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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2001-10-17, Page 4Letters Opinion 6 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Tom Williscralt - Publisher Scott Hilgendorff - Editor Dianne McGrek - Subxriplions/(lassilieds Bernie Pugh Office/Sales Susan Hundertmark - Reporter Anne Roden - Distribution ill°SJn/a.14Sx. Adam Corjw.ewe - A QueIrcor Gnpa.i F-,rsnil lit est srar,irtahehnwocnwt earn Visit our home poge at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com SUBSCRIP ON RATES: LOCAL - 32.50 a year, in advance, plus 2.28 G.S.T. ,SENIORS: - 30.00 a year, in advance, plus 2.10 G.S.T. USA & Foreign. 28.44 a year in advance, plus $78.00 postage, G.S.T. exempt *t1BSCRIPTON RATES: Published weekly by Sngnol-Star Publishing at 11 Main St., Seaforth. Publication mail registration No. 0696 held at Seaforth, Ontario. Advertising is accepted on condition Cot in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance kr signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rale. In the event of a typographical error, odvertising goods or services at o wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at ony time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliverable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor. Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 Wednesday, October 17, 2001 •dlterial end Mshess Offices - 11 Mala atreet.,foafortii Allophone (519) 537-0340 Fax (519) 537-2S511 Mailiry Address - P.O. Sox 69, foaiorli�, Ontario, NOK 1 WO Bowes Publishers Limited Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspapers Association "We the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs." Editorial Fight to save schools may have beenlost two years ago Next week, the community will be one step closer to again knowing the fate of its high school. Slated for closure once before, the community fought and, through court, managed to overturn the Avon Maitland District School Board's plans to close the high school. Board members and staff have been careful now for months not to refer to the process as part of one that will close schools. You can label it or call it whatever you want but one woman at a past community study committee meeting was right when she came to the sudden realization they were already fighting for their schools through a series of meetings held this summer. Those meetings were held in response to the court ruling of more than a year ago to help make the process more fair to the individual communities by seeking input and asking for recommendations about how the board should handle dropping enrolment to ensure proper government funding. But the intent of the meetings feels hollow when they followed the receipt of a report this spring from consultants that the board immediately downplayed that listed Seaforth District High School and several other schools for possible closure. The' meetings help ensure the board has crossed more "T"s and dotted more "1"s in ensuring the courts, should there be another challenge of any future board decisions, that it truly was fair to the communities this time by including them in the decision-making process. But it remains to be seen whether or not the board truly listens to a recommendation from the local committee to move the Grade 7s and 8s into both Seaforth District High School and Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. Meanwhile, some of the other area committees outside the Seaforth area, seem to be pushing for superschools taking in students from `pwns outside their area. The odds appear to be stacking against the high school again with community members who are growing weary of the fight to keep the high school. While board members and staff may say they have the students at heart in their decisions, it remains a dollars and cents issue that outweighs the logical needs of keeping a high school in a community. Whether a community has a right to a high school no longer matters. Only the dollars and cents count. The real fight may have been lost two years ago. That's when communities and school boards failed to come together and look past their individual school closure issues to collectively fight the provincial government and its messed up funding formula that applies best to Toronto schools but leaves smaller communities faced with losing theirs. Scott Hilgendorff Curling club seeks historical information To the Editor: In 1876 the "Seaforth Curling Club" was formed and on November 17, 2001 the club is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Is there anyone out there that can help put together a bit of history for our celebration? I would appreciate any information you may have. if so, please contact Irma Pryce at 527-0917. Irma Pryce Trustee upset board downplaying issue surrounding how students are counted The Board is already at the 24.5 maximum average elementary class size. There is little room to absorb the 1,017 students into other chives. The foregoing is why' I brought a "notice of motion" before