Since the start of February, the six members of the Granite Ridge School of Rock have been working together to learn to play musical instruments, build a musical ear, improve team-work and boost self-confidence. The students and their teacher, Julia Schall, have been listening to, playing and debating the merits of a wide variety of musical genres – from old time rock and roll, alternative, indie pop, country and rap. Their band, The Undecided, is composed of grade 8 students (L-R): Aurora McCumber, guitar; Esther Hoffmann, bass; Dawson King, guitar and vocals; Finn Limber, keyboards and vocals; Nic Smith, keyboards; and Maya Chorney, drums. The Undecided are very excited to be performing at the Celebration of Music at Granite Ridge on Monday, May 25 at 7 pm. Sharing the stage with the School of Rock will be the Granite Ridge High School band and the Young Choristers under the direction of Christina Wotherspoon, as well as other talented student and staff performers. The cost for the show is $5, with children under 12 free. We hope to see you there!

by Liz Steele-Drew

If you had been a guest at the very first Comedy Night GREC ever hosted - last Friday night, you were probably wondering, as you sat hunched down in your seat, avoiding eye contact with the keenly intuitive comics, why has something like this not taken place sooner? Those who attended the show were treated to some hilarious stories and observations that the talented comics, including headliner Brendan McKeigan, (Just For Laughs, USO Tour in Iraq, Kuwait, Africa) so easily put into words. Aaron Keefe, the grade 11 student who organized the event, worked with Jason Laurans from Absolute Comedy to put on the “clean” show for students and parents.

“We had an opportunity to bring some kind of feel good event to the school and a comedy show just seemed like it would be a great idea.” Keefe, with support from Cindi Scott, Adolescent Care Worker, contacted Absolute Comedy and brought the four comics from Ottawa and Kingston to Granite Ridge Education Centre, for the hour and a half long show.

The money to put on the show comes from a new program funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. “We are in the second year of OPHEA’s (Ontario Physical Education Association) Smoke Free Ontario pilot project. The program focuses on building student leadership while addressing tobacco and other health related topics. Shaming smokers to stop or not even start, doesn’t work,” said Scott.

Students involved in the program received training and support from YATI (Youth Advocacy Training Institute), OPHEA and KFLA Health. The students are encouraged to spread the word on the tactics big tobacco uses to trick youth into starting to smoke. YATI believes the key to engaging youth in the fight against Big Tobacco is to find out what they are passionate about. If they are passionate about the environment, educate them about the amount of garbage that smoking creates. If they are passionate about human rights, educate them about how Big Tobacco uses child labour to harvest tobacco plants, often resulting in green tobacco sickness, or acute nicotine poisoning.

“We planned a few events over the month of April to educate students about stress, how to deal with it in healthy ways. The Comedy Night was a great opportunity to just sit back and laugh, which is a great way to deal with stress. Before the comics took the stage we had a two-minute public service type announcement that talked about the tactics big tobacco uses to entice young people into starting smoking. The newest concern on the tobacco front is flavoured tobacco. This stuff was developed with youth in mind. I don’t know of many adults who would choose to smoke a watermelon flavored tobacco product,” concluded Scott.

For most of the comics this was the first time they had travelled west on Hwy. 7, or at least the first time they turned left at the flashing light in front of the Petro Can station. It was quite obvious that they took some time to do a bit of sightseeing before taking to the stage. They poked fun at the dual purpose rooms in the new school: The café-torium - Is that a combination of a cafeteria and a crematorium? And the Drama Music room - Do they study only dramatic music? Their hilarious stories and impressions left the audience beaming. At one point the student sitting next to me, who was bent over laughing most of the night, elbowed me in the side and said, “It’s so funny! Because it so true!”

Stress Education Month @ GREC continues this week with Massage Therapist Annette Gray Jackson offering free mini-massages to students during their lunch hour on Tuesday and Thursday.

In an effort to demonstrate their school pride and tidy up their school grounds, students and staff at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake donned plastic gloves and with garbage bags in hand picked up trash in around the school property on their annual Pitch-In Day on April 23. The students collected countless bags of debris and recyclables and as a result the school property is looking much cleaner and tidier for the spring season. Mr. McVety, who teaches grade 10 Civics, and Mr. Leonard, who teaches global studies, history and social sciences at the school, were assisting their students with the clean up. School Principal, Heather Highet, said, “Winter tends to leave a lot of garbage behind and this Pitch-In Day at the school not only tidies up the school property but it is an opportunity for students to celebrate Earth Day and gives them a chance to take pride in their school and community.”

