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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-05-05, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday,May 5, 2004 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my win- dow and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love! There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a "sunny beach"... I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing...why, even he was enjoying this religious experience! A couple of the peo- ple were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the inter- section before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the win- dow and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Usborne Central School is 40!!! Dear Editor: Usborne Central School is 40!!! A big celebration is planned on Saturday, July 10, 2004 for a time to get together for fun and reminiscing. The organizing committee is inviting everyone who feels a connection to Usborne School (i.e. graduates, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, teacher assistants, parents, etc to come reminisce with us. We also need help collecting school memorabilia and pictures from the 'good old school days' to have on display. The day will begin at 1 p.m. with regis- tration and a chance to stroll through the memo- rabilia rooms in the school. A program is planned at 2 p.m. followed by a beef barbecue (5-7:30 p.m.) and dance (9 p.m.) at South Huron Rec Centre. The commu- nity is invited to join in the festivities, including the bar- becue and dance. Barbecue tickets are now available from any of the committee members. If your readers know anyone who attended Usborne Central School who hasn't heard about the reunion or received an invitation, please contact the committee at: Usborne Central School 40th Reunion, c/o Laurie Dykstra, RR 3, Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S5 or call a committee member. Graduates who have received their packages are reminded to send them in by May 15. If anyone has any memorabilia items they have kept over the years, please contact the committee members as well. Thank you for your help. Usborne Central School 40th Reunion Committee Laurie Dykstra 235-2326, Judith Parker 235-0978, Brenda Hern 229-6712, Janine Dougall 263-5124, Laurel Miner 229-6345, Karen Brock 229-6265, Shauna Soudant 229-8263, Sharon Pavkeje 229-6891, Carolyn Gower 235-4187. Not all eggs in one basket Dear Editor, Premier McGuinty has pledged himself to keeping the campaign promises that he claims will end what he calls the "decline in public education" in the province of Ontario. That is good news for the parents using those schools. McGuinty was emotional during his speech yes- terday in Richmond Hill while expressing urgency in this "one last chance" to save public schools. Besides the usual blaming of the previous government for the cur- rent mess in education, he also blames the rapid growth of independent schools in Ontario for the decline in pub- lic education. McGuinty just doesn't get it. It doesn't matter how much money he spends or how many new innovations he brings to public education, it will still be public edu- cation. Parents who choose independent schools usually do not choose them because the public school is defi- cient. They choose an independent school usually for a religious, cultural or pedagogical reason. They're look- ing for something different, either a different perspec- tive, a different teaching style or a different setting. They make those choices based on what they believe is best for their children and their family. The rapid growth in independent schools in the last decade is more indicative of Ontario's parents growing desire to choose the education that is best for their chil- dren and has less to do with who was governing at the time. Parents are consumers as well. They want to shop around. They want choices. They want value. A time will come when parents will no longer tolerate only one funded choice for education in Ontario. Hopefully, McGuinty isn't putting all of his eggs in the public education basket and will come to recognize that government support for all educational choices makes good financial sense. MARC MIELHAUSEN, St. Thomas, Ont. $80 M for farmers Dear Editor: Food safety is one of the major global issues facing our farmers. Canadians naturally want high-quality food that is safe to eat. But the issue of food safety has an even wider impact—it also impacts job creation and prosperity because of increased Canadian agricultural exports around the world. Canadian farmers have made tremendous strides in the areas of food safety and food quality over the years. But we need to help them do even more. With this in mind, the Government of Canada has announced that it will invest $80 million over the next four years to help Canadian farmers implement food safety and quality measures on their farms. This expands on the announcement in December of $62 mil- lion to support the development of systems for food safe- ty, quality and tracking. These funds will make it possible to put in place on- farm systems for food safety, quality and traceability, and will put producers in a stronger position to meet new, emerging consumer demands in these areas. The first component of the program will help national pro- ducer organizations deliver producer workshops to their members covering the implementation of food safety, traceability and quality systems. As these associations are the direct link to producers, they are certainly the best positioned to deliver real, concrete solutions for farmers. Under the second component of the program, produc- ers will be eligible for up to $750 each to help set up sys- tems on their farms—things like technical support, or purchasing specialized equipment. For information on this initiative, I would encourage interested individuals to consult www.agr.gc.ca or call the office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri -Food at (613) 759- 1059. PAUi. SrEcxr.E, M.P. Huron -Bruce Volunteers enrich our communities Dear Editor: Every day, our lives are enriched by the efforts of volunteers and we reap the benefits of their commit- ment. Through their