Mike St. Amand may have been in a trustee’s position for almost 10 years, but says his success is not due to experience. It’s because of the amazing people surrounding him.
Mr. St. Amand was recently named the CCSTA Vice President after representing Saskatchewan on the CCSTA board of directors. Although he’s green to the new position, his passion and energy toward Catholic education in Canada is infectious.
Hailing from the Prince Albert Roman Catholic School Division in Saskatchewan, he started to get involved in Catholic education as an elementary school committee member at École Holy Cross when his children were attending school.
“I was going through the ranks as a member and a lot of people were saying I would be good as a trustee,” he said. He was acclaimed the first time he ran as school board trustee for the division and has since been acclaimed twice more. “For a small-town kid out of Saskatchewan who just wanted to serve, I am truly humbled by the
support I’ve received,” he said.
He recently accepted the Vice President’s chair on the national association board. He admits to enjoying the involvement on a personal level, knowing the direct effect that trustees’ work has on students. He comes by it honestly: his father was a trustee years ago in Gravelbourg and he cites his Dad as a mentor.
“This isn’t a job, it’s a vocation,” he said. “The most amazing thing is the people; the people are so true to Catholic education. All the people are here for the right reasons, because it’s the right thing to do and it’s for the kids.”
Mr. St. Amand’s name may be familiar as the CCSTA Toonies for Tuition Trophy Challenge initiative is the brainchild of he and Bert Provost. Each year, Toonies for Tuition dollars are given to the CCSTA Endowment Fund, which distributes the monies to students and schools located in partially and non-funded provinces.
He said he feels it’s imperative that those in fully-funded provinces ease the burden of others who are paying for Catholic education. “It’s incumbent on us to help the Atlantic provinces, Manitoba and British Columbia,” he said. “Those kids want Catholic education and shouldn’t have finances standing in their way.”
He said the main thing he will focus on as vice president of the CCSTA is advocacy. “We need to blow our own horn,” Mr. St. Armand said. “We have to be proud as a Catholic organization… We show love to everyone in our classrooms and we do that sincerely.
“We need to focus on who we are and why we do what we do.”
Mr. St. Amand is clear that he’s only one person, surrounded by hard-working and encouraging individuals who share similar goals of fostering faith and building on the successes of Catholic education. “I’m one person in a group – collectively that’s what makes us strong,” Mr. St. Amand said.
“It’s amazing to me the depth of how we could express our faith,” he said. “I really feel that I’m meant to be here.”
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