HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-11-01, Page 7THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2000. PAGE 7.
Avon Maitland’s on-line program gets provincial praise
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
The Avon Maitland District School
Board’s on-line secondary school
program, which was expanded this
Ready for the season
Hullett Public School teacher Dave Medd gently pulls a
paster mask from the face of one of his students when his
Grade 5/6 class recently made personalized masks for
Halloween.
Student trustees to attend
stakeholders9
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Secondary school students - repre
sented by student trustees from each
high school in the Avon Maitland
District School Board - will make up
a large portion of those in attendance
at a planned “stakeholders’ meeting”
into the state of extracurricular activ
ities.
“Currently, there are fewer extra
curricular activities taking place in
any of our secondary schools com
pared to last year,” states a report,
presented to trustees at the board’s
regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 25.
“Students have expressed a strong
desire to participate in extracurricu
lar activities as part of their school
experience.”
Superintendent of education Bill
Gerth, who presented the report,
cited various factors for the decrease
in activities, but pointed specifically
to Bill 74, a wide-ranging piece of
legislation brought into force by the
provincial government last spring.
Bill 74 mandates an increased work-
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on November 13
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year, has received praise from across
the province.
It has also received the type of
interest which could generate cash
for the board in the future.
“We are definitely the leaders in
meeting
load for secondary school teachers,
and teachers across the province
have responded by telling employers
they no longer have enough time to
supervise or instruct extracurricular
activities.
In response, Gerth explained,
Avon Maitland will host a meeting
Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the board’s
Seaforth-based offices. Ten student
trustees have been invited to attend,
and arrangements have been made
for the inclusion of two high school
administrators, two elementary
school administrators, two represen
tatives from each of the board’s two
teachers’ unions (secondary and ele
mentary), two people from the
Huron-Perth high school sports
organization, two representatives
from extracurricular arts programs,
two parent representatives from the
School Council Liaison Committee,
and two trustees.
Asked if the discussion will be
open to the public Gerth responded
“the meeting is open to those people
who would like to attend, including
the media.”
online learning in the province,” said
distance education principal Laurie
Hazzard, in a presentation to trustees
at the board’s regular meeting,
Tuesday, Oct. 25.
This semester, 12 full-credit cours
es are being offered through Avon
Maitland’s version of the program,
which is a co-operative initiative
with the Trillium Lakelands District
School Board, based in Lindsay, near
Peterborough. Several dozen other
courses are available; however, since
program officials insist the courses
be teacher-mediated, the board will
not run a course until at least 20 peo
ple register - enough registration
fees to fund the resources of a
teacher.
According to Hazzard, the Avon
Maitland board’s approximately 70
online students range from a 72-
year-old history pupil, who hopes to
earn his high school diploma while
he’s still able, to three out-of
province residents who pay $750 per
course to participate (courses for all
Ontario residents are free and funded
through the province’s Continuing
Education grant).
Still, 46 of the students already
attend Avon Maitland secondary
schools, the majority coming from
Clinton’s Central Huron Secondary
School, Exeter’s South Huron
District High School and Seaforth
District High School. According to
Hazzard, some opt for on-line learn
ing in an effort to graduate ahead of
what’s known as the “double
cohort,” a large grouping of students
from two age levels who could all
graduate in the same year due to the
change from a five-year to four-year
high school curriculum.
Others study on-line because some
smaller high schools can’t offer cer
tain specialized courses, or can only
offer certain courses — such as
upper-level history, accounting or
specialized math subjects - every
other year.
She adds such limitations are a
Graduation
On Saturday, September 23,
2000, Kevin Hallahan, son of
Frank and Marian graduated
with honours from the
Canadian Automotive
Institute, Georgian College,
Barrie, Ont. Kevin received
his diploma in Business
Administration - Automotive
Marketing and was chosen
Valedictorian of his class.
Kevin has accepted a
position with Wescast
Industries Inc. as the Sales
and Marketing Analyst.
Congratulations, we are
proud of you.
Love Mom and Dad, Jenny,
Steve, Darryl and Lori, Ken,
Diane, Rachel and Miranda.
unique problem in small, rural
boards, and partially explain why
Avon Maitland and Trillium
Lakelands ended up as leading
developers of on-line learning.
“Because we are both rural boards,
we both have small schools and
we’re both committed to equity for
all of our students,” Hazzard
explained. The on-line learning pro
gram “allows us to bring specialty
OAC courses or other specialty
courses to all of our students in all of
our schools.”
As the program has been expanded
over the past year, other rural boards
have approached Avon Maitland and
Trillium Lakelands officials about
either emulating the program, or pur
chasing the specially-designed
courses and/or teaching services. But
in her presentation, Hazzard added
there’s also considerable interest
beyond rural boards.
She says the Toronto District
School Board has introduced a five-
year plan towards requiring every
single student to take one course on
line, to ensure familiarity with com
puter applications. And other educa
tion providers, including the Ontario
College of Teachers, the Ontario
Join us at the Clinton Public Hospital
5th Annual Diabetes Open House
Date: Tuesday, November 7,2000
Time. 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Speaker: Nelva Scott
Topic. Living With Diabetes
Location. Christian Reformed Church
243 Princess Street, East, Clinton
Itinerary: 1-2 p.m. - displays; 2-3 p.m. - Speaker; 3-3:30 p.m. - Luncheon
Questions? Call Regina Campbell
482-3447 ext. 260
Clinton Community
Credit Union Limited
is pleased to announce
that a total dividend payment of
| A different way of banking "'
(4.25% Cash Dividend and 0.75% Patronage Dividend)
has been declared on Credit Union
member’s Life Savings accounts for the
past fiscal year ending
September 30, 2000
in addition a
CASH DIVIDEND of
was paid on Patronage Share
accounts and credited to
members Life Savings Account
Being able to share in the profits of a
co-operative financial institution such
as a Credit Union is definitely a benefit
to the members
The Staff & Board of Directors wish to
thank the members for their patronage
to their Credit Union.
Clinton Community
Credit Union Limited
48 Ontario St.
CLINTON
482-3466
Web site: www.clintoncu.on.ca
Main Street
DASHWOOD
237-3777
Principals’ Council, two university
based faculties of education, and the
province’s correctional services
department, have expressed interest
in adapting the boards’ programs to
serve potentially far-flung students
in their own systems.
Hazzard even related her own
experience from working for two
years in the remote Northern Ontario
community of Moose Factory.
“Every Friday, the helicopter would
bring the kids back and every
Monday, they’d take them away,”
she remembered. “Kids were taken
away from their families because
they couldn’t get the courses they
needed in their own community.”
The biggest problem, she
explained, is that the provincial gov
ernment currently only supports on
line learning as a Continuing
Education program, meaning it
receives the same amount of money
as a night school course.
Hazzard, as well as superintendent
of education Marjatta Longston, told
trustees the board is lobbying the
government to fund on-line learning
on a day school basis, to ensure fur
ther enhancement of the Avon
Maitland program.
118 Main St.
EXETER
235-0640