There was much community interest early last summer when the Limestone District School Board’s Program and Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) process for the Sharbot Lake Family of Schools completed its work and the Board of Trustees announced that a new K-12 school would be built in Sharbot Lake by the fall of 2013.

Ever since then there has been silence from the board, publicly at least.

Behind the scenes, however, planning has proceeded, and this week Ann Goodfellow, the trustee for the northern schools, let is be known that an architect has been chosen for the project.

“Within the next month or so a design team will be appointed. The team will include the principals from Hinchinbrooke and Sharbot Lake Public Schools and Sharbot Lake High School, as well as parent reps from those schools, the architect, Roger Richard from the board office and other board staff as needed,” said Ann Goodfellow.

Goodfellow will chair the meetings, which will take place about twice a month until a preliminary design is completed. The representatives from the schools will bring comments and suggestions from their school communities to the meetings, and once the preliminary design is complete later this spring or summer, at least two public meetings will be held before the architect starts working on the final design.

“We are going to be open to all sorts of suggestions, but in the end we can only build what we have funding to build,” Goodfellow said.

The final design will undergo a detailed costing review before it is sent to the Ministry of Education for final approval, a process that will take a considerable amount of time.

The new Sharbot Lake comprehensive school will replace Sharbot Lake High and Intermediate schools, Sharbot Lake Public School, and Hinchinbrooke Public School in Parham.

Land O’Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove and Clarendon Central School in Plevna will remain open.

The new school is slated to be built on or around the current parking lot at Sharbot Lake High School, and the existing school will be demolished.

Photo: Kait Rainey-Strathy with the students at LOLPS

Students in grades one through three at Land O' Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove had a chance to tell their own version of the classic children's story “Where the Wild Thing Are” when five professional artists who are studying at Queens University in the Artist in Community Education program visited their school on January 25.

The five artists included Canadian children's author and former Mountain Grove resident Kait Rainey-Strathy, vocalist Patty Smith, actor/dancer Kristina Murphy, musician Graeme Thompson, and musician/writer Trevor Strong. The five artists treated the students to an interactive creative arts workshop exploring literature through movement and music. The workshop gave students an opportunity to translate Maurice Sendak's classic tale into a performance of their very own making.

The workshop began in the gym with Kait Rainey-Strathy reading the story to the students. Kait is a former LOLPS volunteer and substitute teacher and she was thrilled to revisit her old stomping grounds and work with the students. “The workshop we developed allows the children to take the literature and reinterpret it their own creative way, and allows for the integration of the arts throughout the school curriculum.”

Following the story telling each artist then led the group in a series of dance/movement, music, vocal and drama warm up exercises prior to splitting them up into five separate groups.

Each group was then assigned a specific section of the story, which they were free to interpret in an original way, through drama, music, movement and dance. After a run through, the five groups then put their individual performances together and presented them to their fellow students.

The students had a ball throughout the workshop and made their feelings known when, following their practice run, they all spontaneously erupted into a celebratory cacophony. The visiting artists were also invigorated and happy for the chance for a practical teaching and learning experience with a group of very enthusiastic students.

Teachers Joanne McCullough and Norm Guntensperger, whose classes took part in the workshop, were also grateful. “This is a chance for the students to be exposed to five new artists and to a new kind of approach to literature and story telling,” McCullough said.

Norm Guntensperger agreed and added, “It's always interesting for the kids to get a fresh look at different approaches that sometimes can offer a deeper appreciation of literature. As well, we feel very lucky that these artists chose our school to come to.”

The five artists are looking forward to graduating from the Artist in Community Education program this May.

Photo:Caroline, Brodey and Sarah

Nicki Gowdy, parent council chair at Prince Charles Public School in Verona, would not let the last-minute cancellation of a dunk tank dampen the festive spirit at this year’s Panther Palooza.

So an eleventh hour brain-storming session gave birth to the “wet sponge toss” event, which by far proved to be one of the most popular at this year’s Palooza. Principal Frank Girard, Prince Charles’ fearless leader, smilingly took a 15-minute turn “in the hole” and was repeatedly lambasted with soaking wet sponges. That event on its own likely raised a considerable portion of the total $2,800 that was raised on June 17.

