Students and staff at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake gathered for a special ceremony celebrating the recent planting of the school’s new tree nursery. Shawn Lavender, who teaches the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at the school, invited grade nine students in the SHSM forestry program to speak about the new nursery, where the students planted dogwood, sugar maple, and white pine trees. One of the goals is to replace each tree that was cut down during the construction of the new school with 15 new trees.

The project, which was funded with the help of grants from the Limestone Learning Foundation, the TD Bank’s Environmental Fund and Lowe's of Kingston, who donated the sawmill to the school, is part of the provincial government’s goal to plant 50 million new trees in the province. The nursery project was chosen by Lavender to allow students in the SHSM program at Granite Ridge to acquire skills and knowledge in sustainable economic and social activities.

Each grade nine student in the SHSM program was invited to plant one tree with a 3D label attached with their name. The labels were designed by the students with the help of Ms. Hurley using the school’s new 3D printer. Mr. Murray, who runs the wood and auto shop programs at the school, had students create the wooden signs that identify the new nursery using wood from trees cut on site and cut on the school's own saw mill. The students prepared the site and planted it with 400 new seedlings.

At the ceremony, students Dustin Granlund and Nolan Teal spoke about how the new nursery “will allow for carbon at the equivalent of 100 plane trips from Montreal to Vancouver (the equivalent of 100 tons of carbon) to be captured from the atmosphere in a single tree’s life time.” Students Craig Schonauer and Bailey Green spoke about the other projects the students undertook in the program, which included their maintaining part of the Lanark Mazinaw Forest by clearing a 20-acre parcel and “stripping it of iron wood, striped maple and small white birch thereby enhancing the mass trees and encouraging their growth while maintaining a healthier forest for animals and nature lovers.”

Last to speak was forestry student Robert, who spoke about Granite Ridge's forest management plan and the nursery project whose goal was “to remove the undergrowth and invasive trees on the property and to open the area for mass canopy trees and encourage the growth and regeneration of sugar maples, pine and dogwood”.

Shawn Lavender led the presentation and thanked all of the students and staff involved in the project as well as staff and representatives from the LLF and the SHSM program, who were present at the event. They included Leslie Myles, Mike Sewell, John Chomitz and Shawn Lehman. Mr. Lavender concluded the presentation with the words, “I like to think that we are doing our part here at Granite Ridge though our tree planting and continued involvement with our community partners to improve the landscape and restore our area back to pre-European times. This is an initiative that the government has mandated in its forest operations and we would like to succeed in restoring pine back to 14% of our landscape from the 7% that it is today.” Following the presentation students and staff enjoyed an outdoor barbeque lunch at the new nursery site.

by Valerie Allan

North Addington Education Centre has been certified as an Ontario EcoSchool for the sixth year in a row. NAEC has received Bronze certification for 2013-2014. EcoSchools is an environmental education program in Ontario that helps students and schools to become more environmentally friendly. To become a certified EcoSchool, the school must show achievement in leadership, energy conservation, waste minimization, ecological literacy, curriculum and school ground greening.

NAEC showed their commitment to the environment throughout the 2013-2014 school year through events such as National Sweater Day, Earth Hour and Earth Day. Eight secondary students also participated in an Environmental Conference in Kingston.

The main focus for this school year was to revamp the school’s paper recycling program. With help from a variety of classes including the Restart Program, School to Community, Grade 12 College English, Grade 11 University Math and Grade 9 Academic English, the paper recycling program has been very successful this year.

“I am so proud of our students. It takes a lot of hard work over a long period of time to earn certification. This type of commitment to the school, the community and the environment is fantastic. Thank you to Ms. Randle and her hard-working team,” said Angela Salmond, principal at NAEC.

EcoSchools is a voluntary program led by teachers and volunteers at schools across Ontario.  

Two local students who participated in the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair will join 68 other students from across Ontario at the Provincial Heritage Fair in Toronto this Saturday.

Loughborough’s Cameron Anderson, along with classmates Adam Hull and Brett Wilcock, have completed a project called “The Effects of Colonization on the First Nations”. The project is about what the Europeans did when they first started colonizing North America and how it affected First Nations. It states the major and overall influence of the Europeans and how this impacts the way Canada is today.  

