The Times Advocate, 2008-04-16, Page 66
Times–Advocate
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Opinion Forum News
Student works to support hospital
The South Huron
Hospital Foundation capi-
tal campaign recognizes
the following generous
donations:
Leader
• In memory of Paul
Campbell, Paul's Auto
Marine
• Dave Moore Fuels —
Exeter and area
• MacLean family —
Home Hardware/ The
Source — Exeter
• Hay Communications
The South Huron Hospital capital campaign recently received a $250 donation
from Grade 5 Usborne Central student Emily Hayter, who explains,"Mr. Gehan
told me about the special project he was working on to raise money for the hos-
pital. $1.6 million sounded like a lot of money. Just before Christmas, I decided I
could help by saving money from babysitting, shoveling and doing odd jobs for my
grandparents. It took a long time to raise a small amount of the huge total. Now
my friend Riley Rooseboom and I are organizing with the rest of our class a book
sale at our school literacy night to raise extra money.We are collecting gently
used books to sell to other kids at our school." Pictured from left are Lori Baker
of the Campaign Team, Hayter, registered nurse Jean Elliott, Rooseboom, hospital
CFO Darlene Borland and John Wuerth of the Campaign Team.
Co-operative Ltd. —
Bluewater and area
Builder
• Westerhout family —
In memory of Peter and
Joan Heiner and Ellen
Holland, Holland Farms
— Exeter and area
• The Rasenberg family
— Exeter
• Walter Fydenchuk and
family — South Huron
• The Veri family —
Exeter and area
Friend
• The Miller family,
Barry and Melonie —
Usborne
Supporter
• Kate Monk and Doug
Hocking — Exeter
• Dorothy Moffatt —
Exeter
• United Plastic
Components — Exeter
Contributor
• Raymond and
Marjorie Bennewies —
Exeter
• Tom and Noella
Triebner — Exeter
• In memory of the
Wells family — Exeter
• Precious Blood CWL —
Exeter and area
• Bev and Doris
Hamilton — Exeter
Provider
• Doug and Judy
McBride — Exeter
• John and Joan Oke —
Exeter
• Emily Hayter— Exeter
• Audrey MacGregor —
Exeter
Communities
in Bloom
PLANT ATREE — GROW A FUTURE
This is our theme for students at Exeter
Public and Precious Blood Schools
as we approach Earth Day. Each
family will receive a one year
old seedling tree to plant.
",2118 They will be native trees;
en flava
sugar maple and red oak and
/3e, Part r are sponsored by
Communities In Bloom and
Dairy Queen, Exeter.
Volunteers will be conducting information
sessions and demonstrating how to plant and
care for their trees.
You may have noticed that some of our larg-
er boulevard trees in town are being
r emoved.
THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE WAS 20
YEARS AGO.
In order to keep our urban forest cover we
encourage homeowners to consider planting a
tree in an appropriate site and to maintain a
water program for existing trees during dry
periods.
WHY PLANT A TREE?
• One large tree can produce enough oxygen
in a day for four people
• They absorb airborne pollutants
• They provide food and shelter for people
and animals
• They reduce soil erosion
• They cool the air
• They increase property values and give
our homes curb appeal
• They beautify our community
• Native trees are hardier and are suited to
the climate in our area. They are able to bet-
ter withstand disease and insect attacks and
require less water than non native species.
Communities
is Bloom
Update from South
Huron mayor
SOUTH HURON — About a month ago the B.C.
provincial government came out with a new tax called
the Carbon Tax.
There is a whole new topic out there called Carbon
Units. It has to do with the using of non-renewable
energy resources and their results such as pollution.
Some municipalities are getting on board and are striv-
ing to become Carbon Neutral. You can now calculate
your Carbon Footprint and then buy Carbon Units to
offset the Carbon Footprints to become Carbon
Neutral.
My first impressions are: "what a rip off." After look-
ing into it, I feel there is potential in the concept.
Apparently we are using natural energy resources in
accelerating amounts each year. Some are renewable
and some are non renewable. The more affluent
society becomes, the more energy resources we
and each year we as a society in Canada seem to
be getting more affluent. The by product of using
these resources is called pollution. The Carbon
Tax is a tax to draw your attention to the fact
that we have a problem and maybe the users
should cut back. Hopefully the tax will be used
for education and problem solving rather than
another source of revenue for the government.
