The Citizen, 2007-04-26, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2007.
On the safe side
An OPP officer runs the metal detector over Grade 11 student Robyn Cole
on April 19, the day implicated in a graffiti threat at Central Huron Secondary
School two weeks earlier. While there was a slight increase in absenteeism,
the school day went off without a hitch as did the fashion show later that
night. Parents and faculty both said the OPP’s presence was greatly
appreciated, but precautionary. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Continued from page 1
with the measures the school
and law enforcement took to
protect the students.
“To me, I thought it was
dealt with very well,” said
Jane Zwep, secretary at
Hullett Central Public School,
whose son attends CHSS and
is in Grade 9.
“Credit to Herb Klassen,
he’s a great principal and
always puts the kids’interests
first. I think that if he ever had
any inkling that the kids
would not have been safe that
day, he would not have held
classes that day; and I’m sure
of that.”
Klassen stresses that
bringing the OPP in was
precautionary and that while
the absence rate was slightly
above average on April 19,
most students opted to come
to school in the face of the
threat and incidents in the
news.
While the OPP made
everyone feel safer, several
parents couldn’t help but
worry about future threats.
“If anything, I felt [April
19] would have been the
safest day he could have been
at school because of the
protection. What did have me
worried was, what if
something happens the day
after? Or what about next
week?” Zwep said.
“It’s in the back of my
mind, but I don’t think it’s on
my son’s mind. I think a lot of
the talk around the school was
that it was the fashion show
later that day that drew this
attention. We don’t talk about
it anymore though, because if
he’s alright with it than so am
I.”
Several parents agreed that
how the OPP handled the
situation was a relief, but still
had some questions.
“I think it was handled
pretty well, but on the other
hand, today is another day. Is
security going to continue?
What will continue to be
done? Those are some of my
questions,” said a local
woman with a daughter in
Grade 11 at CHSS who
prefers not to be identified.
“I think there’s still a lot of
questions out there. I think a
lot of parents were wondering
why a week and a half after
the initial incident that none
of us knew about it.”
Zwep, however, thinks she
was given ample time to make
a decision with the help of her
family on whether her son
should attend school or not.
Klassen said the day was
hectic due to being inundated
with press queries all day and
he told them all the same
thing. He felt confident that
he and all of his students and
staff were safe, especially in
the hands of the OPP, a
courtesy that he appreciated,
but felt was necessary. For the
most part, the day went off
without a hitch and save for
the police, was a normal one.
It was important to Klassen
to show the community that
the school was full of students
and that they were ready for
any incident that may occur.
He took the whole
experience in stride however,
saying “that’s the thing about
heading up a public
school, just that, it’s all very
public.”
Accepting the tender for a
rotary finishing mower for the
recreation department created
a small debate at North Huron
council April 16.
At heart was the issue of
buying local or the preferred
choice. Director of
recreation/facilities Pat
Newson said staff had
vacillated between two
options for some time and
finally decided they would let
council choose.
The best price was
submitted from a local
business. However, Newson
explained, the second choice
was a wider mower, a
difference of a foot and a half.
And though it was $2,000
more it was still less than the
budgetted figure. The mowers
had been built at one time in
Seaforth, but the company is
now based in Burlington.
Clerk-administrator Kriss
Snell explained that the
township’s procurement
policy does not require thatthey buy the least expensive
of the tenders.
The preference for staff
with the more expensive
mower was its size but also its
familiarity as that is the make
they’ve been using.
Councillor Greg
McClinchey reminded,
however, that knowing a
brand does not necessarily
save you from buying a
lemon. “If you have had a
Concorde and loved it, it
doesn’t mean the next one
you buy is going to be
terrific.”
McClinchey asked whether
there were any significant
differences that made one the
better choice. “If not, maybe
there’s some merit in buying
locally.”
Councillor Murray Nesbitt,
however, felt that the people
using the equipment are likely
to know what is the best for
the job. “I think we should go
with the recommendation of
the people who work with it.”
“But other than this past
mower business is there anyreason why one is better than
the others?” countered
McClinchey. “If the local one
is as good then I think we
should go with that.”
Deputy-reeve Murray
Scott, who, with councillor
James Campbell had been
looking over the information
on the two mowers, found the
difference. “The blades of the
larger mower turn faster
which should cut man hours
significantly.”
The motion to purchase the
mower from GC Duke carried
with only McClinchey
opposed.
Parents applaud action
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NH council wranglesover mower purchaseBy Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
BE A
FACE
IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
BECAUSE CANCER IS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, SO ARE WE.
Open your door and give generously when a Canadian
Cancer Society volunteer comes knocking this April.
www.cancer.ca
HELP US MAKE CANCER HISTORY.
The Ethel euchre was held
on Monday, April 16 with
nine tables in play.
Winners were: share-
the-wealth, Isabelle
Craig, Verna Crawford;
high, Myrna Burnett, Eileen
Mann; lone hands, Verna
Crawford, Mary Craig,
and Judy Hahn; low, Isa-
belle Craig, Grace Stewart;
lucky tally, Marion Harri-
son, Shirley Verstoep,
Edna McLellan, Helen
Cullen, Leota Thompson,
Neil Hatt, Allan Edgar, Allan
Martin, Viola Adams, Helen
Dobson and Marguerite
Beirnes.
The next euchre will be
held on Monday,April 30 at 8
p.m.
9 tables in play
at Ethel euchre