Isaac Banks, a grade 7 student at Glenburnie Public School, called his project “The Battle of the Hochwald Gap” It explores Canada's involvement during the Battle of the Hochwald Gap in WWII.

Aimed at students aged nine to 15, the heritage fairs are designed to inspire young people to explore personal and collective Canadian experiences in any number of media – displays, painting, sculpture, prose, music or computer-based projects. The delegates at the provincial fair represent the more than 20,000 Ontario students who participated in the 2014 Fairs program.

Students at Prince Charles Public School in Verona had no idea that Canadian Olympic gold medalist and NHLer Mike Smith would be joining them when they gathered in the school’s gym for a meeting about their upcoming Relay for Life event.

The surprise visit on May 30 was organized

by grade one/two teacher, Lisa Cousins-Badour, who knows the Smith family well and used to baby-sit Mike when he was a youngster. The students were delighted when Mike appeared at the side door of the gym with his Olympic gold medal in hand.

Smith, who plays in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes, was goalie number three for the Canadian Olympic team at the 2014 games in Sochi, where the team won Olympic gold. Students had a chance to see both Mike and his medal up close as he made his way through the crowd of overjoyed students, who requested autographs and photos with the former PCPS student.

Smith got his start in hockey playing floor hockey as a young student at PCPS. He fielded numerous questions from the students, who asked him how he felt at the Sochi games; how the experience changed him; when he began playing hockey; about his musical tastes and more. Smith answered the questions with honesty and charm and had special advice for the youngsters: “My advice to you kids is this - no matter what you like to do, be it art, sports, music, whatever, always remember that if you put your mind to it, work hard, set your goals and stick to them, anything is possible.”

Smith had skyped with PCPS students prior to Sochi and he said that he never tires of visiting with students at his former school. Since his return home after the regular NHL season, he has been busy meeting with fans who want to visit with him and see his Olympic medal. “Every time I come back here the kids are more excited than the last time and to be here now with a gold medal around my neck is a real dream come true.”

Mike is not the only Olympian in his family. His wife Brigitte skied at both the Turin and Vancouver Olympics and her mother skied at the Sapporo games in Japan. However, he said humorously that he is the only member of the family with the “official gold medal bragging rights”.

Smith got his start in the NHL with the Dallas Stars and has played most recently as goalie with the Phoenix Coyotes. He said that this past NHL season with the Coyotes was a bit of a disappointment. “We missed the playoffs and a chance to compete for the cup, which of course is the goal. But we had some injuries; we just couldn't find our consistency and lacked a couple of points at the end of the season, but next year is a new year.”

Before last season ended Smith extended his contract with the Coyotes to stay on for another six years, which he said will be beneficial to his young family. He and his wife Brigitte have two young sons and a third baby is on the way. Smith said that being a part of the Olympic team was a dream come true and over the next four years he hopes to improve his game so that he may reach his ultimate goal of playing at the next Olympic games.

However, he did say that even if he does not get another opportunity to play at the Olympics, his experience at Sochi will be an experience that he will never forget.

Frontenac County was well represented at a Student Achievers awards ceremony at the Limestone District School Board offices last week.

Emily Delyea and Skyler Howes of Granite Ridge (Sharbot Lake) and Stephanie Jones from Sydenham High School were among 12 students in the board to receive citations at the event.

Emily Delyea has run the deck with every mark on her transcript at Level 4 and most of her grades in the high 90s. She is a member of four varsity teams, is also involved in student council, coaching and other activities, and is a Relay for Life volunteer. She will be studying Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa in September.

Skyler Howes excels in Math and Sciences, and he won the Governor General's Academic Medal as well in recognition of his overall average. He is also a leader on five varsity teams and a KASSAA all-star to boot. He has coached in the Northern Basketball League for elementary students. In addition to his activities at the school, he has completed 383 volunteer hours in the community with the local fire department, rec committee and his church. He will be studying Engineering at Queen's in the fall.

