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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-03-13, Page 19dave sykes t The hostage situation inbran was at a turning point earlier this week as Iranian Foreign Minister $adegh Ghotbzadeh handed the militant students an ultimatum. The foreign minister asked that the American hostages either be handed_ over or that a United Nations Com- mission be allowed to see them. The students claimed they were prepared to hand over the American 1 hostages once a plan had been set. If the Americans were handed over it would have ended 127 days of captivity in the embassy. If any readers are like, me (heaven forbid) they often pondered the plight- , of the American embassy staff. What do people do when they're cooped up for 127.days? . You're in luck. This correspondent managed to defy ' certain personal bodily harm and secure a brief conversation with an rnferrred-Tehranion-seuree who -has- been close to the hostages. His reports Inside this section: Fashions for spring . , , .. e , , .... Page 9A Daffodil Tea preparations .. „ ... Page 8A Dave Gower elected ... , ........ Page 3A The McCallums retire ........ , Page 1:0A Martha Rathburn writes .. o .... Page 16A disclose that the American hostages whiled away the time by: 1.Playing pin the grenade on the Ayatollah, 2. Holding freckle contests with the hostage having the most facialand body freckles being declared the winner. 3.Trying to determine the number of facial hairs. on the Ayatollah using a poster picture as a guide. 4. Attempting to con Iranian•students by insisting .they would take a correspondence course in militancy and hostage taking by mail if set free. • 5.Counting the • number of Iranians gathered in the embassy compound when American television crews are filming news clips. 6. Learning the names of other hostage's bodily parts and their fun= ction. • 7. Recalling and reciting some of Jimmy Carter's most memorable speeches nrspPerh if applirable 8. Unscrambling the letters in the name Ayatollah Khomaini and seeing who can make up the most dirty words using every letter only once, . 9. Promising their captors they would return to the United States Embassy if they were allowed to go for a walk to the corner store for cigarettes and a bazooka. 10. Memorizing the design on the embassy window curtains. 11. Thinking the next time they ac- cept a foreign post ; they will give full consideration to countries like Russia, Viet Nam, Korea, Rhodesia, fghanistan, Columbia or otber more civilized places. 12. playing checkers, chess, Chineese checkers and assorted games with spare M-16 ammunition that the students weren't using that particular day. On those less tense days the embassy workers are allowed a game of catch with grenades. 13. The hostages have actually been sio bu „_,-_swerinethousaads-of letters - Bach day and receiving visitors from around the world to take much notice of their plight. . 14.Stagtng beard and leg hair growing contests among then}'se1ves. 15. Dreaming of the day when they would be able to change their, un- derwear on a daily basis and go to a washroom without bars on the win- dows. 16. Trying to quelch an urge to go down to the corner store for a six-pack of Budweiser on a Friday evening. 17. Changing socks and •.un- menti.onables on. a weekly basis with the other hostages just to relieve some of the wardrobe boredom. 18. And finally refusing to pay for their accomodation at the etnbassy when freed because room service was atrocious, the mattress was lumpy and the tennis courts were in a deteriorated condition. Being a hostage isn't easy but more peeple-ar-e-geing• i-nte_•tha-t Erne ofwerifi --- these days. tederich SIGNAL—STAR 132 YEAR -11 Kids answer to principal BY CATH WOODEN The Huron County Board of Education adopted a policy at its March 3 meeting regarding pupil conduct and 'disciplinary procedures on school buses. The statement, which was adopted without discussion, clearly states that responsibility for disciplining pupils who do not• exhthit: good behaviour while on the school bus -beton -es to the school principal. According to the policy, the pupil will first be warned by the bus drivers If the bad .behavior persists, the pupil will be warned again by the driver and also by the principal.. If there is no improvement, the pupil's parents will be notified. The last resorts are temporary suspension of riding. privileges, and finally • an • indefinite suspension of_. riding privileges. The policy includes a code of responsibility for bus drivers. It states that drivers are required • to enforce the code of conduct for students on school buses, and that each .driver "is required to report, to the ap- propriate person, in- fractions of discipline and, wilful damage to -the bus." "Discipline on school buses is probably one of the biggest problems confronting 'school bus drives—teda-y-Much emphasis has rightly been placed on it by the public. Where once the burden of responsibility Iay only with the bus driver, it has now become a community effort of co- operation with parents, administration and the driver," states' the in- troduction to the drP'ers' guide for discipline in the policy. The guide, says that when disciplinary action is necessary im- mediately, the driver Wanted: should stop the bus to reprimand thepupil, or move him or her to a seat near the driver: Bus '. drivers should never put a pupil off the bus to walk home. The. guide also says that drivers should never strike a pupil. The code of conduct for ' students -on school buses is as follows: • -Arrive at your pick up point on time. Bus scheduling is such that Principals agree with bus policy BY CATH WOODEN SchooTprmctpals- tn the - area agree that the school bus policy adopted by the Huron County Board of Education will have a positive and unifying effect...... --- According to G.D.C.I. principal John Stringer, "the bus system is county -wide, and it is good that there is now a county ,policy, rather than individual school policies." Seven busloads of pupils travel to G.D.C.I. everyday, and Stringer said that with tlrose-nunibers there -are bound to be problerns. w' "We find that a war- ning • is usually suf- ficient," he said. Ron Jewitt, principal at Colborne Central School, agrees with Stringer -in that discipline rarely has to go beyond a warning and that there has been no recent suspension of privilages among the 225 elementary school• pupils that ride the five .buses to. Colborne Central. th More parental interest in minor sport saddled with all the work, they will decide they've had it, and quit after one or two seasons. The purpose of the governing body is to co- ordinate the six : minor sports' in Goderich and develop a cohesion among them by looking at common gro.und and concerns. Moore says organization will take a long time because only two of the sports have executives. Another function of the body will be in recruit- ment of parents to help BY CATH WOODEN A disappointing turnout on March 4 marked the second general meeting of -what , Goele-rich r-ec-_. director Jim Moore hopes I will become a minor sports governing body. According to Moore, about 20 of the 40 in- terested people attended the second meeting. Discusssion at the meeting centered around how the members could generate more parental interest in the governing body.