SCHOOL DISTRICT #57
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 The Board of School Trustees is the governing body of School District 57. It is made up of seven members, elected at large for a two-year term. The Board has three working committees: District Operations, Education Services, and Financial & Personnel Services, as well as two special committees:
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 Special Audit and Long-Range Planning. Trustees from left to right: Mr. Gordon Ingalls (Vice-Chairman), Mrs. Adrienne Radford, Mr. Graham Farstad, Mr. Roy Stewart (Chairman), Mr. Bill Brooks, Mr. Vic Rouse, and Mrs. Lois Boone.
Superintendent Reports
Jim Imrich
 Our goal is to increase public awareness about the value of our schools to our community and to build community confidence in public education.
 Schooling is an important investment in the future of our culture and society. In the past few years a great deal of public discussion of education revolved around political issues and negative effects resulting from a serious downturn in our econo-
 my. The recently-re-leased Let’s Talk About Schools Report notes:
 “. . . the remarkable consensus that exists in the way British Colum-bians view their schools . . . broad agreement exists between the public and educational professionals. Respondents have not called for dramatic or radical restructuring of the present system. Rather, they have called for a number of adjustments to increase the effectiveness of schools and to make them more responsive to the communities around them.” Clearly stronger school-community relations and closer co-operation between the public and the profes-
 sionals who work in schools will help shape the character and quality of education.
 The Board of School Trustees and its employees of District 57 are working hard to continue a quality education program for our young people. We believe that the continued improvement of our students’ performance in scholarship, survey tests and provincial examinations indicate success in our educators. The needs of today’s youth are becoming increasingly diverse, yet at the same time we hold high expectations for the education system to produce responsible thoughtful citizens capable of meeting the
Scholarship Funds A Success
 In an effort to rebuild local sponsorship, the district mounted a campaign appealing to businesses, organizations, service clubs and individuals to support the awards program.
 Supervisor of Instruction, Garry Hartley, who is responsible for the district awards program, wrote to 325 potential donors, in addition to engaging in ra-
 dio and newspaper advertising.
 As a result of this campaign, an additional $13,450 was pledged by new donors, increasing the 86 continuing awards to a total of 120. These local awards, combined with Government of B.C., District, and Provincial Scholarships, provided District 57 graduates with 149 awards totalling $90,275.
The Awards Program not only makes funds available for graduates but also recognizes outstanding achievement and provides incentives for students to perform at a high standard.
 A complete listing of scholarship and bursary winners will be published in October. Potential donors may phone 564-1511 for further information.
CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS
YEAR IN REVIEW
 challenges of tomorrow.
 The key to our schools achieving these expectations are dedicated people whose primary interest is the social, human, vocational and intellectual development of our children. Together we can keep strong one of our most precious provincial assets — schools and the young people who attend them.
District
Facts
 School District #57 is one of 75 districts in British Columbia. The district extends south to Hixon, north of Mackenzie, east to Vaiemount and west to Bednesti Lake.
 •	Our buses travel approximately 10,000 kilometres per day making our transportation costs the second highest in the province at $1.7 million annually.
 •	We have 53 elementary schools and 11 secondary schools in the district, the third highest in the province.
 •	Prince George Secondary School is the largest in the district with 1,580 students. The smallest school is Dome Creek with 13 students.
 The Board of School Trustees of School District No. 57 wishes to report to the taxpayers of the District. In this report, we hope to highlight, in a condensed manner, aspects of our complex and diverse education system. This report will, hopefully, provide you with the information you need to judge the performance of the system.
 During the past school year, budgets and fiscal planning have been in the forefront of news stories about the Board’s business. However, the fiscal management of our District is but one of the many aspects of the overall affairs of the District.
 We certainly do not
 wish to minimize the importance of responsible fiscal management, but all too often, the blinding light of budget problems prevents the public from sharing with the Board challenges and accomplishments encountered during the year.
 An informed public, we believe, can participate more successfully in local government. Therefore, the information provided in this report is designed to provide a basis for further inquiry, should you desire a more thorough grounding in any particular aspect of the District’s affairs. We hope to wet your appetite for more information and to generate interest in our overall performance.
 As a Trustee for this District, I cannot help but feel pride in the public education system. Certainly, it has come under strain during the past few years, but the people who make it work are dedicated and competent and have, in my view, preserved for us the basis for providing quality education to our children in the future.
 This is the first time that our School District has reported to the public in this manner. We believe it is a useful excrcise and hope to make it an annual event. We trust that you find it informative and of interest.
       Yours faithfully, R. J. STEWART Chairman
Policies Approved in 1984-85
 The policies approved by the Board during the past year included:
         •	Multiculturalism & Racial Harmony
          •	Promotion of Students
          •	District Attendance Boundaries/Student Transfers
          •	Leaves of Absence
         •	Teachers Extended Leave
          •	Application and Approval for Teachers Leave
THE CITIZEN, Prince George — Friday, September 27, 1985