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."
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'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