the Board this past Sept. 25 to set the Board's system accommodation loading target at 85 per cent to 90 per cent, a loading level that was not long ago referred to by the Ministry of Education as "optimum" Our board is currently at about 85 per cent. My notice of motion gave trustees a full two weeks to consult with me as to my reasoning. This is far longer than trustees are given on Soo STUDENTS, Page 5 To the Editor: For several months now some of my fellow Avon Maitland District School Board trustees have had regular appearances on the editorial pages of local newspapers. Following that lead I am compelled to also make my views known to the public. Speaking for myself and not the board, it is clear that the district -wide student enrollment loading goal should not be at or near 100 per cent full time equivalent ()• Junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten students only count as one half FTE each. This is because they attend school for only half days. This may very well be an appropriate "counting" for other purposes but clearly should not be used in any determination of how full our schools are since, while those youngest students are in the schools, entire children, not half children need to be accommodated. There are about 2,033 kindergarten students across the Avon Maitland system. If the board chooses to fill our schools to 100 per cent on a FTE basis it would mean that in the portion of the day that kindergarten students are in the schools there would be half of that number, ie: 1017 children over capacity in those schools. I believe that because of the differences in the numbers of students from grade to grade in all schools that overcrowding in a 100 per cent loaded elementary system would be even worse than the overcrowding created by kindergarten students alone. At the ministry -mandated average maximum class size of 24.5 the extra 1,017 students could mean up to 42 portables being added to the system, since existing permanent accommodation must be eliminated from the' system to achieve the 100 per cent loading. The public is well -aware of the many factors that make portable classrooms an undesirable form of student accommodation. Picky eating leads to lesson on life in Afghanistan A joke that circulated my office last week really disturbed me. While I won't repeat the whole thing, the gist of it was that following a genie - granted wish made by Osama bin Laden to enclose Afghanistan with an high impenetrable wall, he was outsmarted by "Uncle Sam's" wish that the enclosed country then be filled with water. I guess it's human nature to lump together groups of people you fear and name them your enemies. I guess it's human nature to then hate your enemies. And, I guess it's human nature to ridicule and ill -wish them. But, what disturbed me most was the idea that wiping out a whole country, 7.5 million of which are starving refugees camping along their borders in By Susan Hundertmark hopes of escaping death by war, disease, exposure or starvation, was somehow funny or even desirable. Westerners are justifiably filled with grief, horror and outrage at the recent terrorist attacks. But, the all -so - predictable human response to react with the desire to inflict more and greater pain on someone else fills me with a deep sadness. And, the all -so -predictable Western response of failing to appreciate that no matter how bad we have it, the greater percentage of the human population has it worse, fills me with sadness and anger. The generosity of North Americans raising money for disaster relief following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington is laudable. I watched American TV celebrities, like Rosie O'Donnell, pledging $1 million out of her vast fortune for disaster relief in the U.S. and challenging other celebrities to do the same out of their vast fortunes during the days following the attack. But, as a friend recently pointed out to me, the Afghans need it more and her family has sent a donation to an international relief organization like World Vision. Along with bombs, the U.S. government is also dropping relief packages into the air space over Soo DROPPED, Page 5 McLean recovers from attack of typhoid fever October 20,1876 Our townsmen Messrs. A. G. Dougall and J. C. Laidlaw, returned home from their summer trip. The former visited England and France, and the latter, his home country, Scotland. The numerous readers of this paper and the many personal friends of M. Y. McLean of the Expositor, will be pleased to learn that he is recovering from an attack of typhoid fever, which has confined him to bed for the past four weeks. The contractors of the works at the Egmondville bridge have now finished and the business men are rejoicing at the increased business derived from the resumption of the southern trade. Alex Wright of McKillop has rented his farm of 112 acres on the 13th concession to Edw. MacNamara for one year. He pays a rental of $300. Mr. Alex McEwan of Hay Twp., sold at the Seaforth show last week, his one year old colt to James