HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-05-28, Page 66
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Opinion Forum News
Reminiscing
It is hard to believe that 45 years ago, in
1963, I was part of the Exeter Kinsman Midget
team that went to the provincial finals only to
lose out to a team from Huntsville.
That year was one of great experiences and
tremendous support from the community. We
were coached by Don "Boom" Gravett and
managed by Lloyd Cashmen. The Exeter
Kinsman were our sponsors and took our team
all over the province. When the season was
over my family was transferred from Centralia
to Chatham, New Brunswick.
With the experience I had from the Exeter
Minor Hockey Association I continued my hock-
ey career, playing high school hockey, universi-
ty hockey culminating in a tryout with the
Detroit Red Wings. I believe the experience and
the support I had in Exeter was very valuable
and I would like to say thanks and hi to anyone
who remembers that year.
CALLUM MACPHEE, Dalhousie, New Brunswick
Helping others
Recently I became involved in the food bank
in a small way and it made me do some think-
ing. The food bank serves a purpose to help
those who need help, many through no fault of
their own. Many of them who get help show
their appreciation by donating more than they
received when they get back on their feet.
We all want to help in some small way and
most of us willingly share what we have. In the
past I gave little thought to what I donated;
now it is different. Many of these people have
children, and they are no different than mine
or yours when it comes to packing lunches for
school. Isn't it nice to be able to have a cookie
in your lunch the same as all the rest of your
classmates? Isn't it nice to have a treat of pop-
corn at times? It is such a small thing as an
adult but huge to a child.
In today's rising prices it is harder to make
ends meet on a limited budget as we all know
even though we are blessed by having enough
to meet our needs and a little left over when
our needs are met.
The next time you are shopping look around
at the things on sale and ask yourself, "If I
needed help would I like this," or "How can I
make a nutritious meal with some of the items
listed?" Or if you see a good deal on pasta (99-
97 cents a package) buy a couple to put in the
food bank bin. If you see tomato or any kind of
soup or veggies on for a good price put a cou-
ple of them in the bin. This way we help every
week a little bit at a time instead of just during
a food drive. Some of you are already doing
what it has taken me a long time to figure out
but I think I am finally on the right track.
Another thing that would really help out is if
you see a good deal on hamburger (which we
do at times) think about what you could do with
hamburger, macaroni, rice, onion and tomato
soup. It makes a good, filling and nutritious
meal. If you are alone it freezes well.
I hope this will help people look at things in
a different way as I finally did. I just feel
blessed that I don't need to go there for help
but in case I do I am trying to pay forward and
hopefully help others in the meantime.
A. DITTMER, Dashwood
Principal's message
EXETER — As May winds down, we look forward to a number of year end activities,
including the Formal, the Athletic Awards Assembly and Relay for Life. These are all
significant activities and we certainly would like to see large numbers of students
involved in all of them.
Parental encouragement of this involvement would be appreciated.
I would like to issue my annual reminder that we would like the Formal to be a posi-
tive experience for all who attend it, and to this end, we will once again be taking
steps to ensure it is an alcohol -free event. We will be doing a breathalyzer test at the
door, and students will not be admitted if the test shows they have been drink-
ing. If the breathalyzer indicates a significant level of alcohol, then parents will
be called to pick up their son or daughter, and we will have to suspend the
student from school. In the last two years since we instituted the policy of test-
ing everyone, the students have been very co-operative and we appreciate
that.
Again, parental support and involvement would be appreciated to ensure
that there is no alcohol consumption at the dinner parties that take place prior
to the dance. We really don't want to turn anyone away from the dance, and
we hope students realize they can have a great time at the dance without
having to drink before they arrive. As well, I will be issuing my usual
reminders to the students to look out for one another and be responsible
after the dance. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable experience
at this annual rite of graduation.
The nominees for Student of the Year are once again an outstanding group of stu-
dents who certainly represent the graduating class. Their write-ups will appear in
next week's paper, but I would like to mention them here. It is an honour for them to
have been chosen by their peers and any of them would be an excellent choice as
Student of the Year: Katie Anderson, Lauren Haberer, Janita Pfaff, Carly Schroeder,
Dimitris Fragiskatos, Marcus Haccius, Bryce Halpenny, and Kurt Van Osch. I would
like to congratulate all eight of these outstanding young people for being nominated
for this honour.
I would also like to congratulate Mr. Moore, Mr. Weston, and all of the band mem-
bers who travelled to Ottawa for MusicFest Nationals. Not only did they perform
remarkably well in the face of some adversity, but I received numerous glowing com-
Communities in Bloom
COMPOSTING
How to compost
Composting is the art of turning organic waste into a rich soil amend-
ment called humus. Backyard composting is easy to learn and is full of
benefits for you and the environment. Organic wastes that can be com-
posted include fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, grass clip-
pings and leaves. Some things you should not include in your backyard
compost include meat or dairy products and weed seeds.
The Five Key Factors
To make an effective efficient compost pile, you need to consider
these five key factors: • Food - The Fifty -Fifty Rule: A per-
fect mixture of material consists of 1f2 brown (carbon -based material)
and 1f2 green (nitrogen -based) material by weight.
• Air - To Turn or Not to Turn: The organisms that
live inside your compost bin need air to survive. Mix or
turn the pile three to five times per season using a pitch-
fork, garden hoe or shovel. Proper aeration can make a '°B'"
big difference. You will know if your bin is not getting
enough oxygen if the pile smells of ammonia. Be/ Part- CYIti
• Water - Moist, Not Damp: The organisms need water to sur-
vive, but not too much or they will drown. The ideal moisture level of
your compost pile should be like that of a wrung out sponge.
