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The Huron Expositor, 1998-09-23, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 --- Seaforth, Ontario Line breaks Kids at home, school is pool BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Water, water, all over the place! It gave students at Scaforth Public School an unexpected holiday Monday. It gave staff a headache. A waterline broke of "old age" in the boys senior wash- room at the school sometime on the weekend, turning the school into a sauna, and leav- ing one to two inches of water on much of the floor in its wake by 3 p.m. Sunday when it was first discovered. The damage estimate was still being determined at press time. SPS Principal Lorne Ridcout said Monday morn- ing the carpet in the office area (including teachers' lounge) was "destroyed", but tile on the rest of the school's floor looked ."maybe okay" considering. Squeegees, fans and dehumidifiers had been going full tilt since the indoor lake was discovered, to circu- late air and get rid of the moisture that could possibly lift them. Phone and electron- ic equipment seemed high enough off the floor to miss getting damaged, the princi- ple said, but Bell Canada crews hadn't arrived yet to verify this. EVENT POSTPONED There was a lot of labour at work on the overall cleanup, much of which will add to the final damage tab. Staff helped clean up the mess from when it was dis- covered until about 7 p.m. Sunday night. Ridcout says the break probably happened Saturday night, because the custodian was at the school late that day and everything was alright when he left. The principle said the school. would re -open Tuesday, but it would take longer than that for things to get back to normal. The offices and teachers' lounge have been moved into the gymnasium temporarily. This has forced postpone- ment of tonight's (Wednesday) scheduled "Open House," when parent - teacher interviews begin to take place. "Open House" at the school will now be held ncxt Wednesday night, Sept. 30. September 23, 1998 — $1.00 includes GST Raise two-thirds of Fox Run total Terrific trio The tally is $2,714, and still counting, with 74 participants for Sunday's "Terry Fox Run" in town. But three long-time partici- pants - the Gilbert Vansteelandt and Gary Van Loon families, both of RR 2 Dublin, and Ken Cardno of Seaforth - raised slightly more than two-thirds of this, $1,805 or 67 per cent of the total. The VanSteelandt's - father Gilbert, mother Ricki, daugh- ter Tanya and friend Kevin, Quipp - topped the chart. .They raised $1,180 on their own. Mom had breast cancer several years ago, and the local family has always been a big booster of the event, that helps raise funds for can- cer research. TERRY FOX RUN - Fred the Dusky Lorie parrot (whose favorite saying is "He shoots! He scores) was the most colourful partici- pant in Sunday afternoon's T.erry Fox Run in Seaforth. He and owner Dave Russell of Jarvis Street go every- where together. Caitlin, Tammy and Kim Russell also helped raise funds for cancer research, as did stu- dents at SPS, Friday after- noon. Excess student spaces total 2,491 Report takes `holistic' approach to overcapacity, recommends 21 area schools be closed or converted • An director's action report prepared for Tuesday night's Avon -Maitland District School Board meeting rec- ommends an option that would close or convert 21 schools, effective next July. It proposes Scaforth District High School he either con- verted to an elementary school, or a Grade 7 to OAC facility. It also proposes Scaforth Public School he either closed or converted to a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 school. The director's report, signed by Avon -Maitland director of education Lorne Rachlis and Janet Baird - Jackson, superintendent of corporate' operations and information technology, also furthermore recommends, in compliance with Ontario Ministry of Education and Training directives, that Enrollment down county -wide The enrollments at Scaforth public and high schools arc both down slightly this September, compared to the end of the same month last year, but so is public education system enrollment county -wide. Official enrollment at Scaforth District High School at thc start of the recent semes- ter was 337 students, according to Avon Maitland District School Board figures. It was 340 at the end of last September. Scaforth Public School's enrollment is down 11 students for the same time frame - 326 at the start of this month, against 337 at the end of September 1997. Enrollment has declined more at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton this semester than it has here. It's down 29 stu- dents there, 654 at the start of this September compared to 683 a ycar ago. Enrollment is down by a total of 187 stu- dents in both elementary and high.schools combined across Huron County, within the Avon Maitland system. There were 9,834 students the first week of school earlier this month (6,118 elementary and 3,716 sec- ondary), against 10,021 at the end of September a ycar ago (6,241 elementary and 3,780 secondary). There arc also some ncw faces giving the lessons at local schools. The Scaforth sec- ondary school has five new teachers and a new secretary this semester. Hcathcr Henke is teaching French, Conrad Kuiper, English; Shcrry