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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-01-31, Page 1Dublin — A5 Obituaries — A7 Graduates — A7 Births — A7 Sports — A8 -A10 Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensel) and Walton Seaforth, Ontario HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNE Schools don't need fundis BY NEIL CORBETT The Ministry of Education can't see that schools in Huron County, built in the 1950s and 1960s, need funding for repairs says Bob Allan, director of the Board of Education, in response to correspondence from the Minister of Education. Sean Conway, Ontario Minister of Education, recently replied to OPEN's (the Ontario Public Education Network) complaints about education funding, at a meeting with Huron MPP Jack Riddell last year. The Huron County Board of Education, a member of the OPEN net- work, read the letter at its January meeting. OPEN met with Riddell to relate to the provincial government, on behalf of educators, their disappointment with ex- pensive programs such as Junior Kindergarten which the Ministry of Education has made mandatory for im- plementation in 1991 and 1992. OPEN also told Riddell that grants to school boards have dropped steadily since 1975, and now more capital funds are needed for buildings. Conway pointed out that the govern- ment allocated close to $5 billion for school boards in 1989, which is 19 per cent of the provinces' budget. Education is the second largest budget item after health care. "The portion of the provincial grant paid to the Huron County Board of Education is based on the same criteria as is every grant to every school board in the province," wrote Conway. In a later interview, Director of Educa- tion Bob Allan said the province's for- mula is fair as far as operating grants are concerned. But the other area fun- ding, capital funding, is granted on a "perceived need" basis. "The province hasn't perceived the need to refurbish our buildings yet," said Allan. He added that the government doesn't seem to recognize that schools built in the 1950s and 60s now need maintenance. By comparison, Allan said metropolitan school boards don't get as much funding for operation because they have a high local tax base, but they do get attention through capital grants. "Education finance policy in Ontario is undergoing an extensive, comprehensive review. This multi-year process will hopefully result in a fairer, more accessi- ble, and better understood system of education funding," wrote Conway. "He did not speak to each item in the brief, but 1 think the board appreciated the fact that he answered the brief," said Allan. "Generally the board is happier than they have been in the past with the response." STILL HAPPY stftel I41tt1 Sa Y fs. Div Nursing Home celobt ed their 6th we r; 1990, .ttrxmuc fanf re IHV c Iii an,�were the � t In fact athe fed I river couples to Can da who have roabhed t�h zke ware.married .1 in a Gdin rat fatir• 'AY, JANUARY 31, 1990 50 cents a copy UNEMPLOYWINIVNSURANCE Increases in Une np yment insurance, Canada Pension atid.r,e addition of the new Employer Health ax will combine to cost the school board almost $500,000 more than last year. *?, The changes in unemployment in- sureance will cost appi`oximately $146,000 per annum. Board costo, for Canada Pen- sion will increase 1)3 approximately $45,000, and the Emp o!yer Health tax, which will replace OHIP premiums, will result in additional e$penditures of ap- proximately $275,000 per year. The in- creases are 24 per cent, 10 per cent, and 58 per cent respectively. Increases are usually only 4-6 per 'cent, caused by inflation. Turn to page 10 Seahawlss fold The sun finally set on the Seaforth Seahawks Sunday nigh$. They played their final game, ever. For Ole record, Seaforth had 10 skaters, two frpm the stands, and Tavistock had eight. g'avistock won 4-3. Few fans saw it. And it's no wonder. Monday night, after 4 unanimous vote by the executive, 'team, president Pete Martene announced the' Seahawks have folded. The vote came/after the executive was informed of afWestern Ontario Athletic Association .,decision that the Seaforth Seniors were to pay ice -time costs of a defaulted game late last month at Wellesley by Tuesday, or be suspended and forfeit their bond. The Seahawks showed up with only five skaters for that game, much to the displeasure of a packed arena at Wellesley. The league decision was fair, only the straw that broke the .camel's back. "Who wants to wateh five players play hockey? I'm sick , of it," Martene says. "The bottom line is a lack of interest from both players and fans, it's a circle." It was better for the organization to fold now rather than play its final two home dates and lose even more money. By folding now the executive feels it will be able to cover all existing outstanding debts. Martene says . at year's playoff series win over Wellesley was the most memorable high point of the team's three- year existence. Last season the team only lost one home game the entire regular season, and even then had difficulty draw- ing fans. This year the team had two wins, 13 losses, and one tie before its demise. Many members of Seaforth's former junior championship team formed the nucleus of the original Seahawks. This old game has broken up, most noticeably in the last year, as mnay players got married and assurtned new responsibilities, moved away or went to school or work elsewhere. The local Seniors were also not helped by a rule local industrial leagues began to enforce, which did not allow players to play for the Seahawks as well as the in- dustrial team. Rob Ravensberg, Bruce Pearin and Rob Core scored for the Seahawks Sunday. For trivia buffs, Core got the last goal for the team in a season where they were few and far between. Seaforth high staff open their doors Seaforth District High School opened its doors to Grade 8 students and their parents last Wednesday, giving them a chance to get acquainted with the school and its programs in preparation for the step up to secondary school. The group of 120 or so that visited the school in the evening heard a brief in- troduction to some of the school's newer courses and plans for the upcoming year before splitting up into smaller groups for a tour of the building. Senior students led the groups