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The Citizen, 1998-06-24, Page 21Eat-In Or Take-out Blyth 523-9681 russels 887-9661 Fish Bait Special BIG Dewy Worms (Fri., Sat. & Sun., June 26, 27 & 28 only) 9.75 Arriving Friday ! A fresh shipment of Spawn & Leeches at the Blyth General Store Main St., Blyth 523-9785 Devilbiss Type \ _V Paint Gun with cup $61.95 Air Control Unit $76.95 RADFORD AUTO F ARN1AND INDUSTRIAL PARTS THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1998. PAGE 21. For Teens, By Teens ng schools for OAC will be a big change I am entering my OAC year. In order to graduate as an OAC student I need six OAC credits. This year, I earned three credits at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. I was looking to the year ahead and realized something terrible. I might not get enough credits. CHSS only had five OAC classes which I was qualified to take in the '98-'99 curriculum, only two of which I had any chance of passing (the others were mathematics related, which is not my strong point). This was a problem. Then I learned that St. Anne's, the Catholic high school just down the street, was offering OAC courses in the upcoming year. I decided to look into this as a much better option than a semester of finite math. First I spoke to my parents. They said if attending St. Anne's was what I needed to do, fine with them, as long as it didn't cost them By Ashley Gropp This coming school year I will have the pleasure of being one of 24 students involved in the peer mentoring program at F.E. Madill Secondary School. The program is designed so that students entering high school for the first time will feel more com- fortable with the transition. Since the differences between elementary and secondary schools can be great, this program was brought to the school to lessen the problems Grade 9 face. When first introduced to Madill, the program focused heavily on peer mentors being involved in attending their Grade 9 homerooms regularly, offering equal support to each new secondary student. By Mark Nonkes The movie Gattaca is what could be in the not too distant future. The movie revolves around how scientific our world has become. The genre of film could be classified as an action romance. The movie stars Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, who plays a young man born genetically unpure. This means he was not conceived and perfected in a test tube. The character wants nothing more than to go to space but in order to do this he must take someone else's identity for the space program to even consider his any extra money. Secondly, I went to speak to my guidance counsellor, Mr. Weber. He said he would be sad to see me go, but the best way to start looking .n to switching schools was to make an appointment to see their ;uidance counsellor. When I phoned, the secretary was very helpful. She made me an appointment for the next day and when I arrived she greeted me at the front door to show me to the guidance office. St. Anne's was a completely different world. I walked into the school and came upon the strangest sight: everywhere I looked, in the halls, in the classrooms, even in the office, every single person was standing still, facing the same way with their eyes transfixed on many televisions suspended from the ceiling. They stood still. They stood like this, perfectly still for 10 minutes. I decided this was one of the creepiest things I had ever seen and Gradually the program has been changed so that most of the focus will be on individual relationships with those who have been recom- mended or who have asked to join. Peer mentors will still be involved in the Grade 9 home- rooms, but much less frequently. The mentors are students enter- ing Grades 11, 12 or OAC, who were accepted through interviews. Next school year's mentors have already gotten together with the staff advisors three times to prepare for this fall. The first gathering of the coming year's mentors was a workshop which mainly focussed on how to best communicate. The next was a preparation time, for the most part, for the recent Grade 8 orientation admittance. The movie progresses as Hawke meets the beautiful Thurman and the two fall in love. The major topic dealt with is stolen identity. A bit of gossip: Thurman and Hawke actually fell in love during the shooting of this movie and she is expecting the couple's first child. This movie is relevant to our future where scientific breakthroughs are becoming common news items. What's even more uncanny in this movie is how it deals with the genetic engineering of children. Did it all come from what started last year when scientists in that going to this school would definitely be an adventure. I spoke with the guidance counsellor for about 15 minutes. We talked about my interests for the future, why I wanted to change schools and life at St. Anne's. We decided I would take drama OAC and history OAC. I would only go to this school for the first semester. I planned to go back to CHSS for the second semester to get another OAC. We also spoke about my parents' concern: money. The answer to that was simple, just fill out this form and the public school board will pay the separate school board for the cost of my education there. No problem. Within a week it was all finalized and I was now an official student of St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School. I am very apprehensive about next September. The biggest change will be the people, but I have a few friends at St. Anne's day. The day included a run through of timetables and classes, a students' council skit, and a free lunch for all the students there. I remember my peer mentors were very friendly and certainly made the transition to high school a little less intimidating. This was part of the reason I wanted to be a peer mentor, so that I could help others remember Grade 9 as a positive experience. Also, for more personal reasons being a peer mentor will be a good addition to my resume and it's a new opportunity to meet people. I would encourage any students who enjoy making new friends to consider becoming involved in the future. Scotland announced they could clone a mammal? From there, many genetic breakthroughs have come. Just recently scientists were saying that farmers may soon be able to have their cows bred and know beforehand if the calf will be a heifer or bull when using artificial insemination. Also in the news we have heard of one doctor announcing that he wanted to clone a human being. This movie takes an interesting look at what the future might evolve to. This movie is well worth the rental fee and can be found at most local movie stores. whom I'm sure will make me feel welcome. The next biggest change will be, )f course, religion in the classroom. have mentioned before in this olumn that I am not religious, I am /et unsure of what I believe, and I nave for 12 years attended a public school system where any mention ,f religion was non-biased. Another new adjustment will be prayer in class and a weekly mass. I have no clue what mass is and I have an urge to refuse to take part, which is wrong. In my other schools I would be angry when people didn't stand for 0 Canada because Canada is paying for this education of theirs, so the least they can do is stand for two minutes to show they are grateful. I know, going into this school that it is Catholic and if I don't like that, I can leave. It's true, but it is hard to get used to. If there is a God, and I worship him out of politeness for the school, not because I believe in him, isn't that MDL DOORS 887-6974 Keep the Doors to the Future Open Beautiful Styles to Make your House a Home Available through your local MDL Dealer somewhat dishonest to Him and to myself? You can see the tough position I am in. But also, in the area of religion, this could be a very good experience for me. I will learn more about the Roman Catholic religion. I will learn who God is to them and I will continue my religious discovery. I hope that going to St. Anne's will help me in whatever religious choice I make. I even hope I can squeeze in an OAC religion course, to learn even more. I am not leaving CHSS, I would miss it too much, I am just joining St. Anne's. 9 Gas Bar & Take-Out Ltd. • Chesterfried Chicken • Subs • Pizza • Burgers • Fries ,• Soft & Hard Ice Cream • Confectionery • Movies to Rent • Propane • Gas (887-6951)— Any student needing a job come in and apply at J.R.'s Corner Turnberry & Mill Streets, Brussels Peer mentoring worthwhile `Gattaca' not too far off reality Open all Summer long Glow-in-the-dark Bowling Fri. 7:45 p.m. - 12:30 a.m., Sat. 8:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Sun. - 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Public Bowling Times Mon. - Thurs. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Fri. 7:45 p.m. - 12:30 a.m., Sat. Noon - 12:30 a.m., Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 10 p.m. Moonlight Is A Glow! - all you can bowl! Sat. 10 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Birthday Party Specials 204 Huron Rd. 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