- "It's the same old people helping out all the time,"' said Moore. "I guess there is a certain _amount_ of-...app..r-eh nsiQ.n.— in getting involved with something like this. People don't want to get rooked into doing all the work. • "But if 50 people get involved in the governing body;" Moore continued, "there will be less work for everybody." Moore said that if coaches and managers continue to be organize sports, and of coaches and officials. Moore said that a com- mittee of 10 people has been formed to meet a few times in order to &orrkour_ then structure_ and format the governing body will take, and decide how to get more people interested. "Everyone's disap- pointed," Moore said. "People made personal calls and contacted friends who said they would come, and then they didn't show up." the drivers cannot wait for pupils who are late. +Take your .assigned seat promptly ' and remain seated until you arrive at you destination, unless otherwise directed by y6ur driver. +Hold books and lunch boxes on your lap or on. the floor. at your feet, . never in the aisle where they may trip someone. +Skates, when carried on a school bus, 'must have skayte guards.or protective • material in place. +-1kcreir arms aned h-erad ins ide vehicle at all times, +Never interfere with emergency doors, exits or any part of the vehicle equipment. +Unnecessary distur- bances (opening win- dows, wrestling, eating, smoking, • obscene language or any other form of misbehavior) will not he tolerated at. any time. - +Obey directions and instructions of the driver and or , bus patrol promptly. +Refrain from talking to the driver while the bus is in motion, except in case of an emergency. +Never leave the bus at any stop other than -that predetermined by school or parental permission. +Riding a school bus is a privilege! This privilege can be withdrawn. The hoard plans to implement.., the policy statement on an annual basis. Regional seminars will he conducted Tor drivers, operators and principals to review these procedures. Principals will be requested to communicate "guidelines for pupils" and `'procedures for disciplinary action" to pupils and parents.,via a school newsletter or similar memo. • THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1980 SECOND SECTION There may be tighter that the Huron County Board of Education has adopted a policy concerning responsibility for pupil discipline on the vehicles. Drivers, principal*, and control on school buses now• Cath Wooden "Listen," I said (for I was speaking to a little boy, and one must always begin with "Listen" when speaking to little boys, or else they won't). "Listen, don't come near me, or you might catch germs from my cold." The little boy in question threw his arms around me in greeting and an- swered, "Let's play." • The four-year-old's 18 -month-old brother chimed in with his all-puropose word, "Yeah!" Understand that I -did not want to play. I had a cdld and was feeling lousy and wished to lay down on a couch, watch TV and O.D. on Neo Citran. Since I do not own a couch or a television, I . motored to these little boys' parents' home to use theirs, and hopefully •obtain some sympathy to boot. I finally got settled on the couch with my fix of Neo Citran. My view of the TV was obstructed somewhat by the two little buy., who were sitting on me and giggling uncontrollably. Realizing they weren't going to get a rise out of me, they began the old 'jump from coffee table to couch and back again' game. Naturally, the 18 -month- old could not make the leap, and my arms became mid-flight aids. So much for the TV' Now, every adult• knows that this game ends in pain, and that little boys always have to find things out for themselves. The four-year-old misjudged a jump and smacked his knee a good one. against the table. He cried. His little brother cried also, because it seemed to be the thing to do. 1 soothed them both and we all blew our noses together. The quieter game of 'being creative with play -dough' ensued and I tried to salvage what was left of the TV program and my Neo Citran. The boys' father presently entered the room and broke the silence with a, parents all know where they stand now with relation to maintaining order on the trip to and from school: (photo by Cath Wooden) "Whatcha makin"?" In an ettort to get there first, each of the boys. hearing their cr'i, made a dash for him. ' En route, the four-year-old stepped on a tiny toy truck. He cried. His little brother cried also because it seemed to be the thing to do. Their father soothed them both, and we all blew our noses together. - At this point, the yet to be mentioned littlest brother of them all began wailing, as two -month-old babies are apt to do when they are hungry. His mother soothed him. No one was soothing me. The four-year-old was still limping about and whimpering after his brothers had gone to bed. "Let's have a look at that toe," boomed his father. The little, boy began crying loudly, because if the toe warranted looking at, he must have hurt it pretty badly. Off carne his one-piece pyjamas. In the foot of them was a lump of green .play -dough mixed with a bit of 'blood. The boy was set up on the kitchen counter and the toe was examined. iodined, and impressively bandaged amidst his wails and waving arms. "Why are you crying. Mommy?" sobbed the hurt one. "Because I feel sorry for you," an- swered his mother. Actually, she had been trying so 'hard to keep from laughing at his histrionics, tears had come out of her eyes. She hugged him and kissed his toe. I returned to the couch. I was an- noyed. I was being out-sympathied by a little boy. Finally, everyone returned to the living room. The little boy climbed on my lap and said, "It has certainly been a had day, right?" I nodded. "Check." We watched TV together until he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. I went home, and strangely enough, I feel a whole lot better today.