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 Sharon Nichols is one of them

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

"After I finished a degree in history I took education and started teaching in Sarnia Ontario, with a special education class. After that we moved on out to Victoria, where I did inclusive education by beginning a pilot program, for elementary kids up to grade 9."

"That started me off with a good understanding of kids. The rest of my career has been basically in Calgary, with some small spots in the States working for Junior Colleges. I have been a classroom teacher, a school administrator, a curriculum planner, and now I work at the University of Calgary with Student Teachers and I have the privilege of shaping them to be the next generation of teachers as well."

What is the main part of your platform?:

"There are some key questions that I am continually being asked, and I am finding ways to imagine and project how I would act as a school trustee, in response to those questions. So one of my main points that I hear from parents is 'How can my student receive a good basic education and still participate in enriched learning experiences?'"

"My answer to that is that it's expensive to have options like Band, sports and fine arts programs etc. Basic education is covered by our tax dollars, so we have to continue to carve out ways to for us to enhance those programs in the curriculum, but also as a community of learners too. That means getting involved in fairs, and fundraising projects, that's the parent involvement component and I will work to get parents involved, and be a partner in education. I will also advocate with provincial governments to ensure that education remains one of the key priorities of the provincial government, and our tax dollars need to come back to us; the dollars given to our children, need to also follow our children all the way to classroom."

"Another question is how parents can get involved in the new provincial curriculum that's rolling out in 2018. I want to teach parents that they have a choice in what their kids learn, and I would advocate very much to be a part of that process, I want my fingerprints all over some of those decisions that are made, as to what kind of curriculum is guiding our kids over the next decade or so."

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

"I have a broad range of experience, I am knowledgeable about the structure of education, I'm knowledgeable about the curriculum, and and I'm knowledgeable about the diversity that we see in our school, and how we need to continually look at the kinds of students we are receiving, the special needs that they might have, and how we can create learning environments that are inclusive, enriching and safe. I am a multi-tasker, a lifelong student who's always analyzing issues and figuring out the best solutions. I am also a great collaborator and work collegially with others."

The Municipal Election goes Monday, Oct. 16.

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