Through the 2017 Municipal Election season The Eagle 100.9 and Okotoks Online will be bringing you profiles of candidates to help you make an informed decision.

There are nine candidates running for two School Board Trustee positions, and Claire Comtois is one of them.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

"I am a mother of three children, my two older ones graduated from École Secondaire Foothills Composite High School, my youngest is in Westmount and will be completing Grade 9 this year. Myself, I tried different things when I was younger, went from law to engineering and eventually settled as a nurse. When I got married we ended up moving to the States so it became a bit more difficult to have both of us working so we chose that I stayed at home and raise the kids so our values would transfer to our children, and feeling that I needed to contribute to the community even more once my kids started going to school I started volunteering in the classroom and around the school. This was the best way for me to learn about what was happening the community and learn more about what was happening in the classroom. Eventually we came back here and things changed at home and I had to go back to work and I became a school bus driver for a year and I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. Situation changed again and I became an educational assistant for early French Immersion for four years. Through all that I was volunteering, I was on committees. I had concerns regarding safety and traffic around schools so I got involved to see if we could change certain aspects of moving pedestrians around schools, limiting bus transportation around Westmount even before it was built. That's been my life, being with kids, volunteering and voicing my opinion whenever I could and being lucky enough that we have those avenues. One of them is setting the direction and inspiring education which I thought was unbelievable that a province could ask everybody, and I truly mean everybody, back in 2008 to provide their input, their take about education, what do we think about inclusion, how do we see the schools in 2030, so this is how I got to meet teachers, principals, trustees, and company owners. What I noticed was very few parents were participating but at the same time everybody was very eager to hear what the parents had to say. I would say that's pretty much one of the reasons why I jumped to become a trustee because I truly see the value of the involvement of parents. I am here basically because I want people to see how exciting it is to have this prime opportunity to build a new curriculum and to get them involved. I'm simply here because I'm very excited about education and I really want everybody to understand how stimulating the environment is we're in and the possibilities changing the curriculum will bring to our children that will have those tools, skills, and ideas to shape our new economy."

What is your platform?:

"The main message is we cannot have kids falling through the cracks anymore, we cannot have cracks period, so the curriculum will be ensuring that everything is put in place so it doesn't happen and we can identify issues as we go as the child is maturing and acquiring those skills. I value strong reading, writing, and number sense skills because once you master those basic skills you don't have to think about them anymore they are part of you and they are your tools to articulate your thoughts and ideas and you become somebody who is not being held back by not mastering those skills but can see all the possibilities that can be done. My second value is an inclusive, equitable, and safe environment. Thirdly, a life long love of learning. Physical and mental wellness, I would like to introduce outdoor ed. Aside from learning more on who you are, learning something new, and later on taking this desire of being outside. Financial and human resources invested in a classroom are a must, so many people have been saying to be inclusive you need more people so we can answer to the specific needs of all the children and catch them right on time so instead of them being overwhelmed they can feel they have support and can do it. Responsible resource allocation, so basically putting the money where it counts so in the classroom but also to education."

Why do you believe you'd make a good Trustee?:

"The role of a trustee is a person who's always curious, has a knowledge of what's happening at the provincial level, who has that strong desire to communicate with the community and learn and listen from others about what's going on, and also to share with them what's happening at the provincial level and in our school division. You need somebody that people feel they can reach as well not only in terms of personality but also can call or send emails so it sends a message I am there for them and care about them. I see being a trustee very much like being a nurse in a hospital, pretty vital, available, and knowledgeable."

Every Okotoks candidate running for the 2017 municipal election will get to opportunity to explain who they are, their platform and why they are running. The candidate profiles are posted at random. If you are a candidate and have not been contacted, please email news@okotoksonline.com