The Citizen, 2006-06-01, Page 1i/,Yls
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NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC
Inside this week
Pg. 6
Pg. 7
Pg. 9
Girls check out
UnLimited careers
Brussels Legion
installs new exec
Local girls wins
gold in Calgary
P
g. 1
lu
n Man embarks on
tour of eco-villages
Pg
2 Business brings
-1-0 new service to area
Library
re-opens
By Carol Burns
Citizen staff
On a mission
OPP Const. and Blyth firefighter Dave Mounsey, along with OPP Const. Brenda Carey is taking
part in the Royal Victoria Marathon in British Columbia this October. The idea is part of a
campaign to benefit the community. He will soon be going door to door serking pledges to
raise money for a new defibrilator for -the fire department. The couple has called their project
Running With Your Heart On Our Minds. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
This cop ready for pay back
The Citizen
Volume 22 No. 22
Blyth Library's doors are open
again.
Tuesday the library resumed its
regular hours of operation: Tuesday
and Thursday I p.m.- 5 p.m. and 6.
p.m. - 8 p.m.; and Friday and
Saturday I 0_a,m. - 2 p.m..
The library's new -quarters at 392
Queen St. slow with light, and are
fully accessible.
A donation from the Lawn Bowling
Club has provided funding for a new
coat rack and a glider rocking chair.
The new shelves have been set up
-so that people in wheelchairs- or
scooters will be able to search for the
book they want themselves.
There are new books for members
to read and borrow.
'Thanks to a new computerized
system, members will be able to sit in
the comfort of their home and do
everything but physically take books
out.
People will be able to check the
catalogue to see if the book they want
is in the local library or, if the book is
not 6ailable, request an inter-library
loan ?Or that book.
It will also be possible to request
that a hold be put on desired book,
check out how many books they
currently have on loan
The
the
library and renew books. The website
is www.huroncounty.callibrary
The library has upgraded its
computers, and now offers four
computers for public use. A
Community Action Program grant
will provide one afternoon of
computer support a week, although a
start date has not been set for this
program. -
"We are eager to expand our library
resources and welcome donations of
subscriptions of magazines, books or
money from community members.
Donations over ten dollars will be
recognized with a tax deductible
receipt," said librarian Pat Brigham.
More information can be received
during library hours by calling 523-
4400.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Dave Mounsey feels he has a debt
to pay. Once he thought of a way to
'do it, you might say he took the idea
and ran with it.
The Blyth firefighter and OPP
constable, along with Const. Brenda
Carey, also of Blyth, are training to
compete in the Royal Victoria
Marathon in British Columbia Oct.
8.
Soon Mounsey will begin
campaigning for pledges, going
door-to-door within the community
in search of financial support. The
funds will go towards the purchase
of a new defibrilator to the Blyth
Fire Department.
There is also a pledge sheet at The
'Citizen.
What sparked "Running With Your
Heart On Our Minds" dates back to
2004. On Oct. 9 of that year
Mounsey was on duty, responding to
a call, when another car came
through an intersection and struck
his cruiser in the front of the driver's
side. The vehicle spun into a 15-foot
ditch and the front folded, trapping
the officer.
"These guys (the firefighters)
pulled me out."
He sustained a broken kneecap
arid a "fairly bad" head injury that
Thursday, June 1,2006
resulted in some memory loss.
He was so grateful to the
firefighters that when he was back
on the road with the OPP after
recovering he "threw his hat in to
work with them." He joined the
department last fall.
Mounsey also felt, however that
he'd like to say thanks to the
community that doesn't just support
the fire department, but that has
welcomed him whole-heartedly
since he move here.
Then as a milestone approached a
plan began to take shape. With his
50th birthday coming up in October,
Mounsey was looking for something
challenging to do. "Neither Brenda
nor I have run a marathon before and
she actually'came up with the idea.
She suggested a marathon and said
she knew the perfect place."
A 'serious' runner for about eight
years, Mounsey said competing in a
marathon is something he's often
thought about. And the idea that this
could also benefit the community
meant he could kill two birds with
one stone.
He spoke with fire chief Paul
Josling and asked what the
department could really use.
"Straight away he said a new
defibrilator, which will with the
purchase and training probably cost
up to $5,000. And if we use it only
once in five years and it saves a life,
it's worth every penny."
For now, he and Carey have been
doing an on-line training schedule to
prepare for their run and recently did
a half marathon in Clevelend.
"We'll probably rely on the crowd
to push us the rest of the way," jokes
Mounsey 'of the longer Victoria
event.
That he'll find the strength
necessary to go the distance is likely
considering how far he's come to
even be able to participate. After the
crash, the orthopeodic surgeon told
him to give up impact sports and
stick to cycling and swimming.
"Well, I thought, how long am I
going to be on this planet anyway. I
started slowly and just built up," He
adds with a- smile, "When I last
saw the surgeon he asked how
things were going. I told him the
running was going really well, the
soccer was good and the hockey
fantastic. He told me he didn't want
to know."
For his party Mounsey has ,little
doubt as to how he's managed to
recover so well. Reaching him so
quickly, the firefighters, he believes,
minimized the damage.
"Those guys put me in the.position
where I can actually run this
marathon. I can't thank -them
enough."
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
AMDSB
leader
program
deemed
a success
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
A concerted effort to build interest
in school • leadership positions,
among -local teachers, has been
successful, according to
administrators of the Avon Maitland
District School Board.
"We'd be struggling without the
Principal Development Program,"
said human resources superintendent
Jim Sheppard, referring to a two-
year initiative which began in 2004.
"We'd have to put people in
(leadership positions) who aren't
qualified, and to do that, you have to
get letters of approval from the
(Education) ministry."
The development program kicked
off with "several sessions ... which
were designed to explain the varied
role of the principal and vice-
principal," according to a report
provided by Sheppard at a regular
board meeting Tuesday, May 23.
"Our focus...was to ensure that
participants had a very clear
understanding of the challenges and
rewards of the role."
Sheppard explained much of the
facilitation during that time was
provided by the board's egisting
school leaders, which aided
participants by sparking lasting
relationships.
"They built a network" during
those sessions, Sheppard told
trustees at the May 23 meeting. "And
that's one of the things participants
told us. They're building friendships
that will last, through their careers."
In the second year of the program,
the board joined forces with the
provincial Principals' Council to
provide local versions of the
Principal Qualification Program.
Fully qualified Ontario principals
must have completed two parts of
this program, and 23 of those who
began the Avon Maitland
Development Program in 2004 have
now become qualified.
Some have entered the board's so-
called "principal pool'; with others,
it's expected they'll enter in the next
few years, after following through on
other priorities such as family
commitments and classroom
teaching experience.
According to Sheppard, there was
unofficial agreement when the
prospective principals entered the
Avon Maitland program, that they'd
remain with the board for at least
three years after qualifying.
"There's really no incentive (for
them to go elsewhere)," Sheppard
told reporters. "As long as we have
opportunities here and challenges
here, they're going to stay with us."
Continued on page 6