Sonja Blank was born and raised in Germany.
After she finished high school, she decided to travel the world. She spent a year in Canada. Blank ended up settling in Manitoba because she felt a connection with the people.
She got her teaching degree from the University of Winnipeg and then got a teaching job in the then Dauphin-Ochre River School Division. Sonja spent 27 years working in the Mountain View School Division. She retired three years ago, but wasn't ready to fully say goodbye to her teaching days, so she became a substitute teacher at Whitmore School.
Blank is back in Germany with her family and friends, and there is a lot to celebrate. On Tuesday night, she won the Ward 4 by-election within Mountain View School Division. She will now join the board of trustees.
Sonja woke up at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and an hour later, she found out the great result.
"Obviously, I was pleased with the result. I celebrated by myself to start because everyone was sleeping here, so I didn't want to wake anyone up," said Blank. "We celebrated a bit this morning. This afternoon, we will likely take each other out for lunch."
Sonja earned 153 votes. She beat Michelle Smigelski, who got 86; Valerie McInnes, who got 83; Rigby Devos, who got 36; and Carter Taylor-Luke, who got 14.
Blank believes her experience and knowledge as a teacher and a longtime board member will bring expertise and skill to the board. She would love to see more collaboration and consultation. Sonja has experience working on the provincial board with the Manitoba Teachers' Society.
She looks forward to being there for the school staff, every student, and the entire community.
"I am representing their needs, their interests, and hopefully, their voices," continued Blank. "I am hoping that what I will bring is more transparency and more community engagement. I plan to reach out to folks in Dauphin. I will start with the candidates who ran alongside me. I honour their engagement."
In an online post on Tuesday night, vice-chair of the board, Jarri Thompson, welcomed Sonja. She looks forward to working with her. Jarri said Sonja's calm presence, willingness to listen, and the heart she brings to every conversation will be a real strength around the table.
"Yes, I was absolutely humbled this morning when I saw that post," commented Blank. "I have to send her a note back. I haven't gotten to that yet. I'm truly blessed to be working with such a great group of people."
Sonja thanks all who stepped out into the cold Dauphin air on Tuesday to cast their vote. She's a strong believer in a democratic system and the right to engage in the political process.
"I'm happy to see people want to have input into what we want to see at the Mountain View School Division board table in terms of our collective and communal values," ended Blank. "I'm deeply honoured and pleased that my values resonated with those who cast their vote in my direction. I hope that my values are representative of the majority of Dauphin constituents."
Blank also expresses her sincere gratitude to the other candidates who had the courage, passion, and determination to let their names stand in the election.
