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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-12-22, Page 17Wednesday, December 22, 2004 Exeter Times -Advocate 17 C,-1 J i �l� J;Jrf1 0 Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson accepts a cheque from Bluewater Community Development Foundation president Brian Brooks (right) and first vice president Steve Haberer Dec. 17 in front of the new thermometer sign marking the progress of the foundation's $500,000 commitment to the building of the Bluewater Community Centre.The cheque brings the total raised up to $325,000 and Haberer said the foundation is still looking for support. (photo/Pat Bolen) Jordan Tieman of Dashwood prepares to throw a snowball after building his friend Frosty with a little help from his parents Dec. 12.Jordan says they had great adven- tures that afternoon, but, sadly, a few hours after Frosty came to life, the tempera- ture started to rise, and he had to go back to the North Pole. (photo/submitted) Are school uniforms a good idea? (Note: The following story was written by a student in South Huron District High School's Grade 11/12 Communications class. Students have been writing a series of articles for the Times Advocate this school year.) EXETER — Uniforms were first institut- ed in 16th Century England at the charity schools for poor children. Now uniforms are associated with mostly private and Catholic schools. The question is, would uniforms be best for South Huron? In a survey conducted of about 80 students at South Huron, more than half the students didn't like the idea of uniforms, but around 35 students would consider wearing them. Almost two thirds of the students liked the idea of being able to wear their own clothes, and when they first thought of uniforms, more than half said uniforms were either tacky or ugly. Arguments for and against uniforms Most commonly heard arguments for school uniforms: • they create a neater school environ- ment and promote school spirit; • they allow the student to concentrate more on school work, and give the stu- dent more time to get ready in the morn- ing; • they stop discrimination between the wealthy and the poor; • they cost less than a non -uniformed school. Arguments against uniforms: • they don't allow students to express themselves through clothing; • they don't directly effect a student's work; • they don't stop discrimination; • they cost more than a non -uniformed school. School uniforms can be expensive if you need to buy them new, along with street clothing. At St. Anne's, the price of basic items (two shirts, two pants, a sweater) would be around $300. There are alternative options at St. Anne's. Students can buy certain items on their own — they don't need to come directly from the school — or they can also buy and sell used uniforms. While the price of these aren't defined, they would be less than new uniforms. Students can also contact the school for information about financial aid. Many comments about uniforms have been made, such as they allow the stu- dent to focus on schoolwork more, and by wearing uniforms, teachers and par- ents have seen a positive change hi the students work. What is the effect uniforms really have on the students? While researching, a lot of propaganda was found, mostly on school Web sites, that uniforms will posi- tively change a student's working habits, but in The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, it showed uniforms had a negative effect on stu- dents' academic achievement, and had no direct effect on substance use, behav- ioural problems or attendance. It also said the student must be willing to improve and must have support from those around him/her to succeed. Instituting uniforms alone will not help them. The target group for uniforms is teenagers. Just recently we have heard about the negative and extreme effects of bullying, and uniforms are designed to stop bullying and discrimination in the schools. But will uniforms really stop bul- lying and discrimination? People will always find ways to put oth- ers down, whether it be for the shoes they wear, or the way they do their hair, so although uniforms may stop students from being made fun of for where they got their pants, they will still be made fun of for other things. On a Web site forum about school uni- forms, one person writes "school is a place to be educated, not a fashion mall." Uniforms may or may not make it easi- er to get ready in the morning. For some students, because of the limited choice of clothing, it won't take a lot of time, but uniforms usually do come with some selection, so for other students it may take as long as it would without uni- forms. It all depends on the person wear- ing the uniform. In this article, there is a lot of negativity towards uniforms, when really uniforms aren't all that bad. The idea and the intentions of uniforms are good. Bullying and discrimination is a big problem in school, and trying to make everyone dress on the same level isn't so horrible to ask. The only problem I see with uniforms is with the limitations and the price. A dress code that was enforced would pos- sibly give the desired affect. If the stu- dents were allowed to go and buy their own clothes, and be able to still choose what they wanted, but with certain limi- tations, that would be a good thing. Our school has a dress code, but it doesn't appear to be enforced. As for freedom of expression, I don't think that it is limited to clothing. Creativity and intelligence seems like a much more powerful form of expression. To find out more information check out www.familyeducation.com/home% www. education -world. com; www. option- ality.net, and search for school uniforms. Attempted theft EXETER --On Dec. 19 OPP were con- tacted over an attempted theft of a snow- mobile on Marlborough Street in Exeter. The owner told police he was sitting inside the house at approximately 11:30 p.m.when he heard what he thought was a snowmobile starting up. He looked out his rear window and saw two men had started his snowmobile in the backyard. They had driven the stolen machine around the house into the laneway were they got stuck in the snow bank. They were trying to remove it when the owner grabbed one by the shoulder. They fled TIMES -ADVOCATE GIFT SUBSCRIPTION CANADIAN SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Year - $37.00 + $2.59 GST = $39.59 Two Year - $68.00 + $4.76 = $72.76 ORDER BY PHONE, FAX OR EMAIL WITH VISA OR MASTERCARD (GIFT CARD INCLUDED) 424 MAIN ST. EXETER, ONT. NOM 1S6 (519) 235-1331 • FAX (519) 235-0766 email: srollings@southhuron.com TIMES -ADVOCATE on foot and a few minutes later another snowmobile started up. The two men are described as 5'10" and 6'. They were dressed in snowmobile suits with helmets. The owner's red and black 2004 Arctic Cat was damaged in the attempted theft when the culprits struck a clothesline pole. Tracks were followed to a spot in a field where they had gotten onto another snowmobile and driven away. Huron OPP are warning all snowmobile owners to take all necessary safety pre- cautions to avoid the theft of their units.