The Citizen, 2001-12-12, Page 9HISTORIC PHOTOS NEEDED
Blyth's Mini-museum project requires historic
photos involving the following historic sites:
1. The CPR railway and "The Arch"
2. The Grand Trunk — "Butter and Eggs" railway
3. Blyth's military heritage
4. The flax industry in Blyth
We're also on the lookout for photos of the
following historic activities for possible future
museum displays:
1. The salt industry
2. The brick and tile factories
3. The cheese factories
4. The apple industry
If you have any photos of these historic sites,
please bring them to The Citizen
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2001. PAGE 9.
Schenk, new AMDSB chair
SANTA is
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Have your picture
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By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Wendy Anderson was so confident
there wasn't a serious challenge to
her position as chair of the Avon
Maitland District School Board that
she didn't write any of the farewell
comments which, judging from her
three-year tenure, would have been
characteristic. But now that she has
been replaced, she says "I can't tell
you how relieved I feel."
tolleen Schenk, meanwhile,
thought only a few weeks ago that
she would be in a hospital bed while
her fellow trustees decided on key
board positions, and too busy with
her career to devote any more time to
school board affairs.
But fate intervened and, Tuesday,
Dec. 5, the Wingham resident earned
a slim 5-4 victory over Anderson to
become the board's new chair.
Anderson and Schenk were the
only two names on the ballot for
chair, after a third nominee,
Listowel's Don Brillinger, declined
to have his name stand. Anderson
hadn't prepared any remarks for the
vote and, following the meeting,
explained she hadn't expected any
strong candidates to emerge.
"It would have been nice to say
some of the remarks that a retiring
chair often gets to say," Anderson
said. "Without meaning to sound like
I'm blowing my own horn, I've car-
ried a fairly heavy load for the past
three years and I would have liked to
make some comments about that."
Instead, Anderson was eased out
by the slimmest of margins. Rod
Brown defeated fellow Stratford
trustee Meg Westley for the position
of vice-chair, with Anderson declin-
ing to let her name stand for that
vote.
Speaking following the meeting,
Schenk said she originally had minor
surgery scheduled for the Dec. 4
meeting. But it was moved ahead
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
The importance of faith is always
acknowledged in meetings of the
Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board, in the form of open-
ing and closing prayers, or in such
discussions as those tackling how to
incorporate religious courses into the
more vigorous new four-year high
school curriculum.
But according to the board's new
chair, Mike Miller, the brief agenda
of the annual "inaugural meeting" —
when positions of chair, vice-chair,
and area chairs are selected — pro-
vides a special opportunity to reaf-
firm the role of faith in the responsi-
bilities of a Catholic school trustee.
"Even the word 'trustee' is very
important, because I like to think
people, pick someone they really do
trust," he said, following the Huron-
Perth board's inaugural meeting
Monday, Dec. 3. Operator of a land-
scaping business at St.' Joseph,
Miller was acclaimed to the position
of chair after, 1999 chair Bernard
Murray declined his nomination.
Murray was subsequently
,acclaimed as vice-chair, with no
other nominees. '
Area chairs for the upcoming year
are as follows: Mary-Catherine
McKeon in education, outgoing
chair Ron Marcy in management,
and outgoing vice-chair Vincent
McInnes in personnel.
Prior to the inaugural meeting,
trustees and staff participated in a
devotional ceremony, based on the
Christmas-time story of the three
unexpectedly, and the mother of two
university-aged children and one
high school-aged daughter has
recovered well. In addition, her own
job was recently cut back to occa-
sional status, suddenly leaving her
with much more time to tackle
school board issues.
The North Huron trustee was first
elected to the former Huron County
board in 1995, and has served as an
Avon Maitland committee chair and
vice-chair, as well as several years as
the board's representative on the
Ontario Public School Boards
Association (OPSBA). In
September, 2001, she was elected
OPSBA regional vice-president.
With the board moving directly
from the election of chair into a reg-
ular board meeting, Schenk made an
obvious attempt to set herself apart
from .the formal style of her prede-
cessor.
In a prepared statement, she admit-
ted her "job will not be easy in these
turbulent times," then invited other
trustees to approach her about any
concerns. She called trustees by their
first names '— as opposed to
Anderson's more formal "trustee
Schenk" — and urged parents and
students to get involved by writing
letters to their MPPs or other gov-
ernment officials about such issues
as the provincial funding formula or
special education needs.
And she allowed the meeting to
step far outside traditional procedure
by obliging a request by Seaforth
Public school council representative
Lisa Campbell, who appeared as a
public delegation.
Seeking to promote the merits of
placing Seaforth's Grades 7 and 8
students in a separate wing at
Seaforth District High School (in
which the board's meetings are
Field), Campbell requested that
trustees be led out of the gymnasium
and down the hall to what Campbell
described as a potential "school-
wise men but offering lessons which
have relevance to the work of
trustees. The musically-talented Rev.
Maurice Charbonneau, chaplain for
"the board, provided both a Bible
reading and leadership for the
singing of a hymn to conclude the
devotion.
"It just seems so natural for us to
do our inaugural meeting this way,"
Miller explained following his accla-
mation. The board alternates through
a series of such ceremonies for its
inaugural meetings, but Miller says
he found particular inspiration in this
within-a-school" with its own
entrance and suitable classroom
space.
But the new chair also displayed
what could probably be described as
inexperience, after deciding the rest
of the meeting's business should be
completed prior to the walking tour.
Initially, she suggested the meeting
be adjourned for convenience before
trustees left their seats, and had to be
reminded the tour would thereby no
longer be part of the formal business.
Then she allowed trustee Charles
Smith — a • strong supporter of the
Seaforth proposal — to make what
could only be described as a "state-
ment" during what is meant to be a
period, following the delegation, set
aside strictly for "questions of quali-
fication." Under Anderson's leader-
ship, trustees (including Smith but
also others) were allowed to make
similar statements, but only if they
camouflaged them as questions. And
they were almost always informed
by Anderson about the "questions of
qualification" rule.
Speaking following the meeting,
Anderson agreed' that the current
round of potential school closures
will make things difficult for
Schenk.
"She's going to face 'a very tough
time in the next few months," the
outgoing chair said.
But Anderson also expressed the
relief she felt at having the chair's
responsibility lifted from her shoul-
ders, and at having a capable trustee
replace her.
Asked if the change would allow
her to express her own opinions
more freely, away from the require-
ments that a chair must allow for a
full presentation of all sides of an
issue, she stated emphatically,
"absolutely.
"I expect that you're going to be
hearing quite a bit more of Wendy
Anderson in public session," she
said.
year's edition.
"It was about following the light
and also being the light. It was
about leading by example," he
explained. "And, as trustees; we
expect that not only of ourselves, but
also of our school administrators and
our staff — to lead our students by
example."
Miller, who has three children in
the Huron-Perth board and two in
post-secondary studies, has served
on the board since 1992. He has held
the post of chair once before, in
1996.
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