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Times-Advocate, 1999-01-27, Page 8the Ice Carving display, (not compe- tition), done by professional carvers from ice cultures inc., Hensall. The large display (the ARK) will again be at Oakwood with animals carved around town. Combined with the local snow scupiting competition the first weekend they will provide a great show. For any information and reg- istration forms Carnival headquar- ters is open daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m. beside J.Dee's restaurant on Main St., Grand Bend. 238-6776..E • 8 Exeter Opinion&Forum Wednesday, January 27. 1999 LETTER TO THE EDITOR The bigger battles are yet to come Dear Editor: While struggling to survive the current market dis- aster, it is not surprising that pork producers are deeply concerned about their future in the industry. Good and lively discussions are being held on issues such as producer marketing systems, and increased involvement in the processing industry itself, to achieve more competition and control. Some people are wondering where the Ontario Federation of Agriculture stands on these matters. The OFA is of the firm belief that producers should have the right to decide among themselves how they want to market their commodity. General Farm Organizations (such as the OFA) are not in a position to tell various commodity groups, including pork producers, how best to market their product. Farmers know their industry in detail, and what alternatives are available to them. The com- modity groups must decide among themselves which approach is in thebest, long-term interests of their members. Therefore, the OFA is not in a position to dictate to the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board and its members how their hogs should be marketed. But once that internal decision is made, pork producers can be assured that the OFA will stand four-square with them to see that the chosen approach has an opportunity to work on their behalf. In addition, we are there to lobby for other policies and programs which can contribute to the future viability of pork and other producers, such as the disaster assistance program, and the proposed gov- ernment -supported loan program. The food industry is undergoing massive change as processors and retailers consolidate to gain ever- increasing power in the marketplace. In the war to maintain our fair share of the food dollar, the last thing we need is division among our ranks Let's set- tle our internal differences quickly, because the big- ger battle is yet to come. ED SEGSWORTH, President Ontario Federation of Agriculture Grand Bend Carnival plans set for February 5 GRAND BEND - the 1999 "S'Noah's Ark" theme Grand Bend Winter Carnival offers new events as well as the traditional favourites. The opening night Fashion Show on Friday Feb. 5 has a fresh new approach and promises an evening of entertainment and fun. Fashion Show Co-ordinator Julie Murphy of Island Beach Co., knows now that it is not easy getting stores involved ina time of hear when many of them are "between seasons" and do not have stock. However, it is still a great evening out that offers enter- tainment as well as fashions. • Organizers are hoping for cold weather for the Turkey Bowl that had to be cancelled last year because the ground was not frozen! This year they plan to make the "ice alleys" on asphalt in the Colonial Parking lot. "It's a real fun event that we would really like to see iiappen again,a" says Dave S� 3ppard, Carnival General Manager, "and for '99 we've dropped the age restriction to make it another option for teen bowlers." 'he most noticeable change to vis- *ors it Carnival attractions will be a News from St.Anne's Catholic Secondary School by Philip j. McMillan week as we were unable to get it out due to the school We are one week closer to the end of semester one closures. The parents who were unable to attend the and the exam cycle. I encourage stud onts to continue meeting should contact the school if they have any con - their studies in preparation for their examinations. cerns or questions. The students need to take time to respond to classroom This is the last week of semester one and exams reviews and to discuss with their teachers, issues that begin today, Wednesday the 27th. Students should still remain confusing from their studies. check their schedules carefully to be sure they are pre - I have been out at various elementary schools in the sent for all their exams. Students should be sure they Huron Perth Catholic District School Board know their section number so that they can with Mr. Craig, the Head Of Student Services,easily find in which classroom they will be to discuss with the students and parents a �\ writing. variety of issues that are important. The next p � r Next semester we hope to adopt a simpler event is our orientation day at St. Anne's. All way of scheduling exams. Parents should Grade 8 students will be invited to come to the � check the February Newsletter for more school and spend the morning in sessions • information on this scheduling process. The related to various subjects taught in grade •j) next newsletter and calendar is due out the nine, followed by a lunch in our cafeteria. first day of Semester 2, February 4th. Orientation day is February 2nd in the morn- Note: If we must close the school during ing. exams, the day we close will be moved to the This Monday we had our Grade Eight parents' night end of the exam schedule cycle. We will not shift the for students who plan to attend St. Anne's in grade entire schedule by one day . nine 1 :t year. This article was not published