HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-05-03, Page 41THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007. PAGE 41.The transition to high school willbe eased for several studentsentering Grade 9 next September atSt. Michael Secondary School in
Stratford, thanks to a pilot project of
the Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board.
Under the Peer Outreach for
Secondary Transitions (POST)
program, students in Grades 11 or 12
who have received specialized
training will be paired with anincoming Grade 9 student for theentire year, meeting at least once perweek as a student mentor.“Coming into high school can bedifficult for some people and arelationship with an older peer can
often help smooth out some rough
spots,” explains a pamphlet
promoting the pilot project to
prospective mentors.
POST’s two facilitators, Mary
Flanagan and Karen Zwakenberg,
provided information about the
program to Huron-Perth trustees at aregular meeting, Monday, April 23. Flanagan has a teachingbackground, while Zwakenberg hasworked with Perth County’s Choicesfor Change project – which has beenactively working to prevent
methamphetamine use among young
people, among other initiatives – and
is also a St. Michael parent.
For 2007-08, POST is just a pilot
project, so its scope will be limited.
Just 15 Grade 8 students have been
chosen to participate, following
consultation with staff and thenparents from the elementary schoolswithin the St. Michael feederterritory. Six of the 2007-08 participantscurrently attend St. Aloysius inStratford, five are at Holy Name of
Mary in St. Marys, three are at St.
Ambrose in Stratford, and one
attends St. Columban.
“The one concern that we heard
from parents was that the kids might
not want to appear to be centred
out,” explained Zwakenberg. “But
the kids seemed not to be concernedabout this very much at all. They’reall very enthusiastic about takingpart.”A request for mentors fromstudents already attending St. Mikesyielded about 25 volunteers, all of
whom were willing to commit for
the full 2007-08 year. They will all
take part in a day-long training
session, even though some won’t
end up paired with a Grade 9
counterpart.
Pilot project pairs Grade 9s with student mentors
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By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen
Considering the agenda included a
presentation from students entitled
“Coca Cola: the Corporation that
Kills,” it would seem safe to predict
the transnational beverage maker’s
image would suffer some serious
blows at a regular meeting of the
Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board on Monday, April 23.
And indeed, that was the case.
Anna Brenner and Dave
Devlaeminck, members of the St.
Anne’s Secondary School Students
for Social Justice, reported to
trustees about their research into
Coca Cola, before requesting that all
of the company’s products be
banned from the board.
“According to the Catholic social
teaching, it is our duty, as a Catholic
school board, to ensure that our
affiliations and company ties respect
the dignity of the human person and
ensure environmental stewardship.”
Devlaeminck quoted directly from
a couple of Huron-Perth policies and
goals, before arguing Coca Cola’s
practices around the world are not in
keeping with the spirit of those
policies.
“We have to ask ourselves why
Coca Cola does not give its
employees the standard of living
they should have,” he said.
Drawing from their own research
as well as insight from a workshop
held at King’s College at the
University of Western Ontario, the
two students outlined practices they
suggested are indicative of the
corporation’s unacceptable record.
These include drawing down
precious groundwater resources in
India and Chiapas, Mexico, as well
as intimidation of union leaders in
Colombia, Turkey and Pakistan.
In India, Brenner added, the
company sells a byproduct of its
manufacturing process as a fertilizer,
even though it contains dangerously
high levels of cadmium and lead.
The students were congratulated
for their report by a couple of
trustees, as well as education
director Larry Langan. Langan
credited St. Anne’s staff advisor
Erma Weernink for “making
students aware of issues that are
important to humankind.”
Students for Social Justice is now
in its second year, with between 20-
25 members. They’ve been involved
in such initiatives as Making Poverty
History and pressuring Huron
County to sign on to the United
Nations water declaration defining
clean water as a human right.
South Huron trustee Mike Miller
wondered why Coca Cola was
centred out, when it’s quite possible
other multinational corporations
could be accused of similar
transgressions.
Devlaeminck responded that
“we’re focusing on one issue at a
time, and Coca Cola is recognized as
a major violator of human rights
around the world.”
Brenner added that the corporation
was high on a 2005 list of
questionable companies compiled
by a group called Global Report.
The students showed a list of over
two dozen schools and universities
which have passed or are in the
process of developing bans on Coca
Cola products.
As for the Huron-Perth board,
there seemed to be appreciation for
them students’ efforts but there was
no immediate response to their
request.
Corporation takes a hit at HPCDSB meeting
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
A slip of the fingers put the
wrong date in a headline in the
April 26 Citizen.
The Auburn Horticultural Society
will be holding its plant sale on
May 14.
We apologize for the error and
any confusion it may have caused.
Sorry
our
mistake
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