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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-09-11, Page 27WEDDING INVITATIONS THE HURON PHONE 527-0240 EXPOSITOR SE AFORTH Lower Interest Rates NOW AVAILABLE ON 1st and 2nd Mortgages anywhere in Ontario on RESIDENTIAL — INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL and FARM PROPERTIES Interim financing on, new construction or land development REPRESENTATIVES IN YOUR AREA PHONE AREA CODE 519.744-6535 COLLECT SAFEWAY INVESTMENTS & CONSULTANTS LTD. Head Office: 56 Weber Street, East, Kitchener, Ontario WE BUY EXISTING MORTGAGES FOR INSTANT CASH For Productive Government Look to Experience Jim Hayter knows that as .amember of the Ontario Legislature tough decisions must be made. He 'also knows that they ,cannot be made without active and continuous consultation in the Riding. He has learned that 'well in his 20 years' experience in local government. On Sept. 1 8th look to experience for productive government. On Sept. 18th Elect Hayter HURON-MIDDLESEX Sponsored by Herron-Middlesex Assoc, 't.i,41.:.M0.13ON:...gxopOrto no: .sge..rgmogn:11...;:1!Fik:. ton` 'dscu • (Continued from Page IM which we live, he feels. Kids hitchhike around Europe looking at far away fields but don't learn about their own country. He's a lukewarm nationalist who says Canada has a "national inferiority complex". It's okay to be nationalistic "but not as nationalistic as some of our neighbours", he sums up. Trustees are like a board of directors of a corporation in John Cochrane's view. "They don't have time and it probably isn't their role to get involved in the nitty gritty." Mr. Cochrane says he suggests policy to the board: he doesn't make it. But, he agrees, trustees usdally accept his suggestions. There is a close bond of trust and co-operation between the board and the administration. After all, he sayS "the board hired us to run the system for it." New System He says that a new system of bringing all business before the whole board before it is sent to committees is working well and offse tting charges that much of the board's work was being done out of the public eye. Committee of the whole .sessions are also being kept to the minimum, he says. He says the Iltu'on board's afternoon meetings, which have been criticized because working people can't attend them, happen because most of the trustees favour them. "There's a definite cut off point". Meetings at night, tend to go on after midnight and "you're beat the next day," he says. ,„. Meeting format is set year by year and may. change, Mr. Cochrane says. But as long as there's the apathy' that there is; 'til people are beating down doors to change to ,night 'meetings, the director sayg he's all for the Communication is a problem Educational quality • 0 WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE WALTON HALL — About 60 people came to a meeting to discuss the future of the Walton Community Hall and ball park last week. A lot of information was discussed but no hard and fast decision was made. ($taff Photo) the walls. Stewart ,HurnphrieS said \,he, remembered shovellilng gravel in connection with the renovation of the building, but in those days he was just interested in the dances that would be held there. One resident said: "People don't want to spend money on something they don't have control of." William Shortreed, a shareholder said: .` /I don't care if I ever get my $5 back; I had' as many good times as anyone." He suggested a committee be formed to look into the question of ownership and arrange a properly called shareholders meeting. Then, the community could go to the township to arrange grants. He felt most shareholders would be glad to give up their shares now. Besides the leaking roof, the building has no toilets, mainly because there isn't enough land to put in a weeping system. There .is no water and it was , , suggested that even if improvements were carried out the hall isn't big enough to get a liquor license for special events. Mrs. McGavin said: "If the community doesn't have a community hall, a place for kids to go to have a good time, the community is going to fall apart." "I think it should be our families and people who come after us who we really should think about as well as ourselves." • "If we can't even'put a little bit of roof on it, something is wrong , here." a resident agreed. Another said if the community is planning to build a new hall, they would have to pull together better than they have for the last 20 years. The community hall is run by the Hall Board which consist s of four women and a man. The Hall Board held dances back in the fifties to help pay for lowering the ceiling and for panelling. It's easy to get on the ',bard. Two members approached Two township.' Tho, •viand. beneath • .0.0 "oriiinunityloirTos lOiped4o the, 'community .hy-, 00. Humphries. family until, uoh OriO'skutitli§ no longer used community. people sppinitd4-:so'ppo when 'Ken MeePOnald.:stoiiii_ up and;tlfo esuntnniiitiouto :never 'get anything gone, if 'they continued the':*43.' they were at. the meeting; The wallcathon. for the diamond. lights wn$ put oft :Oro. , Pe400 ,".F4s