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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-12-20, Page 16ERRY RRys, Double the pleasure . . ) Double the fun... Double our thanks! EDER'S VARIETY Brussels a • in your car overnight. It can also be used to signal your location to rescuers: Medical authorities say alcohol is not a good survival item. It causes dilation of blood vessels close to the skin, speeding up loss di body heat. , To extend your gas arid heat supply, run your engine about ten minutes in the hour. Keep a downwind win- dow open a crack for ventil- ation when the engine is running. Make sure the tail pipe is clear of snow, other-. wise the interior of the car may fill with deadly exhaust fumes. Don't overlook news- ' papers as excellent insul- ation material. They can be wrapped around the feet or placed on the floor for extra insulation. Drivers operating through- mit Northern Ontario carry a lot more survival equipment in their cars and trucks than the few ' items mentioned here. Their kits might also include a small pot, pack- aged soup, knife, fork and spoon, an axe, tea bags, sugar, and sleeping bags. Some even carry a portable propane stove. There are, of course, items that drivers should alway carry no matter what the season: a'4 chain or a stout rope for ,towing, flares to mark off the highway in case of an emergency or accident. Although it is a frightening experience to be stranded during a blizzard, you must try to remain calm. Panic is your worst enemy. Calm, reasoned action plus a basic survival kit will keep you alive surprisingly long Ringing out a Yuletide message of appreciation for your continued goodwill and patronage. Mai yours he a simply wonderful holiday, enjoyed to its fullest: ...RYAN DRYING LIP- Walton Ont, Gerald and Nelson 0e' 0814201 527,0527 • • 4,,o Happy holidays to all our customers! Think of us at this time of year and all year round! McGAVIN'S FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. Walton J.E. LONGSTAFF -OPTOMETRIST, SEAFORTH 527.1240 Monday to Friday 9-5:30 Saturday 9-12:00 FREE PARKING ON PREMISES Closed Wednesdays By Appoint*** Stuck In the snow? Here's how to survive - THE BRUSSELS POST, DECEMBER 20 1978 Last day for Mills HP superintendent BYALICE GIBE. By.. mid-afternoon on Friday, Joseph Mills, Superintendent of Education with the Huron-Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board, was sitting in an almost empty office. ' • After spending two and a half years with the local board, Mr. Mills recently resigned 'to accept the position of education offiter with the Ministry of Education in Toronto. On Friday, he boxed up books and papers in his Dublin office for the last time, before making the drive back to his home in Burlington. Although Mr. Mills admits his new job means "I'll be one step more removed from 'the children", he also views it as "an opportunity to see another side of educa- tion." Mr. Mills abandoned a business career with Sudbury .$teelwares' 20 years ago because , he wanted 'to teach. During , his years as• an educator he worked for six Ontario -separate school boards, and was a principal with the Dufferin-Peel Separate School bOard for some years before coming to work as superintendent of special services with the local board. The superintendent's, new role as education officer will include "a myriad of jobs" from acting as a liaison between the ministry and separate school boards in the Toronto area to acting as a kind of ombudsman between parents, who contact the ministry with problems, and their local school boards. 'However, Mr. Mills ,won't be a complete stranger to the staff he worked with in the Huron-Perth board. The ministry has offered to let Mr. Mills continue training the impact program he innovated with the local board. The impact program, which the ministry is following with interest, is a retraining program for teachers already working in a system. Mr. Mills said as boards are faced with further declining enrolments in the future, there won't be "new blood" coming into-the system. Since teachers will work for the same board for a longer, period, the impact program offers teachers a chance to update their teaching skills. Although declining enrolment isn't as severe a problem in the Huron:Perth separate schools this year as last, Mr. Mills said there is a danger that boards won't be able to hire new teachers in the future. The teachers' movement will have to be within the system itself rather than from one board to another. TWICE AS GOOD Mr. Mills said, "An administration has to be almost twice as good' in a deck• ning as opposed to growing situation." The superintendent said although the Huron-Perth bd'ard has dealt with the effect of declining enrolments for the present, in four or five years they may have to re-examine the role of the small rural school, and ask "does the school become a financial liability on the board?" Mr. Mills said as' long as the board and administration can keep schools in the community open, "we will." He said one ,of the positive things he discovered ,about the Huron-Perth system was "the fact your communities are very involved with your schools." He said it is much easier to establish a home-school contact in local schools than in larger, urban schools., Also, since the average enrolment in schools in the area is lower than in city schools, there are smaller classes and a greater inter-relationship between teachers and students. Mr. Mills said the curriculum in local schools and urban schools is much the same and added, "I'm very proud of the teachers in this system, I'd stack them up against teachers anywhere". The superintendent said he has found the teachers are "very involved with the curriculum, they know their kids well and are very aware of what's happening in the educational system." The main difference Mr. Mills had noted between urban and rural students is that rural children tend to be more "task- Oriented", and perhaps a little shyer than their city counterparts. The one major advantage he sees that city schools, particularly secondary schools, have to offer is a more varied program for students. One reason Mr. Mills kept his home in Burlington during the period he worked for the local board, was so his teenagers' children could continue to attend a city high school. He said one disadvantage of smaller communities is that they no longer provide all that they used to provide and young people, particularly teenagers, must go ,outside the towns for their entertainment. Mr. Mills said he initially applied to the local board because he wanted to work with John Vintar, an educator he adinired. Each winter brings new stories of Motorists stranded by blizzards and snowstorms and Ontario seems to have had more than its fair share of such conditions in recent years, According to the Ontario Safety League, all motorists should carry basic winter survival equipment in the car. Together with, jumper cables, salt or sand to pro- vide traction, your basic sur- vival kit should include the, following ingredients: • A shovel or hoe to improve your chances of freeing your car. • Two wool blakets to provide warmth. Make maxi- mum use of body heat by more than one person shar- ing a blanket. • Matches, candles, or containers of canned heat and a coffee can to melt snow for drinking water—never use urimelted snow as a substitute for drinking water. the candle and can could also double as a foot warmer. In fact, many authorities sug- gest that the heat from a single candle' is sufficient to prevent freezing in a snow- bound vehicle. • A couple of plastic bags can provide excellent protec- tion from wind if it is necessary to go ,outside the car. Just cut out head and arm holes and slip them over the shoulders. However, leaving your car whould be done only when absolutely necessary. • A flashlight will provide light if you are forced to stay Ironically, Mr. Vintar resigned shortly after Mr. Mills joined the local board, and now works for the Dufferin-Peel board which Mr Mills left. In reflecting on the future of the Huron-Perth board, Mr. Mills said he hopes the system will continue to provide professional development programs for teachers so they don't become stagnant. Also, he said he hopes school boards won't become totally isolated and will continue to bring in people from outside the system. The major thing which disappointed Mr. Mills during his two and a half years with the board was "the seemingly general apathy of ratepayers at election time" since "I firmly believe elections are good." Mr. Mills said election campaigns rather than acclamations, tend to make trustees more responsible to the community. Without an election, "you can't help asking if the best people get into the (elected) positions." FRONT LINE ' Although admitting "I will miss the front line of the kids," the superintendent said his work with the ministry will still be aimed at the students' welfare - "that's why I came into education, and I'll still be working on their behalf." In leaving the board, Mr. Mills said he'll miss both the teachers he worked with and the staff in the Dublin administration t, office. But, in making the decision to leave, Mr. Mills also looks forward to the challenge of .a new job and a new environment. Hopefully in the ministry he'll still be able to effect policies that effect children, and children are still what education's all about.