dedicated work and leadership, they enhance the economic and social fabric of our com- munities -one volunteer hour at a time. During National Volunteer Week, April 18 to 24, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) celebrates the dedi- cation of all volunteers. We especially acknowledge the tremendous difference our own volunteers make to our organization and the province of Ontario. I wish to thank the OTF Grant Review Team in the Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth areas for their dedication and commitment. Under the skilled leadership of Bob Pringle, these active and involved members have worked long hours making site visits and reviewing applications for OTF grants that help make your com- munity healthy and vibrant. This special week for volunteers is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the commitment of all volun- teers, the individuals that you see working in the com- munity and the many volunteers who you don't see. Often the leadership and service of the individuals who work behind the scenes on committees and advisory groups go unnoticed, yet their recommendations and decisions are essential in strengthening the community organizations they serve. Last year, 7,019 volunteers in the Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth areas generously contributed 149,472 hours of their time to organizations supported by OTF. Let's praise the outstanding contributions of all vol- unteers this week and every week and join them in their efforts to improve our communities. ROBERT G. POWER, Chair of the Board The Ontario Trillium Foundation Principal's message EXETER — I would like to start this week by apologiz- ing for a major oversight on my part in last week's col- umn. I mentioned two major fundraising and awareness events we have going on, but I was unaware that many businesses had provided prizes for one of these events. The following businesses have donated items for a raffle to raise money for MS, and I would like to thank them for their support: Country Trenditions, Erb's Country Kitchen, First Choice Hair Cutters, Hayter Turkey Products, In Style with Michelle, Jerry Rader Home Style Catering, Katch a Ray, MacLean's Home Hardware, Shoppers Drug Mart, Stedman's V & S, Village Vines, and Wuerth Shoes. As I mentioned last week, we are grateful to have so many generous businesses and indi- viduals who assist us throughout the year. Our annual drama production hits the stage this week as we proudly present "The Farm Show," by Ted Johns. This entertaining play takes a light-hearted look at life in rural Ontario, presenting us with characters, atti- tudes, and behaviours that will seem familiar to most of us. This play has been a big hit at the Blyth Festival, and we are looking forward to a great performance this week. The cast and crew of students and staff, under the direction of Beth Jantzi, have been hard at work for months preparing for this week, and we hope to see a full house all three nights. The play opens tonight, May 5, and continues through to Friday. Tickets are only $5, and are available at South Huron and at Country Trenditions. I encourage you to come out for some excellent theatre. Also tonight is the annual Excellence in Public Education Awards Banquet, where the Avon Maitland District School Board and District 8 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation recognize the contribu- tions of students, teachers, and com- munity members to public secondary education in our area. Each year our staff nominate and then vote for deserving candidates based on their contributions to the school. Our student winners this year are Melissa Brideau and Jonathan Thornton, and the staff recipients are teachers David MacLeod and Robert Robilliard. Each of these individuals has made a significant con- tribution to life at South Huron, and they are all richly deserving of this award. On behalf of the staff and stu- dents of South Huron, I would like to congratulate them on achieving this honour. As the year draws to a close, we need to get ready for final assessments and final exams. Students in Grades 9 and 10 have been given a calendar listing the final in -class assessments for each subject. These cal- endars have also been placed on our school Web site at: www.amdsb.ca/SHDHS/current/events/final.html. Please note that the calendar lists the general time period in which the assessments will occur, and in many cases the activities run over a period of several days. That is because in most cases there are several class- es of students taking the subject on alternate days. Students should consult their teachers and "customize" the calendar to reflect the dates of their individual assessments. Parents who may have questions about these final assessments are encouraged to speak to their son or daughter's teachers. In addition, we will soon be posting on our Web site the final exam schedule. Final exams begin June 10, and will continue until June 18. During final exams students are required to attend school only at times when they have exams. It is important, therefore, that each student reviews the exam schedule so that he/she knows exactly when his/her exams are. The exams will be written in the large gym and in classrooms. An exam room schedule will be posted in late May. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to a CBC program that aired last Sunday and is scheduled to be repeated May 7, at 10 p.m. on CBC News World. "It's a Girl's World" examines the "hidden culture of girl cliques," exposing the nastiness and bullying that often goes unnoticed by the adult world. The program makes reference to the suicide of Dawn -Marie Wesley, a 14 -year-old girl who was being bullied and threat- ened by classmates. Her mother, Cindy Wesley, was one of the speakers at our recent community forum where she urged us to take action to stop this form of social torment. This documentary is definitely worth watching, and it is to be accompanied by a three-part radio series on CBC radio, May 5, 12, and 19 at 9 p.m. It should be informative and enlightening, though pos- sibly rather frightening as well. JEFF REABURN PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE