Photo Courtesy Beverly Silvester

By Tanner Smith

Grande Prairie & District Catholic Schools

GPCSD Trustee Election Candidate Profile: Beverly Silvester

Sep 25, 2025 | 11:49 AM

Beverly Silvester is one of 13 individuals running for six Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools Board Trustee vacancies.

She was asked to provide a candidate bio, or answer four questions in 600 words or less.

1. What has inspired you to run for mayor/council/school trustee in the Oct. 20, 2025, municipal election?

My name is Beverly Silvester and I am running for Catholic School Board Trustee in the October 20, 2025 municipal election.

I am very passionate in matters concerning the Catholic faith and Catholic Education. Especially when it involves dispelling myth for facts. In 2010, I professed into the Order of Secular Franciscans (Third Order). Needless to say, quality Catholic Education and its continuation into the future is extremely important to me.

2. What skills or experience do you have that you feel would make you a good fit for the role?

I taught in the Grande Prairie Catholic School District from 2011 until my retirement in December 2023. For many years, I was a substitute teacher, which gave me a broader insight into the struggles our teachers and students face throughout the district. Children need a safe environment to be able to learn but increasingly, it is necessary for the teacher to spend valuable teaching time on classroom management (behavior control). As a grandmother of two special needs students, I see both sides and am deeply aware of concerns regarding the lack of resources for all of our students.

Since 2019, I have been serving on the St. Joseph Parish Liturgy Committee. I also served two terms on St. Joseph Parish Council from 2006 -2012.

3. What do you feel are the key or main election issues in your community, and what are the issues of priority for you?

The main issue I am hearing in the community is our chronically, underfunded education system. This is causing over-crowded classrooms with lack of support and resources. Stress and related exhaustion, is leading to extremely high numbers of teachers leaving the profession. The government has promised to hire three thousand teachers over three years but this will not cover or begin to compensate for the number of teachers leaving. Government policy is holding the education of our children hostage.

4. Where can people learn more about you?

I will be available to answer questions October 7, 2025 at the Candidate forum KMSC Theatre at ST. John Paul II Catholic School 6:30 pm.

Also, St. Joseph Catholic Church Grande Prairie after the 7:00 pm Mass on October 11, 2025 and after the 9:00 and 11:00 am Masses October 12, 2025.

A more in-depth biography is available on my Facebook page.