HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-07-21, Page 88
Exp
Wednesday, July 21. 1999
Remember when...
On June 30 to July 2, 2000,
South Huron District High
School will celebrate its 50th
Anniversary. The Exeter
Times Advocate would like to
join in the celebrations by
sharing articles or pictures
which have appeared over
the years.
YEARS 1954-1965 - HI HIGHLIGHTS
Twenty girls
compete for
posture queen title
Twenty. SHDHS girls have reached the finals
of the posture queen competition. The win-
ner will be decided at a school dance in the
near future.
Each class has a representative in the con-
test. She_ has been chosen by fellow students
as the•one who displays the best posture.
The competitions began during Posture
Week, early in February, when three posture
`scouts' in each class nominated candidates.
Class winners were selected from this group.
At a future school dance, the queen will be
chosen by a group of judges, including G.A.
Well, D.C., Exeter who donates a trophy to
the winner; and presidents of the student
council and athletic society.
The contestants are:
Barbara Chapman, grade 13; Barbara
Zimmer, special commercial; Dianne Rannie,
12A; Sharon Elder, 12B; Marlene McBride,
12C; Ann Grayer, 11A; Susan Beach, 11B;
Shirley Henderson, 11C; Jane Restemayer,
11D; Donna Marshall, 1OA; Mary Jane
Hoffman, 10B; Betty Bell, 10C; Mary McBride,
10D; Louise McCauley, 9A; Dorothy Parker,
9B; Pauline Aquilina, : 9C; Donna Ersman, 9D;
Ruth Ann Salmon, 9A; Lona -Kay Glenn, 9B.
Tie for high marks - Mary Anne and Dianne
Rannie, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Rannie,
Hensall, shared highest mark of the music festival
at SHDHS Tuesday afternoon.The sisters
received an 87 in a duetThe mark was also won
by Mary Lou McCann for a contralto solo.
WANTEDIJ
Individual to co-ordinate
memorabilia rooms.
Please phone KENDRA ARTHUR
235-4006 (H) OR 235-4587 (W)
OR PATROWE236-7167 •
FOR MORE INFORMATION AHOLJT THR SHDHS
"AU. -YEARS Itli!JNION" CONTACT
KENDRA ARTHUR 235-4006 (I I) oit 235-4587 (W)
on PAT ItOWE 236-7167
Opinion&Forum
OPINIONS AND LETTERS
Teenage boys, cars and death
Continued from page 7
Do I have any Ideas how to prevent the future sense
less, tragic deaths of our children? I have a few sug-
gestions that may help. Take the time and talk to your
kids about the dangers of parties, drinking and driving.
Most of the accidents occur in the wee hours of the
morning. Curfews are disliked by the kids but so is
medicine. Parents should promise their kids a no has-
sle, no questions asked agreement when their children
call for a ride home. The words "Dad, Mom, can you
come and pick me up" is a cry for help.
A few years ago a local rural high school had a young
man die in a motor vehicle accident after graduation.
-The next year the student council added a novel touch
*to the festivities. All of the students and their dates
were picked up and driven home in a bus filled with
balloons and ribbons. The drivers were dressed appro-
priately in tails and top hats as the buses rocked and
rolled their way to the prom. The parking lot was
closed off and admittance to the graduation was
restricted to those on the magic carpet school buses. 1
trust that the parents slept a little sounder that evening
knowing that the love of their lives, their children,
were safe and not lying alongside the road.
I pray that we will not have anymore of our young
kids die searching for a little fun and happiness. As
parents, it is the hardest task to bury one of our own
children. It is too little, too late, to help at the funeral.
Folks, take the time to love your kids and tell them of
the risks of mixing alcohol and driving home. A visit to
the emergency room, local funeral home or Parkwood
hospital accident treatment centre can teach lessons
that mere ik ords can never reveal.
"Most men look at things as they are and wonder
Why?I dream of things that never were and ask Why
not?"
Len Lesser is a youth and family counsellor. He can
be reached at 519,-434-8316.