appointed from :Uach lino 'ta canvass to raise 'rOOlidY for' the roof. - , " It was agreed that .the' Board would. apprOnch the three township councils Grey and Morris for a donatIon, No motion was made to meet again or to look into the ownership of the buliclinV (Continued from Page 1A) school board days when the ministr:, set the curriculum for all schools. Teacher trustee relationships can be a touchy problem especially at salary negotiation time. H ere John Vintar played in interesting role. In January 1974 Huron-Perth teachers resigned and were out of the classroom for several days until a wage se ttlement was reached with the board. Both sides were probably a little skittish when they went into the 1976 negotiations this spring. In an unusual move for a director of eduction, John Vintar took on the job of chairing the salary negotiation meetings of board • and teacher representatives. Why did he put himself in what could have been a difficult position? "It's a challenge," he says. "I had faith we could do it if we were honest, with nc manipulations under the stable." His father had a saying "What you say has got to be meant". Not an earthmover A friend told him, Mr. Vintar says, "John, you're too open." But he says "I believe a spade is a spade, and not an earthmover." He doesn't like to think of education in extremes. But humans, he says don't seem to move in intermediate steps. On many issues, including education, we swing hard in one direction, missing the middle Where the merit lies and then we "get alarmed and swing right back." What we should do, he believes, is "glow up in the middle and have a good look." That's what he hopes is happening in education now, rather than a backlash against permissiveness taking the schools back to the other extreme. Principals very much set the tone in each of the schools in the system. "You could have the best staff on earth and a bad principal could ruin things", he says. Teachers who are • strict car operate in the fashion that lets • afternoon sessions. John Cochrane, 'who's been an educator since his graduation from University of. Toronto and OCE after service in World War 2 says he doesn't see a conflict between the business and academic side of his job. "The dollars can't become all important, but you have to temper academic desires with the facts of life." 15 Years He says he doesn't think as a teacher anymore (it's been 15 years since he taught regularily in a classroom), but his view of what education is indicates that he isn't the totally hard headed businessman. Modern educatorg,' he says strongly, are not running trade schools. Education should help people to think, 'to reason, to know the difference between right and wrong, and to understand their environment. There's too much knowledge in the world today for kids to just learn a set of facts and parrot them back. They have to learn how to find things out for themselves - where to look, Mr. Cochrane says. He thinks continuing education is very important. Adults in the county• can have "anything they want" taught at the board's night school claSses, as long as they can help find a teacher and get enough people interested in the class. The s9hools are avilable to municipal recreation committees free of charge for any programs that they sponsor, and to other community groups or private dubs for' a fee, he says. Does having his own kids, four of them, help him as he directs a system that tries to fill the needs of more than 12,000 other students? It may have helped, but in some Ways it's been a hindrance, John Cochrane says. They were all, until the oldest graduated this year, students in Huron schools. It's been hard to know, when he went to a school about one of his kid's problems, if he was treated as just another parent, he says. Know Why? The big change in today's kids, the directOil thinks, is that "they still want somebody to draw the line, but they want to know why its there. In my day, it was just there." The kids, probably, have changed for the better. He thinks probably the schools have too. However, he says, we can't stand still and the trend away from the basics is probably a natural development. "I'm not so sure I can define what the basics are." Schools will be putting more 'emphasis on skills; the introduction of two compulgory core subjects by the Ministry of Education this year is probably an indication of that, " he says. More than 60 residents came to Walton Community Hall Tuesday night of last week• to disOuss, the, fate of the 100-year-old frame building which serves as, a, community centre. The public meeting was called by concerned citizens who felt the community had to establish priorities. Rev. Edwin Baker, who chaired the meeting said he got the meeting rolling when he heard some citizens were organizing a walkathon to raise money for lights, for the ball park. The walkathon had been planned for early October. He felt the community should decide prioritieg before a fund-raising campaign is launched. The roof of the community hall is leaking and if it isn't fixed this winter, the community may loge the use of the building, he said. It was estimated the repair work would cost about $1,000 to $1,500. "If a community is , a community, can't they pull together to raise it ,(the money)? Marie MeGavin asked. There have been a lot of good times here, a lot of people can vouch for that." Rev. Baker agreed "we should get this all fixed, I don't think we should allow it to fall apart." ',One resident said: "We all donated time, money and labor to build this, I can't see letting it fall down." TheCommunity Hall was a former Methodist Church that was moved for the second time when it was purchased in 1938 for $50 by the Walton community. Canvassers sold shares to people in the community for $5 . The names of the shareholders were read to those attending the meeting.