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Times-Advocate, 1987-05-20, Page 30Photos by Bart DeVries • 18A-Ti-mes-Advocate, Ma 201987- PATTILOVE ANGELA MILLER MARY MARTENS LEE O'ROURKE Top SHDHS students Theannual formal dance at South—in-school. Mary has enjoyed her live Huron District . High School will be years at South Huron and plans to go held Friday night. May 24. on to study Sciences at Western. At that time, the top female and malea student will be selected. Nominations were held recently and six female and six male candidates were chosen. The theme of the dance this year is "Putting on the Ritz". A brief thumbnail sketch of the 12 students follows: • Patti Love is the daughter of Jim and Mary Love, Grand Bend. Patti is a grade 13 student who has been in- volved in students' council for four years and has been a member of the prefect staff. Patti was an active par- ticipant in the recentSADDweek pro- gram, and has been involved in peer tutoring also. She has maintained an honour standing throughout high school and feels very honoured to be nominated for this position. Mary Martens is the daughter of Arnold and Ann Martens, RR 2 Cred- tion. Mary has been involved in students. council as a homeroom rep for three years and she has been a prefect for the past two years. Mary has mantained an Honour Roll stan- ding throughout high school and has also been involved in the enrichment and peer coungilling programs run at South Huron. She also enjoys sports and has been a member of the gym- nastics, volleyball and soccer teams Angela Miller is the daughter of Anne and Joseph Miller, R.R. 1 Dashwood. In the past five years, at South Huron. Anglea has been a Stu- dent Council representative and an honour roll student. This year she was also a prefect. Next year Angela is go- ing -to university to become a doctor, then move to Cuha. Sheila. Regier is the daughter of Karl and Mary Kegler, R.R. 3 Zurich. Throughout Sheila's five years at South Iluron she has been a member of the X -country team for five years and the track team for four years. She has been an intramural represen- tative and was part of the intramural executive this year. She 'also was a member of the prefect staff. Sheila is presently involved in the Special Olympics. Next year she plans to at- tend university for Social Sciences. Lee O'Ko(i,rke is the daugther of Don and Julia O'Rourke, R.R. 3 Dashwood. Lee is a grade 13 student who has been a student council rep for four years. And this, year she is a. member of the intramural executive. Also, for the past two years she has been a member of the prefect staff. For the past five years, Lee has been on the field hockey, gymnastics and track teams and has competed at SHEILA REGIER KAREN SCHADE will be crowned, Friday O.I: SS.A_ in all of them. Also, in grade 12 and 13 she has been on the soccer and volleyball teams. Last year, Lee received an award for ex- cellence in education dealing with school and community life. For the past three years, she has taught Saturday recreational gymnastics for the Rec Centre, and for the past two years she has been the supervisor. In grade 11, Lee was asked tp attend the Ontario Student Leadership Camp in the summer for two weeks. Throughout high schodl, she has maintained an honour roll standing. Next yearshe hopes to attend either McMaster or Western to study medicine. Dave Dougall is the son of Jim and Mary Dougall of R.R. 3 Exeter. Dave has been on the honour roll since Grade 9 and has been top student in his grade each year. Presently, Dave holds the position of treasurer for the Students' Council. He has par- ticipated on the school soccer and curling teams over the past five years as well as being a member of the bad- minton club. Dave has been a member of the school Science Olym- pics team for three years, was on the newspaper staff last year, has been a peer tutor and is a prefect this year. He also received an award for ex- cellence in education this year. Last summer, he was pleased to be South Huron's first representative to. par- ticipate in the Shad Valley Program. Outside of school, Dave keeps busy by being a church organist and holding a part-time job. Next year, he plans.. on attending GMI Engineering and Management Institute for a program in management systems. Creg O'Toole isthe son of Jim and Sharon O'Toole, Exeter. During Greg's high school career he has been involved through the basketball team for four years, the cross country team for three years, as well as the volleyball, badminton and track -and field teams. Greg has also been a member of the badminton club and helped with the Panthers basketball camp. This year Greg has helped organize the. fashion show as well as help out with the ski trip and year- book. Greg has been a member at the intramural program for two years and this year holds the position of In- tramural Chairperson on the Student Council Executive. This year he was awarded one of Huron county's "Ex- cellence in Education" awards. Out- side of school Greg holds a part time job and works as a member of the Ski Patrol in London during the winter. Scott Miller is the son of John and Ruth Miller, Exeter. Scott has been at South Huron for five years. During the five years he has attended this school, he has been very *active on many types of school teams. He has participated on the football and basketball teams for five years, the badminton and soccer teams for three years and the track and field for one year. He also has helped with the public school basketball clinic for three years. His plans for the coming year are to attend Fanshawe College in Landscape Design. • Karen Schade is the daughter of Bill - and Anne Schade, Dashwood. Karen was .an intramural representative from Grade 9 through Grade -12. For the past two years she has been a prefect. In grades 10 and 11 she helped in the creaton fo the -yearbook. Karen was a member of the junior girl's basketball