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Christi May Sacht to run for second term as Comox Valley Regional District Area C school trustee

Cristi May Sacht is seeking a second term as a school trustee for Comox Valley School District 71, representing Area C - Oyster River, Black Creek, Merville, Dove Creek and Arden (west of Cumberland Road), Powerhouse, Lake Trail, Marsden, Mt. Washington and Plateau Road.
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Christi Sacht (second from right) and her family. Photo supplied

Cristi May Sacht is seeking a second term as a school trustee for Comox Valley School District 71, representing Area C - Oyster River, Black Creek, Merville, Dove Creek and Arden (west of Cumberland Road), Powerhouse, Lake Trail, Marsden, Mt. Washington and Plateau Road.

Cristi cares, loves and knows Island life, with deep roots as a fourth-generation Islander, being raised in Sayward. Her great grandparents were pioneers, who took it upon themselves to donate land for the first church and first school to be built, in their growing community and they have always inspired her.

While growing up, she spent her weekends and summers in the Comox Valley with her grandparents/family and she also graduated from GP Vanier, so raising her family here was a coming home. After graduating, she went to work in Alberta, pursued her Class 1, then went to SAIT for Power Engineering/Building Operations, to later return in 2008 with her son and pregnant with her daughter, looking to settle down in the Valley.

Today, she is a very proud parent to four teenagers, along with her husband Steven, with their oldest a 2021 Highland graduate and now attending NIC.

While her children are always her inspiration, Cristi stood up in the 2020 Area C bi-election during COVID, because she had numerous individuals that she highly respected from the community recommend her to do so, therefore she happily pursued the opportunity to help make a difference and be a voice in our local educational system.

Prior to becoming an elected trustee, Cristi spent the last 15 years as a certified energy advisor with Natural Resources Canada and was a part-time building science Instructor at BCIT School of Construction and the Environment. She was a huge advocate for high-performance/net zero housing and the transition into the BC Energy Step Code, working with the Province of BC, educating local municipalities, utility providers, developers and builders.

On top of raising four children on a hobby farm in Black Creek, Cristi has also been a very active community member. She started the Black Creek Bear Softball Program in 2013, to bring youth softball back to Black Creek and it has expanded into three age categories over the years.

She has also volunteered for many years as the master of ceremonies for the Black Creek Fall Fair & Car Show, as well as the finish line announcer for the annual Royal Lepage Snow to Surf Adventure Relay Race. She brings her smile, positive energy and enthusiasm to any job she does.

Cristi was also the lead of the first Women Build in the Province of BC with Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North (HVIN) in 2011. Three duplexes on Piercy Avenue were built by HVIN with 200+ women volunteers that she rallied to do construction onsite - you may have seen the pink hard hats?

As a trustee, Cristi loves the work and is extremely proud of everything the current board has accomplished as a team, despite having the constant disruption and focus being shifted to navigating the COVID pandemic safely for students and staff. She has been able to attend a few in-person events last year, a couple of educational sessions, the BCSTA annual general meeting and is extremely grateful to have been able to attend many of the 2022 graduation ceremonies.

Some highlights of the work Cristi, along with the current board and district have completed and are working on include:

• Expansion of salad bars in more schools, thanks to the support of our community partners.

• Supporting the establishment and management of school garden projects, through a comprehensive school garden review.

• Outdoor learning spaces completed, constructed or being planned at all schools, including an education lead teacher representative.

• Reducing carbon emissions and carbon footprint from continued district boiler upgrades and our first SD 71 electric vehicle on order.

• Supporting Indigenous support workers in every school and Ni’noxsola (Elders/ Wise Ones) supporting students across the school district.

• Promotion of zero waste through recycling containers, composting pilot projects, 3 Green Station pilot projects and eliminating all plastic utensils.

• Pathways to Hope, is a comprehensive mental health plan that continues to be developed by the Director of Inclusive Education.

• Attending the first appreciation lunch and gathering to honor the Ni’noxsola, who give their time and energy to the children of the Comox Valley.

• Attending the first meeting to collaborate, between the City of Courtenay and the SD 71 Board of Education.

If elected, she will continue to dedicate her time and energy for all students to have the support, resources and tools they need to succeed, in the hopes that every child becomes a lifelong learner and has the opportunity to positively impact our world.

“Gratitude for considering electing me and it has been my privilege serving our community and working with the SD 71 team as a Trustee for the past two years,” says Cristi.

She hopes to continue her journey serving, listening, learning, advocating, planning, connecting, collaborating and working as a part of the school board team, for the betterment of all of our children, our families, our staff, our community and our future.

Cristi can be reached at cmayparadise@gmail.com.