Stephanie Jones is a dedicated, hard-working, high-achieving student. Stephanie has a developmental disability; she has had to overcome a number of learning challenges and has been an inspiration to her teachers. She spends a lot of time in class working with other students while maintaining a high grade average. She is highly involved in the photography program at SHS. During the recent Multicultural Fair, Stephanie’s portfolio was chosen by her peers as the best overall collection of photos and journal entries, and for outstanding artistic creativity. She has spent over 200 hours on community volunteer work, and will be attending St. Lawrence College in September, as one of only 15 students accepted into the Community Integration Through Co-operative Education program.

by Julia Schall

Teamwork, communication and music are alive and well at Granite Ridge Education Centre! The GREC School of Rock have been meeting weekly since the end of March. The primary goals of this extra-curricular program are to build confidence and foster communication and collaborative skills while learning some music basics. Although we started late this year, the students worked hard to build their repertoire - from Joan Jett and Lead Belly to the Sheepdogs and Augustina. Many thanks to the Limestone Learning Foundation for previous grants to purchase many of our instruments.

If the motto for the parent council at Land O' Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove is not “the show must go on”, it definitely should be. That was the case for the school's annual Fun Fair, which took place on May 22 despite some heavy downpours that in no way dampened the spirits of the hundreds who attended. The annual event, which is put on by the school’s parent council with the help of school staff, is a fundraiser for the school, and every year numerous local businesses, individuals and organizations donate their time, goods and skills to the event.

There were dozens of activities for kids, including wagon rides from Brian Skillen and his team of miniature horses Teddy and Tommy; cupcake decorating; crafts; fire hose demos with Central Frontenac's Station 4 volunteers; a hockey shoot out and giant sling shot; bouncy castles, duck and fish pond games and much more. The older crowd had a chance to shop for fresh baked goods and to bid on a number of silent auction items and theme baskets, and to dine out at BBQ chefs Fred Knapton and Laura Woods’ grill. New this year was live musical entertainment in the school gym, which included performances by the Granite Ridge High School band, the LOLPS Glee Club, local country crooner Mitch Barker and Sharbot Lake’s the Feral 5.

The funds raised this year will go towards helping to construct a covered outdoor sand play area for younger children at the school as well as to help purchase new team shirts for the school’s Timber Wolves. School Principal Emily Yanch said the event is important one for the small rural school, which relies on ongoing support from the local community. It is an opportunity for the parent council not only to raise funds for the school but also to give back to the community.

While the road to building the new 65,000 square foot kindergarten to grade 12 Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) in Sharbot Lake and relocating 500 plus students and staff there has been a bumpy one, the official dedication ceremony that took place on May 22 was one of celebration. The event packed close to 600 people into the school’s new gym/cafetorium, which is a testament to the fact the new school is indeed a place where hundreds of people can now gather comfortably for special large-scale community events.

The ceremony, which was headed up by the school’s principal, Heather Highet, was a formal chance for her to recognize and thank all of the parties involved in the $15 million project, which was designed by +VG Architects in association with Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd. and built by Pre-Eng Contracting Ltd.

The new facility ,which the students refer to as GREC or "The Ridge", brings together the former school communities of Sharbot Lake and Hinchinbrooke under one shared roof. While Heather Highet did not gloss over the many challenges along the way, namely the delay of the opening until January 2014, the less than satisfactory outdoor play areas for the younger students, and other logistical challenges faced by students and staff, the ceremony was more focused on the many positives of the new school.

Highet first thanked staff and students for their “flexibility and patience” along the way and then highlighted the school’s big pluses. She mentioned the school’s eco-friendly design; its abundance of natural light; the cutting edge educational tools and facilities it houses, like its Snoezelen room, double gym and stage; the smart boards in every classroom; the auto/wood shop; its music/drama, school to community and family studies/technology rooms; the 2000 square foot library/resource centre and more.

Following Heather Highet’s remarks, local resident elder, Danka Brewer, gave an Aboriginal welcome and blessing to the school. Next, a video of the school's construction put together by teacher Eric Wotherspoon was presented, after which a number of guest speakers from the Limestone District School Board had a chance to speak. These included Board Chair Laurie French, Director of Education Brenda Hunter, Trustee Ann Goodfellow and the education officer with the Ministry of Education, Michel Chartrand, who was one of six who unveiled the new school plaque.

