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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-04-28, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday,April 28, 2004 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 Tomorrow." The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest, that's not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I didn't specify, so I'll give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asks St. Peter, "How many seconds in a year?" "Now that one's harder," says Forrest, "but I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve." Astounded, St. Peter says, "Twelve? Twelve!? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds, in a year?" Forrest says "Shucks, there's gotta be twelve: January 2nd,February 2nd, March 2nd." "Hold it, " interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with this, and I see your point, though that wasn't quite what I had in mind but I'll have to give you credit for that one, too. Let's go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"? "Sure" Forrest replied, "its Andy." "Andy", exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. "Okay, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?" "Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song, "ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.." St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates and said: "Run Forrest, run." Panther Profile EXETER — EXETER — Last Wednesday was Fun Night and Battle of the Bands at the high school. It was a great night of music and fun activities many people came out to enjoy. Congratulations to all the bands who participated. You all did a great job! Thank you to everyone who attended and sup- ported this event! This past weekend was the music department's Cabaret. Both performances were a success. Money raised through this event will help finance the senior band when they attend MusicFest Nationals in Montreal in May. Thanks again for your contin- ued support! Today is a prep talk for college applicants. During the session, students will receive general informa- tion about academics, time management and col- lege life. The meeting is at 1 p.m. for any college applicants wanting to attend. Anyone planning to go to the session must sign up in the guidance office this morning. The drama department's pro- duction of "The Farm Show" is quickly approaching. Students have been diligent in preparation for the opening. The show will run May 5, 6, and 7 at 7:30 p.m. There are still tickets available through the school for $5. For tick- ets, please call 235-0880 and ask for Jean. We hope to see you there! With the warmer weather approaching, the sports teams are becoming increasingly involved with their activities. Keep posted on upcoming home games as everyone is welcome to attend! Coming events April 28 — Reach for the Top Team to Clinton — Boys' soccer teams to Mitchell — Junior boys' rugby at South Huron — 3 p.m. — College Applicant Prep Talk at 1 p.m. April 29 — Girls' soccer in Mitchell — Science trip to the University of Guelph — Track and Field in Strathroy — Senior badminton players to W.O.S.S.A.A. in Strathroy April 30 — Grad Photo Retakes May 4 — Senior boys' and girls' rugby in Stratford May 5 — Boys' soccer in Goderich — Track and Field in Sarnia — "The Farm Show" May 6 — St. Anne's rugby teams at South Huron —1 p.m. — "The Farm Show" — Girls' soccer tournament at Stratford Northwestern May 7 — "The Farm Show" ASHLEY ERB Principal's message EXETER —"One of the great things out the students, staff and community of South Huron is their generous support of charitable activities. We receive numerous requests each year from various charities asking us to do fundraising on their behalf, and it is difficult for us to decide which causes to support. In fact, I am often concerned we do too much fundraising, and I am sure the students and staff feel that way too sometimes. However, when students or staff are willing to take on the task of organizing a fundraising cam- paign, it is hard to say no. We now have two campaigns in the works and they will likely be the final fundraising events of the year. A group of students led by Jenna Becker is working to raise awareness and money in sup - One, two, three fly Imagine being suspended 15 stories above the Earth, held only by a few wires attached to your harness, and with one pull of a cord you plummet towards the ground travelling 90 km/h. That's exactly what I got to experience last Saturday at Paramount Canada's Wonderland. When I was younger, extreme thrill rides terrified me to no end. There would be no way you would see me in-line for anything that even went upside down. It wasn't until a few years ago also at Canada's Wonderland that I finally faced my fears and went on my first actual roller -coaster. Not so much for the reason that it was something I really wanted to do, but more for the fact that I wasn't hearing the end of it from my dad, and I wanted to prove him wrong and leave with a little bit of dignity. So there I was, standing in-line for Top Gun of all things. Of course, the closer we got, the more I started to panic. I kept thinking to myself what was I doing? There were plenty of other rides in the park that were much safer, and from the screams of passengers who have been on ahead of me it didn't sound like they were having fun at all. When it finally came to our turn I got on the ride, trying to make myself look as confident as possible, when really I felt like I was about to hyper -venti- late. This fear only escalated when the restraints locked into place and we slowly started to make our ascension up to the first drop. At that point I was having some serious doubts about what I was doing, and wondered if I shouted loud enough if they would let me off. Unfortunately, I was too late, and the next thing I knew we were being thrown left and right, up and down and then it was over. After I got over the ini- tial shock of what had just happened, it dawned on me that I was still all there, nothing bad had hap- pened, and it was actually really fun. I think the rest of that day I went on absolutely every ride pos- sible, except the Xtreme Sky Flyer, until last Saturday that is. Now, I