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Times Advocate, 1999-10-13, Page 88 Exeter Tim.. -Advocate Wednesday, October 13. 1999 Opinion&Forum 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 MOW ININ we% L oo r over the years. HI HIGHLIGHTS 1970 - 1979 Over 540 attend night classes Exeter has the largest night school of any small town, Joe Wooden, Principal at South Huron High School said this week. The purpose of night school is to offer opportunities of upgrading, recreation and interest related activities to all members of the community. From the slate of courses offered at this year's night school in Exeter, it seems to be fulfilling that obligation. Wooden said that they tried to offer as many courses as the residents were interested in taking and that response to this year's slate had been bet- ter than (ver. About 75 courses were offered and the choice was made by the number of students registered for each course. Of the 75 offered there was sufficient interest to carry about 30 courses in the night school program. Courses offered include recreational subjects such as fitness, judo, modern jazz dance and badminton; academic courses for upgrading, including, con- sumer education, accounting, bookkeeping, English law and German and interest, or hobby courses including, caning and furniture refinishing, oil painting, ceramics, bridge and lingerie sewing. A short course in metrics, offered for a four week period, proved to be one of the most popular with over 75 registered. Because of the response for the course in metrics it had to be offered on three evenings and will be run again for a four week period in January. Women's fitness was also popular with 55 ladies registered for a program of exercise and fitness training and modern jazz dancing attracted 12 stu- dents. The caning and furniture refinishing classes were also a favourite and the class had to be divid- ed into two to accommodate all of the interested students. Joe Wooden said that there are new courses and some repeats included for January session. Included on the slate will be two sections of interior design, conversational french, pattern making, baseball fundamentals, flower arrangement, and men's knits. Several short courses will be repeated. Mr. Wooden said that if anyone is interested in taking a course that has not been offered they should contact the high school and let him know. He said that they will try to provide any course for which there is different interest providing an instructor can be found. The instructors at the night school include teach- ers from South Huron and others with special skills Over 540 local residents are taking part in this year's night school program. Try metric measuring - More than 50 persons attended a demonstration of the metric system at SHDHS. Above, Gerta Richard and teacher Peter Aunger measure the sleeve of Helen Drysdale. Sports related information or photos needed for book - Dates - 1838 to 1950 Contact Ron Bogart 235-0847 (home) or 235-0314 (work) FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHDHS "ALL -YEARS REUNION" CONTACT %DMA ARTHUR 235-4006 (H) 235-3349 (W) OR PAT RowE 236-7167 OPINIONS AND LETTERS News from St.Anne's By Philip J. McMillan Thanksgiving has come and gone Hopefully we have all had the chance to reflect on how blessed we are in Huron County. The time of Thanksgiving has given stu- dents at St. Anne' s an opportunity to help others through the student conference of St. Vincent de Paul. The food drive and cash donations made last week through various fundraising initiatives will make life bet- ter for those in need. We should also give thanks for the community in which we live, whether it is a rural or an urban set- ting. This year, the Arts Alliance will present their production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. The play deals with the values of life in a small town and, in my view, celebrates all that we still have in rural Ontario and sometimes take for grant- ed. One line in the play is, "This is the '\ way we were, in our growing up, in our marrying, in our living �' and in our dying". I. hope that people will all take the time to !' see the show which opens r%/�i November 4th, and runs the 5th, 6th, at 7:30 PM, with a special matinee on Sunday, November 7th at , 2:00 PM. This week the St. Anne's girls' basketball teams played Goderich District Collegiate. Midget, Junior and Senior were all triumphant in their games. Well done girls and coaches! This week, on Friday, Oct 15th is the walk for St. Anne's.- Parents are asked to encourage their stu- dents to get involved and make the day a great event for all. The more who work as one, the greater the power of the work, and the greater the benefit to each. Rural Response for Healthy Children Dear Editor: Let's play! It's about the fun people can have while learning and the learning that goes on while having fun. As we promote the "More Time for Children" theme during the month of October, it seems appropriate to celebrate play. Families can be strengthened by spending more time listening, talking and participat- ing together, in activities. The time spent with our children is important and precious, it's far too easy to get caught up in daily routines and hectic sched- ules, leaving us few chances to be together, let alone play together. There are many reasons why play is important. Physical benefits such as building strength, develop- ing balance and improving muscle control, emotional benefits of working through challengers