Reconstruction of Elm Tree Road has been delayed until Jan. 8-12, Public Works Manager Brad Thake told Central Frontenac Council at its regular meeting Tuesday in Sharbot Lake.

The job was to have begun Monday, Dec. 11.

“It’s very disappointing,” Thake said. “The delay was due to a contractor not getting a permit.

“And a little bit of high water.”

Thake said he’s confident the work (along with the temporary road closure) will continue in January but cautioned that it is winter and if delayed again, it will likely have to wait until spring.

The funds slated for the project will be moved into next year’s budget.

Still with roads, Thake said with “the little burst of winter,” they had a couple of breakdowns and have some maintenance to do but road crews are “pretty much back on schedule.”

Council agreed to make up the $403 difference or at least put it into next Monday’s budget discussion meeting for a business plan for the former Hinchinbrooke Public School to be turned into a recreation/community centre.

Janet Anderson, representing the committee looking into the project told Council that they had been the recipients of a $2,597 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Kingston and Area.

Along with the $2,000 Council had already earmarked for the project, that still left a $403 shortfall from the winning bid to create the business plan of $5,000 from Social Focus Consulting.

Anderson said they’re hoping to have the business plan done in time to apply for a Trillium Foundation grant to begin renovations. The Trillium deadline is in February.

Starting in February, building materials and shingles will no longer be accepted at the Oso Landfill Site, rather they will be directed to the Olden site. This is in order to maximize the life of the Oso site and the fact that grinding/shredding will take place at the Olden site.

Originally, the change was to have taken place January 1 but at the request of Mayor Frances Smith, that was changed to Feb. 1 to allow for advertising the change.

In a separate report, Public Works Manager Brad Thake reported that the capacity of the the Oso site is somewhere around 4-6 years while the Olden site should be good for 30-35 years, factoring in the closure of Oso.

Council appointed Kennebec Coun. Tom Dewey as Deputy Mayor for the final year of this Council’s mandate.

Mayor Frances Smith reported that the Land O’Lakes Tourist Council has ceased operations. The kiosk on Hwy. 7 at Road 38 belongs to the Township and Smith suggested the Township might have to consider printing up a tourist brochure on its own.

Central Frontenac may have to go it alone with planning, following a suggestion that it move its committee of adjustment meetings to 4 p.m. from 6 p.m. because County planners were putting in too much overtime.

As it is, said CAO/Clerk Cathy MacMunn, the County is looking at hiring another planner and revising its billing to Central and North Frontenac with a model based on what it charges for IT services.

She said that Central’s cost of a shared planner with North Frontenac could be in the region of $60,000 per year.

“If we’re going to be paying the County $60,000 should we be looking at hiring a consultant to look after just us?” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Don’t everybody volunteer at once.
When Mayor Frances Smith asked for Council volunteers to be on the new (and yet to be formally named) septic inspection committee, a lot of councilors suddenly became very interested in looking at the floor.

Eventually, Coun. Phillip Smith and Tom Dewey reluctantly ‘volunteered.’

Hinchinbrooke Public School students nearly rocked the roof off the IOOF Hall in Parham on May 29 at the fourth annual School of Rock concert.

First up on stage was School of Rock founder and grade 7/8 teacher at Hinchinbrooke, Ms. Julia Schall, who initiated the program at the school four years ago and with the help of grants from the Limestone Learning Foundation acquired all the instruments and gear necessary to teach students the ins and outs of good old-fashioned rock and roll.

Saturday night’s show opened with Ms. Schall accompanying special guest performer and fellow teacher Kelly Graham who sang two original songs from her soon-to-be released first album.

Next up were 13 members of the School of Rock who opened with Wild Thing and cruised through a number of rock classics including Smoke on the Water, I Love Rock and Roll and ACDC’s TNT.

Band member Jackson Crain performed an original called Silver Saddles towards the end of their set.

