The Citizen, 2002-10-23, Page 1Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2002
Loading his basket
Cory Ducharme was just one of many Blyth Beavers, Cubs
and Scouts who hit the streets in Blyth, Belgrave and
Auburn Saturday morning for their annual apple day
fundraiser. (Janice Becker photo)
Time to fall back .
Another season of premature darkness is due to descend this weekend.
At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct: 27 Canada, the United States and most 01
Europe will end Daylight Saving Time, "falling back" to their respective
standard times.
In 1784, the idea of Daylight Saving was suggested by Benjamin
Franklin. The idea was actually first adopted in England in 1916. Its
purpose was to provide one extra hour of sunlight in the evening. In the
process, it has been discovered that this saves energy, too.
That all ends for another six months this weekend. Don't forget to turn
your clocks. back one hour before retiring on Saturday.
e Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 18 No. 41
NOG --, HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC
Inside this week
Pg. 6
Pg. 9
Area people get
Queen's medal
Welcome back
Crusaders!
P p 1c Car care section
6P . -1 begins
Pg. 16 Local congregation
welcomes new
minister
Blyth Festival Pg. 27 announces season
Acre T
proposal
clears
hurdle
By Daiiid Blaney
Special to The Citizen
Acre T's proposed subdivision on
the edge of Brussels cleared the first
of many hurdles at a public meeting
Oct. 15:-
However, as county planner
Cindy Fisher explained to those in
attendance prior to Huron East's
Oct. 15 council meeting, there are
several more public meetings
required before the proposal gets a
final green light.
Fisher explained that this meeting
was to allow residents to comment
on the proposed official plan
amendment for the former Maitside
Orchard lands. The amendment
would change the designation from
'agriculture' to 'residential' and
'open space' to allow residential
development.
The county planning report did
not make a final recommendation
concerning the proposed
amendment. The report did note that
the applicant's needs assessment
study used data from 1986 to 1991
and indicated that the planning
department would prefer more
recent data.
Councillor Richard Burgess asked
Fisher directly. "Do you feel the
needs assessment is not as complete
as it should be."
In answer to the question Fisher
pointed out that the 1986-1991
period saw considerable growth in
Brussels and a study of the 1991 7
2001 data would indicate if the
growth had continued.
The needs assessment also says
that the building of the subdivision
would spur economic activity which
could provide opportunities for
young adults to remain in the
community. Fisher noted that this
was the reverse of the usual logic.
which suggests that economic
Continued on page 7
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
The number 58 may soon begin to
take on special significance to
parents, students and staff of
elementary schools in Huron and
Perth Counties, in the wake of a
meeting of the Avon Maitland
District School Board scheduled for
last night (Tuesday, Oct. 22). The
notion of placing Grades 7 and 8
students into secondary school
settings will, undoubtedly, also
come under close examination.
At the meeting, trustees were to be
presented a staff report entitled
"Preliminary Accommodation
Analysis 2002-03: Projected
Enrolments, Accommodations Data
and Under Review
Recommendations." Included in the
report are recommendations to
consider the possible closure of five
elementary schools: Blyth Public -
School, Turnberry Central Public
School on the outskirts of Wingham,
Mitchell Public School, and
Goderich-area schools Colborne
Central and Holmesville.
According to the
recommendations, either
Holmesville's departing students
would be split between Colborne
Central and Clinton Public School,
or Colborne's students would be
split between Holmesville and
Goderich's Victoria Public School.
Under either scenario, only one of
Colborne or Holmesville would
close, leaving a maximum possible
closure total of four.
In the past five years, the Avon
Maitland board has approved the
closure of one high school and eight
elementary facilities, two of which
King Lear and Juliet schools in
Stratford — are still operating btu
will not reopen in September. Of the
five schools named for possible
closure in last night's report, all have
been raised as possible closure
candidates during that time, but
none came as close as Holmesville,
which was afforded an I 1th-hour
reprieve during the board's previous
round of consolidations, in February,
2002.
Also included in the list of
recommendations are a series of
changes which would see Grades 7
and 8 students from town and
surrounding rural areas relocated
into secondary schools in Wingham,
Mitchell and Exetei. In other cases
— in Hensall, Brussels, Amulree
(North Easthore Public School) and
Goderich (Victoria Public School)
— Grades 7 and 8 students currently
at more than one elementary site
would be congregated at one
elementary school.
Already, as a result of decisions
made during last year's
accommodation review. Grades 7
and 8 students in Stratford arc set to
move into the city's two secondary
schools beginning in September. In
Listowel and Mitchell, meanwhile.
there is already some congregation
of senior elementary students at one
elementary site.
In the past couple of years. various
members of the hoard have
presented arguments in support of
consolidating Grades 7 and 8
students. Many of those arguments
are reiterated in last night's report.
written by education superintendent
Bill Gerth.
"There is consensus among board
and ministry staff that having
subject specialists teaching a more
specialized curriculum from Grade 7
onward is an advantage to students,"
Gerth writes. The report argues that.
with Ontario's new four-year high
school program, more difficult
concepts have been shifted from
Grades 9 and -10 into Grades 7 and 8,
and that it's easier to provide
specialized equipment and teachers
for those concepts when there are
more students in one location.
The board's magic number, it
seems, is 58. Based on the
understanding that the province's
educational funding formula
theoretically provides sufficient
money to hire one principal for
every 363 elementary students, and
the fact that Grades 7 and 8 students
currently represent 24 per cent of the
board's elementary enrolment. Gerth
calculates the most efficient use of
provincial funds would be to operate
schools with 58 or more Grades 7
and 8 students.
"For the (Avon Maitland) schools
with Grades 7 and 8, 17 have totals
less than 58, which can result in split
grades," the report states. "In some
cases, the number of Grades 7 and 8
students is such that there is only
one combined Grade 7 and 8 class in
the school. Such a situation is an
extraordinary challenge for any
teacher."
Not all of those 17 schools now
face closure or consolidation with
another school. But the "58" factor
is used as justification for proposed
relocation of Grades 7 and 8
students in the following cases: from
Grey Central Public School, in
Ethel, to Brussels: from Sprucedale
Public School, in Shakespeare, to
North Easthope; from Zurich Public
School to Hensall: and in the
Goderich area, whichever scenario
is approved.
Likewise, secondary schools
would become home to Grades 7
and 8 students in Wingham (from
East Wawanosh Public School in
Belgrave, as well as Blyth.
Turnberry, and Wingham), Exeter
(from Exeter Public School and
Usborne Central, just outside town)
and Mitchell (from the town's Upper
Thames Elementary School, which
only recently became the site of an
earlier consolidation of Grades 7 and
8. taking in, the senior elementary
students- from Mitchell Public
School).
At Wingham and Mitchell. the
report argues that these secondary
school-based scenarios would
decrease elementary enrolment to
the extent that Blyth, Turnberry and
Mitchell Public Schools could close.
Untouched by the
recommendations in last night's
report are schools inside and directly
surrounding St. Marys', Stratford and
Listowel. Stratford st• II l'ace.s a
series or changes in •)cptenitler. as a
result of last February's decisions.
Continued on page 8
75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
Blyth PS back on
AMDSB hit list