and prob- lems, venting frustration and becoming conversant with our environment. intellectual benefits might include developing memory and applying problem - solving skills All of these are possible through solitary play. When we play together, social benefits such as get- ting along with others, sharing and taking turns are then developed. It is important to remember that children will be exposed to people of all ages and it is therefore logical to play with all ages, not just peers or siblings, as this will help develop the skills they need to feel comfortable and confident in their world. As you play together your child learns more and feels valued and you will understand your child's needs better. The way you play makes all the difference. Spend time simply talking about ideas, sharing your enthu- siasms and exposing them to as many different inter- ests and fields as you can. Try not to always take the lead, instead follow your children's lead and share their enthusiasm. Remember you don't need to be the entertainer, but at the same time don't sit back and observe as an alternative to joining in. The time you spend together should be time you enjoy! Playing with our children might mean doing a puz- zle, enjoying a board game or building an amazing block structure. It can be the times you go places parents traditionally visit with their children, but it certainly doesn't need to be anything involving travel or money. Try brainstorming with your children to generate ideas, then use that list for your new activi- ties and adventures together. Consider doing routine things at unusual times to help your child gain fresh perspective. Try walking on the beach while -it's rain - Principal's Message The following text are my closing remarks from last week's commencement exercises. This past summer my husband and I took our sons out to Newfoundland for our vaca- tion. Going to Dashwood can be an adventure when you have six sons let alone Newfoundland but we went. We flew into St. Johns and drove up the Trans Canada o a tiny fishing village in northern Newfoundland ,.J where we stayed for a week. We had the opportunity to do lots of hiking, jig for some cod and go out into the ocean and have the whales swim with our boat. We came to know the people that week most of whom had lived their whole life in that village. There were about 30 children and young people ranging in age from a baby to one young woman who graduated from a nearby high .school last June. She was headed to New Brunswick to go to university and the whole village was proud of her success. I met her in the local museum, her summer job, and we talked about this great adventure she was about to embark upon. She was full of anticipation, optimism; I felt excited for her. A few days later I had a chat with her mom. She was excited too but there was something else in her voice as well. At one point she leaned closer to me, grabbed my hand and said "You know she'll never be back. People don't come•to Greenspond they only go." A couple of weeks ago at the beginning of lunch hour when the halls were filled with people a very elderly man and woman came into the office. They waited patiently for the detention kids to be sorted out when I was able to ask them if I could help. They _explained that the woman's brother had gone to this school when it was called'Exeter High. School. Her brother and father had left the rest of the family in Hamilton while Dad had tried to make a go of the farm and the brother had attended this school. He left to join the ser- vice as it was the second world war. He never came back; he was killed in action. She had never been to the school but had heard there was a plaque in the hall bearing her brother's name. Could they see it? I took them out in the front hall to where the plaque hangs. She stood there in front of it, a tiny woman of 80 some years, and silently wept. In both of these instances it became appar- ent to me that the power of place is very sig- nificant and real. A quiet laugh went through the assembly the other day when a relatively new teacher on staff announced a student's name as Mass not Masse. The laughter really said how could she not know that it's Masse. It's always been that way for all the decades that Masse kids have gone here. Be proud of where you are. Be proud of where you were from. It does matter that you came from this place called South Huron DHS. You have helped shape it and make it what it is today. Don't lose sight of who you are in the process of becoming. You are some of all those who have gone before you and you have left a lasting mark for those who will follow. Find.ways to touch the lives of those around you, so they too are better for having known you, because we are. Don't forget to come back. God bless you all. GAL'S MESSAGE ing, making and eating a hearty breakfast menu for dinner or take an early bike ride around your neigh- borhood. Tour or visit a factory, local newspaper, or a courtroom in session. Keep on the alert for oppor- tunities to see and do things you ordinarily wouldn't, like stopping to watch a flock of tundra swans fly over, a new billboard going up or follow a hot-air balloon's course. Moments like these can be a child's most memorable. Children of all ages love attention, especially from you, and there should always be time to play. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, "Man does not crease to play because he grows old; man grows old because he ceases to play!" BEVERLY Bunn/Mobile Resource Librarian