The Brussels Post, 1975-06-11, Page 15•
I'
A. REALLY NI CE CAA •1938 Nash, one of , Doh, McNeil stands- by 1-11 many
cars at th6 Old auto diSpiay in Brussels over the Weekehd. Mt,'MdNeil
bought the. fOr $36 add. how that it's completely rebuilt, fi6 vatua it' at Oitibb,
1PhOto. by LA01§1b1§),
It's a happy school"
Consumer pres.
PRINCIPAL RETIRES — SDHS principal Lawrence
P, Plumsteel is still working in his high school office.
He retires at the end of this year after 27 years as
head of the school and talked to reporter Nancy
Andrews about his experiences there. (Staff Photo)
After 27 years SDHS
principal Plumsteel retires
Hamburg Continuation School,
located 15 miles east of Stratford.
While at the New Hamburg
school, he got polio in his right
arm and only regained use of his
arm through therapy. At one
point the doctor didn't know if 'I
was going to live and :afterward
my.-arm was so weak, "1 couldn't
h old a piece of chalk."
Used Strap
"I used the strap at one time,
but very sparin3ly and had to
strap with my left hand. I used to
Miss them altogether, didn't do
much for my dignity," he
remembers.
He said he was glad the strap
was abandonned, because of his
, weak right arm. As well he said,
."I have come to the point where it
has no useful part in discipline
and it has nothing to do with what
discipline is supposed to
accomplish".
He remembers that Charlie
Barber, 95, was one of the
members of the se• hool board
when he was hired as a teaching
principal. It was only in the past
few years that he hasn't taught,
he said.
He said when he started
teaching in New Hamburg, 60 per
cent of the high school students
continued to grade 13, but
statistics are worse now, for less
than 20 per cent are still here in
grade 13.
He said:, "In my opinion
standards have changed
drastically" in a downward
direction partially because of the
removal of old department
examinations.
Kids Wonderful
"I think our kids are wonderful
compared to what some city
principals have to contend with,"
he said.
"There are aspects of freedom
of choice given to students today
that are good. I think completely "I always said I never wanted
good in a school our size, It is
considered a weakness by some
that we can't offer all our
options," he said.
He feels Seaforth High School
students are fortunate because
they don't have the same range of
choices because he blames the
freedom of choice as one of the
causes for protests by universities
about illiterates enrolling from
' high school.
"To think this high school may
turn out a student who would
need remedial English would be
disgraceful," he said.
He said this will continue "as
long as people in high places in
education feel the piece of paper
is the thing and education really
doestft Matter," he said.
Time has brought some
improvemens in the last few
years, everything has not been
negative in the field of
education, he admitted. 444#••••••moir.spiwirm•••••••••••••44*
Oldfield's Pro Hardware
Phone 887.-6851
Paint Specia
Sherwiri Williams
Kern
Outside Whites and
25% off
Many Outside Colours
piiee
(Continued from Page 9)
The importance of having a
CAC member on the board is that
the CAC can say things that the
others can't and there is a
separate consumer interest to
protect.
A Joke
When Glen Miller, president of
Stephen Township Federation
asked if the "whimpering public"
held up legislation she told a joke
on how a farmer was told he
didn't want a baby boy or girl, but
a farmer. When 'the doctor
returned from the delivery room,
he said, "Yes, he's a farmer, he's
crying his head off."
The farmers agreed until
people establish their priorities
when they go shopping, they will
continue to complain about the
cost of food,
One farmer said people buy
pop before milk. "They're stupid
as far as I'm concerned", he said.
Russel Kernighan said once
when Marc Lalond, Minister of
Health, was questioned on the
rise in milk prices last year, he
said his family drinks powdered
milk,
"If the Minister of Health
who earns more than $43,000
can't afford to feed his family
fluid milk, where am I?" he said.
Mrs. Jackson said she felt it
was a matter of personal
preference and that he was
setting a good example for low
income people who resist
purchasing powdered milk
because fluid milk becomes a
status symbol.
Mrs. Jackson said if she could
make any suggestion, "Don't
come out too militant."
A farmer spoke out saying,
We've been easy going for
years, where has it got us?-
0-n Strike
"Where would the country be if
we went out on strike?" another
farmer said. Another farmer
spoke out, "I'll tell you, it would
be damned hungry."
John Hazlitt, a director of the
Ontario Bean Marketing Board
said "normally the farmer is the
scapegoat" when prices rise but
last August a study found that
increased prices for white beans
were caused by foreign buyers
buying when the prices were low
and domestic buyers waiting and
then with decreased supply found
the price rising rapidly.
