GOVERNANCE
Hazel Whitehead
BOARD PRESIDENT
Hazel has been a parent at Sunrise Waldorf School since her son was in kindergarten. Her son loves going to school here and is a perfect fit in his class. Hazel spent two years on the PA as a Parent Enrichment Coordinator and has been active in school life as a frequent volunteer. When not hanging around at school she works at a small farm mostly with horses and in the garden. In past lives she worked in the Social Services and in Theatre and Film making costumes. She is excited to help out on the board and learn new skills that will be applicable in her future career in Social Work/Counselling.
Contact: president@sesboard.org
Eric Finney
VICE PRESIDENT
Eric is a parent of three children who have attended Sunrise since relocating to the Cowichan Valley in 2018. Eric appreciates the nurturing setting and abundant beauty of the school and is grateful his children can spend their formative school years here. Eric is a practicing water resources engineer and is new in the role of school governance, but is looking forward to having a more direct and positive impact on this very special school and community.
Contact: vicepresident@sesboard.org
Lucien Power
DIRECTOR
Lucien is a parent to a current Sunrise student, and has a younger daughter, too. Lucien appreciated his Waldorf education as a child in the UK and, after a brief stint in engineering, has spent over 15 years in education, including teaching and administration in Waldorf schools for 11 years. Currently, Lucien is a Principal at a local independent elementary school in the Cowichan Valley and has experience working in independent schools, and with the MECC. Lucien completed the Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program at the Center for Anthroposophy in 2013 and holds both a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Bachelor of Engineering degree. Lucien and his family moved to the Cowichan Valley in 2021 from Squamish to enroll at Sunrise. Lucien is keen to support Waldorf education here in the Valley and to meaningfully contribute to his child's school and community.
Contact: lucienpower@sesboard.org
Mark Brotherton
TREASURER
Mark and his wife Justine had three key criteria when relocating across Canada from Oakville, Ontario: finding the right school for their two daughters, Willow (Grade 2) and Hannah (Bright Angel Kindergarten), securing acreage for a self-sustainable lifestyle, and settling in the warmth of the beautiful Cowichan Valley. After immigrating from South Africa to Canada in 2018, their journey has been filled with its ups and downs, but they feel they've finally found their community at Sunrise Waldorf. While relatively new to Waldorf education and Steiner's teachings—having started their journey at Halton Waldorf in Ontario in 2020—they believe Steiner’s educational philosophy is the best way to nurture their children in today’s world. There’s an undeniable magic in this approach, and Mark feels like he's floating in a dream every time he walks the land of Sunrise. With a background in business and real estate, Mark is eager to contribute his expertise to the Sunrise Waldorf School Board of Directors in any way he can.
Contact: treasurer@sesboard.org
Erez Laxman
SECTRETARY
Erez is a proud father of two boys at Sunrise Waldorf School. Even before coming to Vancouver Island, he and his wife had heard of Sunrise and the beautiful way it treats children. After arriving in Canada in 2022 and starting to work as residential caregivers at Glenora Farm, the opportunity for the Laxman family to join the school opened up, and they feel fortunate to have had that chance. At Glenora Farm, Erez was part of facilitating some school trips and had the opportunity to show the students a glimpse of farm life. The farm is a Camphill community and operates according to the values that also live at the heart of the school. Erez completed a Waldorf teacher seminar and taught for several years at a public middle school, as well as two years as a class teacher at a Waldorf school. He has a long-standing and deep interest in education, and supporting a healthy school and society is one of his goals.
Contact: secretary@sesboard.org
BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
Mima Djordjevic
Early Childhood Representative
Michaela Lohsen
Grades Representative
Alexis Hutchinson
Parent Association Representative
The Sunrise Educational Society
Principles of Good Practice and Confidentiality Agreement
The following principles establish the professional and ethical standards that guide interactions between members of the Sunrise Educational Society (SES) Board of Directors and their constituents. The SES Principles of Good Practice (PGPs) and Confidentiality Agreement create a shared framework, defining responsibilities and expectations that uphold the Society’s commitment to advancing the school’s long-term success.
Principles of Good Practice:
1. A Director understands, supports and promotes the School’s guiding documents including, but not limited to, the Mission, Vision, Values, Strategic Plan, and Philosophy Statement.
2. A Director understands, supports and promotes the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, reconciliation, justice and accessibility.
3. A Director stays informed about current Board activities and issues by attending meetings regularly, coming to meetings prepared, and participating in all matters.
4. A Director contributes to legal and fiscal oversight, including long-range strategic planning, policy development, risk management, and active involvement in annual and capital giving; and, does not become involved in specific operational management, personnel, or curricular issues.
5. Each Director, not just the Treasurer and Finance Committee, has fiduciary responsibility to the school for sound financial management.
6. A Director takes care to separate the interests of the school from the specific needs of a particular parent, student, employee or constituent.
7. A Director accepts and supports Board decisions. Once a decision has been made, the Board speaks as one voice publicly.
8. A Director actively avoids conflicts of interest, whether personal or business-related, and promptly discloses any potential or perceived conflicts to the Board President.
9. A Director is responsible for supporting the School, the Head of School, Faculty, and the leadership team, while actively demonstrating that support within the community. This includes fostering goodwill, adhering to the Board and school policies, and giving particular attention to the communication policy.
10. Authority is vested in the Board as a whole. A Director who learns of an issue of importance to the school has the obligation to bring it to the Head of School, or to the Board Chair, versus responding to the situation individually.
11. A Director is responsible for reading and understanding the Directors Handbook.
Confidentiality Agreement:
Board members must maintain the confidentiality of all sensitive information, including student information, personnel matters, legal issues, and financial data. Such information may only be used for fulfilling board responsibilities and must not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals, both during and after board service, except as required by law or policy. Document