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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-03-08, Page 4Atli -tug»ait Published each Wednesday at: Box 390," 5 Diagonal Road, Winghan,Ontario NOG 2WQ Phone (519) 357-2320 Fax: (519) 357-2900 J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Weare: Jim Beckett - Publisher Audrey Currie - Manager Cameron J. Wood - Editor Norma Colley - Ad. Rep. Jim Brown - Reponer Stephen Pritchard - Comp. Eve Buchanan - Office Louise Welwood - Office • rn defenc' of education n recent years our schools have come under attack from the public at large for graduating students with poorly developed skills. We constantly hear that to-. day's graduates cannot spell correctly, cannot write a de- cent sentence nor article, and that they can't do the sim- plest of math problems without benefit of a calculator. Last Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to at- tend the Elementary School Speaking Festival at Turn - berry Central School. Nine students from Grade 7 and 8 from three local ,elementary schools, Wingham Public, TurnberryCentral and Sacred Heart presented speeches, both prepared and impromptu. Not only did these nine young people speak with poise and confidence in front of an audience, but the topics spoken on were well chosen and very mature in nature. Topics dealt with such subs jects as: friendship, courage, suicide, the responsibility of having a drivers license, adoption, violence, etc. I was truly impressed by what I saw and heard. Keep in mind that these young people are only 12 and 13 years of age. I only wish that more parents could have been present to see their students in action. I have been in education for 30 years, and have sat through many speaking contests. I think of the speeches I have heard .in the'past years and they pale in comparison to the presentations I viewed Wednesday evening. I know this is only one facet of education, but I see the same changes in other areas as well. The skills that I learned in school and the skills that many of our readers learned in school may not be stressed today at the sarhls le 'e1 as they were then, but other skills that are more vi- tal in today's world are receiving the emphasis in the stead. Next time you are tempted to downgrade our educa- tional system or read about the 'poor education system_ that exists in our province, I suggest that you go to your school and watch the students in action. Speaking con- tests, science fairs, literacy festivals, drama presenta- tions, or merely a classroom visit mayecause you to alter your opinion. In closing I would like to emphasize that these young people are only beginning their life and education and will continue to develop and learn throughout their lives. I am confident that they have the basis to become very productive, contributing members of society in the fu= Lure. Jim Steffler, Principal, Sacred Heart Schogj Mit ilAt HPA1C118.1:1 S tio12- .. k L-:...�`�� ,J.:Y:::•s:°.�5?:4<i1 r?.,� V.i\b'4• r.�.; i 11 ry. Charlie Brown is agi g gr�cefully 1peanuts. My pre-school nick- name was Peanuts. Not be- cause I was a shrimp, or anything like that. It was because I had modelled my three-year-old im- age after the famous comic strip character Linus Van Pelt. The name had been given to me by a dosefamily friend, John Grist, in suburban Kitchener where I grew up , primarily because like the chafes •Schultz creation, I too car- rielt- a fibl'an ket. M Lambs Myit was .baile'" ra , of rnfortrda ' e for 11#t? ttiiiiiVriff e itii& s.by my mother to anyone who cotes ti ask about my childhood). It was so named because of the cute lit- tle blue and, yellow sheep embla- zoned on it (and'parents wonder why their adult children bear childhood grudges). No, I couldn't have Spi- derman or Superman, I.had to have little blue and yellow sheep. Everywhere I went, so did my blanket. That was. until one day I came home from the Pumpkin House Nursery School and my blan- ket'didn't. It was my last day there as my family was moving to a new home and, well, my Lambs stayed behind. It was a traumatic period in my life - and a noisy one for my mother. No doubt some kid who had no idea how to properly care for such a treasure ended up using it to wipe clean the art brushes. Upon those days I 'rarely reflect. There's still a lingering pain for the A reason to smile Wii ftam The Lions Club and Stewart Beattie. Fifty years of dedica- tion to community service is something very special. Thank - you Mr. Beattie for giving Wingham your time and energy. er Memberof: OCNA CCNA The W ingh am A dv ance-Times is a member of a family of community newspapers pro- viding