Tree as a metaphor for trustee

For years, I’ve watched a resilient tree in Henteleff Park stand up to wind, rain, and snow, only to awaken each spring and fight the elements again. Today in Beaudry Park, I found another: its base split, its trunk half-gone, yet standing tall, thriving, and supporting a whole little community.

These trees are a metaphor for my capacity as your school trustee. 

Bear with me.

Being a trustee requires a stable core that can take the heat, weather the storms, and remain resilient against whatever comes next. Budget cuts, angry community members, calls to resign, personal name-calling, and the heavy emotional toll of watching folks struggle through difficult times—I’ve weathered all of that and more. With me, you get a leader who won’t be knocked down. You can count on me to do the job, regardless of what obstacles, setbacks, or provocations appear in front of me.

The gap in the trunk? That’s transparency. It’s an invitation for folks to look straight through, tell me what I’m getting right or wrong, and let me know where I need to do better.  

Both of these trees are vulnerable. Drawing on my years of hands-on experience and proven leadership on the board, I know that part of our job as trustees and leaders is to pinpoint vulnerabilities across LRSD and provide the targeted support required to help students, staff, and families thrive.  

Finally, can you imagine the root system those trees have? Strong, broad, healthy, drawing sustenance from the ground to ensure the trees stay upright.  The foundation of our school division—our core values—does the exact same thing for us. For me personally, staying grounded in those values has been my anchor, contributing to my robust root system if you will. They are what kept me standing through the the pressure and the hard days.  

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” — Bruce Lee