Huron Expositor, 2009-05-06, Page 8Pas 8 The Huron Expositor • May 6, 2009
News
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Blyth Festival Gallery to showcase student art
Dan Schwab
Seaforth's Danielle Kruse w i 1 1
join artists from nine high schools
in Huron and Perth Counties by dis-
playing her work at the Blyth Festi-
val Art Gallery this month.
From May 7-29, the walls of the
Bainton Gallery will be covered with
photography, digital illustrations,
drawings, sculpture and other works
of art, with cash prizes awarded to
three winners, whose works will be
displayed at the festival for the du-
ration ,of the 2009 season.
Kruse, 16, has entered her acrylic
painting The Silent Crack.
It's her first public exhibition and
the Grade 11 student says she's ex-
cited to display her work.
Her interest in art began with pen-
cil sketching and grew to include
painting after taking art classes at
Central Huron Secondary School.
For the Blyth Festival exhibition,
Kruse and her fellow students at
CHSS were asked choose an art style
to create a self portrait.
For her piece, Kruse chose to work
in the Expressionist style of paint-
ing.
With Expressionism, it's important
to "display deep emotion, more about
feeling than what a person really
looks like," Kruse says.
Art teacher Laura Browne says
Expressionism gives artists the free-
dom to explore their emotions and
how they feel about themselves.
Browne says Kruse is a student
who is willing to experiment with
different styles and a variety of me-
dia inher work.
"She is an amazing creative artist
who just keeps growing in leaps and
bounds," Browne says.
Other artists from CHSS display-
ing their work in Blyth are Stepha-
nie DeJong, Amelia Maclsaac, Dex-
ter Hamilton, Hilary Dagg, Sydney
Nicolis, Genelle Reid and Carla Ni-
kitin.
Robert Tetu, a volunteer with the
exhibition committee of the Blyth
Festival Art Gallery, says the stu-
dent show is an acknowledgment of
the importance of • youth and their
self-expression in the community.
"Many young people are blessed
with artistic talent, which, nur-
tured and developed, gives students
a creative outlet for their energies,"
'Ibtu says. "Many troubled young -
Danielle Kruse stands with her painting
display at the Blyth Festival Art Gallery
sters have turned their lives around
through their involvement with the
arts. Exhibitions like the student
show provide opportunities for these
young people to show off their skills
Dan Schwab photo
The Silent Crack, which will be on
from May 7-29.
and to generate self-esteem."
Browne says the students' contri-
butions to the Blyth show will also
be a helpful- addition to their portfo-
lios and resumes.
Alternative education program to end this year due
to an increased focus on `at -risk students'
Stew Slater
41.1111.1.11111.
Due partly to an increased focus
on so-called "at -risk students" by
Ontario's Ministry of Education, a
four year-old alternative education
program • in - downtown Stratford
will cease to operate at the end of
the 2008-.09 school calendar.
Tim Doherty, principal .of the
city's St. Michael Catholic second-
ary school, explained the decision
during a regular meeting of Hu-
ron -Perth Catholic District School
Board trustees, Monday, April 27.
At -risk students are those who are
more likely to drop out of school or
fail to pass courses, often due to per-
sonal problems that could include
drug addictions, family troubles,
crime, or being forced to assume
adult roles while still teenagers.
"The Choices program was (when
it began in February, 2005) the
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best alternative available to meet
the needs of those students who
just weren't being served," Doherty
said.
But now, thanks largely to in-
creased in -school support for those
students, he believes bringing them
back full-time into St. Michael will
be "a good and better fit."
Education superintendent Dan
Parr, introducing Doherty's presen-
tation, added, "it's a good news sto-
ry. It's time to bring those students
home."
According to Doherty, 79 students
were enrolled in the , street -front
Choices program over its lifetime.
Fifteen earned Ontario Secondary
School Diplomas, three went into
apprenticeship programs, several
went directly into work environ-
ments, and the fates of seven stu-
dents are unknown.
In addition, 14 Choices students
returned to St. Michael after "they
had stabilized some of the factors in
their life ... and gained the self-
confidence to go back into a bigger
environment."
Since 2006, however, Education
Ministry funding has been flowed
for "Student Success" teachers
within high schools. Then last year,
the Safe Schools Act was amended
to mandate support for long-term
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As a result, specialized educators
have been hired at the Catholic
board's two high schools.
"The two teachers that were hired
here have really embraced the
needs of these students," Doherty
reported, adding, "it really is the
(staff) people here who make the
difference."
The skill set of the small staff at
Choices, although strong in some
areas of education, is limited in its
scope.
As a result, there have been sug-
gestions from both students and
parents that it might be better if
the students had access to the pro-
gramming — particularly technical
education — at St. Mike's.
Other factors are the develop-
ment of a collaboratively -funded
addictions program called Choices
for Change, which provides for the
presence of a counselor in St. Mikes
two days per week, and the increas-
ing effectiveness of so-called "e -
learning" — which allows students
to earn credits outside regular
classrooms.
"There are definitely still some
bumps to iron out," Doherty ex-
plained. But he assured trustees
that St. Mike's will be ready to
welcome about a dozen remaining
Choices students in September,
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