Trustee Rod Giesbrecht
Ward 2
Phone: 204.391.8225
rgiesbrecht@retsd.mb.ca
Ward 2 Schools
- Bertrun E. Glavin School
- École Salisbury Morse Place School
- Hampstead School
- John de Graff School
- Joseph Teres School
- Kildonan-East Collegiate
- Sherwood School
- Valley Gardens Middle School
Trustee Rod Giesbrecht has served as a school trustee for over 20 years. His time at the board table has helped reinforce his philosophy—that as elected officials, trustees help to ensure staff and students get the tools they need to be successful.
With those tools and the right environment in which to use them, Rod says, educators can educate, support personnel can support, maintenance can maintain buildings, and transportation can run school buses. Trustees can then move on to ensuring the division is running efficiently and effectively in all areas of operation, while being mindful of its responsibility to be fiscally accountable.
A man who wears many hats—a chaplain at St. Boniface Hospital, as well as a pastor—Rod has two other phrases he uses in his life that help guide his actions and decision-making. He says individuals and institutions should have the freedom to fail, and they should not aspire to greatness, but rather perspire to greatness.
He’s proud of the work that has been accomplished in RETSD over the years and knows there are times when difficult decisions must be made, such as realigning school boundaries and reconfiguring grades in schools. But, he says, those decisions are necessary if they will enhance the learning opportunities for students.
Rod was raised in the RETSD community and attended Sherwood School, Morse Place School, and Kildonan-East Collegiate. He continued his education after high school, acquiring two master’s degrees. He and his wife Viola enjoy travel and being involved in projects—from education to health—in several countries.
Rod is grateful he has been granted the opportunity to contribute to his community. These are exciting days, he says, and we will overcome the many challenges that are before us.
