The Village Squire, 1981-08, Page 9Ripley changes speeds once a year when it hosts its annual
''friendly fall fair in the country.- [Inside photo series by Sheila
Gunby. ]
"You can keep busy if you get involved. A fella from Toronto
said to me, "What do you do?" 1 said. "You follow me this
weekend. I've got six different things to go to."
Another man on the move is Bill Turvill who 12 years ago took
over from Ab Wylds as principal of what in 1973 was renamed
Ripley District School because it added grades seven and eight to
its regular fare of nine to 13. Just recently Turvill was given a
dual principalship. In addition to RDS he now presides over the
secondary school in Kincardine and its 750 students. The move
by the Bruce County Board of Education is likely to rekindle the
fears Ripley residents felt a decade ago. namely that their senior
school would be closed.
"In the early 70s Ripley was going the route of many small
communities." says Turvill. "It was starting to dry up. But
committees were formed to attack the trend. There were rumors
that the school would close so an education committee finally
settled on putting elementary students in the high school. It was
a win-win situation: the secondary school would stay and the
elementary (senior) students would get the benefits of a
secondary school."
Another committee went to bat for the senior citizens and the
result was a spanking new apartment complex. There was a
medical committee and out of it was born a medical centre. A
group dedicated to recreation took pride in delivering the
modern arena -community centre combination.
Turvill's first school was Hanover. back in 1959, so it wasn't
totally unfamiliar turf when he accepted the post in Ripley. The
school he left in East York. however, has more staff than Ripley's
has students. That in itself presented something of a culturt
shock but Turvill says he was happy to adjust. "We deal with
situations as a family. We all basically speak the same
language --the students. the staff. the parents --we're all ver.
supportive." (co'u on nage .11)
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