news, advertising and information leadership, Letters to the Editor All letters to the editor must bear the writer's name, telephone num- ber and address. The Advance -Times wel- comes letters. We re- serve the right to edit, but will endeavor to preserve the author's intent. Deadline for letters is Monday before 10:00 a.m.. Some exceptions may apply. Fax: (519) 357-2900 or mail to: P.O. Box 390, Wingham, Ontario, NOG 2W0 with Margaret Stapleton MARCH 1948 A quiet, but pretty, double -ring ceremony was solemnized at St. Paul's Anglican Church late last month when Gloria Louise, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Swanson of Wingham, was united in marriage with Roy A. Sims of Gore Bay. A meeting last Wednesday evening in the town hall has resuii. j in the formation of a Chamber of Commerce for the town. Directors are W. T. Cruickshank, Rhys Pollock, Sam Burton, John McKibbon, Charles Crossett, R. H. Lloyd, Hugh Carmichael, Ronald Rae, R. S. Hetherington, Robert Mowbray, Frank Thompson, Norman Welwood, A. O. Garrett, Alton Adams and Elmer Wilkinson. The national convention to select a new, Liberal leader will be held this August in Ottawa. Prime Minister MacKenzie King, 73, has announced his intention to step down after 29 years as party leader. MARCH 1961 Standards of white snapdragons and mums formed the setting for the candlelight wedding of Carol Elizabeth Needham of London and C. Ross Hamilton of Wingham. The couple will reside at Wingham. The Howick Junior Farmers and Junior Institute placed first in the half-hour drama competition at Clinton last Friday night. Barry Mulvey won the award for best actor and other members of the cast were Ethel McMichael, Joanne Strong, Carol Robinson, Phyllis Wilson, Gwen Hyndman and Murray Donaldson. Murray Underwood, 25, employed by the Huron County Road Department, was hit by a large limb that broke off a tree they were cutting down. He required stitches to the crowd of his head and his back was severely injured. King Whyte, master of ceremonies on` the CBC outdoor program, was guest speaker last Wednesday night at the Wingham Sportsmen's Club. MARCH 1971 Joe Kerr, 19, a Grade 13 student at the F. E. Madill Secondary School and Gail McWhirter, 18 and also in Grade 13, were elected leader and queen in the student election held at the high school last Monday. Ann Welwood, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Welwood of Wingham, was awarded best actress in the drama trials ' in Goderich last Sunday. • Ann took the part of "Grandma" in the F. E. Madill School's entry of "Sand Box", directed by Charles Exel. Okay, girls, you can go back to dreaming about television heroes -- Pierre is out of the running. The prime minister wed Margaret Sinclair of West Vancouver last week, putting his swinging bachelor days to an end. MARCH 1981 Dianne McLean, Miss Howick Junior Farmer, was chosen last week as first runner-up to the Farm Show ' Princess of the Western Fair in London. The 19 - year -old Wingham resident was one of 28 contestants sponsored by rural organizations. "The Crippled Duck" band, made up of Harry Busby, Neil Renwick and Debbie Inglis, will perform at a country concert at the Blyth Memorial Hall on March 18. A hockey match billed as the game of the decade between the 1969-70 Belgrave Intermediate champs and the Midget champs from the same year was played at the Wingham Arena last Saturday night. The Intermediates eventually fell 5-4 to the Midgets. The Outer Edge Cameron J. WOOD comfort of , my warm lamb - emblazoned blanket and the worldly challenges of an adventurous pre- schooler. However,h ; tly ed tar a ' dli o a` k t; a: 'as year mare itt :tng;p"irii I . `�, the Peanuts strip. This year the of blockhead himself, Charlie Brown turns 45. Charlie Brown, of course, is Eve- ryman': a part of each of us who de- sire so deeply to be more than we are...better weekend warriors, better husbands, better employees, well, better at most anything we do. Char- lie Brown is the guy most of us can relate to. His ambition wains from time to time; he knows no matter how many times Lucy holds the football for him she will pull it away just before he kicks it. And every time, Charlie Brown goes head over heels. Yet he doesn't give up. Inside him is the burning desire to believe in the good of people, that Lucy will find the passion not to pull the ball away at the last minute. Schultz himself is now 72 and has most recently released a book on the nature of the characters he brings to some 2,000 newspapers in 70 coun- tries. "Around the World in 45 Years" is a compilation of Schultz's best work. And the textual aspect is quite revealing. How many