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Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education host Inaugural Board Meeting

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education held its Inaugural Public Board Meeting, with nine trustees serving on the board for the 2022-2026 term.
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On Monday, Nov. 7, the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education held its Inaugural Public Board Meeting, with nine trustees serving on the board for the 2022-2026 term.

Four trustees returned by acclamation: Shelley Sim, Electoral Area 2; Rhonda Kershaw, Electoral Area 3; Diane Jules, Electoral Area 4, and Cara McKelvey, Electoral Area 5.

Five trustees were elected in Electoral Area 1: John O’Fee, Kathleen M. Karpuk, Heather Grieve, Cole Hickson, and Jo Kang.

The board elected Heather Grieve (Kamloops) as the board chair and Rhonda Kershaw (Barriere) as vice chair. Board Chair Grieve is continuing in her role as chair of the board since November 2021, and she is excited to continue to lead and learn with the nine member board. Board Chair Grieve has been focused on communicating weekly the prevalent issues and results of the board on NL Radio. She has been the media contact for the board on all matters, including advocacy for capital projects. Board Chair Grieve has dedicated service in committee roles- Audit Committee, Human Resources Committee, Legacy Grant Committee, Student Advisory Council.

Vice Chair Kershaw is from Barriere and was elected into the role of vice chair following Meghan Wade who retired after serving for four terms. Kershaw has also served as board chair from 2020-2021, and she has been vice chair from 2018-2020. Rhonda Kershaw willingly took on the leadership role to work in partnership with Chair Grieve. Given her three terms on the board, Vice Chair Kershaw has a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to the role including committee work in the Finance and Planning Committee, Sun Peaks Committee, and the District Parent Advisory Council.

Board Chair Heather Grieve warmly welcomed the two new members of the board, Trustee Cole Hickson and Trustee Jo Kang. Grieve shared, “I am grateful to our current board members for all that they have accomplished and look forward to the positive energy, diversity of ideas and experiences, and innovation that comes from welcoming in two new board members, Trustee Cole Hickson and Trustee Jo Kang.”

Trustee Cole Hickson is a graduate of the SD73 school system and local post-secondary institution, Thompson Rivers University. He has a degree in political science and economics and extensive experience in student union governance. He was elected four times by the student body to represent their interests as a TRU Students’ Union representative. In that role, he chaired the TRUSU Board of Directors, Student Caucus, and University Affairs Committee and was the media liaison. He worked collaboratively with every faculty of TRU in order to foster an engaging learning environment for students. He also trained and led a student caucus of over 50 students to participate in decision making on issues of importance to students.Currently, Trustee Hickson is the communications and engagement coordinator at the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics.

Trustee Jo Kang is a graduate of the SD73 school system, and he graduated with a Police Studies Diploma from Thompson Rivers University. Trustee Kang has a wealth of experience in working to serve community interests in his roles working for the City of Kamloops and the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD).

In his role as service coordinator for the TNRD, Kang will directly supports the operations, contract management and budgets of specific community parks, street lighting, and economic development of four electoral areas inside the TNRD. Given that the Kamloops-Thompson board serves an expansive district of 27,000 square kilometers including multiple TNRD electoral areas, Trustee Kang’s current position involves him in rural and urban communities within SD73.

”I most look forward to being able to serve our community, but most importantly being able to help provide the best schooling experience for our children,” said Kang, “I strongly believe we are on a very good path in our school district, and I hope we as a board of education continue to move forward with this momentum.”

Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Nixon emphasized, “I am excited to work with our board to accomplish the priorities of the new 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan. Trustees Hickson and Kang bring new perspectives and experiences to our collective work which will support positive energy and thoughtful innovation.”