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Times-Advocate, 1983-08-24, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, August 24, 1983 Two extend stay to see more of Europe Lions exchange outings in three countries thrill SNDNS trio Every now and then a reporter runs into an interviw subject who makes the job easy by freely providing the sought-after information without the need for many questions. That was multiplied by three when the T -A met this week with the three local female students who had just returned home from the Lions youth exchange program in three different sections of the world. It was basically u :natter of listening to the excited chat- ter and recollections of the ex- periences each had enjoyed and attempting to sift through the superlatives. Laurie Willert, Exeter, had spent four weeks in Min- nesota, while Sarah McClure, RR 1 Crediton, had been in France and Corinne Weer- nink, RR 1 Kirkton, was just back from the camp' in Den- mark. The latter two had ex- tended their stay in Europe; Corinne visiting relatives in Holland for two weeks while Sarah was away from home for seven weeks as she em- barked on an extended trip through Scotland, England, Switzerland, Austria, Ger- many and Ireland with a cousin from Port Elgin. The three senior students at SHDHS were chosen from a dozen who applied this.year for the Exeter Lions 'ex- change program and each en- thusiastically endorse the program for fellow students if they have the opportunity. Corinne, daughter of Albert and Anny Weernick, was among 31 in the camp in Den- mark, with 18 different coun- tries represented in the enrol- ment. in addition to the two- week camp ,experience, she spent a week with a host fami- ly in their summer home near Copenhagen. Language was no barrier as each of those at the camp had to be able to communicate in English and the host family. adults and a 17 -year-old daughter were also fluent in English. I can count and say thank you", Corinne noted in reference to the Danish she mastered. Camp activities were con- ducted from the posh surroun- dings of a private school and included almost daily outings to see the sights of Denmark, plus, a one -day journey to Sweden. Museums, art galleries, various city halls, a nuclear power plant, a boat ride on the fabled Copenhagen canal system were some of the highlights, plus a visit to a bakery where the campers tried their hand at producing some bread. "It was funny looking stuff," she laughed. She also had a tour of a farm, but because she was the only farm -oriented youth in trio group, it was cut shorter than she would have liked. The Carlsberg Brewery was another enjoyable tour. There was also a trip to the famous amusement park at Tivoli where the grade 13 gra- duate determined that "their ice cream isn't as good as ours.'' Similar to the other two, her group was wined and dined by various Lions ('hubs in the host country, although with the exception of the delicious and new assortment of cheese, none found any meals of particular merit over that to which they are accustomed. Sarah. who is off to the University of -Ottawa this fall. spent her two-week stay in a camp near the world famous health spa centre of Vichy, a city made famous by its mineral water which is distributed around the world. French was the required camp language and the Crediton area girl was en- thusiastic in reporting she had come home definitely bil- ingual. Last summer, she took the UWO French course in Trois Pistoles, Quebec, for six weeks and found she could. follow most of the discussion during her initial week with her host family. After two weeks at the camp, she had total comprehension of the language. The France camp was also more sports -oriented than the others which was welcomed by the SHDHS athlete. Ac- tivities each morning includ- ed a cross country run, scuba ' diving, windsurfing, water skiing, sailing and even a hike up a mountain. She also found the camp to border on the luxurious as it is an internationsl sports training centre to which DISPLAY SOUVENIRS — Three senior SHDHS students who returned from youth exchange camps in three different countries display some of the banners they pick- ed up for the sponsors of their trip, the Exeter Lions. Lions president John Norris and exchange co-ordinator Doug Ellison view the banners held by, from the left, Sarah McClure, RR 1 Crediton, who was in France; Laurie Willert, Exeter, who spent four weeks in Minnesota; and Corinne Weernink, RR 1 .Kirkton, who returned from an exchange in Denmark. Slight enrolment drop seen for school system About 30,000 elementary and secondary students t'»»':1 be hitting the books when schools open across Huron and Perth counties on September 6.. - The . -The boards of education in the - district. Iluron County Board of Education and the Perth County Board of Education, recently released the number of students pro- jected to arrive at school -on the first day of the 1983-84 school year. The superintendent of pro- gram with the Huron Board of Education. Bob McCall, said the accuracy of the projected figures is "pretty high". A decline in enrolment is expected in most areas. with the major exception being the elementary division in the Perth Board of Education system. Int1e kindergarten to grade eight public schools in Perth County. enrolment is expected to increase from the 1982 figure of 10,285 to 10.393. In a further breakdown. Stratford elementary school enrolment is expected to -in- crease from 2.816 to 2,890 with the rest of the schools in the county anticipating an in- crease from 7,469 to 7,505. In secondary schools in Perth project a decline from 7,132 last year to an estimated 6,841 for this September. Last year Perth and Huron. ' as well as most of the secon- dary schools across the pro- vince. experienced the phenomenon of a greater number of secondary school students returning to the classroom than expected. • Scarcity of, employment was thought to be the main reason for the high number of rel liming secondary school students .Unsure if the phenomenowill occur again this year school boards are taking a wait and- see approach. Iluron is anticipating that 3,688 secondary school students will be entering the classrooms. down from the 3,851 average daily enrolment of the 1982-83 school year. Elementary students in Huron are expected to number 6,075, down from 6,201 in the school year just past. Enrolment the Iluron Trainable Mentally Retarded TMR) schools is expected to jump by one student from (6 to 67. Figures from the Huron - Perth Separate