• Surface Area - Small is Best: Cutup or shred organic waste materi-
als before placing them into the compost bin. This increases the sur-
face area and speeds up decomposition. You can also store your
kitchen scraps in your freezer to speed up decomposition, as your
materials break down at the cell level when frozen.
• Bin Volume - Not Too Big: A bin should be between 3' x 3' x '3 and
5'x 5' x 5'. A bin that is too small cannot retain enough heat. If the
bin is too large, it won't get enough air to the centre of the pile. It is
also easier to manage two or three medium bins than one large one.
You can build a compost bin yourself out of new or recycled materials,
or you can buy one at a home or garden centre.
ColiertIvilts
en nem
ments on what excellent ambassadors they were for South Huron. It is always gratify-
ing when an individual, a group, or a team is recognized for an outstanding achieve-
ment, but it is all the more impressive when we are told how well behaved, respectful
and courteous they are.
The Wind Ensemble was the first of our groups to perform and they earned a silver
standard. The Senior Concert Band performed next and they achieved a high bronze
standard, and the Percussion Ensemble achieved the highest standing possible — a
gold standard. Considering that these groups were competing against the best high
school groups in the country, these are outstanding achievements. The students, their
parents and teachers should be very proud of these excellent accomplishments, which
are a fitting reward for the countless hours of practice and preparation throughout the
year.
JEFF
REABURN
PRINCIPAL'S
MESSAGE
I would also like to thank three parent volunteers who went along on the trip.
Betty Beer, Karen Brown and Deb Gill not only chaperoned this event, but pro-
vided outstanding service as mothers and nurses when several of our students
came down with food poisoning and were very ill. We greatly appreciate their
assistance and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. I would also
like to thank Dave Robilliard, who also chaperoned on the trip, for his work
with our percussion students all year long. His instruction, support, and
encouragement are also greatly appreciated.
Finally, I would like to comment on our outstanding achievements in track
and field this year. We are sending 10 students on to compete in the OFSAA
West Regionals, based on their achievements at WOSSAA last week. On
Thursday Carly Mercer qualified in the Junior Girls 1500M, Ezekial McCarthy
in Jr. Boys Discus, Lachlan Macgregor in Sr. Boys High Jump, Justin Anstett in
Sr. Boys Javelin, Stephen Runhart in Midget Boys Javelin, and Katie Anderson in Sr.
Girls 1500M. On Friday, Carly Mercer and Katie Anderson qualified again, this time
for the Jr. and Sr. Girls 3000M respectively. In addition, Deanna Love qualified in the
300M hurdles, Teri Stuckless in Jr. Girls Shot Put, Michelle Hall in the Midget Girls
800M, and John Macgregor in the Midget Boys High Jump. Ezekial McCarthy also
qualified in Jr. Boys Javelin to go along with his qualifying in the discus.
Congratulations to all the members of the Track and Field Team and to their coach-
es — Dave Small, Phil Conley, Carleen Hone, Scott Halpenny and Russ Watson — on
an outstanding season.
Education Matters
Is standardized testing of our students a worthwhile effort?
This is a question I'm sure that many parents are asking as our grade 3 and 6 stu-
dents participate in the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing
in reading, writing and mathematics over the next few weeks. Similarly, our
grade 9 students will be tested in mathematics, and in grade 10 students are
tested for their literacy capabilities.
So, are these tests worthwhile? In my view, there are a number of reasons
why the standardized testing is a very valuable tool and is well worth the
effort (and anxiety!) that students, parents and staff expend in preparing for,
and participating in, the testing. First, test content is based on the Ontario
curriculum, and while some may say that teachers simply teach to the test,
in fact teaching to the test, means teaching the full curriculum rather than
specific aspects of it. Second, standardized testing means that we can com- RANDY
pare student achievement in an unbiased way, which helps us to analyze WAGLER
differences in student achievement and take action to improve that TRUSTEE,
achievement. For example, standardized testing has shown us that boys HURON AREA 4
lag behind girls in grade 3 and 6 especially in writing. This insight has SOUTH
been used to help implement specific initiatives to address this gap. Third,
by comparing and analyzing our results from school to school, and with other
boards across the province, we can develop the best practices to help understand
and improve overall student achievement.
So, how is our board doing? In a nutshell, very well! Our grade 3 and 6 achieve-
ment is at or near the provincial average in reading and mathematics, while writing
lags slightly behind the provincial average. By the time our students reach high
school, any gap in achievement has been overcome and our grade 9 academic math
achievement is the highest in the province among all boards, and our grade 9
applied math achievement is the highest among public boards. In addition,
the literacy results from our grade 10 students are near the top in the
province. These results clearly show that our students are receiving an
excellent education among the best in the province.
Not only are our students doing well compared to students across the
province, but Ontario students as a whole are doing well compared to their
counterparts across the country. Last spring, 30,000 13 -year-olds (grade 8)
from across Canada were tested in reading, math and science, and Ontario's
English-speaking students were at the top in reading, above the average in
math, and second to Alberta in science.
So, is standardized testing worthwhile? In my view, yes! Although it's not
the answer to every issue in improving student achievement, standardized
testing is a critical piece of the puzzle toward unlocking the potential in all of
our learners, which is our board's mission statement and our goal in educat-
ing our students.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at 235-4445, or
email me at rwagler@fc. amdsb. ca.
r."--41