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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-10-10, Page 18Crossroads 18 Times -Advocate Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Detroit woman returns to Grand Bend to reminisce By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GRAND BEND — A trip to Grand Bend last week by a Detroit woman was 60 years in the making. Mary Wirth, 85, spent last week in Grand Bend with her daughter, Ellen Lysik, reminisc- ing about her honeymoon in Grand Bend with her late hus- band Kenneth 60 years ago. Kenneth, who worked for Chrysler for over 33 years and raised four children with Mary in Detroit, died in July 2006 at 82 after a long illness. Mary turned 85 at the end of September and told her daugh- ter the only thing she wanted for her birthday was to return to the place of her honeymoon so she could relive some good memories. It had been 60 years since she had been to Grand Bend. Mary and her daughter returned to Michigan last Thursday after spending a few days sightseeing in Grand Bend and the surrounding area, including visiting Stratford, something Mary had wanted to do for a long time. "It's a beautiful community," she says. "Very busy." Grand Bend today compared with Grand Bend 60 years ago is much different, Mary says, explaining that the village was "wide open" back then and it's obviously much more developed now than it was. She was surprised to see the amount of development in the village, including a high-rise condominium next to the beach. She took a trip to the Grand Bend Public Library to do some Good memories — Mary Wirth of Detroit returned to Grand Bend last week to relive memo- ries of the honeymoon she spent in the village with her late husband 60 years ago. (photo/Scott Nixon) research and to jog her memo- staying in the village. Park is now. ry. They liked it so much they Because she and Kenneth did - Why would a newlywed con- decided to spend their honey- n't have a car at the time, they ple from Detroit honeymoon in moon in Grand Bend the next brought the bus over from Grand Bend? In 1946, Mary year and stayed at a cabin Detroit and then in the second and Kenneth visited friends where Mary believes Gibbs week of their honeymoon, friends came to pick them up and take them home. Mary says she's glad she made the return trip to Grand Bend last week to reminisce and relive the memories of her honeymoon. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it," she says, describing her daugh- ter as a wonderful hostess. Mary added she wasn't really looking forward to going back home because she was enjoying her time in Grand Bend so much. Mary still lives by herself in the same house in Detroit she and Kenneth raised their chil- dren. Her daughter Sharon died in May of leukemia, and Mary said it made her realize it's impor- tant for her to do what she can while she's still able. Of her own health, she says, "so far so good." Mary had wanted to visit Grand Bend earlier with Kenneth, but he was too ill. "I thought when he got better we'd come together, but he did- n't." Ellen says her father would have loved to return to Grand Bend and she says she brought her mom back because "life is so short, so whatever makes her happy, that's what we're going to do." While in Grand Bend, Mary and Ellen stayed at the home of Ellen's friends, Pete and Karen Kane, a Michigan couple. "I love this place. It's gor- geous," Ellen says of Grand Bend. She's been a frequent visitor since the Kanes bought their home in Grand Bend. She credits the people here for being "exceptionally friend- ly " EQAO tests see results "plateau" across the province By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE DUBLIN — School boards across Ontario last week revealed the success rates of their students in the 2006-07 versions of the annual standardized Grade 3 and 6 Math, Reading and Writing tests, and Grade 9 Math tests, from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). And a provincewide "plateau" of elementary results was mirrored by both publicly funded school boards in Huron and Perth Counties. "There is some concern being expressed over the leveling off of the results in Grades 3 and 6 for writing and mathematics," stated a news release from the Avon Maitland District School Board. A similar news release from the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board noted, "after four years of significant improvement and progress, we have experienced some decline in our scores." Of particular note for the Catholic board was a success rate of 61 per cent among Grade 3 stu- dents in the Writing test, down from 73 per cent in 2005-06. The average success rate across the province, meanwhile, remained at 64 per cent both years. Grade 3 and 6 Reading success rates were also down for the Catholic board compared to 2005-06, as were success rates in Grade 6 Reading and Math. Grade 3 Math was the only discipline in which students in 2006-07 achieved success at par with students from the previous year — at 80 per cent. It's important to note, however, that in only one of the six disciplines — Grade 3 Writing — was the Huron -Perth success rate lower than that of the average Ontario school board. "As a board, we still surpass the provincial aver- age," explained education superintendent Martha Dutrizac after a regular board meeting Sept. 24. She noted the board ranks very near the top among Ontario's school boards in some disciplines, including the success rate in Reading for Grade 6 students with special needs, and "we continue to celebrate those successes." The Avon Maitland board news release, mean- while, boasted of "significant" improvement in one of the elementary disciplines: Grade 6 Reading. Success rates were up five points from the previous year, with 69 per cent of students achieving suc- cess. There was also a two percentage point improvement in success rates in Grade 3 Math. For the most part, however, the Avon Maitland elementary results hovered at or slightly below the provincial average, with little change from last year. "The scores pretty much everywhere across the province have plateaued," explained Dutrizac. She said the Education Ministry needs to begin taking seriously the idea of putting in place increased supports for teachers in these areas. The education superintendent also told trustees at the Sept. 24 meeting that she hopes to use the latest information to highlight schools where the leveling -off or decline in success rates is most evi- dent. "There are a few disappointments in terms of particular schools (and) we feel we need to put in place a pretty aggressive and rigorous plan to address those schools' needs." In results from the EQAO's 2006-07 Grade 9 Math test, meanwhile, students from both local boards once again succeeded at rates above the provincial average. And as has been the case for several years, Avon Maitland students fared particularly well. In the Academic stream, 83 per cent of Avon Maitland Grade 9s and 76 per cent of Huron -Perth Catholic students achieved success. Provincewide, 75 per cent passed the standardized Academic - level test. In the Applied stream, 56 per cent of students from the Avon Maitland board and 52 per cent from the Catholic board achieved success. The provincial rate was just 35 per cent. "Specifically, the students and staff at St. Marys' schools need to be commended, as the secondary school results were exceptional," noted the Avon Maitland news release. "Ninety-seven per cent of Academic students at DCVI reached standard or higher and 68 per cent of Applied students, a num- ber almost double the provincial average." According to Huron -Perth secondary superinten- dent Dan Parr, the Catholic board will concentrate on two things in an attempt to "sustain that progress and to make further progress" in Grade 9 Math. He told trustees that communication with ele- mentary teachers and parents will be improved, to enable graduating Grade 8 students to make better decisions about which high school Math courses to pursue. And he explained "literacy" is becoming an increasingly important aspect of all high school curriculums, including Math, so efforts will be made to promote literacy through Math teaching.