Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 10/00) - Taking an active role in teachers' associations takes "a tremendous amount of time" but is worth the effort, says the president-elect of the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association (NWTTA).

David Murphy began teaching for the Yellowknife Catholic School Board in 1988. He says he got involved in the local teachers' association right away and eventually began serving on the NWT body.

"It's a way for me to just help people," Murphy says.

"It's an opening that someone has to do and I just feel comfortable doing it. I still like doing it. I feel the membership feels comfortable in me doing it."

Murphy, the current vice-president of the NWTTA, beat out St. Patrick high school teacher Coleen McDonald for the presidency in an election at the end of March. Murphy assumes his new post July 1. His term will be for two years.

Murphy has also served as member at large and treasurer for the NWTTA.

"I've been involved with the organization for many years. I've been involved with a lot of the issues and concerns that members had and helped solve a lot of those. I'd just like to continue on working on behalf of the membership."

Murphy is a curriculum advisor at Weledeh and St. Joseph schools. He says one of his biggest challenges so far within the NWTTA was in the time leading up to the creation of Nunavut.

Murphy was chairperson of the division committee, which saw to the distribution of assets and liabilities. He was also executive member in charge of the legislative committee.

"We had to go through our bylaws and policies and write bylaws and policies that Nunavut and the NWT would adopt," Murphy said.

"I worked at that for a couple of years, and that was a tremendous amount of work," he said.

"I couldn't do it without my family's support."

Murphy and his wife, Julia, have three children, Melanie, Robert and Sara.

In addition to Murphy, three other executive positions were filled.

Michelle Sabean was acclaimed vice president-elect.

Sabean is vice principal of Joseph B. Tyrrell school in Fort Smith. She has taught in Fort Smith since 1990 and has been active in the NWTTA in a number of local, regional and territorial roles.

Sabean is a member of the GNWT bargaining team which just recently negotiated a contract with the government of the NWT.

Cliff King of Samuel Hearne high school in Inuvik is secretary-treasurer-elect. He has taught in the NWT since 1972 and has been active in the NWTTA in many regional and territorial roles.

Patricia Burnstad is to be the new member at large. She teaches at Diamond Jenness high school in Hay River. Burnstad has been active in the NWTTA in a variety of local and regional roles since she came to the NWT in the early 1970s.

This is Burnstad's first position on the territorial executive.