Three new candidates are vying for the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Board in the Oct. 18 election, meaning a total of 10 candidates will be vying for trustee seats.

Dorraine Lonsdale (incumbent) is running for re-election for her second term on the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Board for the Highway 11 neighborhood. She looks forward to “having the opportunity to continue serving Catholic school communities with priorities… on what is best for students, their families and staff ”.

Lonsdale believes in making Catholic principals work in schools, including showing kindness and respect. It also supports initiatives for the well-being and inclusion of students, as well as budgetary transparency and accountability.

Vanessa Mariani, a local artist, accountant, wife and mother, wants to help the next generation integrate their faith with ethics and progressive ideas to help them in “a rapidly changing world”.

Mariani believes in greater transparency in the affairs of the school board and in better communications with stakeholders. She wants to challenge “outdated conventions” and support educators and parents who oppose the proposed program in Alberta, calling it “fatally flawed.”

Mariani believes in the responsibility of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians and in creating safe and healthy spaces for all staff and students.

Robert Wiens, a federal government executive, has three children in the Catholic Quarter. He is a member of the Sylvan Lake Library Board of Trustees and has raised funds for charity.

He has noticed a need for more Catholic schools in the neighborhood that includes Sylvan Lake, saying many parents are unwilling to take their children by bus to Red Deer.

Wiens also wants more support for children with learning disabilities. He said: “There is a lot of pressure to dismantle the Catholic school system. We need to make sure that all levels of government protect the system we have and support it with funding. “

Sharla Heistad (titular), Murray Hollman (titular), Monique LaGrange, Cynthia Leyson (titular), Kim Pasula (titular), Fred Simoni and Anne Marie Watson (titular).

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