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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-03-18, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 186.0 7 Seaforth, Ontario "Independent study" emphasized School hopes its proposal can solve -timetabling woes, stop tumbling enrollment BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor_Staff - Can "independent study" - save Seaforth's highschool? to brain) with possible clo- sure (oorning due to declining enrollment. Seaforth District. - High School -has come up .-. with an interesting proposal on a different way of -educat- ing students. - • .This new way might case the school's chronic timetabling_problems. Principal Bruce Eccles says- the aysthe idea is based on .expand- ing. "independent study." -a learning concept in partial but limited use al the school right now. for in.stancc in English: • • - The school's proposal is in response to director of educa- tion Paul Carroll's ohserva- tion at the end of January that "extreme or -radical changes" were needed at -the local high school hetause of its enroll- ment problems. and that "it is going to have to find -a differ- ent way to do things." The document ."Looking Toward- the Future"- was pre- sented by SDHS to the Avon Maitland District School Board last month. It is part of the board's minutes. Trustees of this public - hoard for Huron and Perth counties may decide the 120 - year --,a0 local high school's fate March 31. They put off - making a decision until at least then at. their regular Meeting in Stratford last Tuesday night. in the hope that further -details of the Ontario government's new funding, formula for.cduca- tion are forthcoming before then. It has been promised March 25. . Course selection conflicts arc always a big problem with timetabling, which is done mainly by computer. for students at a school with a relatively small numher of students to work with in the first place; such as .the situa- tion that exists at SDHS. REALLY TRICKY In general. the same courses arc offered here in alternate years and kids have to plan "well ahead" says vice-prin- cipal Robh• Parr. In their OAC/Grade 13 year it gets really tricky. and even more so when prerequisites become part of the overall timetabling equation. Parr and the other vice- principal al the local school, Laurie Hazzard. did most of the nitty gritty putting togeth- er the proposal for the Avon . Maitland board. on short A certain numher of stu- dents arc required to- register for a specific course to make i{. ..feasible. the way. timetahling- Stands now. noise courses. require an education ministry, 'mandated minimum amount of instruc- tional time. and arc also offered in.a fixed time slot. "Biggest benefit is the confidence it builds" SDHS V -P Laurie Hazzard . Independent studs is a rela- tively recent .concept around here in secondary school• learning (and teaching). that • requires -a different set of skills. Students work inde- With several chants students at Seaforth District High School walked through town Fnday to protest the possible closure of.their pendently a nd are more school. Students from left. Laura' McGrath. Trac} Jessomc, Nicole Crawford. Michelle Stephert. James.Burns and Amanda Denys respbnsihlc for their own ` were among more than 150 students who received positive public support for their plight. - (Fitton photo) teaming. similar to the envs- - March 18, 1998 — $1.00 includes GST moment they• will find them- selves in if they go on to uni- . - versits. ' Mame employers • also require these skills: • -- Sotrie students thrive on • such a, system. but it is easier for those less self -motivated - to fall by the wayside. It is not for everybody. •Monitoring a student's progress becomes more cru- cial for the teacher under independent study. . But by expanding. the.con- cept. SDHS's proposal would allow the school to offer stu- dents fewer conflicts -and offer course with smaller 'enrollments than -it can now. adding up to more spaces in the school day/week of .a semester. or two times as many classes per period for timetabling purposes • TRUE BELIEVER V -P Hazzard is a true believer. Independent study is an important pan •of the English courses she has taught in her six.years here. Its biggest benefit is the ' "confidence" it builds in stu- • dents. she says. "his collabo- rative and a best part of it is kids helping kids. "This way they'll be teach- ing themselves. There is a higher element of pure learn- ing to it." Her experience with inde- pendent study has surpassed her expectations. Hazzard says. • Before they submitted their proposal. thc two vice -princi- pals at SDHS took a trip to two high schools (ASE I and ASE I[) in Scarborough where independent study has been the crux of their curricu- la since thc mid 1970s and early 80s. notice. C.12111111.1312 on Page 2 With a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile Jim Kelly is decked out in the true St. Patrick's Day green. From the flashing bow -tic to the shamrock pipe he celebrated the 'wearing of the green' March 17. (Fitton photo) Missing girl image on Visa bills The iniage of . Mistic Murray. missing from Goderich since 1995. is arriv- ing -in three million homes this week. - • - She is •thc fifth_ missing child whose image and per- sonal information is being dis- tributed -on the backs of CIBC Visa bills that were mailed out this week across. Canal; through a new endeavor hs Child Find. '''We look for all missing children and never give up hope on_finding any of them." said Jackie Cutmore. execu- tive director of Child Find. a national. organization that helps find missing children. Children selected for the bill program arc those who have been missitos tOr a lengthy period of- time; not children who have just disap pcared or run, -away and could he bund through convention- al_ methods. Murray. the daughter of Steve and Anne: has been missing from Goderich since May 31. 