School Board were unavailable at press time. but the system had a total enrolment of 2.569 students in the 1982-83 school year. LAZY CLOWNS Resting before participating in Saturday's Crediton Summerfest parade were Jane and John Barnes. T -A photo. Bayfield project officially completed It took three pairs of scissors to cut through one ribbon Saturday to mark the completion of a six-month beautification and anti - erosion project along the south hank of the Bayfield HEART FUND DONATION Residents and stabf of Craigholme in Ailsa Craig raised $1,800 from the recent Heart Jamboree. Above, Scott Whaley representing the residents and Edith Hodgins of the staff present the cheque to Beth Schroeder of the Heart Fund. T -A photo. River John Tinney, chairman of the Ausable-Bayfield Conser- vation Authority. MPP ,Jack Riddell (lturon-Middlesex ) and David Johnston, reeve of Hayfield. each cut the ribbon at a ceremony at the old Bayfield bridge ahulment. The price tag on the project was roughly $250.090. said Patrick Graham. clerk of the village of Rayfield. Although the project was financed by federal, provincial and local governments. the major con- tributor was the conservation authority. he said. Project spokesman Helen Owen said the work was riecessary because of increas- ing erosion problems along the river's south bank She said the shoreline was failing in the river and silting. it up In other areas a nature walk was falling into the river. No buildings were in danger but fishermen were growing con- cern about the silt problem, she added Metal sheet piling was in- stalled to protect the banks and prevent further erosion. Owen said the piling also will make it easier for boats to dock in the area. in addition, a 91 -metre 341 foot ) crushed stone walkway. picnic tables and new lights were installed along the south hank for the use of boaters and other visitors to the Bayfield area. teams from across the world come to train for a variety of events. ' One meal at a chateau hosted by a Lions Club was described as "amazing" as it was a six -course menu that included "the whole bit". The daughter of Dave and Margaret McClure found par- ticular delight in the three- hour dinner time spent with her French host family when the leisurely meal was in- terspersed and followed by lengthy family discussions. Her subsequent trip through Europe, which in - eluded a one-week stay in Austria at the invitation of a fellow camper, was spent at youth hostels and travelling on a Eurorail pass. She advised her two cohorts, both of whom would like to take a similar journey in the future, that all they 'need is a back -pack with two pair of shorts, one pair of jeans, a warm sweater and one dress -up outfit for even- ing engagements. Sarah and Corinne remark- ed on their initial reaction to the topless beaches and public pools, but neither mustered the courage to join in. Spending' four weeks in Minnesota,as compared with Europe, may appear to be the short end of the stick in some people's mind, but it's an at- titude not shared by Laurie, the 18 -year-old daughter of Alvin and Edith Willert. "It rivalled Noah's flood," she commented in reference to the tears which flowed as the participants faced the pro-. spect of having to depart for home. While she was in camp for only one week and spent three more with a host family, on their hobby farm she found her 34 new youth acquain- tances a super group. She's even thinking of mass produc- ing a periodic letter so she can stay in touch with them all as she now considers them per"- sonal friends. "i could live like that forever," she told her two cohorts as she recounted the perpetual round of bus trips to see the scenes in the land of 10,000 lakes. She found these lakes "kind of dirty" but had to swallow some of her words on returning home to find Lake Huron suffering pollu- tion problems, Her camp appeared a little more structured as each had to present a talk on his/her country from the standpoint of the polticial, educational, economic, geographic and social stru-•lure. Laurie described her adventure as "very matur- ing" and the other two agreed that participants quickly learn how to get along with people. Corinne noted that her pride in Canada was elevated substantially, explaining that it appeared to be the dream of many of the youths to some day have the opportunity to visit Canada. it was mentioned that many Europeans apologize pr:►fusely if they wrongly - identify Canadians as Americans. "Some of them really don't like Americans." Sarah commented. All three came home with PEACHES • By the bushel or basket • Pails of pitted cherries • New Apples • Pears • Plums • Nectarines • Blueberries • Honey • Fruit Products OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK ROCK GLEN FRUIT FARMS LTD. 828-3644 Arkona IT'S WORTH THE DRIVE! OPEN All DAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY NIGHT TILL 9 P M Main St., Dublin 345-2250 loads of souvenirs and hun- dreds of photographs, plus a rather inadequate feeling when they consider the language expertise of many of their foreign counterparts. Corinne admitted tofeeling "stupid" in comparing her knowledge of additional languages to the three, four and even five that some of the young people she met had mastered. All shared the excitement of making new friends and en- joying the exchange of ideas with others. They claimed that nationalities were quick- ly forgotten and the in- teraction was similar to that conducted with new friends in their own communities or schools. They found the Japanese exchange students to be the most generous when it came to the campers exchanging souvenirs and gifts and -all three returned home with chop stick;, while Laurie also had a dress given to her by a girl from Greece.. As part of the requirements for the trip, all three will be making presentations -to the local Lions at upcoming meetings, but the experience won't end there. "It's something 1'I) remember for years and years," noted Laurie, as all three acknowledged that the world is now a much smaller place in their eyes. BEST FAMILY ENTRY Crediton Summerfest c;ci (:01:'! 1 1 1 1? i)1111i[4II I II11` 1 t1i I;If 1` f The entry from Glavin Farms was judged the best decorated family entry in Saturday's parade. T -A photo. ks9, ru'lett. Look to Exeter's Mainway Stores For Good Value Exeter's Main - way Stores are the logical place to do your back to school shopp- ing. You can always depend on friendly ser- vice, quality mer- chandise and competitive prices. This advertisement published by the Exeter B.I.A.