Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1977-11-10, Page 1NO. 451MaFIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1977 Price Per Copy 20 Cents Study elimination of grade 13 The. Huron County Board �f Education supported a resolution Monday to research the elimination of Grade 13 from Huron County schooling but refused to support any move to eliminate a year of formal education in county schools without thoroughly researching the implications. Acting on a resolution sent to the board by the Peterborough County Board of Education the Huron board agreed to study the elimination of Grade 13 but refused to support such a move without researching the subject. The Peterborough resolution stated that "with the objective of reducing the number of years of formal education at the elementary and secondary level, be it resolved that the Peter- borough board of education ask the Ontario Public -School Trustees' Association and the Ontario School Trustees' Council to co-operate with the Govern- ment of Ontario to research the educational merits, problems and impact of telescoping courses of study to 12 grades above kindergarten instead of 13,• the costs savings involved in the above and the social impact of such a move". Director of Education John Cochrane told the board that he would recommend that the matter be researched but was Area man injured in Friday collision Only one injury was reported in the five accidents investigated by the Exeter OPP this week. That injury was sustained by Harold Willert, RR 2 Hensall, whose vehicle left Highway 84 and went into the ditch on Friday. The accident, which occurred 1.6 km west of Hensall, was in- vestigated by Constable Frank Giffin. Damage was listed at $1,400. On Tuesday, a vehicle driven by Jorgen Larsen, Denmark, went out of control on concession 2 in Stephen, north of the Crediton Road. The vehicle rolled onto its roof. - Constable Dale Lamont set total damage at $1,000. There were two accidents on Wednesday, the first involving vehicles driven by Herbert Broom, Exeter, and Neville Alexander, Willowdale. They collided on Highway 83, three km west of Huron Road 11 in Usborne Township. Damage was listed at $550 by Constable Bill Lewis. In the other accident, the drivers involved were George Ryan, RR 8 Parkhill, and Gregory Fleming, RR 2 Crediton. They collided on Huron Road 5 west of concession 10-11. Constable Wally Tomasik estimated total damage at $2,200, The other accident of the week was reported on Saturday when a vehicle driven by Michael Hartman, RR 3 Dashwood, struck a truck owned by Cook's Division of Gerbro Corp., when the gravity box he was pulling slid off the road. Damage was set at $400 by Constable Jack Straughan. During the week, the detach- ment officers laid 29 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, six under the Liquor Licence Act, two under the Criminal Code and two under the Narcotic Control Act. AT HENSALL SERVICE — A Targe number of wreaths were laid at the Sunday morning Remembrance Day service sponsored by the Hensel) Legion. Above, Hay township reeve Jack Tinney lays a wreath on behalf of his municipality. Staff photo leery of the objective outlined in the Peterborough resolution. He said he would like to see the word objective taken out of the resolution and have the Huron board show support for a study of the matter. Cochrane said -he felt the resolution was five years too late, pointing out that five years ago the board was trying to solve overcrowding problems using portable classrooms. Now, he said, the board is trying to find ways to fill schools due to declining enrolment. "I hope the board wouldn't support the resolution without researching it and having.a look at the social implications of shipping youngsters off to university at 16 and 17 years of age," he said. Seaforth trustee John Hen- derson didn't agree with the director, pointing out that students in Grades 12 and 13 waste a lot of time in school and that their timetables almost make them half time students. He said the students go to Grade 13 and don't need many credits for university entrance and the board is just prolonging the agony for a student who is anxious to go on to post secon- dary education. Goderich District Collegiate Institute Principal John Stringer, a guest at the board meeting, said he believed Grade 12 and 13 timetables were more than half time adding that Grade 13 was a very heavy year for a student. He said he had to agree with the director that this was not a good time to support elimination of Grade 13, adding that he hoped the board's decision was based on valid educational reasons rather than politics. Clinton trustee Dorothy Williams said that by abolishing Grade 13 the board may be ad- ding to the provincial unem- ployment problem. She said that there was already an unem- ployment problem and if the board turned out students after Grade 12 those that didn't want to go on to university would add to the number of people that can't find jobs. The Peterborough board claimed that most other provinces in Canada and most jurisdictions in the world have proven they can prepare students for post secondary education in less than 13 years. The resolution claims that the public is showing greater concern for education costs and in Ontario those costs offer students 15 years of formal education at public expense, 13 years plus kindergarten and junior kindergarten. Henderson said that the Grade 13 requirement holds back students with a post secondary education goal. He said that quite. often students not involved with sports and other activities can make it through secondary school four years and save the board a considerable amount of money. "Why keep them in,school?" he asked. "There are no jobs available. Why not let them get to university and go through for something that will give them a career?" The motion to make abolishing Grade 13 the objective of the HELP UNICEF Students from Zurich Public School conducted a highly suc- cessful campaign for UNICEF on Hallowe'en. Final tabulations show that a total of $159.64was collected from area people. research was defeated 13-2 with one member absent. A new motion worded to have the research done just to see if the board and the students would be better off without . Grade 13 received the full support of the board. MANAGER NAMED — Ron Heimrich of Zurich has been named manager for ARClndustries in Dashwood, replacing Don Campbell who has been named Executive Director for the South Huron and District Association for the Mentally Retarded. Heimrich who has 21 years as a teacher and principal, was the Association's first president when it was formed in 1968. While teaching in Newmarket, Ron was very active in the workshop activities of the Newmarket and area men- tally retarded association. Staff photo Say mixed farming could be increased Close to 40 people were in at- tendance at the second in a series of six workshops held last Wednesday, in Zurich, to discuss Hay's proposed secondary plan. The theme for the workshop was agriculture and its ap- plication to the proposed Plan. Will improve phone service In a move designed to improve services, Hay Township council decided at their last council meeting to issue a debenture for $200,000 for the Hay Municipal Telephone System. Bell, Gouinlock and Company Limited have been authorized to act on behalf of the town in this matter. Council has upped the rent of the telephone system from $45.00 to $100 per month. The system which has shared office space with the clerk -treasurer for a number of years has moved to space located to the side and back of the present building. A land severance application from V. L. Becker was approved while a similar application from Mrs. Louise Cantin was denied. In other council action, an application for a drainage loan in the amount of $20,000 was -received and approved from Robert Taylor. ' A resolution from the Borough of Etobicoke asking that the Attorney -Generals of the federal and provincial governments take action on pornography and its exposure to children was sup- ported. Mrs. Betty O'Brien of Zurich has been hired as clerk -assistant to Mrs. Joan Ducharme. Several areas pertinent to agriculture were covered. It was ' felt that the role of agriculture in the township will not change appreciably within the foreseeable future due to the demand for the crops which the township now produces but that a shift from cash crop to more mixed farming could happen if economic conditions do not im- prove. The discussion on possible uses for marginal land brought many varied responses from the audience. It was felt by some that the building of structures on the land would enhance its value thereby enabling the township to derive more revenues from the increased assessment. This point was countered by those who maintained that higher prices for marginal land could discourage potential farmers from entering the field. With regards to the severance of pieces of farmland, it was the consensus that some form of orderly development should occur with protection for the farmer and home owner built into the secondary plan. Concern was raised about farm odours and the disposal of surplus farm residences. When asked "What priority should hobby farmers, part-time farmers and vacation farmers have compared to full time or intensive farm operators?" the audience felt that a farmer should be someone who needs to farm in order to provide an in- come be it full time or part time and that controls should be ap- plied to the land use rather than to the individual. The next workshop will be held tonight (Thursday) at 8 p.m. in the Hay township hall.