last Don't forget to hand in your course selection forrns With exams coming up, the school seems" pretty quiet right now. Students should be getting any ne.eded extra help. The library and cafeteria are open for any students wishing to study for their exams. The first exams are taking place today, and continuing on until Tuesday, February 2. Students should be warned that it is their responsibility, not their teachers', to know when and where their exams are taking place. In the case of a snow day dur- ing the course of exams, all exams will be pushed ahead one day, and as a result, the P.A. Day on Wednesday, Feb. 3 will be cancelled. A "Turn -around" day is being held on February 4. In the morn- ing, final classes from the first semester will be held. During these classes students can hand in theirtext books and get their exam marks. In the afternoon, classes intro- ducing the new semester will be held, introducing students to their new teachers and courses. A reminder that course selection forms are due early in February. Councillors will be avail- able during exams for students interested in course discussion for fall 1999. If you would like such a session, sign up for free spots in the Student Services office. If Grade 9 and 10 students feel neglected, their course selection process will be occurring at the beginning of the second semester. College -bound stu- dents are busy filling out their college applica- tions. These are due on February 17. Good luck on your exams, South Huron, and get ready for an excellent second semes- ter! R Upcoming Events Wed, Jan. 27 -Exams begin; Tues, Feb. 2- Exams end; , Wed, Feb. 3- P.A. Day; Thurs, Feb.4- "Turn -around" Day KRISTIN BROOKS PANTHE PROFILE Principal's note Thee week the principals in our district were encouraged to think about giving Coca-Cola the monopoly in their schools. That means that each school would only sell Coca-Cola products in vending machines and in the cafe- teria. A school our size was encouraged to have at least 6 machines in order to maximize - our profits. In return, the school would get a profit on each prod- uct sold and some berms money for signing on for the five year contract. 1 turned it down. Right now we fill and operate three pop machines that raise money that goes directly into our athletic program. We offer a variety of prod- ucts and certainly three machines seems like plen- ty for a school our size. We have a situation that is working without giving one company exclusive rights. However, that isn't the only reason we turned the offer down. Corporate involvement in schools is insidious. Certainly, the present and last Ministers of Education have introduced the trend of using busi- ness jargon to describe our schools. Students are referred to as "Clients", taxpayers and parents as "customers", and teachers as "frontline service providers". We have heard our Ministers say "Our challenge is to participate as full partners in this new and exciting evolution of education into a real customer and client -focused service." "Run edu- cation like a business and costs will decline, jobs will be ensured, proper training will be provided. and everyone will profit." It is hard to .argue with a goal of making the education system more com- petent and cost efficient; but corporate interest in education does not rest solely with that intent. The school system is seen as a highly effective vehicle by which to reach the elusive and poten- tially very profitable children's market. To. Om you some idea of how corporations are already` involved in schools have- a look ai the fol- lowing • Kraft's version of the Foodcsinde for healthy eating with Kraft Products advertised on the poster • Dole's information packages on how pineapple is an integral part of a well-balanced diet . ' • Pizza Hut literacy program which offers free pizza as incentives for reading • Troll and Scholastic book orders that often include kids magazines that can be up to 45% advertising • Pepsi foundation's motivational assembly pro- grams • McDonald's partnerships in fund-raising There are literally dozens of these kinds of examples. The fact that corporations are already involved in schools isn't all necessarily bad. But let's be realistic: making kids familiar with a prod- uct's name early on in their life is seen as a key marketing concept. We know that shielding our children from advertising is an exercise in. futility. So, our role in school must be one of vigilance. For me, corporate involvement in school can be a good thing, if the focus is on partnerships. A list of rules to check against when it comes to part- nering schools with business might read some- thing like this: Potential corporate partnerships should ... • enhance the existing teaching/learning oppor- tunities • improve the quality or quantity nf` education opportunities • foster mutual benefits to the school and to the partner • provide cooperative state-of-the-art equipment at a reduced cost • involve. the investment of,,resources (time. money, expertise) on both es • involve shared authoritysid, responsibility and management for the program, project and part- nership and improve education at school. A wonderful example of partnering with busi- nessoccurred last year when our School Council found business partners in our community to com- mit to leasing computers for our library. Programs of corporate involvement must be structured to meet an identified need not a com- mercial motive and must be consistent with what we believe are sound educational principals. So for now, a Coca-Cola monopoly at South Huron D.H.S. won't be happening. DEB �IOMU TH PQINCIPAL'S NOTE