Next up was HPS student band HD Supply, who got their start in the School of Rock but who practise independently at the school. Made up of Jordan Lowery on lead vocals and guitar, David Hole on drums, Collin Hamilton on rhythm guitar and Daniel Stanton on bass, their tight, hard rock sound had the crowd cheering and screaming for more. They performed a couple of originals, Night Train and Prison Break and saved their best cover for last, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, during which Lowery sprang off the stage into the audience to much applause.

Ms. Schall highlighted how the students benefit from the School of Rock program. She said, “It offers the students a chance to interact and learn in ways not usual in the regular school setting. They have to problem solve for themselves, interact, listen and learn from each other.”

Music is obviously a great love of Ms Schall’s and she admits how much joy it brings her. “I want the students here at the school to have that same opportunity.”

Thanks to Ms. Schall and the generous support of the LLF, the HPS School of Rock offers students at HPS a musical opportunity they might not otherwise have and Saturday night’s concert proved that they are wholly grateful for it.

Photo: Volleyball Champions at Hinchinbrooke PS, courtesy of Ms. Julia Schall

Hats off to grade 6, 7 and 8 students at Hinchinbrooke Public School who were crowned this year’s Division 6 Co-ed Volleyball champions. The team’s season ran from early October until last week and included a number of exhibition games at NAEC, Prince Charles PS and Sharbot Lake Intermediate. The final tournament of the season took place at Napanee Secondary School and included teams from Clarendon Central PS, Marysville, Centreville, Sharbot Lake Intermediate, Sandhurst and Holsgrove. In that final tournament, Hinchinbrooke played and beat teams from Clarendon, Marysville and Enterprise, bringing them to the finals where they faced off against Centreville. The Hinchinbrooke team came away victorious at the end of the day. Congratulations to all of the players and to Coach Ms. Julia Schall on a great effort and a great season of play.

Photo: Courtesy Cathy Reynolds.

Throughout the month of September students in the JK/SK class at Hinchinbrooke Public School have been learning about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. In addition to reading information about monarchs, the children have also had the opportunity to witness the various stages of the life cycle first hand.  When school began. Five monarch caterpillars were living in a large cage in the classroom. Over the course of the month the students were able to witness each caterpillar's amazing transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Once each butterfly was able to fly, the class released it. This proved to be a very moving experience for the students and their teacher, Niki Putnam.

Watching these life cycle stages first hand helped the students to understand the information they were hearing in the books they were reading and songs they were singing.  They are now eagerly demonstrating their knowledge of the life cycle through drama, music, visual arts and writing activities.

Photo: Hinchinbrooke Grade 6/7 students lead the Fun Days.

Students at Hinchinbrooke Public School are coming to understand the daily hardships that youngsters in Kenya face thanks to the efforts of HPS teacher Debbie Jones and her grade 6/7 class. For five years now Ms. Jones and her students have been holding Fun Days for Kenya, monthly school-wide fundraisers designed as a fun way for students at the school to raise money for people in Kenya. Hope2 Kenya is a not-for-profit organization begun by Sandy Foster, a long time educator from North Bay who in the past has visited HPS personally to thank them for their ongoing support. The organization raises funds to implement a number of different projects in Kenya, all of which aim at helping Kenyans to become self-sufficient. In Sandy's words the projects are meant to provide “ a hand up” rather than “a hand out”.

In July 2010 Sandy was joined by an eight member team and traveled to Kenya to complete a number of different projects they had started there, including Veronica Home, an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS and Kolongolo School. The team also set up a food distribution centre for widows in need.

HPS students in Ms. Jones’ class explained in particular what they are learning by putting on these regular fundraisers to support Foster and the organizations ongoing efforts in Kenya.

“We are fund raising to help give the kids in Kenya a chance to do what we always get to do,” said Hanna Smail. Megen Hole added, “We tend to take for granted everything that we have here at home so this is a chance for us to see that we can make a difference and help others who are in need.”