Logan, match and computers; Paul Nerino, family studies and technical subjects; and Shane Taylor, computers, family studies and English. Susan Noe is a new secretary al the high school. There are seven ncw teachers and a ncw resource teacher, educational assistant and school-based social worker at Seaforth Public. Lori Stevens is now teaching early years; Heather Million, Grade 1; Angela Siemon, Grades 1/2; Karen Millcr-Whittemore, Grades I/2/SRT; Bruce Flood, Grade 6; Jane Morton, Grades 7/8; Erin Morton, French. Bill Reed is thc local school's new resource teacher, Paul Mcnary an educational assis- tant, and Lorna Mardlin the social worker. Walton Public School and Vanastra CS be closed, along with Clinton, Mitchell, Atwood Satellite, Colborne, Falstaff, Juliet, King Lear, Mornington, Portia Satellite, South Pcrth Centennial and Turnhcrry public schools. . On top of these, the report recommends Hensall or Stephen or McCurdy public schools be closed. The directors recommend Mitchell District High School, and Stratford Central be converted to Grade 7 to OAC schools, and that Central Huron Secondary School at Clinton be convert- ed to a JK to OAC facility. Upper Thames Public. School in Mitchell is recom, mended for conversion to JK to Grade 6, as is Romeo pub- lic school in Stratford. EXCESS CAPACITY The board calculates it now has excess capacity of 1,933 empty pupil spaces in its high schools, or an excess of 307,448 square feet, and 561 empty pupil spaces in its ele- mentary schools, or an excess of 56,134 square feet. Thc reduction needed in secondary schools is equiva- lent to closing at least two, and possibly three, high schools, according to the report. The reduction required in public schools "could be accomplished by closing two average size schools, or from three to five of the smallest schools." "Pupil accommodation grants are defined by the ministry as 100 square feet for each elementary pupil and CONTINUED on Page 13. "We were down a little bit, but all in all it was a good turnout and it went very well for Seaforth,' says recreation director Marty Bedard. Last Septemher Seaforth raised $3,028 and had 91 par- ticipants for its annual Fox run. This town has now raised $40,875 since its first Fox run in 1982. Our best year was 1994 when $4,048 was raised. In its third year here, 1984, Les Habkirk was the only Seaforthite to participate. Cardno started the following year, and has participated in every year since, 13 in a row. but not unlucky, as far as hc's concerned. MORE GLITZ? "To me Terry Fox has always been the epitome of determination," Cardno says. He had a goal and a mission. I feel very strongly about the run. He thinks there should be more glitz to the annual event here, perhaps a Kanner for Main Street. This town has had a Fox run longer than London, he notes, and on Sunday little old Scaforth did better than Strathroy, with a population of about 5,000, where there were only 18 participants. Cardno bicycled around the course twice Sunday, raising $405, with more money in pledges still coming in as of Monday morning. The Van Loons also contin- ue to be long-time and solid supporters of thc event in Seaforth. This year that clan raised $220. 'For all to enjoy' Sills honoured Ontario's Heritage Foundation has acknowl- edged Sept. 11 that Scaforth's Frank Sills is one of 127 indi- viduals honoured under its third annual heritage commu- nity recognition program. His personal museum with artifacts relating to the town's business, sports, cultural and social history "has become thc impetus for a movement to establish a community museum to protect and pre- serve the heritage of Seaforth," the press release notes. "His efforts have preserved Scaforth's heritage for thc entire community to enjoy." Among a multitude of accomplishments, Sills served ass mayor for six years and is a lifelong resident of Seaforth. Lebeau trial Adjournment granted An adjournment has been granted in the Sarah Lebeau trial at Goderich to allow the Crown time to carry out DNA testing bf the accused. It was granted Monday morning by Judge Tom Granger. The trial is in its third week and is expected to adjourn later this week until January. Lebeau,21, of RR 1 Brucefield, faces I1 charges relating to a single vehicle accident which resulted in thc deaths of four area youths. Those charges include impaired driving causing death and criminal negli- gence causing death. In the early hours of Nov. 24, 1996, Lebeau's car left County Road 31 near Varna, killing Brian Hill and Mark Webster of Stanley Township, and Neal Atchison and Pamela King of Clinton. Lebeau and Brandon Gardner were both seriously injured in the crash. Crown attorney • Bob Morris requested the adjourn- ment on Sept. 16, following new DNA evidence presented to him by the Centre for Forensic Science in Toronto. He thcn explained thc sequence of events leading up to this request to the court. On Aug. 21, 1998, a letter was received by Morris from Lebeau's attorney, Glenn Carey, that they had blood found on the driver's air hag tested by a doctor in Hamilton. Thc conclusion of this test was that the accused was not the source of it. On Aug. 24, Morris requested blood from Lebeau and the driver's air hag so thc Crown could do its own DNA testing. He later requested the passenger's air CONTINUED on Page 3.