The Sooke School District officially welcomed its newly elected Board of Education on Tuesday, November 3, as seven trustees took their oaths of office during the Board's inaugural meeting. Trustees also elected Amanda Dowhy as Board Chair and Tom Davis as Vice Chair.
The Board includes three returning trustees—Cendra Beaton, Amanda Dowhy and Trudy Spiller—alongside four newly elected trustees: Ed Berlando, Tom Davis, Mike Manhas and Laurie Szadkowski.
Together, they bring a broad range of experience in education, leadership, advocacy and community involvement.
Ed Berlando began teaching in the district in 1992, building a career spanning more than three decades in public education. He was also actively involved in teacher advocacy through the Sooke Teachers' Association (STA), serving on its executive and attending Board committee meetings as an STA representative.
Tom Davis has been an active voice in parent advocacy and public education for more than a decade. He has held various Parent Advisory Council (PAC) executive roles, including three terms as president of the Sooke Parents' Education Advisory Council (SPEAC). His involvement has also extended to the provincial level through the BC School Facilities Committee.
Mike Manhas offers a recent classroom perspective, having taught in the district since September 2019. He resigned from his teaching position on November 2 to take on his new role as trustee.
Laurie Szadkowski has spent much of her career supporting students and schools through teaching and educational leadership. She began teaching in the district in 1996 before moving into school and district administration, serving as vice-principal, principal and district principal before retiring in 2021.
The Board also welcomes back three trustees for their second terms, providing continuity and established connections to district schools and communities.
Cendra Beaton has been actively involved in parent advocacy and community engagement through school PACs and SPEAC. As a French speaker, she also offers a linguistic perspective and has been a strong advocate for French Immersion and French language education across the district.
Amanda Dowhy's connection to the district began as a student, attending schools in the Milnes Landing Zone before graduating from Edward Milne Community School. She has since remained involved in public education as a district parent and through her participation in school PACs and SPEAC. Her experiences as a student, parent and returning trustee provide a longstanding connection to the school communities she serves.
Trudy Spiller's background spans union leadership, Indigenous advocacy and cultural education. She has served on the CUPE National Aboriginal Council and has been a Role Model with the district's NA’TSA’MAHT Indigenous Education Department since 2011, sharing cultural knowledge and traditional teachings with students.
With returning trustees and new voices at the table, the Board begins its term committed to supporting students, strengthening relationships with families and communities, and advancing public education across the district and in the province.
“We come to this table with different backgrounds, different experiences and, no doubt, different ideas about how to move forward,” said Amanda Dowhy, Board Chair. “And that's a good thing. Because the challenges facing public education aren't simple, and the answers won't always be either. But we share something far more important than agreement on every issue. We share a responsibility to the students, families and staff who count on our schools every day. That means listening, being willing to learn from one another and remembering that the work we do here isn't about any one of us. It's about the opportunities we create for the students who will come after us.”