The Fun Days take place in the gym and every class in the school is invited to participate in a number of different games and activities. Debbie Jones' students are in charge of designing, setting up, and organizing the entire event. They also sell the tickets, run all of the booths and afterward do an in-depth analysis of which activities were successful, which were not and assess all the numbers.” Not only are the students becoming aware of others in the world who are in need and learning that they can help make a difference, but the event also provides the students with an opportunity to practice a number of educational skills that they are learning- math, geography and a number of other related skills.

Ms. Jones feels it is important to give her students a chance to do something to help others in need in the world and likes to share Foster's motto, a motto Foster borrowed from Helen Keller that states, “I am only one, but still I am one. I can not do everything but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”

In Sandy Foster’s words, this means, “No child should be dying of malnutrition, water borne diseases, malaria, TB or AIDS. No child should be left an orphan without having basic needs fulfilled. The little I can do might help the child who may one day lead Kenya into democracy and peace.”

So far this year Ms. Jones’ class has helped the school to raise $700 for the Hope2Kenya team, which for its size is no small feat.

For more information visit www.hope2kenya.org

Organizers of the Joe Goodfellow Memorial Race held the event at its usual location at the Hinchinbrooke Public School, although HPS officially closed it doors last June. The popular race took a hiatus last year, which was the result of a decision made at that time by some elementary school teachers at the Limestone District School Board to discontinue extra-curricular activities.

This year the race took place on Monday, October 7. Now in its twelfth year, it was named in honor of Joe Goodfellow, a student at Hinchinbrooke Public School who died tragically in a car accident in 2000 at the age of 19. It was founded by Dan Kimmerer, Joe’s cross-country coach at HPS, who initially set the event up as an invitational race in Joe’s memory. In its third year it became one of three qualifying races, (the Region 3 Meet) for the Limestone District School Board.

Anita Dannenberg, vice principal at James R. Henderson Public School in Kingston, who was on site Monday as one of the race organizers, said that more than 350 students from over 11 different schools took part. “It's been a great turn out and the race is a great way for kids to participate both independently and also as part of a team,” she said.

Six races took place throughout the day, with the runners who placed in the top 30 from each division qualifying to take part in the upcoming championship race at Fort Henry in Kingston. In the Atom girls race that I watched, three students from Loughborough Public School in Sydenham came out on top and placed in the top three in their division. They were, from left to right and in ranking order from first to third place, Siyerra Vandewal, her twin sister Olivya, and Lexa Shetler. One minor complaint from some was the rainy, cool weather and a bit of mud splash on the track, but for most of the young runners who took part it was a great day at the races. Congratulations to all of the runners who took part.

Janice Peters, the long time office manager at Hinchinbrooke Public School, couldn't let the final day of classes in the school's history pass without some sort of gesture. The school did have an official closing on June 15, but this was the final day, the final time the buses would come into the parking lot and gather up all the children and take them away for the summer.

Janice had an idea. Helium balloons, (biodegradable helium balloons in fact) one for each child, to be released just before they boarded the buses.

This children and staff gathered in front of the school. Most of them held on to their balloons until the proper moment, and they let go. The balloons floated up into the sky as everyone watched, and then drifted away. There were some hugs; some tears were wiped away. The children got on the buses, and the buses drove off, leaving a quiet, empty building in their wake.

Hinchinbrooke Public School opened in 1966. It served the population of Hinchinbrooke township, and later, Central Frontenac, for 47 years. There is a committee working on a plan to keep the building in public use as a recreational centre.

As many are aware, Hinchinbrooke Public School will be closing its doors as an elementary school at the end of June. We would like to mark this occasion by remembering and celebrating the history of this wonderful school that has educated so many in our community. Please join us on Saturday June 1 from 10 am to 4 pm to honour this facility.

