The position of board chair will continue to be held by Oakville Trustee Alice Anne LeMay, while the vice-chair is now Burlington Trustee Bob Van de Vrande, who replaced fellow Burlington Trustee Joanne Matters.

The terms for LeMay and Van de Vrande are effective immediately and will last until the first board meeting of December 2009. LeMay said she’s confident that continued co-operation under her lead will ensure a solid faith-based education system in Halton.

“Catholic education will indeed face many challenges in the coming years, but we at Halton Catholic have a reputation of being one of the top boards in the province and we will continue, as always, to provide the best possible Catholic education to all our students to allow them all to reach their full potential,” she said.

“We work closely with all our partners to keep Catholic education an important part of the publicly- funded education system in this province. Our triangle of home, school and parish is important in the education of children, as it is often said, ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child.’ As a board, we are dedicated to working together in the interest of all the students entrusted to our care.”

The election of the chair was done by secret ballot, so the final tallies weren’t made public. Two names were put forward for the position Tuesday night, including LeMay and Matters. Matters, who was nominated by Oakville Trustee Pauline Houlahan, gave a short speech before the ballots were cast. She said she had learned a lot in the past year as vice-chair and was ready to further solidify the Catholic education system in the region as chair.

“This is an exciting time for our board and to complement our new director of education, Mr. (Michael) Pautler, I believe the chair of the board should embody an energetic vision that speaks to evangelization, professionalism and sincerity,” she said.

“It is no secret these are trying times for the Catholic education. On the one hand, we face the pressures of those who say we need not exist in this probabilistic society, while on the other hand, we face the constant challenge to maintain and strengthen, unabashedly, that which gives us the right to exist, that of our Catholic identity. Perhaps there’s no other time than now for leadership that is courageous.”

Houlahan said she nominated Matters because of her fresh vision for the board.

“We have had much change in the past year-and-a-half and there’s much change still coming at us,” Houlahan said. “I want everyone at this table to consider where we want to go in the next few years.

“Are we happy with being or do we want to go somewhere? I firmly believe my nomination of Joanne Matters will take us in a different direction.”

LeMay’s nomination came from Milton Trustee Rev. David Wilhelm. He cited LeMay’s longtime dedication to the Halton Catholic board, including her 28 years of experience as an Oakville trustee. He also said she brings confidence and stability to the position.

“Alice Anne is a very strong advocate of publicly-funded Catholic education,” Wilhelm said. “In addition to her experience, Alice Anne has demonstrated, in my mind, an ability to interact with all stakeholders in a conciliatory and nurturing manner.

“She has the ability to facilitate positive communication between all members of the board and all stakeholders within the system. She has a warm and welcoming manner that makes her approachable in all issues.”

Van de Vrande’s nomination for vice-chair was uncontested. He publicly thanked the other trustees, saying he is committed to serving the board and working to increase support for the publicly-funded Catholic education system.

“These are challenging times in many ways,” said Van de Vrande, who has served as a Burlington trustee on the board for eight years.

“We are living daily through unprecedented events, politically, economically and as a Catholic organization, constantly challenged by those who would endeavour to extinguish the flame of Catholic education. This is a time for big dreams, for bold steps and for accepting without hesitation the commission of Christ. It is not a time to say, ‘Yes, we can,’ but rather, with the help of God, ‘Yes, we will.’”