through the school one depart- ment at a time, where department heads and staff members outlined their programs and fielded questions. Terri Brintnell and Lynne Godkin, from the Contemporary Studies department, went over the specifics of the program. The grade 9 students, they explained, would be studying foods and doing basic cooking. Grade 10 covers sewing and a course on parenting is offered to Grade 11 students. Senior students in Contemporary Studies work on a preschool component, where a day nursery is set up and run by the students. Terri Brintnell noted that 12 or 13 preschoolers were involved in the program, and that there were more boys than girls in the Senior class that ran it. "They were wonderful...the kids loved them," she remarked. As a whole, the number of boys in the Contemporary Studies program dropped off slightly in 1989-90, but the previous year saw a 50-50 split in the boy to girl class ratio. The Contemporary Studies option is a good choice for the students, they stress- ed, as many post -secondary fields of study are open after graduation. ft also gives them a "little bit of a break", a chance to interact with the other students in a lear- ning setting. The Art department at Seaforth District High will be expanding next September with the introduction of two new Senior level courses and a first-year Basic course. Teacher Greg Sherwood showed the group around the art department and ran some slides illustrating student work. Grade 9 art students can expect to study basic composition work and figure drawing, along with such options as printmaking and pinhole camera photography. Dick Burgess has been running the school's film and photography department for 18 year's now. "One gentleman said that his wife had taken my course when she came to school here," he told the group. The program, unique to Huron County, covers all aspects of photography and the film arts. The High School boasts a good selection of equipment, including a number of enlargers and video cameras, for stu- dent use. In addition, senior courses cover film studies and filmmakers of the past and present. For students with a bent towards business, SDHS offers a full range of, courses and sophisticated, up-to-date equip- ment. Business studies instructor Briar, O'Connell outlined the classes offered, from the introductory Grade 9 typing course through to senior studies in business ad- ministration and accounting. Mr. O'Connell pointed out that the manual typewriters for the Grade 9 classes were recently replac- ed with electric, memory -equipped models, updating the course. "We've made dramatic changes in the last year and a half," he added. The business department has expanded by six sections this past year due to stu- dent demand. Along with the typewriters, the department also boasts 16 Icons and 23 PC's, along with a Commodore PC10-3. Up- Turi to page 5. PLAYING 'DOCTOR? Third "Year medical old John Crowley on Friday. Mr. Petrlich in Seaforth on Family Medicine. Robinet Student Steve Petrlich, examines four -year - is in the middle of a four week rotation photo. Stf;l,dent at Visitors to the Seaforth Community Health Centre these past two weeks, may have had the benefit of a second opinion without asking for it. Dr. Kenneth Rodney has been acting as a clinical supervisor for a third year medical stu- dent out of Western University in London. That medical student has been getting first hand experience at Family Medicine, by visiting with, then giving his opinion on a large number of Dr. Rodney's patients. "It's good exposure up here," said Steve Petrlich after two weeks. "In the city you' mostly do house calls, which turn out to be social calls. Here, 1 spend my mornings in the hospital, and my afternoons in the clinic. And, as an add- ed bonus, I get some surgery. It's a real learning process, they, might even let me suture or something." Originally from Windsor, where he completed two years of general university study, Mr. Petrlich was accepted to the Medical Program at Western University two years ago. This, his third year of "study, has him getting a first-hand look at the different branches of medicine, by participating in 10 to 15 rotations at hospitals and clinics in and around Lon- don. Rotations vary in length from one week to nine, depending on the complex- ity of the branch being studied. This year of study spade 50 weeks. The Family Medicine rotation is eight weeks in duration, and already Mr. Petrlich has completed six weeks, four in ea!th centre Mount Brydges, and two in Seaforth. He has been impressed with the facilities and the people in Seaforth so far. "I like the people here, they're so damn friendly," he said, adding that he was readily acknowledged by the patients from the onset of his stay in Seaforth. "And Dr. Rodney's great. He's a good doctor. He's not totally consumed by medicine, but he's very knowledgeable about it. If I have any questions I can ask him about them. It's been good liv- ing with him - and his wife's a good cook!" "On the down side however, I can't ever call in sick, because he's right there," he jokes. In addition to the people, and the. facilities, Mr. Petrlich is also impressed with the number of people utilizing the doctor's talents at the health centre. "The volume is good. Dr. Rodney sees about 25 patients a day, the same as what they see in London," he notes. As a medical student in study at Seaforth, Mr. Petrlich is given the oppor- tunity to visit with patients, examine them, then diagnosis their ailment. His diagnosis is double checked by Dr. Rodney, who either agrees or disagrees, and offers helpful information or hints in the process. "So far it's been all agrees," says Mr. Petrlich. The same process is utilized in the hospital's emergency room. Turn to page 13A • TWENTY YEARS OF SERVICE - Local firefighters with a minimum of 20 years service to theeaforth and Area Fire Department, were honored Saturday nibht at the Seaforth Op- timist Hall. Les Trowsdale, lower right, Fire Service Advisor for Middlesex, Elgin and Huron counties, and Seaforth Fire Chief George Garrick, lower. left, presented Live Seaforth firemen with medals for exemplary service. Recipients were, back, Jim Palin, 25 years; Bill Eisler, 27 years; Jim Sills, 23 years; Tom Phillips, 21 years; and Peter Kling, 21 years. Robinet photo. 4