of us have wondered why Snoopy doesn't roll off the dog house. The roof is peaked and he never slides. Schultz says in the book' that a veterinarian once ex- plained to him that birds have the in- stinctive reflex in their subconscious •that, forces their talons to grip a brgtich while "they "sleep. He says maybe Snoopy's ear instinctively clutch either side of the roof, holding him in place. Stupid beagle. And then there's Peppermint Pat- ty. Only a mention of a father figure in her life; leaving seasoned readers to wonder if Patty has a mother. Schultz himself isn't sure; which makes the whole Peanuts story that much more endearing. In the past 45 years, Charlie Brown has grown, both as a charac- ter, and as a part of each of its. Just. recently he found the love of his life who actually returned the feeling. And then, as a monumental example to all Charlie Browns in the world, he finally struck out his first batter. Sure Peanuts may be just a comic strip to some. But for Everyman, it's a mirror of mankind's ambition to find love and success. Even if it means kicking that football just once. Liberals stand to win / lose TORONTO - The oddest thing about the Ontario election only months away is that few are pre= pared to predict the winner. A lottery on the outcome would go broke. This iS not because the parties are battling neck -and -neck in the polls -- far from it. Polls constantly for three years have shown the Liberals far ahead with about 50 per cent compared to 30 per cent for the Progressive Con- servatives and 15 per cent for the' New Democrats under Premier Bob Rae, give or take a few per cent. These statistics might suggest the Liberals have it wrapped up, but few whose opinions are respected, in- cluding some Liberals privately, feel they are carved in stone. There are too many uncertainties. The Liberals are in front more be- cause their government up to 1990 is remembered more fondly than the Tories' up to 1985 than for•anything they have done in opposition. The Liberals have protected their lead by avoiding announcing poli- cies, saying this would only give op- ponents a target but they will have some by the campaign: But it is difficult to be sure wheth- er the Liberals will have enough pol- icies to satisfy growing scepticistir of their reluctance to take stands or be castigated for last-minute vote - buying or even continue committing themselves as little as possible, which also would have risks. The public will lose some enthu- party taxes and cuts programs to re- duce debt, but it is early to assess how much. Liberal leader Lyn McLeod has not led in an election, has had diffi- culty making herself known, is the first woman leader and lacks aggres- sion, so there is uncertainty as to how she will compete against the ar- ticulate Rae and pugnacious Tory leader, Mike Harris. In two of the last three elections, the Tories in 1985 and Liberals in 1990 started with similarly huge leads in polls, but wound up heavy losers and voters since have become even more noted for volatility. There are legitimate questions as to whether the Liberals can hang on to a lead that is fragile. The Tories are pictured often as a strong threat to close the gap and Harris has a claim to the most ap- pealing issue, cutting spending, be- cause he pushed first, and talks toughest. Harris also is assertive enough to 1990, although he had been leader only months. But he has a lot of ground to make up. He also has moved far to the right and there is no doubt whether he can attract enough voters who kept moderate Tories in government for 42 years up to 1985. Some Re- form Party members still have not made up their minds whether to run candidates, who would take votes from Tories. "There also is a chance that Harris will make more gaffes such as sug- gesting Rae stutters and pointing to a woman quitting a job to take welfare and seeming to some to favor it -- Harris' team will keep its fingers crossed. The one sure bet might ,seem that the NDP will not win again because of anger at its spending, taxes and la- bor laws. But Rae is not totally a spectator as he pushes huge construction to create jobs and education reforms and contrasts his intellectual talents favorably to opponents' shortcom- ings. One big question among many for Rae for which there are no prece- dents is whether he can win bacde t1•isenbhanted unionists, who say they Will not vote for him but in the end may feel he is better than the alterna- tives, which would take votes from Liberals. There are so many uncertainties that bettors may be safer sticking to siasm for Liberals as their federal make his voice heard, as he did in their sports pools.