Editor's note: BarrieToday has asked candidates for school board trustee in Barrie to provide a synopsis of why they are running for public office. The following is from Caitlin Morrison, who is running for Simcoe County District School Board trustee in Barrie Wards 7-10. Municipal elections take place Oct. 24. For more election coverage, visit our 2022 municipal election page by clicking here, where you can find candidate profiles and other election news.
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My name is Caitlin Morrison and I am excited and more than a little nervous to be running for Simcoe Country School Board trustee for Wards 7, 8, 9, and 10.
I don’t have a political background and honestly don’t know anything about successfully running for office (you’re welcome, fellow candidates). But I want to give back to a community I love, and I want to do everything I possibly can to make sure that my son and daughter and their peers have access to a great education in safe and supportive schools.
I live with my kids and partner of over 20 years in Allandale, and I am so grateful to be in a community like this in a city like Barrie. There is just something about the trees and the lakes and the trails and the feel of downtown and especially the people that I have learned you just can’t find anywhere else.
Professionally, I work in the non-profit sector and have helped health, mental health, and children’s aid organizations with strategic planning and grant program development. I enjoy my career and am proud of helping organizations that are doing good work in the world. But my real job title, the one I am most passionate about anyway, is Mom.
Like many parents, the past few years have meant the addition of some extra responsibilities in that role, including part-time teacher. During pandemic lockdowns and online classes, I did my best to help my school-aged son grasp the intricacies of math, vocabulary, social studies, and the like, but I know he was short-changed. I couldn’t give him the academic support he would get in a classroom. And I certainly couldn’t give him the social development that comes from interacting with peers in the classroom and at recess.
I worry about my son being behind, but I know he is not alone. The truth is, I am worried about all our community’s kids. We can’t go back in time and give them the classroom or playground time they missed. We can’t erase the social anxiety they may have developed. But we can act now to help them catch up and we can do everything we can to help them emotionally. I want to make this happen.
That is why, inexperienced as I may be, I am running for trustee.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact me at [email protected] or 416-420-6069.
