21-year-old Revelstoke Secondary School grad replaces Leslie Savage on the Revelstoke Board of Education
On a board composed of older men, Amanda Richardson will certainly stand out.
The 21-year-old recent graduate of Revelstoke Secondary School is the newest trustee on the Revelstoke Board of Education, having been the only person to put their name forward for election.
Richardson was born and raised in Revelstoke and went to school here from kindergarten to grade 12. After going to Okanagan College in Kelowna, she returned home and now works as an administrative receptionist at city hall.
She believes she can bring a different perspective to the board based on her experience as a student.
"My intention is to be an asset for the board to connect with the students and the public in a new way," she wrote in an e-mail. "I will be a voice for the young people of our community and will do my best to advocate for their best interests."
Richardson will replace Leslie Savage, who stepped down from the board over the winter after she was forced to leave the community due to health issues. Bill MacFarlane, Alan Chell, Elmer Rorstad and Jeff Nicholson are the other trustees.
Richardson was the only person who put their name forward to replace Savage. She acclaimed last Monday, April 3.
Richardson said she doesn't have any specific policies she wants to focus on, but she does want to sit on the board's communication committee and help in that regard.
"I strongly believe that when there is a reliable and open network of communication between the board and the public everyone will benefit," she said.
She also hopes to sit on the Okanagan College Advisory Committee. "I hope to bring to the committee a different perspective as someone who has recently, and will most likely again be apart of the college school system one day," she said.
Her first meeting as trustee will be Wednesday, April 12. She will serve out the rest of Savage's term, until the 2018 election.