The B.C. government believes that income tax
is so high that some people are better off staying
on social assistance rather than taking low pay-
ing jobs. Starting in July 2008, income tax on Ken 0 k
every person and small business will go down.
The lost revenue will be made up by a new tax
on emissions of carbon, the form of pollution that is
causing climate change People can't do much to cut
back on their income tax besides getting a lower paid
our
use
job, but everyone can reduce their carbon taxes
because everyone has substantial opportunities to con-
trol their own energy use. It should never have been
called a Carbon Tax, it should have been
called a Pollution Tax.
We have accomplished a lot in the past
with efforts to clean our air and water, but
unfortunately we have a long way to go. We
no longer feel it is safe to swim in our
streams and ponds. Even though the lakes
are posted when they are not safe to swim,
some people no longer swim in our lakes. We
have smog days in Huron County the same
as the big cities resulting in breathing prob-
lems.
Pollution is a problem and we all need to
make some lifestyle changes to curb some of
our use of these precious energy resources that cause
this pollution.
Principal's message
EXETER — Next week our students and staff will be engaged in a number of activ-
ities to recognize Earth Day on April 22. Students are being encouraged to
wear green and take part in some "eco" activities, including an Eco Trivia
contest.
They will also be encouraged to take part in a litterless lunch, producing
little or no garbage and recycling their cans and bottles.
In collaboration with Exeter's Communities in Bloom Association, Exeter
Public School and Precious Blood School, several of our classes will be
involved in a community clean-up. As well, students in Ms. Migchel's and
Ms. McCowan's classes will be participating in an Invasive Species
Remediation project with the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority,
cleaning up the old Ausable River Channel.
These activities are being organized by our Eco Schools team, which is
headed by Ms. McCowan, Ms. Black, Kendra Windsor and Amy Lightfoot.
While Earth Day is only once a year, the goal of these activities is to
encourage students and staff to reduce energy consumption, reduce the amount of
waste we produce, and develop greater awareness of environmental issues all year
long.
The Junior Optimists Club, on behalf of our Healthy Active Living Committee, will
be holding a three -on -three basketball tournament April 29 in support of Hoops for
Heart. The tournament, which will be a round-robin format, will take place during
Period Three (lunch period) and is open to community members as well as students.
Pledge forms for this event can be picked up at the school and the money raised will
be donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about cellphone use at schools and suggested that
trying to ban cellphones from schools was not practical, given the number of stu-
dents who have them, how easily they can be hidden and the fact that they use them
so much outside of school. There have been times, however, when I have thought
that a total ban might be the easiest way to deal with the problem. I had such a
moment last week.
A couple of individuals were allegedly trying to organize a fight at lunchtime
in a community not too far away. Reports of the planned event began to cir-
culate via text messaging during the morning and some of our students, along
with students from another school, decided to attend the event. The fact they
would have to skip school to take in the fight did not seem to deter them, and
they allegedly made their travel plans by text messaging one another.
The police were informed of the plan, however, and were at the appointed
hour. The fight did not occur at that point in time, but a new time and loca-
tion were arranged, again apparently by cellphone and text message, and an
altercation did occur a little later in the afternoon. This activity caused a
flurry of cellphone calls and text messages at school throughout the day,
many of which were during class time, and caused major distraction and dis-
ruption at the school all day. The impact would certainly have been much
less if students did not have cellphones at school; so, clearly, there is some merit in
considering an all-out ban of cellphones.
However, the issue still comes down to teaching students appropriate behaviour:
the cellphone, like the iPod, the digital camera, the computer, etc., is a tool, and we
need to teach students when and how to use it — and how not to use it. While I am
not convinced it should be the school's job to teach this, it's obvious that cellphones
are going to continue to be a part of students' lives, and will therefore continue to
have an impact on school life. Like any form of technology, the cellphone can be
used for good purposes or bad, and unfortunately last week we experienced the
bad.
JEFF
REABURN
PRINCIPAL'S
MESSAGE