There was definitely some business taken care of at yesterday's Chinook School Board meeting, as a new chair and vice chair were sworn in.

Kim Pridmore, who's entering her third year on the board, became the first female chair.

And Katelyn Toney, who was appointed as a trustee about a year and a half ago, is the new vice chair.

There were no other nominations for either position.

Pridmore said she likes the direction the board is already going.

"We have a lot of good initiatives already in place, and this is a fantastic board of trustees to work with, so I really just am honoured to work on their behalf and try and keep our projects going."

Pridmore, who is the trustee for Subdivision 5, which is made up of Maple Creek and Consul, added that she likes the rural representation on the board, as she lives in Consul and the schools are very small in her area. She also said the concerns on the board are division-wide.

Transportation is something Toney particularly cares about.

"I am a big transportation girl," she said. "I live in the country and have spent my whole life riding buses to school, so that's kind of where I really like to be involved in, and we've been doing some talking about trying to make transportation really efficient both in the department and on the road, so I'd like to keep an eye on all that."

Toney is trustee for Subdivison 4, consisting of Wymark, Gull Lake, Tompkins, and a number of Hutterian schools.

Shane Andrus, who became vice chair two years ago, and took over chair from current trustee Larry Casswell in November of 2017 for a one-year term, didn't let his name stand for either position.

He said that was partly to give other trustees the opportunity, and partly to focus on his local schools and ward.

He remains trustee for Subdivision 1, which includes Burstall, Fox Valley, and Leader.

Gwen Humphrey was also sworn in as the new trustee for Subdivision 6, which comprises Eastend, Frontier, Shaunavon, and several Hutterian schools.

It was the second board meeting for Humphrey since being elected by acclamation.

She said she also has a rural focus.

"I want to keep the rural schools open. I'm not aware of too many emergency issues that need to be dealt with right now, but that is my main goal."

Humphrey replaced Shannon Armstrong, who resigned midway through her first term.