Jeremy's egg
Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and
a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing
him all his young life. Still, his parents had tried to give
him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St.
Theresa's Elementary School.
At the age of 12, Jeremy wa& only in second grade,
seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller,
often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in
his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times,
he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had
`penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time,
however, Jeremy irritated his teacher. One day, she
called his parents and asked them' to come to St.
Teresa's for a consultation. As the Forresterssat quietly
in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy
really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be
with younger children who don't have learning prob-
lems.
"Why, there is a five-year gap between his age
and that of the other students!" Mrs. Forrester
cried softly into a tissue while her husband
spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school
of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock
for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this
school. We know he really likes it here."
Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring
at the snow outside the window. Its coldness
seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to
sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their
only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't
fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other
youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distrac-
tion. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or
write. Why waste any more time trying?
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her.
"Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining `when
my problems are nothing compared with that poor fami-
ly! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."
From . that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's
noises and his blank stares. Then one day he limped to
her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you,
Miss Miller, he exclaimed, loudly enough for the whole
class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris's
face turned rad. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very
nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."
Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about
the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus,
and then to emphasize the idea of now life springing
forth, sho gave each of the children a large plastic egg.
Now, sho said to them I want .you to take this home
and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that
shows now life. Do you understand?" "Yes, Miss Miller!"
the children responded enthusiastically - all except for
Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left her
Cover letters
HOW MUCH THOUGHT HAVE YOU
PUT INTO YOUR REFERENCES?
Whether or not you get a summer job will often
de . : d Qn who you give as a reference and what
ut you. A reference is someone other
ily member or close friend who can
comment knowledgeably about your personality
characteristics or work habits.
Most employers ask for references when you are
applying for a job. A reference
contains a name and number
of an individual that can be
contacted for information
abo at your work ethic, written
skills, motivational level, relia-
bility, and ability to cooperate
with others. Often references
will include former employers,
people you have volunteered 11-1'.'tfor, teachers, group leaders, EAiGl.F.SON
and coaches.
Remember, you want your SUMMER
references to be people who EMFICP cOYMMENT
will say something good about OFER
you. Before you give out references it is important
to get their permission to give out their name and
number. You don't want your references to be
caught off guard on the phone when an employer
calls.
Here are some tips about using references:
• References must be able to speak from their
own direct experience of you.
• References must be able to make statements
directly applicable to the job you are applying for
• Either list your references on your resume or
write "Available upon request"
• Contact all of your references prior to every
job interview
• Do not use relatives as references
• Make sure your references can be contacted
easily
If you have any questions about using references
stop by _ the Human Resource Centre for
Students,
or call me at 2354711.
face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he
understood what she had said about Jesus' death and
resurrection? Did he understand the assignment?
Perhaps she should call his parents and explain .the
project to them. That evening, Doris' kitchen sink
stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour
for him to come by and unclog it: After that, she still had
to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocab-
ulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about
phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laugh-
ing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large
wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they complet-
ed their Math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.
In thefirst egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower
is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When
plants peek through the ground we know that
spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved
her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called
out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which
looked very real. She held it up. "We all know that
a caterpillar changes and turns into a beautiful
butterfly. Yes, that is new life, too." Little Judy
smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is
REV
VERNO
DEAN
POINT TO
PONDER
N
mine."
Next Doris found a rock with moss on it._She
explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy
spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My
Daddy helped me!", he beamed. Then Doris opened the
fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it
must be Jeremy's, she thought, and, of course, he did
not understand her instructions. If only she had not for-
gotten to'phone his parents. Because she did not want to
embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and
reached for another. Suddenly Jeremy spoke up, "Miss
Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"
Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy - your egg is
empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes,
but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"
Time stopped. When she could speak again. Doris
asked him, "Do you know why the tomb -was empty?"
"Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed, "Jesus was- killed and put
in there. Then his Father raised him up!" The recess bell
rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school
yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely
away.
Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid
their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19
eggs on top of his casket, all of them
empty.