Sheila Stewart and Arlene Morell joined the show to share their experiences attending the People for Education Conference as well as a conversation about board-wide Parent Involvement Committees and how they can network to support student achievement. Sheila is a parent of two teens from Thunder Bay.  She has volunteered in schools and on school councils at the elementary and secondary levels.  She has been a member of their district's "Council of School Council Chairs (CSCC) for 7 years, and was a representative for that committee on Lakehead District School Board's Parent Involvement Committee for 4 years.  She is currently a school council co-chair at the secondary level, and continuing her support for school council chairs as a coordinator of the CSCC network meetings.  She has also been an active network member of People for Education.

Arlene Morell directs and coordinates the Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee ( TVPIC) since its inception in 2006. Her experience in the field of parent engagement and leadership includes 15 years as a parent leader both at the local and system level. As the chairperson of TVPIC , Arlene oversaw the development and implementation of parent involvement programs and initiatives including school council leadership development. She coordinated workshops, training sessions and conferences and developed school council resources Arlene also implemented a collaborative partnership with the Co-terminus District School Council and PIC. This partnership between the public and Catholic school board has realized many joint initiatives in a manner that builds community supporting student achievement,  This  shared vision for building stronger educational partnerships and communities has lead the parent leadership team \to jointly advocate for parent engagement, anti-violence/bullying initiatives, reducing media violence, children with special needs, mental health issues – and more.

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