- About half were still alive, and many of the deeds had been passed on to friends and 'relatives. In 1958, the community co-operated to renovate the interior of the building by lowering the ceiling and panelling institute menthers to `Sit oft the- board since they wanted to—gult, but hard getting off. general meeting is 4000 appoint new members, but no one shows except the five -who want to get Off, one former board member said. The community ball park was bought in 194$, and has„ been managed by the recreation committee, since •tWo 'years ago. This committee includes Nolan, Joe Steffier, Howard Hackwell, Don Achilles and-, GirtaemeCtreaaimg s: men involved with local The taxes for the park were paid by the Hall Board last year. but the committee was mainly formed by men concerned with the ball teams. The committee has installed a screen and benches through fund-raising ventures of ball team members. Someone made the suggestion that there should only be one committee to Manage both the park and the hall, so one drive for funds could be held. Mr. Steffler said he couldn't see his team being willing to canvass and raise money to put, a roof on the building. In the only motion of the four hour meeting, the people at the -meeting voted to keep,the two committees. Mr. Nolan read the treasurer's report which indicated the committee was about $7 in the black, but owed another recreation committee member $50. , Mr. Steffler who manages the Walton team in the TrilCounty Squirt League said his boys could continue to play ball whether the lights were installed or not. 'they could play in Brussels or Winthrop when the playoffs start and it gets dark early. Lavern Godkin who was chosen secretary for Tuesday's meeting asked the chairman of the Huron County Board of Education, William Shortreed, if it was Sable .that: Wolto0 SOU01: tygttd b0, 0000 ,(10.0H10:,,t1io'.. tereseeehle ,fnfltre, Clos9re was discussed two YeAll a091#'' the County 'bout* • .,• ..••• • • The ...Simi 4.,outil is cutting down the building Of additional,' claSsrPO.ms, so if there tS an .overload in sonfortlyor.**els, ‘-1(10 could be busedlo Walton,, he said. Mr. Godkin askecl,whethet the school would be closed, if, the number, of pupils decline .across the county. Mr. Shortreed 'said perhaps, but couldn't say whether the board of education would be willing to lease or sell the building to the community,' Mr. Steffler claimed he had a 'letter both from Robert McKinley M.P. and Jack Rifidell M.p,p„ that said the community wouldn't be eligible for provincial grants until they lease the land to a • them be most effective. There is room for both traditional and more modern teachers in the same schools, he believes. "In society everyone's different and so it's good for kids to expect that and learn to work • with various types of people". Parents with complaints about their child's schooling should go to the teacher first with the problem. If not satisfied, they should go to the teacher and the principal, Mr. Vintar says. The worst thing to do , is to go'straight to the top past that level." In fact Mr. Vintar says that he doesn't see parents, or teachers all that often. He says the problem of teachers and administrators who don't live in the town where they work can't really be' resolved as long as we are democratic. It helps though if they become aware of what's happening in the area. It's a problem in the' city too, where there are so many different neighbourhoods, he says. A Target Mr. 'Vintar knows that school board administrators face a lot of criticism. "A man in authority is always a target". And he says that if he's not known as a person, that makes him a better tar get. John Vintar's present salary is $33,000 and he says he hasn't had a raise yet this year. The HPRCSS superintendents, Mr.Tokar and newly hired Alexander Easton are in the $27,000 salary range. But he says he likes people and kids, "that's my reward." "The Lord needs me, that's why I'm still alive"; he chuckles. John Vintar is convinced that our schools are getting better. He says we've moved ahead, at least on the personal level, on treating each student as a person. And he thinks we have better equipped, better trained teachers. We're educating people in a much broader sense than we used to. He concedes that parents aren't involved much . with the school system as a whole except electorally but says they are involved at the school level. "We have no closed schools", he says. 1.