Vancouver Public Schools to honor former board member

Edri Geiger, who retired last month from the board of directors at Vancouver Public Schools, will be honored at a celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Bates Center for Educational Leadership, 2921 Falk Road. The event is open to the public.

In her 10 years on the board, Geiger has been honored as a champion of equity for children. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Advocate Award from the Washington State PTA for continued, dedicated service to children and a demonstrated commitment to helping create policies related to the health, welfare, safety and education of children and youth.

She served on the Student Discipline Task Force for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and was a member of the National School Boards Association and the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

Geiger plans to continue advocating for children.

“I want all children to honor their strengths and overcome challenges,” Geiger said. “When we look at children who have barriers or life circumstances, we say we understand, but we really can’t. We need to have the opportunity to hear more of those authentic voices. I will be looking at what we provide as a state and how do we meet students’ social and emotional needs.”

Geiger was a teacher in the district for a decade and taught at Hudson’s Bay High School and Jason Lee Middle School.

As a member of the first group of teachers in the nation to achieve National Board Certification, Geiger was welcomed to a White House event and met President Bill Clinton.

When she retired from teaching, she co-created the district’s mentor program for new teachers. In September at the new teacher mentor induction event, Geiger was approached by one of her former students who was starting her teaching career.

“She told me, ‘I remember you and that I felt safe. You always cared about us,’ ” Geiger recalled.

That was one of many experiences that helped her realize how deeply teachers affect their students’ lives.

Geiger said she is enjoying more time with her husband, Ed Geiger, who has Parkinson’s disease, and their two adult daughters and three grandchildren. A fourth grandchild will be born in the new year.