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The Citizen, 2003-05-21, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003. Long-time Huron educator moves on to Waterloo Bill Gerth New Waterloo Region District School Board director of eduction By Janice Becker Citizen staff A well-known Huron County resident and long time educator is leaving to take on new challenges. Bill Gerth, a superintendent with the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB), has accepted the position of director of education and secretary/treasurer with the Waterloo Region District School Board, effective July l. Gerth first came to Huron County in 1990 where he served as the vice­ principal at F.E. Madill Secondary School for one year. Prior to his move, he had been working as the curriculum co­ ordinator for Elgin County. In 1991, Gerth moved to Central Huron Secondary School, staying four and a half years before being named principal at South Huron Secondary School. After two years in Exeter then a year and a half as principal at Central Huron, Gerth moved to the board office as a senior principal, assistant superintendent. Following a short stint in that role, he was promoted to superintendent where he has worked for three and a half years. Gerth and his family, wife Vicky, son Sjaan and daughter Kristen, have lived in Belgrave since their move to the county. He will commute to Waterloo for some time as Vicky will continue to work at Madill. “She (Vicky) has been very understanding of my late meetings, but we want to control our destiny,” said Gerth, in reference to his pending commute. The family will eventually move to the Waterloo area, but want time to find the right home. “I will probably retire from the Waterloo board so we want a place we will both be comfortable with.” The move to a new position was also good timing because Kristen will be completing high school this year and Sjaan is already in his third year at Ohio State University. Gerth said their 13 years in Belgrave have been fabulous. “It was temfic for the kids. They connected, particularly with the track program (at Madill). The children were very happy.” He will also miss the staff and students he has come to know over the years, he said. “They have been a pleasure to work with.” As for former students and co­ workers, Gerth said he is already starting to receive messages from those in the Waterloo area having heard of his new position. With the Waterloo board, Gerth will oversee a budget and enrolment approximately three times that of the AMDSB “The number of day students is three times as large,” he said and they have a huge continuing education program. The demographics are different as is the structure because it it primarily urban.” “The board is very progressive and they have an outstanding reputation in education circles,” he added.’’This promises to be very exciting. It is very positive. The people I’ve met have been friendly, receptive and welcoming.” “I have been training for this job for 25 years. I am wise enough to be a little intimidated by such a role, but I believe I am well prepared to handle it. This is an incredible opportunity and the entire family is excited. I am blessed that Vicky is very supportive and she encouraged me to apply” As his last weeks with the local board wind down, Gerth will spend his time tying up a few loose ends. Grey CPS in balanced school day pilot project By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen A so-called “balanced school day” schedule, with two periods which could be described as lunch breaks but no traditional recess breaks, will be introduced next September at seven or possibly eight elementary schools within the Avon Maitland District School Board. A cluster of schools in Perth East — Mornington, Milverton, and possibly North will be part of the pilot will Grey Central in Hathaway in Stratford, Maitland group visited both rural and urban schools, housing various combinations of students who stay at school for lunch and those who go home for lunch. She noted the system has been shown to work well in all cases. “There is less time for lunch, that’s true,” she said, adding that students and parents would take part in a decision about which 40-minute break should be used to return home, while additional food would have to be brought to school for the other nutritional break. “But most of the kids tend to come back (from lunch at home) as quickly as possible (under the current schedule) because they want to play with their friends anyway. So the short time has not been an issue.” According to Milverton principal Dave MacLennan, a survey conducted by one board using the new system indicated, “kids reported that they were less hungry during the day; parents reported that kids were not cleaning out the refrigerator when they got home anymore; and there were fewer discipline problems.” Other positive side effects were an ability at some schools to boost their students’ participation in extra­ curricular activities, thanks to the two 20-minute activity breaks, and a decrease in the instructional time lost due to the sometimes drawn-out “transition period” when students move from recess to the classroom. MacLennan claimed one study showed one school, over the entire year, regained a full week’s worth of instruction time by eliminating time lost during transition. “There are some challenges,” the Milverton principal cautioned, noting “we have to educate our parents and our staff on how to pack lunches more effectively.” But he added that Avon Maitland officials have been working with the district’s public health experts to develop knowledge about that issue. CW. Please Recycle This NewspaperSprucedale Easthope — project, as Ethel. Anne Upper Thames in Mitchell and Huron Centennial at RR1, Brucefield. In a presentation at a regular board meeting Tuesday, May 13, curriculum administrator Pat Stanley and a group of principals informed trustees about visits the group made to various Ontario school boards which already utilize the “balanced school day.” “We saw kindergarten children doing their language section at the end of the day, which we never would consider under our current structure,” commented Huron Centennial principal Dave Higgins. Grey Centra) counterpart Alice McDowell added, “we were most impressed that the students in that class were not jumping up and down and ready to get outside. They were totally focussed on the teacher.” The key, according to the principals, is the way the schedule keeps children from getting too hungry and antsy for a change in activity. Currently, elementary schools days throughout the Avon Maitland board are divided into four sections, with short recess breaks scheduled during the morning and afternoon sections, and the entire day split by a longer lunch break. Under the “balanced school day” approach, the day would be divided into three 100- minute instructional periods (much more Canadian, quipped on of the principals, since it reflects hockey rather than football or basketball) separated by two 40-minute breaks. Principals and teachers can split the instructional periods however they like, and are urged to vary the type of activities over the 100 minutes to keep students from feeling cooped up. The 40-minute breaks, meanwhile, are split between a 20-minute “nutritional break” followed by a 20-minute activity time, or recess. 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