Mrs. Gowdy was “tickled pink” with this year’s Palooza, which after a one-year hiatus, came back with a vengeance and once again proved to be the parent council’s biggest and most profitable fundraising event of the year. A plethora of additional engaging children’s activities entertained the youngsters, and throughout the evening the 10 top acts from the school’s talent show, which had been held earlier in the week, peppered the set of local band favorites Bauder Road. Also worth mentioning were the themed gift baskets compiled by each class in the school, which attracted countless wannabe winners.

The funds raised this year will go towards sprucing up the outdoor play area, more specifically on the sand box area, picnic tables and new outdoor toys for the younger students. Kudos to the parent council and staff at the school, to all who came out to the event and to all of the members of the community who generously donated their time, talents, and trinkets to help support this year’s Palooza.

One day, several years ago, I was attending an event at Sharbot Lake High School.

“McVety,” I heard a girl yell out in the hallway at the top of her voice, sounding for all the world as if she was calling out to a reluctant friend to come over and help her with something.

But she wasn’t calling to a friend, she was calling out to a teacher. Sure enough Randy McVety came bounding over, not at all concerned about the lack of formality, some might say decorum, of one of his students.

All of the students at SLHS are Randy McVety’s students, whether they take a Social Studies course with him or not. The citation that came with the announcement this week that he is being honoured with the J.C. McLeod Excellence in Teaching Award, which is also known in the Limestone Board as the teacher of the year award, includes a paragraph about his central role at SLHS: “Randy is committed to the whole school community, enthusiastically participating in all school events, and often serving as organizer. He is always someone you could count on to do whatever it took to make things happen at the school and within the community. Randy McVety is the heart and soul of Sharbot Lake High School, so much so that he has been named ‘Mr. Sharbot Lake’.”

He is also being honoured for his knowledge of social studies and for the courses he has developed at SLHS.

Again, from the citation: “He is an expert in his field of teaching history, geography, native studies and senior social sciences. As the department head he shares his knowledge, expertise and resources with colleagues and works to support teachers in their own professional and personal growth … He is a long time mentor with Queen's University, helping future teachers develop. He has served with his federation for many years, and various school communities.”

The McLeod awards committee must know something about dealing with sibling rivalry, because they made sure there will be no resentment when members of the McVety family get together over the summer holidays.

While Randy McVety won the McLeod for secondary school teachers, his sister Kathy McVety-Kavanagh is the winner of the award for elementary students. She has been working as a special education co-ordinator with the board and is returning to classroom teaching next fall.

Photo: Sam McKay, Siobhan Weatherby, Beth Lyons, Nicola Edward and Chris Henderson

Having a buddy in high school can often make for cherished life-long memories and it is for that reason that Chris Henderson, an educational assistant at Sydenham High school, introduced the “Best Buddies” program there three years ago.

Best Buddies is a national charitable organization dedicated to “enhancing our communities through developing one to one friendships between individuals with intellectual disabilities and other students in the schools. "The program is grounded in the belief that friendships are important in the development of all individuals and are a medium through which they can become part of the community,” Chris Henderson said.

She says that the program has been slowly evolving over the last three years and encourages School to Community students “to develop friendships outside of theír regular classrooms and enables them to better integrate into the regular stream of the school. It‘s all about positive integration and friendship is one of the best ways to allow for that integration to occur.”

Sydenham was the first school in the Limestone district School Board to adopt the program and Henderson recalled “being hooked” three years ago when a Best Buddies supervisor gave a presentation at the school.

What makes a good buddy? “Dependability by far is the most important thing, along with a willingness to take the necessary time“, Chris said. Buddies are required to make contact with the student they are paired with at least once a week and the goal is to develop a socially appropriate and mutually enriching relationship. Many of the Buddies are also peer tutors in the School to Community classrooms. Because of the tutor relationship, Buddies spend ample time together doing school work but they also share lunches, celebrate festive dinners at Easter and Christmas at the school and participate in other school activities. Grade 12 student Paul Allison and School to Community student Tyler MacComish are buddies this year. Tyler enjoys the program and says the time he gets to spend with Paul is "really great." Tyler is also the advocate for the program and will be traveling to Ottawa in September to be part of the Best Buddies annual conference.