had no initial intentions or plans on going on the Sky Flyer at all. It seemed silly to me that people would pay to have them- selves dropped from a giant swing. However, last minute two of the people I went to the park with were looking for a third per- son to go with, so I agreed. I was surprised with myself how I didn't even feel nervous waiting in-line watching everyone ahead of us go; most likely because I found it so amusing to see how terrified the two males I was going on with were. It didn't really clue into me exactly what I was doing until the platform underneath us dropped and we were left just hang- ing there only six feet off the ground and we were slowly pulled back. By that point the panic had again set in and I was seriously reconsidering what I was doing, but we kept going all the way to the top I think the worst part of the ride is having to pull the cord to drop yourself, and I'm glad I wasn't the one who had to do it. But with a "One, two, three, fly" coming from a megaphone on the ground, away we went. I won't deny the fact that for the first split I thought I was a goner, until I felt the safety cord tighten and you're no longer free falling. After a few moments of swinging back and forth it was all over, and we were standing on solid ground again. Chances are it never would've happened if I never went on that one roller -coaster a few years ago. I have to say that it was probably the funest thing I have ever done in my life, most likely because it was also one of the riskiest things I've ever done — and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. DEBRA TOONK port of Multiple Sclerosis. Last Friday, five of these stu- dents spent the day in wheelchairs to get a better under- standing of the day-to-day challenges facing those of us for whom being in a wheelchair is a daily reality. The novelty of this experience may have made it seem like fun at times during the day, but I know these students also learned there are still many physical barriers that make life more difficult and inconvenient for those in wheelchairs every day. \The fundraising part of this campaign is taking place this week as students bring in pocket change in a friendly competition among Period One classes. I would like to thank Jenna for taking on this campaign and our thanks also go out to Dairy Queen for providing some incentive prizes in support of this campaign. The other campaign is a community event being orga- nized by a group of students under the supervision of Stacey Park, a teacher and Students' Council advisor on our staff. This event is called "Relay for Life," and it is in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. Two students, Shannon Baer and Meaghan Spence, are co-chairing this event and they have already made presentations to the staff, stu- dents, and School Council explaining how this event works. In addition to these two girls, there are many other students involved in planning for this event. Essentially, it is a 12 -hour relay in which teams of at least 10 people will walk our school track continuously throughout the night from May 28 to May 29. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and end at 7 a.m. Participants will take turns walk- ing so at least one member of each team is walking at all times. You may have heard advertisements for similar events in other communities in southwestern Ontario, but what makes ours special is that although it is a com- munity effort, it is being organized entirely by students and staff at South Huron. "Relay for Life" will begin with a Survivors' Victory Lap, in which people from the com- munity who have had cancer or who are fighting this horrible disease will walk the first lap to demonstrate cancer can be beaten if we all work together. Later in the evening, once darkness has descended, the track will be lined with luminaries, which are paper bags with candles inside. On each bag there will be either an inspi- rational comment or message or a dedication to some- one who has died of cancer. It will be our way of illus- trating in a visible way how cancer affects all of us.Throughout the night there will be entertainment, games, food and fun to keep the participants motivated and the energy level high. Each participant pays a registration fee of $10 to cover some of the organizational costs and each individual receives a lanyard and one luminary. The participants are then given official Canadian Cancer Society pledge forms to gather donations in support of the cause. Our goal is to raise $10,000, which may seem like a lofty tar- get for our first time, but it is easily achievable with the support of our community. There are many ways com- munity members may be involved: • enter a team in the relay; • sponsor a participant; • walk in the Survivors' Victory Lap or bring a friend or loved one who has fought cancer; • buy a luminary; or • attend the opening ceremony to show your support. For those of you interested in entering a team in "Relay for Life," registration forms are available at Hansen's Your Independent Grocer, the South Huron town hall, the library, Country Trenditions, Sobeys in Grand Bend, and, of course, at SHDHS. Luminaries will also be available for purchase at various locations for $5. So why not consider entering a team? Challenge your friends, your neighbours, your co-workers and help us raise some serious dollars to fund cancer research and support the many services for cancer patients. This is a disease that affects all of us in some way, and this is a great opportunity to do our part. Remember the Cancer Society's motto: Cancer Can Be Beaten. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who came out this past weekend to Cabaret 2004 in support of our music program. The bands and choir, under the direc- tion of Mr. Robilliard and Ms. Hollestelle, staged an excellent performance. I am always amazed at the tal- ent of our students and staff, and the audience clearly enjoyed the concert as much as I did. Once again, we greatly appreciate the support of our community. Congratulations to everyone involved. JEFF REABURN PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 By fax: (519) 235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name and address.