The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division Board of Education welcomed a new Saskatchewan Rivers Students for Change (SRSC) rural representative at their regular meeting on Oct. 20.
Tye Vaughan, a Grade 11 student from Canwood Public School, is the new SRSC rural board representative for 2025-2026. Vaughan said he chose to let his name stand because he wants to be a rural voice for students at the board table.
“I was interested in representing the rural students at the board meetings,” he said. “I’m on the SRSC, so we discuss things to bring up and then to make the changes. I’m really interested in making changes within our schools and I know how important the student voice is because they’re making decisions for us, right, so I think that’s really important.”
Vaughan is in his second year on the SRSC after joining in Grade 10. The SRSC has already set up some points they want to bring to the board table after their first meeting and elections. Vaughan said the list includes working on more career support for students. Last year the SRSC created a series of videos with the goal of helping students navigate work and education after high school.
During the meeting, Vaughan gave a report outlining how the SRSC is developing relationships among schools, and learning their roles as executive members of the organization.
‘We’re working on the meaning of belonging because we’ve seen in our survey that a lot of students didn’t feel a sense of belonging at school,” he said. “We’re working on student involvement in the schools.”
Vaughan said that there is a noticeable trend of students not getting involved in sports and extracurricular.
He said that they are also working around some challenges on student achievement.
“We have very low math averages in Saskatchewan particularly, so we’re working on looking back at like why is that happening and stuff like that,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan addedthat the student survey that the SRSC constructed has helped give them a better idea of what they are seeing at the school level.
“It’s very helpful because it’s school division wide so we see all of the numbers about a whole bunch of different things,” he explained. “It’s really good to gather information and kind of pick what we’re going to work towards each year.
Vaughan said it was great that the group has their focus set early in the year, but they have to be willing to flex if student needs change.
“Usually at our first meeting we set like the general things we’re going to work on throughout the year, so it’s good,” he said.
Director of Education Neil Finch was also happy to have Vaughan as the rural board representative.
“It’s always exciting to have our student voice around the table,” Finch said. “Our students see things with a different perspective than the adults sitting around the table, and the reason they’re there (is because) we respect and acknowledge their voice. Having Tye there is an exciting start to the year.”
Abby Ellis from Victor Thunderchild Public High School has been elected the urban representative but sent her regrets for the meeting on Oct. 20.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