1995 -and has been reported seen in the London and Toronto areas in the sum- mer of 1995. - • Cutmore said Child Find believes a program such as the Visa bills. or a similar one that reaches one million homes through. • Rogers Communications' bills. gives more visual recognition to the public. "You've got to open up that envelope." Cutmore said. Chid Find receives calls Wesley Coombs playground turd from people recognizing chit- • dren throt}gh -other campaigns. such as posters that -are dis- tributed across Canada. and forwards that information to police. -A new posterwith an updat= ed photograph of Mistic and some new information about sightings from London -and Toronto. was distributed last summer. Now. with the Visa hills. Child Find hopes to have had some calls about' Mistic in the' next couple weeks. Cutmore said they have had some calls about other chil- dren since the Visa bill pro- gram began a few months ago. But Murray is poised to receive even more exposure. possibly by the end of the month. when her poster will .hc displayed on the hack of trucks travelling across the country.- • - There are :30 transport truck companies willing to have• . posters affixed to their rigs and- Murray's poster is expect- ed to he on the highways at the end of the month. Cutmore said the truck pro- gram is a wonderful opportu- nity for Child Find where dri- vers.. in traffic behind these trucks. are given a good look at the missing child's face which helps increase the odds that someone has or will rec- ognize that child. Also helping the efforts to find Murray. the Kinsmen Club -has been distributing the latest posters across Canada. Child Find can he reached at 1-800-387-7962: Playground fund reaches $5,000 BY JACKIE FITTON Expositor.Editor The Wesley Coombs play- ground fund has reached over $5.000. says onc of the orga- nizers and has passed another hurdle in the attempt to place toddler equipment' in Clan Gregor, Park in Bayfield. Serena Snell one of three organizers heading up the fund and park project. in memory of the toddler,- said the project was approved by the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee ( LACAC 1 meet ing last week The final step for organic-, ers is to take the LACAC approval to Bayfield Council for their appnwal. Council is scheduled to sit March 16. The original design 'of the plaque didn't meet with LACAC approval. Snell said so they re -proposed that indi- vidual plaques be placed on 'each piece of equipment Willow Take Design Sign and Graphic owners Pete and Marj Payne of Bayfield will be donating the 'signs for. the.: playground equipment which will be made from vinyl so as not to have sharp comers. • Snell says the .planned spring toys including -a hull - dozer and.e vehicle will hear. the memorial plaques as license plates: The open trust fund was established the middle.of December, shortly after the 23 -month-old toddler died last November when he had wondered away from his home while under the care of a -babysitter and was nit by a van while walking along Highway 21. - Trust lund.donations can be made at the CIBC. Banks in Seabird]. Bayfield. Goderich. - Brussels; Clinton Credit Union and Jonnvrnores Bar in Clinton. Snell. Lori Bagot and Teri Ladd the two other organis- ers are planning on giving a list of donators without the monetary value of the dona- tion to Wesley's parents Christine and Stephen Coombs Mental Health group talks end As a Huron County mental health organization asks its members to approve closing operations. others involved in mental health arc raising con- cerns. At its Feb. 17 meeting. the Huron Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA j put forward a motion to close operations. but it did not have enough members to hold a vote on it. That decision will be' put to a vote again at a second meet- ing (if half or more of the members arc present) or final- ly. at third (regardless of thc number of members present), explained Joe Wooden. who is on the CMHA Huron boanl of directors. Since opening in 1991. CMHA Huron has offered such services as teaching how to prepare foodon a low bud- get, meeting the needs of the rural community for education and crisis intervention on mental health issues. educat- ing ducating local agencies. schools and community groups on mental health and well-being. referring people to informa- tion and lending out materials from its library. Now, without money. with- out a staff to raise money. and without a role in local mental health care, carrying on seems to be "almost impossible," said Wooden. By the end of the financial year in Match, CMHA Huron's collection will be $5,000 short of what little was spent. said Wooden. He said he does not foresee any improvement because the organization lost its only paid - employee -- the "primary fund raiser" who had to spend time to raise the money to cover her salary. "The logic of operating an agency, taking all efforts... to keep door open without • fund- ing programs, did not neem to us, to make a lot Cif sense," said Wooden. Another reason for closing stems from the HPDH(' not assigning CMHA Huron to a mental•health service delivery role in the counties. said Wooden in.a letter addressed to the Ontario Division of the CMHA. Wooden explained. "Huron is not that badly off (without CMHA Huron]. It gut to the point where our role was so badly diminished that it was difficult for us to sec how we fit in." Wooden said. the Perth Branch of the CMHA. who was given government fund- ing last year to run some men- tal health services in Huron County, could take over the work of CMHA Huron. Others involved with men- tal health care disegree•with stand of the the boat'd of directors from the CMHA Huron. George Stock, acting execu- tive director of the Huron Perth District Health Council IHPDHCJ said thc CMHA Huron does have a role to play in thc county. That role is onc of providing comtnunrty awareness of mental health issues and breaking stigma of mental illness. • "I know this role tends to he less tangible than service delivery. Nonetheless. it is very important." said Stock. If CMHA Huron (olds. the area looses the revenue gener- ated for mental health from several Nevada ticket sites secured by CMHA Huron and • the arca .would have to work for two years to regain a CMHA charter. said Stock. • Stock said although he knows it is "tough out there" for small organizations to raisc money for its operations. it does not stop organizations from making partnerships with other groups in Huron or in Huron -Perth. Wooden said thc Ontario Division of the CMHA told CMHA Huron it could not amalgamate with CMHA Lampton or any other group. CONTINUED ,on Pale 3.