One complaint, she had against
farm product marketing boards is
that they don't have the skills
down to a fine art like other
market boards and, should hire
people who do.
"People do have power in the
marketplace and should use it
responsit ly," she said. people
voted baby food tins off the
market and replaced them with
glass jars that are more expensive
and can more easily be
contaminated.
Early in the meeting, she said
the CAC "objected to the
highhanded way any other
transportation facility raises its
rates without letting the people
know the reasons."
She said also the people
shouldn't close their minds to
helping produce food for the
hungry peoples of the world.
When asked after the meeting,
if the CAC would find its power
diluted when it is striking out in
so many directions, she said:
"Irs possible but we hope not."
With over 100,000 members
across Canada they hopefully
should maintain enthusiasm, she
said.
It must not be easy to step
down from a job at the age of
sixty, after holding the position
for over 27 years.
This is however, exactly what
Larence Plumsteel, Principal of
Seaforth District High, will be
doing at the end of August, when
he leaves his plushly decorated
office.
Although his office is now
rather comfortable, he didn't
always have it so good.
He remembers years ago when
he would attend conferences he
would be embarrassed to invite
other members back to his school
because "it was the last type of
its kind", he said.
"I was tempted to feel like I
was a poor relation," he said.
"I heard other principals
•,in plain of standards and
discipline problems, and factions
on staff, and I always felt I had a
good rapport with my staff and
with my students.
I lappy School
"We had a happy school and
our standards, in my opinion,
wet! 0!•(1 to none, I don't think
on c ally missed the
fat tic said.
.thing that is now here was
he, , then" he said.
Ilk• remembers the "terrible
till le" he had getting the board to
buy the land where the football
Celd now stands. Early in the
1950's the board bought the five
acres of land for $600 but they
omplained about how dear it
teas.
He remembers leaving the old
school and having his students
carry the desks and supplies from
the old school to the south section
of the new building.
Because the middle section
where the school had sat was
being completed last, electricity
couldn't be connected until the
old building came down. He said
he thought May 1967 must have
hymn the coldest May in history
while his students waited for the
electricity to be connected.
Since both he and his wife,
Ruth, were born inClinton, it was
!e of . he l• :sons he applied in
Seaforth because it was close to
home.
Before coming to Seaforth, Mr.
Plumsteel taught two years and
was principal six years at the New
IF YOU HELP
WE CAN HELP
Busing brought a remarkable
increase in enrolment due to the
fact at one time kids had to board
in town or get a ride home each
night, and so many couldn't
afford to attend school," he said.
Benefits.
Students are getting the°
benefits of audio-visual
equipment which has become a
part of the classroom, he said.
Also kids are able to participate
in field trips.:This year around
Easter, the high school had three
groups in Europe on their own
time, he said /.
"I think this is wonderful, it is
an adjunct to formal education.
There are plusses certainly," he
said.
"I've always felt I have been
able to maintain a better than
average academic standard. Our
graduates have done very well
both in post graduate work and in
business."
He has had only three vice-
principals and those in the last
four years. With regard to
discipline he said he prefers a
man to man, or man to woman
atmosphere where the student
and he can talk about the
problem in a relaxed way.
"The time for sweet reason is
when he comes down to the
office," he said. "I found there
are very few young people that
are impossible to reach and those
who are inevitably take care of
themselves, they just can't hack
it and leave. It doesn't solve their
problem for them, but it does for
us," he said..
"In the last few years, I have
had young ambitious vice-
principals, and I have given them
much opportUnity to run the
school. In a way I have lost out,
for I have lo 'st contact with my
students," he said.
Isolated
to be isolated from my students,
but it has made it pretty easy for
me," he said.
"I did it witn my eyeS open.
These men are here and on the
way up, I thought. I Would be
selfish to hold on to the reins and
not let them get their feet wet."
Mr. Plumsteel said he wasn't
sure what he wants to do when he
retires as principal , but said he is
thinking of starting a second
career.
"I'm far from ready to sit down
in my rocking chair," he said.
Mr. Plumsteel has a married
daughter, Barbara Shouldice who
has twin four-year, old boys and a
son, Robert who is an interior
designer in Kitche ner.
He said perhaps he and his wife
will take up cross country skiing.
Right now he enjoys gardening
which is a relatively new hobby
for him.
BRUSSELS POST JUNt 191
I