The highlights of the ceremony of course came from the students themselves. Grade nine geography students under the leadership of Danka Brewer sang a traditional Cree honour song. Grade eight students participating in the School of Rock program under the direction of grade eight teacher Julia Schall performed “Boston” and the cutest of all was saved to the last when the school’s primary/junior choir under the direction of Norman Guntensperger and Mr. Christopher Davison performed the Gryphon Medley, in which the school's Gryphon mascot appeared from the wings and led a final rousing school cheer.

While the road to GREC was not a easy one, students and staff seem to be settling in comfortably to their new digs, which by the next academic year school should have all of the surrounding outdoor work completed, making it look as good from the outside as it does from within.

Sydenham High School's Drama Club opened their new theatre last week with one of the most edgy, innovative performances that SHS has produced in years.

Mcdeath sets an old yet still current tale of the consequences of greed and ambition in the grunge scene of ’90s Seattle. The script was written in collaboration between drama teacher Eirik Rutherford and the cast, and fine-tuned through workshopping. In one slyly hilarious sequence, MacDuff escapes to hide out in Vancouver: “We can’t take guns across the border; Canada’s a fortress of solitude!” There, he plots Mac’s downfall in a room decorated with crossed wooden skis.

The relatively young ensemble works together well: some of the most memorable performances are by first-year students. Daniel Karan carries one of the most difficult roles for a young actor; as a very convincing rock music promoter he consistently seems much older than his years. The three witches: Violet Skuce, Shelby Eves and Ashley Macdonald, are baffling, unsettling, and dangerous. In a small role played to perfection, Amy Walton pantomimes a bored bartender. When she finally speaks, she reveals herself as Hecate, powerful mistress of the witches. Jess Sherman and Colton Haligan do well in the demanding roles of Lady and Mac.

This is a multi-media production: throughout, a four-man rock band beside the stage performs well, providing introduction, scene changes and back-up accompaniment to singers. Several TV screens introduce or connect scenes by showing newscasts and interviews.

Unfortunately, the new theatre space disappoints: the comfortable well-raked audience seating is perhaps the best part. Lights were rented, curtains were makeshift. Once when several players made a running exit, offstage thumps and giggles illustrated the lack of adequate room backstage. The theatre has neither storage room nor bathroom facilities.

Despite the theatre space’s shortcomings, cast and crew provided a most enjoyable evening’s entertainment. The final-night performance was enhanced at intermission by fruit crepes and coffee prepared by food service students in their new commercial style kitchen across the hall.

by Madeliene Tarasick

Last weekend, a sold-out crowd enjoyed the 11th annual fund-raising event hosted by Canadians for Women in Afghanistan, raising $20,000 to support educational programs for girls, women and families in Afghanistan. The gala was held at the Senior Officers’ Mess at Fort Frontenac and guests included military personnel and representatives from Foreign Affairs Canada. The affair featured a sit-down Afghan dinner, silent and live auctions, and the sale of Afghan goods.

Former CBC correspondent Ms. Fung is the author of "Under an Afghan Sky", the account which chronicled her 28 days in captivity after being kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2008. Her address at the gala focused on her return to Afghanistan in May of last year, when she returned to reclaim her experience of Afghanistan and determine the progress for Afghans over the past 13 years. She accompanied CW4W president, Madeliene Tarasick, and treasurer, Marg Stewart, to visit the many sites where the organization’s programs are flourishing. This visit was featured in the documentary "Return to Afghanistan", broadcast on The National last November. Ms. Fung spoke of her great desire to return and report on the plight and the progress of Afghans, especially since her previous assignment for CBC was overshadowed by her ordeal. “No journalist wants the story to be about the journalist – the story was meant to be about the suffering of the Afghans I visited in refugee camps, but the story ended up being about me.”

Ms. Fung’s great faith in the future for Afghans was affirmed as well as her conviction that the international community must continue its support of Afghanistan and also recognize at what cost, “Canadians must recognize not only the great gains made but also the sacrifices made to achieve those gains. We need to make sure they were not made in vain and carry on our support.”

Canadians for Women in Afghanistan is the Kingston chapter of the registered, non-religious, non-political volunteer organization and registered charity. Its main focus in the education of girls, women and families in Afghanistan including supporting schools, libraries, an orphanage, literacy programs and teacher training. For more information, see www.cw4wafghan.ca.