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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2003-03-12, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2003. PAGE 23. Foundation seeks employers to teach skills to students By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen An arms-length charitable founda tion, associated with the Avon Maitland District School Board, has begun going door-to-door across Huron and Perth Counties, seeking employers who might be willing to help teach students about the world of work. Late last week, a representative of the Foundation for Enriching Education Perth-Huron stopped into The St. Marys Journal Argus, while visiting local manufacturing busi nesses. She brought with her an Employer Survey Form, and explained it’s part of the Foundation’s delivery of an Ontario wide program called Passport to County budgets for courthouse renovation Prosperity. The main focus of the Foundation, which operates at arms-length to the Avon Maitland board so that it can collect charitable donations, is to raise funds for educational programs and equipment which are not cov ered under the province’s funding formula. Passport to Prosperity fits into that mandate because it enhances existing programs such as co-operative education, apprentice ship programs, the board’s “school- to-work” initiative, and a Grade 10 careers course which is now manda tory under Ontario’s new high school curriculum. Plus, it’s funded through both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, but not through the regular education funding formula. One difference with Passport to Prosperity, however, compared to other Foundation initiatives, is that it applies to both the Avon Maitland and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. That’s because the Foundation had to apply to the fund ing ministries to deliver Passport to Prosperity. In other parts of the province, it’s being delivered by such agencies as career training cen tres or business development groups. Passport to Prosperity funding has been in place for a couple of years, and the Foundation for Enriching Education originally set out to build community support for this phase of the program by sending mail-outs last fall. The response wasn’t large, however, so the door-to-door cam paign was launched. The Employer Survey Forms include a list of possible routes through which an employer can become involved in helping students learn about the world of work. Short-term commitments include classroom visits by a staff member to talk about their workplace; a guest speaker who can advise students how to enter their career field; a workplace tour, interviews with staff members; the Take Our Kids to Work program; and providing input at a teachers’ staff development ses sion. In early February, for example, the Foundation piloted a Groundhog Job Shadowing Day at Londesborough Public School, with Grade 8 stu dents heading out into the communi ty. That program may be expanded to other schools in coming years. Medium-term possibilities include one-day job shadowing opportuni ties and providing students with non-credit work experience terms. Long-term programs are the non credit “School-to-Work” program, credit-based co-operative education opportunities, and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. Gifts in kind are also welcomed. At South Huron District High School, for example, a company donates materials to technology stu dents, who construct sheds which are then sold in a fundraising effort. For information, contact Foundation executive director Lynda McGregor at 1 (800) 592- 5437, ext. 231. Happy 40th By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher Huron County council has budget ed $480,000 in 2003 for renovations to the courthouse and the council chambers. A pressing need for more room for various provincial and county serv ices could mean some departments move out of the courthouse to other county buildings, but the needs of the departments and the possible new locations are still being explored. Still, council decided to leave $263,000 in the budget to allow for renovations as needed. Council also approved $219,000 for renovations and improvements to the council chambers and a near by courtroom. Improvements to the heating and air conditioning system will make up $71,000 of the total. Currently both the small court room and the council chambers are on the same system, meaning one room may be too hot or cold for the other to be comfortable. Renovations to the council cham bers and new furnishings will cost more than $120,000. Claus Breede, director of physical services, told council that the desks in the current facility are shuffled five or six times a week to reconfig ure the room for council, committee meetings and provincial offences court. Many of the desks are getting A ‘Fantasticks’moment Moonlight Productions presented the world’s longest-running musical The Fantasticks at Blyth Memorial Hall. Directed by former Listowel District Secondary School drama teacher Carol Oriold, the show will be presented at Listowel’s Theatre Three-Eleven on March 21 and 22. Pianist for the production is Grey Twp. resident Becky Reesor. In this scene, Dave Hewitt, (left) as the Old Actor Henry and his sidekick Mortimer, played by Justin Webster (right) try to abduct Luisa (Emily Boutet) while her hero Matt (Jon Schlegel) rescues her. The “abduction” has been set up by Matt’s and Luisa’s fathers to ensure that their offsprings, whose heads are full of romantic notions of what love is, will marry. (Vicky Bremnerphoto) to be in bad shape and the chairs are wearing out. The new design would allow fixed desks that would serve all the pur poses the room is used for, he said. Also, because they are fixed, the desks could accommodate a wired microphone system that would work better than the current portable mike. The current council chambers remains much the same as it was when the courthouse was build in 1954, he said. But some councillors questioned the need for the renovations when the county was facing a large tax increase. Central Huron Councillor Carol Mitchell said she could support the $263,000 to give departments more room but not $219,000 to renovate the council chambers. Paul Klopp, Bluewater councillor agreed. “We’re making tough deci sions on the budget. This is too rich for my blood.” Klopp argued for making the heat ing system changes but leaving the renovations to a later date. But Norm Fairies, Howick coun cillor and a past warden, argued for going ahead with all the work at once. Anybody who has b<’er warden and travelled to other counties knows Huron’s council chambers is a long way behind other counties, he said. He argued against doing the work piecemeal which might mean redoing work anothei time. “We might as well bite the bullet to get it over with.” In the end, nine council members agreed to bite the bullet while seven were opposed to the renovations. Daddy Jtappy, 5Ctfl children and grandchil dren of Tom & Joan Armstrong invite you to an Open House to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary Saturday, March 15 from 2-4 p.m. at the Belgrave Community Centre Best wishes only please PARK THEATRE GODERICH 524-7811 IF YOU CAN'T BE FAMOUS, BE INFAMOUS REN&E ZELLWEGER CATHERINE ZETA - JONES ano RICHARD GERE March 14-20 Fri - Sat 6:45 & 9:15 Sun - Thur 8:00 pm □at^r Fri - Sat 6:45 & 9:15 Sun - Thur 8:00 pm coarse language sexual content www.movieiinks.ca long diStanCe?1 -800-265-3438 Saturday, March 22, 7:30 pm Blyth Public School - FREE ADMISSION A World Wide Pictures Presentation IVCWZW WIDE PICTURES. IRC