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Times -Advocate, April 13, 1994
Meeting planned
Rumours about. new
Catholic school
cause of concern
By Catherine O'Brien
T -A stat
CLINTON - A proposal to set up
a joint Catholic and public High
School at Central Huron Secondary
School has sparked concern .as ru-
mours of bad feelings and student
segregation begin to flow.
"There appears to be a lot of bad
information being generated at the
moment and I don't know what the
sources are," said Paul Carroll di-
rector of the Huron
Board of Education.
"I do know in some
parts of Ontario
where this type of col-
laboration has been
addressed, things
have gotten really out
of hand with a lot of
inappropriate rumours
and stories. That's the
kind of stuff that's be-
ing generated at the
moment and I'm concerned about
it," Carroll said: in an interview on
Monday.
Representatives of both the Hu-
ron Board and the Huron -Perth Ro-
man Catholic Separate School
Board are expected to be among
those attending an information
night next Tuesday to discuss the
sharing of Central Huron Secon-
dary School by both boards. Board
members will attempt to set the
record straight on how the Clinton
school will be used.
Since the Catholic board voted
March 28 to proceed with a new
Catholic secondary school in Clin-
ton, rumours have lead to fear that
communities are splitting on the is-
sue. As well some people have
heard that walls are being con-
structed to keep the students away
from each other.
"It would be physically impossi-
ble to separate the student bodies in
the kinds of definitive ways that are
being addressed in the rumour mill.
It wouldn't be possible and it's also
illegal," Carroll said.
He said there is no questitbn that
two student bodies will exist and
that in some cases Catholic stu-
dents will have separate teaching.
"But walls being constructed are
the figment of someone's imagina-
tion because neither I nor Jim
Brown the director of the other
board have ever had any discussion
about that," Carroll said. "In fact
there will be opportunities for stu-
dents in both schools to attend
classes in the other school."
Using technology courses as an
example, Carroll explained that if
there was a group of Catholic stu-
dents taking technology classes
they would come as a group to the
public school wing of the Clinton
school and have classes with the
public school teacher.
And if there are only a few stu-
dents wanted to take a specific
course, they would be grouped with
the public board students.
"This scenario could operate in
both directions as well," he said.
Carroll predicts that
the two boards will de-
velop specialty pro-
grams that they will
share will each other
so that services aren't
duplicated.
The Catholic school
is expected to open in
1995 and offer Grades
9 and 10 with approxi-
mately 110 students,
based on a recent sur-
vey sent out to Grade 6,7, and 8
Catholic students.
Another 80 students currently in
Grade 6 indicated they would at-
tend the Catholic secondary in
1997.
Currently the Clinton school has
650 students. The new. Catholic
secondary will have 600 students
by the time it's offering all secon-
dary grades and will occupy unused
s¢ace presently at the Clinton high
school.
Carroll said if a separate building
had been constructed, rather than
sharing facilities already available
at the Clinton school, the cost could
be from $12-20 million dollars.
"Ultimately that's Ontario taxpay-
ers money," Carroll said. "Al-
though Central Huron will require
some major refinement, it contin-
ues to be my opinion that it will be
less expensive for the citizens of
Ontario to pursue a partnership ap-
proach," he said.
As well, he said this will save the
Huron County public taxpayer
some money because the Catholic
school will take enrollment pressure
off schools such as South Huron
District High School where expan-
sion would be needed within the
next five years.
"It is my personal opinion that we
will end up with a better facility at
Central Huron for our public school
students than we have at the mo-
ment," Carroll said.
The information session at Cen-
tral Huron Secondary School is ex-
pected to draw both those for and
against the joint venture. The
meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Hop'A Thon
Unduy Jan* Haytor, from the Toddler's /nn Nursery
School, hops In the school's third annual Hop.Thon on
Thursday, April 7. The children, ages 3 and 4, raised to
date $1,485 for muscular dystrophy.
Yacht Club's lith ho ase
Harbour In Grand Bend will have a
new look by the end of summer
GRAND BEND - By the end of the Sumpter,
Grand Bend's harbour should have a whole new
look.
Last Tuesday night, Don Pearson, rep-
resenting the Grand Bend Yacht Club,
told council that the two stage project to
build a new clubhouse could be complet-
ed by the end of August.
Pearson said the shoreline protection
for the property which is next to the
launch ramp will be the first stage and the
second will be the actual construction of
a new lighthouse -style building.
"We're developing for, what is to us, a
landmark dream. We believe it will be on
postcards and people will come to look at
it," said Pearson who brought drawings of the new
building.
Originally there was not going to be two stages of
the project but Pearson said the approximately
$220,000 undertaking will probably have more than
one contractor doing the work.
"It's taken a lot to get to this point," said.Pearson of
the commitment by club members.
Council is very receptive to the new clubhouse as it
will no doubt brighten up the area which
has several older -style buildings. One of
those will be demolished and room will
be made for the clubhouse.
There are a couple of minor problems
with the development, one being the
height restriction and the other, parking.
"We won't hold you up. That's going to
do a lot for River Road," said deputy -
mayor Cam Ivey.
As far as parking is concerned, the
Yacht Club would like to continue to park
cars on an angle as they do now in front
of the slips. However, if this is extended down the
road and to the front of the new clubhouse, there
could be a problem.
The property line is on an angle which means cars
would be partially on the road allowance.
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