HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-07-15, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010.
Alzheimer Society
holds Coffee Break Day
Girls wanted for Queen and Princess competitions
Additional school closures in Zurich and UsborneOne by one, at a meeting Tuesday,June 22 in Seaforth, trustees of theAvon Maitland District SchoolBoard offered their perspective on
why it’s beneficial to congregate
Grades 7 and 8 students in numbers
greater than currently offered in
many of the board’s elementary
schools. Then, in the culmination of
an accommodation review process
that began in September, 2009, they
voted unanimously to create such a
congregation of students at South
Huron District High School
(SHDHS) in Exeter – in the process,
necessitating the closure, effective
September, 2012, of Zurich Public
School and Usborne Central Public
School.
“I’ve seen some of the objections
to this in terms of interaction (ofsenior elementary students) withhigh school students, as well asconcerns about how much accessthey’ll have to the spaces,”commented South Huron trusteeRandy Wagler. “And, although we
can’t guarantee that (the Grade 7 and
8s) will be able to get into a
laboratory whenever they want,
we’re confident that, with good
timetabling, they will benefit from
improved access.”
Wagler led trustees in rejecting a
different staff proposal, which would
have sought funding from the
Education Ministry for the
reconfiguring of SHDHS and the
adjacent Exeter Public School into a
Kindergarten-to-Grade 12 facility.
That proposal also called for the
closure of Stephen Central Public
School near Crediton.
The trustee argued the boardwould be unlikely to qualify forMinistry funding, since none of theschools in the district are in poorrepair – particularly StephenCentral. But he did note the 7-12option at SHDHS, with two closures,
does address the issue of empty
space at both the high school and a
number of the elementary schools.
According to education
superintendent Mike Ash,
implementation of the change in
September, 2012, will likely require
one extra classroom to be built at
Hensall Public School – which will
accommodate K-6 students
dislocated from Zurich. K-6 students
from Usborne, meanwhile, will
transfer to Exeter Public School,
with some extra space being freed up
in the town school by transferring
Huron Park residents from Exeter
Public to Stephen Central.Wagler noted that, until the 2000closure of McCurdy Public School,students from Huron Park did nottravel into Exeter. He suggestedattendance at Stephen Central is, infact, more in keeping with their
natural community identity.
Throughout the accommodation
review process, many members of
the public expressed displeasure
with the notion of sending Grade 7
and 8 students into a high school
environment. At the June 22
meeting, several trustees
acknowledged that opposition, but
again endeavoured to ease parent
concerns.
“Having lived through this – my
son was one of the very first (in the
Avon Maitland board to move into a
Grade 7-12 configuration) in
Stratford – we monitored the
situation very closely, and none ofthe things that we had thought wouldcome to fruition came true,”explained Stratford trustee MegWestley.Perth East representative TinaTraschel also spoke from personal
experience, noting she opposed the
Stratford transition when it was
proposed that students from the
Shakespeare area would be part of
the move several years ago. Perth
East students were eventually
removed from the process, but her
son subsequently entered a 7-12 high
school in Stratford at Grade 9, and
expressed disappointment he
couldn’t have been in the facility
from the beginning.
“If I had known 10 years ago now,
I would not have hesitated (to
support the concept) for a heartbeat,”
THE EDITOR,
The Huron Queen of the Furrow
program and the Huron Princess
program are an important part of the
Huron County Plowing Match. It
will be hosted by Warden Bert and
Nellie Dykstra and landowners
Andrew and Irene Dykstra at their
farm at 80294 Stone School Line in
Central Huron on August 26 and 27.
The successful Queen participant
at the local level promotes Huron
County and will attend the
International Plowing Match in the
United Counties of Prescott/Russell
in September 2011.
This event enables young women
(age 16-24) to gain leadership skills.
They will present a two-to three-
minute speech on agriculture,
conduct an interview with a panel of
judges and have a fun experience.
Each contestant will use a different
tractor and plow and they will be
coached by local plowmen, many of
whom have won provincial honours.
The princess program (ages 12-
15) will take place on Junior Day,
August 26 when participants will
present a one-to-two-minute speech
and have an interview but will not
plow competitively.
Both programs require the
competitor to be a resident of Huron,
but not necessarily live on a farm.
This is a great way to meet friends,
it’s conducted outdoors, looks good
on a résumé and is a great learning
experience.
If you are interested in becoming
an ambassador for Huron County as
the Queen of the Furrow contact
Marie McGavin 519-887-9996,
Stacey Reinsma 519-440-3037 or as
the Huron Princess, contact Ruth
Townsend 519-522-1629, Jacquie or
Kabrina Bishop 519-887-9379 by
July 23.
Marie McGavin, Huron Queen of
the Furrow committee
Ruth Townsend, Huron Princess
Committee.
THE EDITOR,
The Alzheimer Society of Huron
County is preparing for its 15th
annual Coffee Break fundraising
campaign.
September 16 has been designated
as National Coffee Break Day across
Canada. You can make this a day to
remember by becoming a Coffee
Break Host.
Coffee Break can be as elaborate
or as simple as you wish to make it.
Some hosts offer baked goods, some
have hosted a dinner party. Other
hosts put on a pot of coffee during a
regularly scheduled monthly
meeting. We leave the creativity up
to you. The idea is to have fun, while
supporting a great cause.
Coffee Break fundraisers enable
the Alzheimer Society of Huron
County to continue offering
programs and services in your home
community.
Today someone in Canada
develops dementia every five
minutes. If nothing changes it will
increase to one every two minutes
within the next 30 years.
Hope lies in making changes
today, which will lessen dementia’s
crippling effect on families in Huron
County.
Help us turn the tide by calling the
Society at 519-482-1482 or 1-800-
561-5012 to request a Coffee Break
host package. We will ensure you
receive everything you need to host a
successful event.
Theresa Wilson
Events Coordinator
Alzheimer Society Huron County
Letters to the Editor
Ph. 519-482-3020 RR #1 Bayfield Fax 519-482-1496
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By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen
Continued on page 7