All around Canyons District are familiar faces, especially on the Canyons Board of Education. On Tuesday, Jan. 3, at a special Oath of Office ceremony and reception, well-known education advocates Nancy Tingey, Chad Iverson and Mont Millerberg were sworn into office for four-year terms on Canyons’ governing body.

Tingey, who represents District 3, and Iverson, the Board member for District 7, won re-election after serving for four years.  Millerberg, who served on the inaugural Canyons Board of Education from 2008 to 2012, returns to the represent District 1.

They took their oaths of office in ceremonies conducted by Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen. Drill team dancers from Hillcrest High, the reigning 4A state champs, performed the flag ceremony, and Scott Taylor, managing editor of the Deseret News, was asked to do a special address about the importance of public service. 

It’s been said that “with great power, comes great responsibility,” and nowhere is that more evident than with public schools, which have a profound influence on children and our collective future, Taylor said. 

Remarking on how his own 32-year career can be traced back to early educational experiences, he thanked Board members for their willingness to serve. He also said many of the tenets of journalism, such as the imperative to be transparent, can be applied to public service. He urged the Board members to strive to explain not just the who, what and where of policy and budgeting decisions, but also the why and how.

In their first remarks, the trio of newly sworn-in members thanked their family and friends for their care and support. They also pledged to serve the patrons of Canyons with integrity and fidelity. 

“I want to thank the people of Draper for continuing to put their trust in me. It’s truly an honor to serve,” said Iverson, whose district covers schools in the Draper area. He added that he aims to work with other Board members to increase teacher morale, address enrollment imbalances, and boost student achievement on such assessments as the ACT, among other issues.

Millerberg told the audience at the ceremony and reception in the Board Chambers of the Canyons Administration Building-East, 9361 S. 300 East, that “it’s really, really good to be back on the Canyons Board of Education. “

“It’s been said that the best government is the government that is closest to the people,” he said, “and you honestly don’t get much closer to the people than you do working in the public school system.”

Tingey, who serves as the Board’s 2^nd Vice President, said that “serving on the school board is not so much about giving speeches – but more about rolling up our sleeves and working together to tackle the tasks and challenges that we will face.”