Stan Cameron – Peel District School Board Trustee Candidate (Town of Caledon)

Stan Cameron1) What area in Caledon do you live in?

I have lived in Caledon for the past 43 years. My wife Debbie and I have lived in the Palgrave area for the past 30 years and in Caledon East for the previous 13 years.

2) Why did you decide to run for the trustee position?

I entered the competition to serve this community through education because of my fundamental belief that education changes lives. From that core value, I know that I can help families with their questions and challenges. I am a 2 term incumbent. I have enjoyed every minute in my role as Caledon’s Trustee on the Peel District School Board. I feel that I have been able to strongly represent our Caledon voices at the Board table and help our children, families, teachers and school administrators. I have much more to offer families in Caledon’s public school system.

As a faculty member in post secondary classrooms for the past 37 years, I have seen first hand how education has served thousands of students and graduates. Personally, our family knows the value of education. I have 2 college diplomas – one in Correctional Work and one in Recreation Leadership. In addition, I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a graduate degree in Education. Debbie has both 1 college diploma and a certificate in dental care. Our 2 daughters (Kayla and Carly) graduated from elementary and secondary public schools in Caledon. Between them they have 4.5 university degrees. The .5 is half way through a PhD program. I still recall when our children were little how our family needed help with questions about the big educational system they studied in. I am in a position now to help those families with their questions today.

Just as I enjoy helping others in our Caledon community through my volunteer efforts now at: Bethell Hospice, Home James, the Albion-Bolton Agricultural Society, and previously as a minor hockey coach and Big Brother, I enjoy helping children and their families reach their full potential and success through education.

3) What is the number one thing that you would like to change and/or improve?

There are so many things I’d like to list to change and/or improve. Items from: anti-bullying to assessment, budgets to bargaining, curriculum to collaboration, parent councils to partnerships, equality to equity, and so many more school specific issues. However, because the question above asks for “one thing” I will respect that limit. I would like to improve the busing situation in Caledon and across the Peel District School Board. The most common questions I have been asked over the past 8 years have related to board provided busing. In many cases it’s been questions about inadequate service (lateness, no shows, poor communication). A core group of trustees with major busing issues last year worked closely with administration to improve this service for this coming school year, and beyond. I am committed to keeping a close eye on this service for our Caledon area. I will continue to be the voice for improved service in Caledon moving forward.

4) What special skills or experience do you bring to the role of School Trustee?

I am the candidate with extensive experience from the class room to the staff room to the board room. I am an educator – for the past 37 years. I have experience working with young people in school. I have helped families manage their way through the 2nd largest school board in Canada. Through my role as the Caledon trustee on the Peel District School Board for the past 8 years I have advocated for our children, families, teachers and school administrators. All with one primary goal in mind: student success.

In the Caledon community I am a proven leader who is trusted for my competency, recognized for my understanding, appreciated for my accessibility, valued for my positive relationship building, and dedicated to continuing to serve every member of our Caledon public school family.

When my phone rings at home I immediately tell myself, “a family needs my help.” And I answer the call.

Biography

Personal:

I have lived in Caledon for 43 years

I have been married to Debbie for 37 years. Family is very important to us. Her family is very active in the dairy farming industry in Caledon – specifically where we live on Mount Hope Road just south of Old Church Rd. Debbie has worked for dentist Dr. Sylvia King in Caledon East for the past 35 years.

We have 2 daughters. Kayla is a Kindergarten teacher who studied in a Concurrent Education program for 5 years at Nipissing University in North Bay. Daughter Carly is the Research Ethics Officer at Brock University. There she also completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences and her Masters degree in Kinesiology. Carly is also studying in a PhD Science program part time at Brock U. We are very grateful that our daughters’ love of learning was given to them from their amazing teachers in the PDSB.

I have 2 college diplomas. One from a Correctional Worker Program and one from a Recreation Leadership Program. I also have an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Education.

I have completed 5 full marathons (26.2 miles/42.2 km) in my life: Montreal, Niagara, New York City, Boston and Walt Disney World. Each one, a metaphor for life, reminded me of the hard work and perseverance needed to get to the finish line.

I am avid sports fan and love all sports. Hockey and basketball are my favourites.

Professional:

I have taught Psychology courses at Centennial College in Scarborough for the past 37 years. Prior to that I worked with young offenders and adult offenders in a treatment centre.

I just retired from the college on June 30, 2018.

I have taken many additional courses over those years at the college in an effort to become a better teacher and to help my students work to reach their potential. A few examples are courses dealing with subjects such as: online teaching/learning, suicide intervention skills training, creating collaborative learning spaces, supporting learner success, understanding content management systems and many more.

I have been the Caledon Trustee for public school supporters on the Peel District School Board since 2010. One of the ways I have learned about the various schools, successes, programs and people in the PDSB over the past 8 years was to take time and visit as many schools as possible. That has been one of my most valuable forms of Professional Development for me in this role.

Volunteer Experience

I coached for 12 years in the Bolton and Caledon Minor Hockey Associations. I am proud to see so many of those young boys I coached now as fathers of children in our Caledon public schools.

I was an “In-School Mentor” with Peel Big Brothers/Big Sisters for 4 years. I worked with the same student all 4 years. This involved visiting my mentee at his school for 1 hour a week throughout the school year. Peel BBBS very appropriately calls this, “the power of an hour.” I loved doing this.

I have been a driver for both of Caledon’s arrive home safely programs: Operation Red Nose, which started 2009 and was replaced with the Home James Program in 2013. I continue to try to help keep Caledon’s roads safe through these volunteer efforts.

I am a contributing member as an Associate Director on the Albion-Bolton Agricultural Society. Many volunteers on the ABAS help to host 2 large scale agricultural events: the Bolton Annual Truck & Tractor Pull and the Annual Bolton Fall Fair.

I am currently in my 5th year as a volunteer Resident Support Worker at Bethell Hospice in Inglewood.

Telephone: 905.880.1162

Email: Stan.Cameron@sympatico.ca

Twitter: @stancameron

For a list of all the registered candidates click HERE.