| May 01, 2008


Feature Article - May 1, 2008

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Feature Article - May 1, 2008 Harrowsmith sign contestBy Jeff Green

The village of Harrowsmith is going to be the recipient of new signs, courtesy of the Sydenham High School Student Council, and the public is being asked to come up with a three or four-word motto to grace the signs.

The contest is open until the end of this month, and entries can be sent to Lance Gibson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The sign project was initiated by the student council in 2007, when Stephanie Doornekamp, one of a triumvirate of council presidents, was so impressed with the signs in Perth Road Village that she brought the idea to the council of funding signs for the school's host village of Sydenham. With the help of the students from Gord Darling's shop class, in particular Brad Hornbeck, two signs were built, and art student Steven Michaels painted a representative image to go with them.

A time lag as the image was prepared was one of the sources of a mix up. As the new business association began looking around for signs, the Sydenham students’ signs were somehow forgotten, and the buisiness association commissioned other signs for the village of Sydenham.

That's where Harrowsmith comes in. The 2008 Student Council, and their staff advisor, Scott Gordon, have decided to revamp their signs and place them on high-profile locations on Road 38 as a gift to the people of Harrowsmith.

“We contacted Portland Councilor Bill Robinson, and he expressed an interest in placing signs in Harrowsmith, so we're happy to shift gears since many or our students come from Harrowsmith,” Gordon said.

The student council wants this to be accomplished by the end of the school term in June, and that's where the people of Harrowsmith come in.

“We have some images on hand, but we need a three or four-word slogan that best represents Harrowsmith,” said Gordon, “and we would even look at images if people have them. We want the community to participate with the students in making this happen.”

Local merchants have donated prizes for the winning entry, which might reflect Harrowsmith's history as a farming and railroad community, or something more contemporary.

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