Irvine of Tuckersmith for $200. October 18th, 1901 A young son of John G. Grieve of McKillop had a very close call a few days ago. He was putting the• horse in the stable, and while passing one of them it kicked, striking him in the eye. No bones were broken and the eye was not permanently injured. As a threshing machine was at work on the farm of Thomas Adams, in McKillop, a sheaf f wheat was going through the machine, there was a loud report, like the explosion of a cartridge. The sheaf was in a blaze but the men were able to stomp out the fire. Geo. Henderson of McKillop, has a freak of nature. This is a young pig with 6 feet. • J. B. Foster's new brick house at Zurich is being Years agone... rapidly pushed towards completion. The Catholic Church in Zurich is nearing completion and will be a credit to the congregation. The Leadbury hotel buildings were destroyed and Mr. Jones just escaped in his night clothes. Messrs. James Scott and D. C. Wilson of this town, leased a tract of land in Tuckersmith for the purpose of forming a game reserve. Over 32,000 square feet of granolithic sidewalk has been put down in town at a cost of $3,423. Messrs. F. Holmsted, W. O. Reid, A. Young and John Weir, were doing the Pan - America this week. Messrs. Scott Bros. of town sent a very nice organ to the County Home of Refuge. Miss Bessie Young left last week for Boston to pursue her studies at the College of Elocution there. The first snow storm fell on Thursday. The ground was white with the beautiful snow. F. C. Hamilton, popular citizen of Cromarty, will move to Galt, where he has an interest in a shoe business. J. J. Irvine of Leadbury has completed teaming 2000 bushels of grain to Seaforth. It is reported that Albert Dundas has purchased the 50 acre farm of Samuel Dickson in McKillop. October 15,1956 Fred Eckart, Manley, treated himself to a new Star car. The following in this week's standing in the Pony contest, Edwin Hawkins; Chas Bateman; Frank Grieve; Tom Sills; Andy Calder; Sterling Habkirk; Mickey Archibald; Dorothy Wiltse; Geo. Crich; Loretta Purcell; Jean Gemmell; Douglas Stewart; Wilson Broadfoot; Frank Phillips; Ruth Gorden; Leo. Joynt; Bobbie Venner; Jean Dungey; Mary Cronin; C. G. Sherwood; Clara Krauskopf; Gordon McKellar; McKellar Margaret; Merner Bordin. The McDonnell Chevrolet Co. of Hensall and the Lorne Tractor Co. of Ingersoll have placed one of their combined chemical and fire fighting engines in Hensall on a Chevrolet truck. The many friends of Dr. R. P. I. Dougall are pleased to learn that he is improving nicely from an operation and will be in his office this week. J. B. Henderson of Seaforth, brought into the Expositor Office a potato grown in his garden. It consists of one large potato and three others growing from it and from these 8 others are growing. Last Saturday word was received in Zurich that the barn on the farm of Paul Masse, Bronson Line, was on fire and many of the villagers hurried to the scene. The buildings and the contents were doomed as it had gained too much headway. October 12th, 1951 Edward C. Milliken of Millbank and formerly of Seaforth graduated in Honor Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. Mr. and Mrs. James Nash of McKillop were host to a gathering of friends of Florence Murray, bride elect. A basket of miscellaneous gifts was presented to Miss Murray by Veronica Lane. Don Eastman had the misfortune to fall out of a tree breaking his arm at the elbow. Thos. Pryde of Exeter was chosen as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the coming election at a convention held in Hensall. Douglas Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. A. Stewart, won the essay contest sponsored by the Seaforth Lions Club. The title of the contest was "What our hospital means to the community." Students of the Seaforth District High School were winners in the Senior High School match at the North Huron plowing match at Cranbrook. They were Douglas Keyes, Glen Nixon, Elgin Schade. Robert Dayman of Tuckersmith has sold his farm to Joseph Lostelle of near Kippen. A pleasant afternoon was spent at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Davidson of Constance when Mrs. Davidson entertained in honor of her mother, Mrs. R. Lawson, who marked her 84th birthday. Miss Helen Elizabeth Maloney of Seaforth, and Regis Aubin also of Seaforth, were united in marriage by Rev. E. R. Weber. The Salvation Army Officer's quarters are at present undergoing minor improvements. October 21, 1976 A ditch south of Egmondville on the Kippen Road was full of corn for awhile Friday afternoon, after a truck carrying a full load of corn tipped over after colliding with a tractor driven by Arnold Van Miltenburg. Driver of the truck, owned by Vern Alderdice, was David Lovell of R. R. 2 Kippen. Ray Primeau of the Goderich OPP said damages were about $400 and there were no serious injuries. St. Andrews Church, Kippen, celebrated their 109th Anniversary Service on Sunday, October 17 with an inspiring address by Rev. Harold Snell of Exeter who spoke on "looking ahead."