team for two years and also manager for the junior girls volleyball team. Last year she receiv- - ed an acting award for the play "Valedictorian". This year she has been kept very busy as second vice- president of the Student Council. Out- side of school she was- elected treasurer for her church youth group this year, has been accepted_ in the Early Childhood Education Course at Lambton College. After completing this two year course Karen -hopes to go to Brock University to attain a Bachelor of Education. Glen Regier. is the. son of -Joe and Rose Marie Regier; R.R. 2 Zurich. Glen has been the first vice-president of the student body this year. He has been a prefectand a member of the championship Senior Football team. Over the past four years at South (Huron he has been a student council rep, for three years, on the -football tea in for a total of four years and the track and field team for three years. He has also been involved with the newspaper. peer . tutoring, -peer enrichment and last year he was on the honour roll Scott Lovie is the son of Gary and Diane Lovie, Exeter. Scott has en- joyed his. seven years of high school at South Huron. With this behind him, he is now looking forward to attending universty. He hopes to attend the University of Western Ontario. While at South Huron, Scott was involved in student council intramurals and was a driving force behind South Huron's basketball team. Outside of school, Scott enjoys playing hockey for the Exeter Hawks. He hopes to play hockey -at university level. Mark Penhale is the son of Emmer- son- and Kay 'Penhale, RR 1 Woodham. He is currently president of the SHDHS Student Council and was a valuable member of the senior Panthers football team when they won the Huron -Perth Conference Championship in 1986. The top students will be crowned at midnight and spectators are welcome in the balcony of the old gym. DAVE DOUGALL SCOTT LOVIE GREG OTOOLE SCOTT MILLER MARK PENHALE GLEN REGIER 8 ,.. ' sw_;rte. .40,; ' z F j,'# ,: , n,.,a:. <c -x Panel outlines efforts to combat family violence The wall of secrecy and shame which once hid the ugliness of family violence is crumbling and falling. Battered wives are discovering that no one deserves to be hit. A caring, ef- fective network of support is available to take them out of their unhappy situations and provide a safe refuge while they consider their options. By a conservative estimate, one in 10 Canadian women is abused by her partner. Such abuse occurs among all segments of society. and battering males are found in all walks of life - doctors, policemen, farmers. Psychological verbal and/or sexual abuse often accompany physical attacks. Representatives of some of the sup- port agencies in Huron County have been holding informal forums on the topic of family violence in a number of towns. sponsored by the Ontario Women's Directorate and Survival Through Friendship House. Members of the panel at South Huron District High School Wednes- day evening were Lynda Bruinsma, a foster parent and a volunteer and board member of the Survival Through Friendship House to transi- tion house for battered wives and their children ). lawyer Sharon Mor- ris, Laurie Thomson from the Iluron- Perth Centre who has been one of the counsellors working with the Delta Men's Group (men who have been assaulting their wives), child abuse worker Sheila McCaffery from Fami- ly and Children's Services, and Ex- eter police Sgt. Kevin Short. All focused on variations of the same theme: abuse of family members iaillegal and unacceptable behavior which was learned, and can be "unlearned". Morris; who was a volunteer at Hiatus House in Windsor for two years, opened the discussion with a revealing vignette: a four- year-old attemting to get his mother's attention had interrupted futiley three times with a plaintive "Mum" before hitting his mother on the leg. She im- mediately broke off her conversation to say "What do you want?", thus reinforcing the child's perception that violent behavior achieved the desired effect. "We want to be part of stopping family violence", Morris said: adding that the family law lawyer has an im- portant role in helping a woman get out of an abusive relationship and get on her feet. find housing, and obtain financial support. Noting that the ministry of the attorney general has given the police more responsibility in dealing with family violence through a 1982 policy change, Mof ris asked Short to speak from his perspective. Short said that the police have reflected society's attitude to this pro- blem. In the past, the wife has the responsibility of laying charges, and many times the husband used force or manipulation to persuade her to drop the charges before the case reached the court. Police now lay charges if they have sufficient grounds, and proceed with the case ir- respective of request later by the wife to discontinue the process. Short agreed that violence is a learned behaviour. Husbands do not begin a marriage planning to beat their wives. Arguments become pro- gressively more violent, until they are - not complete without physical assault. Wives -have been beaten many times before they gather up their children and come knocking at the police station door at 3:00 a.m. The Exeter police department laid five charges last year, and Short con- siders this the tiny tip of an immense iceberg. He believes m any wives are putting up with intolerable conditions because of fear of the unknown. Women who call the police for help and who want to leave are taken to the Survival Through Friendship House, which Short described as "the greatest tool ever given the police". Wives and their children are ab- solutely safe at the transition house. Husbands are not given the address, and no unauthorized person is allow- ed in. Even a judge or a lawyer or other legitimate visitor who arrived 15 minutes early for an appointment with one of the residents would be made to