Image: Supplied by W. Reichelt / Willow Reichelt will seek a second term on the Chilliwack school board this fall.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack election

Reichelt to seek 2nd term on Chilliwack school board

Aug 3, 2022 | 7:38 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack school board Willow Reichelt will seek a second term this fall on the Chilliwack School District Board of Education.

Reichelt was first elected to the school board in 2018 and has served as both chair and vice chair. The Chilliwack native graduated from Sardis Secondary, which is where she met her husband. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English and a teaching certificate from University of Victoria, she returned to Chilliwack and taught in SD33 for 14 years.

After leaving the teaching profession, she became involved in community activism and supported initiatives such as You Belong Here, a rally in support of Muslims and other immigrants, acting as emcee for Fraser Valley March for Women, and organizing rallies in support of LGBTQS+ youth.

“I grew up in Chilliwack and have raised my children here,” Reichelt said. “I love my community, and I want it to be a thriving city where our diversity is celebrated.”

Reichelt cites specific accomplishments the school board undertook during her first term, including a strategic plan that directs school district resources to the vital areas of reading and numeracy, while also acknowledging the systemic barriers that some students encounter and need to be addressed.

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“A policy that I’m particularly proud to have helped move forward is our new student dress guidelines,” said Reichelt, who has two sons that graduated from Sardis Secondary. “Due to the work of this Board, and after extensive feedback from partners, we now have a district-wide policy that focuses on safety rather than modesty. This means that girls in particular are no longer missing class or being body shamed because of their clothing.”

Reichelt says she wants to focus on equity and reconciliation in her next term if re-elected.

“True equity would mean that every student in the district would have access to the programs and services that support and inspire them regardless of their economic background or the neighbourhood they live in,” Reichelt said. “It would mean that students of all abilities were able to fully participate in learning and play. We’ve made progress, but we have work to do. Reconciliation is not just a goal, but a duty.”

Toward that end, Reichelt says she wants to achieve parity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous graduation rates.

“Our new district motto is Syós:ys Iets’e th’ále, lets’emó:t (one heart, one mind, working together for a common purpose),” she said. “Choosing to use a Halq’eméylem phrase as a guiding principle for the district is just one way that we are demonstrating our commitment to true partnership with Indigenous people.”