HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-08-19, Page 16Closures canned if new school falls through in PerthPAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010.It’s either qualify for EducationMinistry funding, or maintain the
status quo, as trustees of the Avon
Maitland District School Board
voted by an 8-1 margin earlier this
summer to pursue the construction
of a new Kindergarten-to-Grade 8
school in North Perth.
The new school, proposed to
house just over 500 students, would
replace Listowel Central Public
School and Gowanstown’s Wallace
Public School. Those schools would
close.
The only trustee opposed to thedecision was Huron East/CentralHuron representative Willie Laurie,who wanted the board to include a“Plan B” in the motion: if Ministry
funding is not approved, close
Wallace anyway and send students
to Howick Township Public School
near Gorrie, Grey Central Public
School in Ethel, or one of the
Listowel facilities.
Laurie also requested the board
decrease the size of the new school,
and send some Wallace students to
Grey Central.
The proposal first came to the
board on April 13, following a
community-based, board-mandatedAccommodation Review processthat began in September, 2009.South Huron trustee Randy Waglerbrought forward the June 22 motion
to follow through on the
recommendation, noting it will
require cooperation from the Town
of North Perth and the community in
general.
“The likelihood of getting some
funding is higher if we can work on
some sort of partnership somewhat
akin to what’s happening in St.
Marys,” he said, referring to a recent
agreement between the municipality
and school board which saw a new
school constructed adjacent to arecreation complex, with sharedparking and green space.It was North Perth trustee JennyVersteeg, however, who spoke most
energetically in favour of the
proposal. The chair of the board, she
passed the gavel to vice chair Doug
Pratley for that portion of
the discussion, thereby allowing
herself to express her views more
freely.
In the weeks since the release of
the April 13 recommendation, there
has been limited public opposition
to the plan from the Wallace or
Listowel Central school
communities. This stood in contrast
to the numerous delegations heard at
the board from other schools
concurrently threatened with closure
– most notably, Grey Central,
Brussels Public School and Stephen
Central Public School near
Crediton.
Among the concerns, Listowel
Central supporters have questioned
the possible location of the new
facility, wondering if it might force
students to abandon their present
practice of walking to school. At
Wallace, meanwhile, there have
been predictions that a number of
Mennonite families, preferring not
to have their children educated in an
urban setting, will instead opt for
home or community-based private
schooling.
Versteeg acknowledged those
comments. She noted the Avon
Maitland board may have already
lost some of its former students
when the Huron-Perth Catholic
board built a new elementary school
in Listowel three years ago,
establishing an in-town presence
where none had existed previously.
The local Christian school, sheadded, also expanded recently.A brand new school, shesuggested, could potentially attractsome families who might previously
have chosen on of those options –
especially if the Avon Maitland
board works hard to address the
concerns raised by the Wallace
community.
Regarding Laurie’s proposal to
decrease the size of the new school
and send some students to Grey
Central, Versteeg spoke clearly in
opposition. While there may be a
couple of families who might
consider the option, the board chair
explained, the overwhelming
sentiment from the Wallace
community is that they would like
their children educated in
North Perth, and they would
like them to remain together as a
group.
“We’re looking at a community
that wants to work with us,”
Versteeg told fellow trustees, adding
the transition will be a lot easier if
the board avoids dividing students
and families.
The April 13 staff proposal also
calls for an adjustment to the current
attendance boundary between
Listowel Central and Listowel
Eastdale Public School,
thereby sending more students to
Eastdale.
At the June 22 meeting, however,
there was some discussion instead of
maintaining Eastdale as a K-6
facility, and congregating
Grades 7 and 8 students from the
entire region at the new elementary
site.
In the end, it was decided such
decisions can be made during the
implementation phase of the project.
Obituaries
DOUGLAS ALAN (HOSS) COOK
Douglas Alan Cook passed away
from a short battle with cancer at age
58 in Carson City, Nevada, on August
8, 2010.
Doug was born in Wingham,
Ontario, the eldest son of Norman and
Lorna Cook of Belgrave. He moved to
Airdrie, Alberta in 1980, where he
worked on different farms, drove
transport trucks, and worked at a
fertilizer plant, making many friends
along the way.
Eventually he started working for a
drilling company where he became a
licensed driller.
Doug was quickly promoted to
supervisor of up to six drilling rigs at a
time thanks to his strong work ethic.
He was well respected by his fellow
workers.
He travelled to many countries as a
driller, including Mexico, where Doug
eventually decided to call Hermosillo
home in 1993.
While living in Mexico, he met his
partner Silvia,and started his family by
adopting Silvia’s daughter Fabiola.
The pair then had two children of
their own, Norman Alan in 1999, and
Joseph Wayne in 2003.
Doug was a grandfather to Ivana, as
well as a brother to Ron and Marg
Cook, Barb and Harvey Black, Cam
and Mary Cook, Marvin Cook and
Kathy McCracken and Paul and Karen
Cook, all of Belgrave, as well as Brad
and Sheila Cook of Airdrie,Alberta.
Doug, after being diagnosed, fought
hard to beat the cancer, going through
several rounds of chemotherapy and
surgery. He spent his last few weeks in
Carson City, Nevada, undergoing
chemotherapy treatments.
His determination to beat the cancer
never stopped.
Doug was very happy to have his
family and friends from
Mexico and Canada with him until his
passing.
A funeral service will take place in
Hermosillo, Mexico, and a celebration
of his life will take place at the
Belgrave Community Centre on
August 21 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Funeral information will be available
through McBurney Funeral Home in
Wingham.
By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen
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