Cynthia Higgins has a good reason to run for school trustee in the Sea to Sky School District (SD48).
"I love education," she said with a laugh.
"I think public education is the foundation of a good Canada. If you can have well-educated children they become well-educated adults who can become wonderful contributors to our society, and I think public education is the best way to achieve that goal."
Higgins holds a masters degree in early childhood education and has taught preschool at Myrtle Philip Elementary for the past seven years.
"You really have a feel for the dynamics within the school, amongst the parents," she said of her current role.
"That physical proximity to the everyday goings on of the school and the education, I think it just adds perspective, if nothing else."
If elected, her main priority would be to "keep the wheels turning," Higgins said.
"Right now the Sea to Sky School District is doing phenomenal work in education and seeing really, really fantastic levels of student achievement, so my first priority would be to see that that continues with the new board," she said.
She would also like to work with parents who may be apprehensive about the district's new curriculum.
"I think there's a lot of parents who are quite concerned about what learning looks like and the style of education right now because it's very important that your children receive a good education, and they only have one chance," she said.
"And so when parents are nervous and they see all these changes and multi-grade classrooms, subject areas starting to merge together, it causes a lot of concern. I would like to be the person that can reassure them with solid evidence that what's happening is for the benefit of their student."
Other priorities for Higgins, if elected, include a focus on fiscal responsibility within the district and a focus on policy decisions that promote both student achievement and personal wellbeing.
Higgins joins two-term incumbent trustee Rachael Lythe in the race for Whistler's two trustee chairs.
The nomination period closes Sept. 14.
Whistlerites will head to the polls on Saturday, Oct. 20.
