to be a very unique and very outstanding district."
Dixon took the last seat in Area Two with 816 votes. She was pleasantly surprised with the win.
"Once you've gone, the door sort of closes and you really have to push to get that door open again," Dixon said, noting she has previously been on the school board for two terms. "It's like reintroducing yourself again and reminding them that you are a great person."
She said she is very pleased with the new board she will be working with and noted voters in Area Two were very engaged, putting on five all candidates' meetings for trustee candidates before the election.
"I really value that - a real election, where you can stand up and tell people why you're there and then listen to the people to find out what's important to them," she said.
The incumbent in Area One, Lori Pratt was elected by acclamation.
Defeated incumbent Jason Scott fell in the election with 670 votes cast for him in Area Two. Scott did not return Coast Reporter phone calls to comment by deadline.