For Paul the program is equally as rewarding. "I enjoy the fact that I'm able to give opportunities to another student in the school and it’s rewarding to feel that you are making a difference the life of that student." One of the things that might stop other students from getting involved is a feeling that with academics and other extra-curricular activities, they do not have the time to participate in the program. However, Paul stresses that "Any time that you can give is well worth it and will make a difference."

Another challenging aspect of the program is the funding, which comes solely from school fundraising efforts. Henderson and her team raised some money at the school’s annual fashion show, where cupcakes baked by the buddies were sold during intermission. She says, “The bottom line is that it’s expensive to do any social activities outside the school especially because of transportation costs. We do our best to try to raise the funds to allow the students to get out and enjoy certain social activities together. Ideally we‘d love to have regular outings at least once a month, but funding limits that.”

Last year the students traveled to Toronto to see a Blue Jays game and this year funds are being raised to attend a Toronto production of the Lion King. Planned fundraisers for the rest of this school year will include regular weekly barbeques once the weather warms up. Volunteers will also be selling tickets for a school-wide raffle that will take place on May 16 and which offers a number of prizes including two tickets, hotel accommodations and Via rail transportation to a Tragically Hip show in Toronto; a golf package at the Rivendell Golf Course in Verona; Cineplex movie tickets; and a $100 gift certificate to the Keg.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Best Buddies program or in making a donation can contact Chris Henderson at the school at 613-376-3612.

North Addington Education Centre took a stand against bullying on April 13, by declaring it a Day of Pink. Students and staff in the school sported pink shirts, ties, hats and scarves, amongst other items of clothing.

Day of Pink is an international Day against Bullying, Harassment and Homophobia in schools. It was started by two Grade 12 students in a Nova Scotia school after a Grade 9 student was harassed for wearing a pink shirt. The two students went and bought 50 shirts and distributed them to students as a protest against the incident.

Elementary and Secondary staff promoted the event, and Student Council President J.R. Lee designated the 13th as Day of Pink in the Spirit Week schedule. School Houses were awarded points on the basis of the number of students wearing pink.

Principal Angela Salmond was particularly pleased with the turn-out, as she was hosting the secondary principals’ meeting at the school. Other principals were impressed by NAEC’s participation. “It was wonderful to see the whole school participating in this event. I was proud of our students for showing that they are against harassment of any kind. I am hoping for an even bigger number next year,” said Mrs. Salmond.

People interested in finding out more about Day of Pink can consult the website www.dayofpink.org

Photo: A.J. Nastuk leads Ella from Toronto on pony Portia- the three were joined by six-week-old foal Baby Ruth. The petting zoo was courtesy of West Winds Farm of Westport

Members of the Bobs and Crow Lakes Foundation held their second annual Frontenac Frolic fundraiser at the Bedford hall on August 4. The foundation, which is a registered charity, raises monies to fund various projects to preserve and enhance the quality of both lakes for current and future generations. Bargain hunters who came out had a fine array of used flea market and brand new silent auction items to choose from. For animal lovers of all ages, it was the draw of the cute and cuddly farm animals from West Winds Ranch in Westport that made their day. Those tempted by games of chance enjoyed the always surprising cow flop bingo game. Christopher Stone, a member of the Friends of the Tay Watershed, oversaw the display and sale of the “Done Dory”, a beautiful hand-built boat. The close to 16 foot versatile rowboat/sailboat was built in Perth in 1997 by Frank Roy, who donated it to the Friends of the Tay, and the proceeds from its sale will go towards funding their various education and outreach programs.

Susan O'Brien Mactaggart, president of the Bobs and Crow Lakes Foundation, said that recent cutbacks by the federal and provincial governments of numerous Ministry of Natural Resources programs have had negative effects on lake groups and their environments, and that now lake associations must strive to raise by their own efforts all the funds they need to support their programs and projects. She said, “Right now we as a foundation find ourselves in the unique position of needing to become totally self sufficient to be able to continue with our programs,” she said. “Under the current economic tenure, it’s more important than ever that we do so.”

