Want to read how trustee hopefuls in other wards responded to our school-themed scenarios? Click here.
You suddenly find yourself back in grade school. You have all of your grown-up life experience, but you’re moving around the school in a young person’s body. You’re in Grade 1 and Halloween is fast approaching. Which costume do you wear to school and why?
Public school board candidates
Gord Cummings: The Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner version). It’s because his only weakness is the limits of his imagination. His potential is boundless, but his humility grapples with his expectations regularly making every experience a learning one.
Trina Hurdman: Wonder Woman, because she is fierce and idealistic.
Separate school board candidates
This candidate did not participate in the survey.
How time flies. You’re in Grade 9. Your teacher is insisting you vote for which school club to cut because there’s a shortage of teachers to run the clubs. Which one gets the thumbs down? Explain your decision, please.
Public school board candidates
Gord Cummings: Sports intramural club, I take the Mark Twain approach to exercise.
Trina Hurdman: Chess club, Chess club because it is the easiest to continue without a teacher to run it. I could continue the club on a more informal basis in various locations on school premises using technology rather than physical boards and students would coach each other.
Separate school board candidates
This candidate did not participate in the survey.
You’re in high school. You realize that one of your friends has been bullying another student because of his sexual orientation. You go to a teacher about the need to start a Gay Straight Alliance club, but her reception is lukewarm. You can tell she’s not going to help. How are you going to make this happen?
Public school board candidates
Gord Cummings: First, I would support that kid on my own as I advocated to a higher authority, which would be the principle. I would probably try to win the support of a staff at the school for help in advocacy. If all of that fails, I would approach a trustee such as Gord Cummings who supports GSA’s without reservations.
Trina Hurdman: I would go to another teacher, then another one, and so on, until I find one who is supportive. There are many ways to pressure or even force a teacher to take on the role, but I want one who truly cares about supporting vulnerable students.
Separate school board candidates
This candidate did not participate in the survey.
It is nearing the end of the tenth grade and marijuana has been legalized for a little over a month. You and a few other students learn that a teacher smokes a lot of cannabis at home. Do you think she should be held to a different standard when it comes to her recreation?
Public school board candidates
Gord Cummings: It’s that teacher’s business, not mine. We’ve never scrutinised teachers for having wine, why would we do that for marijuana?
Trina Hurdman: Teachers are always held to a higher standard as they have a great deal of influence over students. However, if the teacher is following the law, is fulfilling all the responsibilities of her profession, and is not promoting recreational cannabis use in a public forum to which her students could have access, then I do not see a problem.
Separate school board candidates
This candidate did not participate in the survey.
All responses have been edited for typos, but not for spelling or syntax.