Committees are being established in Food, Entertainment, Games, and Memoriabilia. If you have any thoughts or ideas, we are interested in hearing from you. If you are willing to assist in making this event something we will all be proud of, please express your interest to Janice at Hinch 613-375-6230 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you have items that could be put on display, Lisa Hamilton or I would be interested in talking to you about that as well as any pictures you may have. They can be scanned to my email address as well (or copies will be accepted - we don't want to be responsible for originals if at all possible!!), call me at 613-375-6525 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Penny Cota is looking after food so if this is of interest to you, let her know. Games are being handled by Tammy Dupuis, so she is your contact in that area. Entertainment is still open. Thank you for any help that you can provide in honouring the Hinchinbrooke Huskies!

In an effort to bring Aboriginal education to students at Hinchinbrooke Public School in Parham, grade 5/6 teacher Kathryn Sawdon enlisted the talents of professional mural artist Maureen Walton of Belleville.

Walton, who has been working as a fine artist for decades and as a professional mural artist for 13 years, is no stranger to area schools. She has worked at a number of different schools creating permanent murals, which she said “bring warmth, colour and a sense of student pride into their daily environments”. She has worked with students to create permanent murals at St. Thomas Catholic School in Kingston and at the Quinte Mohawk School located in the Tyendinaga Territory.

Kathryn Sawdon became aware of Walton's work thanks to Kevin Reed of the Limestone District School Board, who suggested that she contact Maureen Walton to see if she might be available to work with students at Hinchinbrooke. Once it was confirmed, students in Sawdon's class looked at Walton’s portfolio online and together with her came up with an idea for the mural.

The project, which took one week to complete, also included much discussion about current Aboriginal issues, as Sawdon explained earlier this week. “Aboriginal education is a major component of the grade 6 social studies curriculum and there is so much going on right now in the news about it that it seemed a perfect opportunity to offer the students the viewpoints both of the government and the various Aboriginal groups with the idea, so that they [the students] can come up with their own ideas and opinions regarding those issues.”

Students not only learned about the current issues of the day but also studied animal symbols as they relate to various Aboriginal groups. Each student was invited to choose an animal to be represented in the mural.

Working alongside Walton and using acrylic paints on two 4x8 foot sheets of plywood, the students helped her to create a colourful mural that depicts various animals including a coyote, owl, bear, rabbit, snake and turtle, all in a natural outdoor setting. Through the week of January 21, Walton worked with the students in small groups as they blocked in the shapes and painted in the individual animals. Walton explained that the project also gave the students an in-depth understanding of the various steps involved in the design and completion of a large-scale mural project. “The students learned about scaling; how to simplify shapes so that they can be read at a distance; how to apply contrasting colours; and other basic technical skills like how to hold a brush and how to apply the paint.”

Part of the beauty of a project like this is the pride and ownership that the students take in the work, which they helped to create and which will become a permanent part of their school environment.

While Walton and the students usually paint the mural directly on the walls of the school where the project takes place, the HPS mural was painted on plywood with the hopes that it will be moved to the new school in Sharbot Lake after Hinchinbrooke closes at the end of this year. “The students really hope to see it moved to the new school, and staff here said that they will do their best to see that that happens,” Kathryn Sawdon said.

She was extremely pleased with the finished product. “The mural totally exceeded all of my expectations. I feel very lucky to have been able to tap into the skills of an expert and to know that the students have come away with an understanding of art that I could not have given them.”

In turn, Maureen Walton credited Sawdon for the work she did with the students to prepare them for the project. “I was really impressed with the maturity and enthusiasm of the students in the class; not only were they extremely curious and eager to learn but they were also totally engaged throughout the entire process.” Walton was able to bring her talents and know how to the students at HPS thanks to a grant from the Ontario Arts Council.

At the end of the 2013 school year, Hinchinbrooke Public School in Parham will end its close to 50 years of serving students from all over the township. Back in the early 1960s the idea for one single school came about when the Hinchinbrooke Township Area Board felt that a single central school would better serve students, and they decided to replace the one-room school houses in Piccadilly, Oak Flats, Cole Lake, Wagarville, Tichborne and Parham with one central school. Though some in the community (estimated at roughly 10 %) were opposed to the idea, most were in favour. The board focused on the benefits that a larger school would offer students: namely a gym/auditorium, indoor washrooms, a library and a large playground and it was not long before the idea of a new school became a reality.