cool his or her heels outside until the actualtime of the appointment. - Bruinsma said women who have been subjected to physical or psychological abuse are offered.tem- porary shelter, food and other necessities, crisis counselling and practical help and information to assist in taking an objective look at their situations, and making realistic plans about their future. Last year 43 women and 63 children found sanc- tuary at the Survival Through Friend- ship House. The youngest was 16, and the oldest a woman of 73 who had been abused for 54 years. Clothing in all sizes, as well as fur- niture, have been donated to the house to be passed on to those who are in need. The Survival Through Friendship House has a Zenith number. Abused wives who are afraid of having a long distance telephone call to explain may call 1-800-265-5506 at any time. day or night,'for information or help in a crisis. Thomsen talked about how batter-, ing husbands are helped by the Delta Group set up two- years ago by psychologist Dr. Doug Reberg. The group's main goal is to get men to stop their violence by accepting responsibility for their behaviour. Thomson has heard excuses ranging from "1 wouldn't hit her -if she wasn't such a bitch" to assaults precipitated by a wife wearing "the roti,; dress" or burning the • Thomson said u re cour,ti uto lin;. t.. The lull tori• do, •tnt an at first, as time is n, !rd avelop group trust. Once the\ .c'ki,,.wledge responsibility, they are taught to recognize physical signals denoting a build-up of anger, and shown how to • manage their emotions without resor- ting to violence. Thomson said perpetuating the myth that batterers are not responsi- ble because they are sick, crazy or drunk is dangerous. This reinforces the misconception nothing can be done, and takes away the power to change. When asked how Della Group deals with those who "just sign up to save their own bacon". Thomson said that the group has no qualms about taking in men who are not initially serious about getting help, as often they are reached by the third or fourth session. All prospective participants are first screened to see if they will fit in "personality -wise" with the group. More ape lost through this process than in the group. The men sign a contract to attend the counselling sessions for 12 weeks. Some have signed up for further ses- sions, and been in the Delta Group for dp to 18 months. To date, 80 men have gone through the program and the. success rate as judged by a substan- tial decrease'in incidence and inten- sity of violence has been over 60 percent. Thomson said more follow-up is needed. McCaffery picked up the thread by detailing the horrible effect family violence has on the children. Yearly in Ontario two or three thousand children are physically and sexually abused. Last year five died. One 'in 10 will sustain severe in- juries by a cuff on the head. The emotional (lounge done to a child who witnes-ws fa Wily tntl, u is also severe. There is a 75 pe 'rent chance that a young boy who sees his father beat up his mother will be a balterer himself later. Serious behaviour problems are 17 percent higher among boys, and 10 percent higher among girls, who have observ- ed battering. Recent studies in Lon- don showed that 50 percent of young offenders had been exposed to fami- ly violence. McCaffery stressed the importance of reporting suspicions that a child is being abused. She said those who call are protected by law, or may report anonymously. Don't turn a blind eye when you suspect child abuse. Sometimes you should meddle", McCaffery urged. Action is taken within the hour. McCaffery said many people are reluctant to act because they don't want to be the cause of someone ha- ving her children taken away. However, if child abuse is reported soon after it begins. in most cases the family can be helped and the children may not have to be removed. Often. if left too late. agencies have no choice but to take the children for, their own safety. The prime goal of Family and Children', q"rvices is to return the child , , ct,,,• In 10 percent of Case,.. '' • 1)1, ns, - poor. in vt k• bat' (Ting .tcCaffery said no pares ' ?ip c -,u• morning and says ::1'm going to hurt my child today". McCaffery pointed out that more training is required to get one's driv- ing licence than to become a parent. Programs like Childreach, now active in Huron Park and Goderich and due to start soon in Seaforth, give mother or father a two-hour break one mor- ning a week while helping to hone parenting skills. A community child abuse commit- tee is currently being set up to serve Iluron County. Coordinator is Nancy Brown -Brunton, a worker with Fami- ly and Children's Services. Other members of the steering committee are FCS director John Penn, Don Keillor from the Huron Centre; Crown Attorney Robert Morris: hank manager Peter Shephard to advise on finances: concerned citizen Elaine Osborne fro Goderich; lawyer Heather Rots; Bill Crocker, a psychologist with the Iluron Board of Education and Chuck Rowland, a board superintendent; Catherine Walsh, director of public health for Huron County and Carl De Granais from the Blue Water Centre in Goderich. As Short said at the Exeter forum, "It's neat when team effort works: the wife calls us, we. take her to Friendship -House where she is given support and legal help. the police lay charges. and the man is signed up with the Delta program." The same teamwork will now go in- ., to concerted action for child abuse, ensuring a support network for both as . ' is of famil violence. INFORMAL DISCUSSION Taking part in a forum on family violence held at SHDHS were (left) Lynda Bruinsma, a board member and volunteer at the Survival Through Friendship House; Laura Thomson, Huron -Perth Centre and a Delta Men's Group leader; child abuse worker Sheila McCaffery from Family and Childrens Services; family lawyer Sharon Morris and Exeter police Sgt. Kevin Short.