Huron Expositor, 2007-10-17, Page 4011i`1111
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News
Avon Maitland board celebrating decade of unity
The Huron Expositor • October 17, 2007 Page 3
Ice cream cake at board meeting begins weeks of anniversary celebration
Stew Slater
As they look forward into 12
months which could see significant
changes in schools in St. Marys,
Goderich and Mitchell, trustees of
the Avon Maitland District School
Board are taking the opportunity to
celebrate a decade of unity.
"I don't feel there's any longer a
division between Huron and Perth.
We are the Avon Maitland board,"
said Perth South/West Perth repre-
sentative Carol Bennewies after a
regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 9.
At the meeting, Bennewies gave a
brief report about plans to celebrate
the board's 10th anniversary. Ice
cream cake was handed out to those
in attendance, anniversary flags
were distributed to trustees, and
trustees were asked to take the
flags back to their jurisdictions and
encourage schools to join the cele-
bration.
Plans for other official events are
expected to take shape during
meeting in late October.
The Mike Harris -led provin ' 'al
government was the catalyst fo the
board's formation in 1998, tha ' ks to
the forced amalgamation of the for-
mer Huron and Perth County
boards of education.
Early months were marked by
struggles over where to establish a
headquarters and which staff mem-
bers from each board should receive
top-level positions.
From there, the board moved into
discussions of school closures and
declining funding, with the climax
coming as the board first failed and
then/finally succeeded in closing the
fo er Seaforth District High
ool.
Bennewies, now in her seventh
year with the board, was elected
just as some major school closure
and funding challenges were being
tackled. So, when she commented
after the Oct. 9 meeting that "it's
good at the Avon Maitland right
now," it's easy to accept her point.
Still, 2007-08 will see the board
return once again to the always -
thorny accommodation review issue.
Committees have already been
struck in Goderich, Mitchell and St.
Marys to consider the potential con-
solidation of elementary students
from two facilities into one, and the
potential relocation of Grades 7 and
8 students into secondary school
buildings.
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Asked if trustees might stir up
discontent if they're seen to be cele-
brating while such changes are
being considered, Bennewies
responded that the board's updated
approach to making such decisions
is actually one reason to celebrate.
"I think you have to learn to
accept change. And I think one of.
the big successes of our board is we
now have better communication
with our communities," she said.
"We have succeeded in getting
people in the communities to under-
stand that we want to listen to
them... We've successfully intro-
duced a sharing of ideas."
Over the next few weeks, a calen-
dar of 10th anniversary events will
be developed and shared with
schools.
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