After long discussions, Parham was the chosen location for the new central school and a lot was purchased from the York family in Parham at the corner of Long Lake Road and Wagarville Road. The building contract was awarded to M. Sullivan and construction of the building began in 1965, with hopes of the school being ready for use following the Christmas break in 1966. William (Bill) Sproule of Tichborne, who was a member of the construction team, would become the school’s first principal. The school opened two weeks after the Christmas break and the builders rushed to put on the finishing touches after classes began that year. The official ceremony marking the opening of the school took place on August 19, 1966 and it was attended by the then MPP, J. R. Simonett, and the area superintendent, R.W. Froates. The latter gave the address at the ceremony.

Doreen Howes, who was the former principal of the old Parham school, was a member of the teaching staff in the school’s first year of operation. She recalled in a written history of the school how thrilled the students were with the new facility. “Children who had probably never been in a building as big were awed and a little frightened of all the new facilities.” In those first days students were given tours of the new school and its facilities to familiarize themselves with the new building. Years later portables would be added to the school to accommodate the growing numbers of students, and within the first few years of its opening, the school also became home to numerous students from western Bedford township and southern Oso township.

In its first year, 27 students graduated from the new school. It was during the school’s first full year of operation in 1967 (the centennial year), that students in grades five through eight attended Expo 1967 in Montreal for three days.

In 1991, Hinchinbrooke celebrated its 25th anniversary. Then principal, Brenda Martin, approached Kathleen Goodfellow to set up a committee to plan the special events. Kathleen chaired the executive committee, which included Doreen Howes as secretary and Eric Wagar as treasurer.

Fundraisers were held and a special 25-year anniversary book was produced and sold at the celebration. In that book were highlighted some of the events that took place over the years, which helped to shape the school. These included the designing of the school crest, which was spearheaded by members of the school’s first graduating class of 1966, Karyn Cronk, Bonnie McCullough and Glen Brown. It was the class of 1969 who constructed and planted the flower beds at the front of the school. In 1972 French was introduced as a new subject to students and in 1973 the first ever grade one class at HPS was formed. By far the largest graduating class, numbering close to 40 students, was the class of 1974 under the supervision of Maurice Lowery whose singing classes were long remembered as a highlight.

Eric Wagar of Parham was principal at the school from 1973 - 1984, and will be saddened by its closure. “I have very fond memories of my time there,” he said. He recalled the hard work of the staff at the school who brought so many important and memorable extra-curricular activities to the students. “Floyd Deyo and Maurice Lowery spearheaded the winter fall and spring house leagues at the school, which were very popular with the students.”

He recalled the top-notch music programming offered by John McDougall and recounted running into one former student, who decades later joined a choir in Ottawa having been inspired by her participation in the HPS choir.

As far as the future of the building is concerned, Wagar said he hopes to see it continue to serve the community. He and others want to see it transformed into a community centre that can serve “all ages in the community from young children right up to seniors.” He is part of the committee looking into the possibility of the township acquiring the school and turning it into such a centre.

Wagar also weighed in on the new larger school now currently under construction in Sharbot Lake. “I have never been a big fan of larger schools. The nice thing about smaller schools and the one thing that I always liked about them is the fact that every teacher knew the name of every single student in the building.” Will that be the case at new school? Time will tell.

Wagar ended on a positive note, however. “Though the closure of the school is sad, we will hope for the best, that the new school will be better able to serve students.”

* Much of the information in this article was taken from a “History of Hinchinbrooke Public School” written by Doreen Howes and included in the Silver Anniversary Memories book that was sold as part of the school’s 25th Anniversary celebrations in 1991.