Programs and projects offered by the foundation often deal with: the protection, restoration and maintenance of the lakes' water quality; protecting area fish and wildlife populations; preventing forest fires and pollution; encouraging safe water practices; and offering public education on various issues affecting the health of the lakes. A few of the programs that the foundation is currently putting into place are the shoreline survey, fire pumps, boat safety cards and fish rehabilitation. For more information about the foundation and/or to become a member visit www.bobs-and-crow-lakes.org

Representatives of Queen’s University’s biological station and the Nature Conservancy of Canada came to Council requesting closure of a section of road allowance crossing the developed portion of the former Hewlett-Packard property in Storrington Township. Presently, Queen’s is leasing the Elbow Lake facility, a recreational complex contained in the 1200 acre property, for “use as an education and outreach centre specifically targeted towards community extension.” The lease agreement includes an option to purchase “a 20% undivided share of the property.” Presently the land in question could not be severed for sale, as it is divided by the unopened road allowance.

Council discussed the options of closing and selling the road allowance, which is described as running across a swamp, or possibly accepting an alternate road allowance in trade. Councillor McPhail expressed concern that the proposed summer programs for children would compete with similar programs offered by the Cataraqui Conservation authority, though the Queen’s representative said he had already met with the CRCA, and felt this would not be a problem. However, Deputy Mayor McPhail noted that there has been no meeting with the Limestone School Board,which runs summer outdoor education camps from their Gould Lake facility.

Later in the meeting, Council requested more policy information and time for a viewing of the road allowance in question, before making any decision.

Township Reserves

Treasurer Louise Fragnito reported that the Corporate Services Committee is in the process of reviewing the Township’s reserve structure, with the goal of drafting a reserve policy for Council’s consideration in the fall. Presently, the Township has a projected 2012 year-end balance of almost $14 million, to be held in 45 separate reserve funds.

Cemeteries in South Frontenac

Angela Maddox, Recreation Coordinator, reported on comments received from the district cemetery boards in regard to the existing structure of cemetery boards, the fee schedules and the respective by-laws. Council’s goal is to develop common fees and by-laws. Maddox included information from the Ministry of Consumer Services, which administers the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (FBCSA). This act, which comes into force July 1, combines two previous acts and addresses issues such as the resale of unused plots and establishments of crematoriums.

Council directed this report to the Corporate Services Committee for further direction. CAO Orr noted that as well as municipal cemeteries, the Township also contains church-owned, community-managed, private family and abandoned cemeteries which may also be affected by the new act.

FYI: The FBCSA states that “cremated human remains cannot be interred in a pet cemetery.” But it does not seem to address the reverse possibility….

North Addington Education Centre celebrated its undergraduates
at awards night last week. Students are acknowledged for their hard work with academic points along with other honour certificates and proficiency awards. Abby Tryon, Kendra Wilson, Emma Benn, Danielle Drysdale, Brooke Hawley and Jared Salmond received pen sets or gold watches for high academic point achievement.

Grades five and six students at Land O' Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove were thrilled to be able present a cheque for $200 to a representative from the Kingston branch of the Canadian Cancer Society on October 10. The students in Mr. Harding's class held a two-day bake sale on October 2 and 3 and said they got a “great turn out with the line-up for buyers winding through the school all the way to the pod”. Liz Bonser, volunteer engagement coordinator with the KFL&A branch of the Canadian Cancer Society, was presented with the cheque in the school library. She said she was pleased with the students' efforts and she spoke to them following the presentation. “It's not so much the amount of money but just the fact that the students care so much and made such an amazing effort to contribute.” The students sold cream puffs, cupcakes, cheesecake, cookies, pastries and other homemade goodies and were thrilled to be able to present their efforts in person to Bonser.

The fundraiser was the brainchild of Hazuki and Keeley, with Charlotte given credit for starting the tradition of a bake sale fundraiser. Some of the students said that their inspiration to help out the CCS came from learning about famed Canadian cancer research fundraiser Terry Fox.