Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 25 November 2008 |
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Marrelli announced in the lead-up to the recent election that due to personal circumstances she would not be seeking another term. She and current board chair Lyn Hall were the longest serving trustees in the group of incumbents, she and Hall (along with retired trustee Fred McLeod) all came to the table in the same by-election.
It was a time of crisis in School District 57, with red ink all over the budget books, layoffs and transfers all over the staff rosters, and more than a dozen schools that needed to be closed with the greatest of care for the students and families still in need of an educational home. Marrelli was credited with being a big part of the humane yet professional way that calamity was handled.
There was a lineup of well-wishers at Tuesday's public meeting. From senior administration to students themselves, Marrelli was praised with a primary adjective on the tip of most tongues.
"It has been an interesting seven years with Michelle and if there is one thing that stands out about her it is passion," said Hall. "It is noticed by the public, it is noticed when she is interviewed, it is noticed at committee meetings," which she has not stopped attending since deciding to bow out, he added. "She has been as active in the past two months as she was in the previous seven years and I think that says a lot about who she is."
Trying to tap into that passion, tongue only partially in cheek, was District Parent Advisory Council chair Dale Laluk. "Michelle, DPAC welcomes you back with open arms; the next meeting is on Monday night," he said.
Kris Prazma, the District Student Advisory Council chair, called her a rare and effective advocate for student voices. "I have to especially thank trustee Marrelli," he said. "We are going to miss you and I am going to miss you personally, so, thank you."
And there were yet more tears.
"When I was elected to this board I thought 'I don't know if I can handle this woman: the hugs and the tears,'" said trustee Lois Boone. "But I learned that those hugs and those tears can easily be handled because they are real and they come from the heart and there is no doubt about it: you put children first."
Trustees Roxanne Ricard and Sharel Warrington had their own words of tribute. Prince George District Teachers' Association president Linda Naess, CUPE local president Lorraine Prouse and Principals' and Vice Principals' Association representative Lee Karpenko all took turns expressing gratitude and thanks for her unique service over the years on behalf of partner groups across the district.
Marrelli was then presented with a framed photograph by local artistic photographer Joy Miller.
"It has been the most amazing decade of my life," she said, tearfully of course, accepting the gift. "The reality is, every day in our schools we have amazing things going on and it is not because of the buildings, the bricks and mortar, it is because of the people ... Their passion and dedication has inspired me ... I am so proud of you."
She is staying in Prince George and although she has commitments to family and the post-secondary education she is pursuing, she promised to still be available as a resource to the education system, especially to the children. And she said it with passion.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 November 2008 )
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