Students in grades four through eight at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake were taken on a wild ride thanks to a special presentation in the school gym on April 20. The dramatic production titled “Spirit Horse” is a professional traveling show put on by Roseneath Theatre in partnership with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. Currently in its fourth week of touring, it will be presented to a total of 100 schools in Ontario.

The production is a highly energetic tale about an Aboriginal family who have lost their mother and are faced with a number of real life challenges as they try to exist in an urban setting.

The tale involves a horse called Wild Wind, who appears thanks to a vision of the children’s grandfather as the family struggles with issues of racism, poverty, illiteracy and the death of a loved one in an urban setting, all of which deal them a number of challenging blows. The production aims to teach students through dramatic story telling about a number of difficult social issues while giving students a chance to explore a different aspect of life that they might be unfamiliar with.

The plot centers around two First Nations youth struggling in a single parent home and trying to find a balance between their traditional ways and the urban world. The play is a Native American adaptation by Drew Hayden Taylor of the Irish play Tir Na N' Og by Greg Banks and is based on a re-telling of the Stoney Nakoda Nation legend about Spirit Horses.

The four-member cast had their work cut out for them as they aptly brought to life 65 different characters in the play, which lasted just under one hour and was performed at break neck speed. With the help of a small but inventive set that included an old car seat and a dramatic piece of scaffolding that the actors climbed in, over and on top of, the actors used a combination of inventive dramatic styles and music to bring this energetic and cathartic tale to life. Musician Alex Lamoureux played a number of instruments including drums, jaw harp, accordion, fiddle, flutes and his own boot-clad feet to add a musical dimension to the piece, which kept the action rolling along.

Tim Hill, who played the main roles of the children’s father and grandfather as well as the very proud, spirited and sure-footed horse, Wild Wind, was both comedic and emotionally engaging and covered a broad swath of dramatic ground in the play.

Equally engaging were Brianne Tucker and Dakota Hebert who played the other two main roles, daughters Jessie and Angie respectively. Both showed depth in their portrayals of the young daughters who were faced with the challenges of trying to live life with a grieving single father while grieving themselves and facing the struggles and engaging adventures that come their way.

The story ends on a positive note as the family comes together to accept their mother’s death while demonstrating how perseverance and team work can enable them to overcome the obstacles that they are presented with.

The GREC students appeared mesmerized by the tale and their questions following the performance showed how story telling through the dramatic arts can engage youngsters in a number of difficult real life issues.

The cast, who are representatives of Canada's Métis, Inuit, and First Nations communities, should be commended on their performances. Prior to the show at GREC they, along with behind the scenes stage manager Dana Paul, were interviewed on CBC's Ontario Morning with Wei Chen. Following their performance the cast and crew packed the set into their pick up truck and headed off to Lombardy, where they performed the play again that afternoon.

For teachers wanting to bring attention to a number of important social issues that face youngsters today, Spirit Horse offers a creative outlook on the challenges that face us all as we struggle to maintain balance in what can often be a difficult, challenging and sometimes dangerous world. For more information visit Spirithorse.ca

Prior to their regular board meeting on April 8 at the Limestone District School Board offices in Kingston, school trustees handed out their annual Outstanding Service Awards.

Among the recipients were three local residents who were honored for their dedicated service. The first is Cheryl Allen of Sharbot Lake, who has served on the school councils at the former Sharbot Lake public, intermediate and high schools, and at the new Granite Ridge Education Centre in various roles, including many years as council chair.

Allen began her service on school council in 1994 when her eldest daughter became a student at Sharbot Lake Public School. Since that time she has served on various councils and spearheaded the purchase of a number of requests presented to the council, which have included the school's score clocks, playground equipment, and more. The citation honoring Allen stated that over the years she has continually “set a mood on council supportive of providing a safe and caring environment for all students”.

As a active participant in the PARC (Program and Accommodation Review Committee) she was a tireless supporter of the new Granite Ridge school, recognizing the benefits that a new school could provide for future students in the area.

In the past Allen has successfully nominated several other people for LDSB awards and when I interviewed her by phone earlier this week she said that she was shocked and honored to be on the receiving end this time around.

Asked what made her get and stay involved in her local school councils over the years, she said, “I, as a parent, felt it was important to get involved and to offer my help wherever it was needed.”

Allen, who is currently the school council's vice chair, said that with the upcoming graduation this June of her youngest daughter, she will be taking a break from council and will be looking at other possible ways to continue to offer her services as a volunteer in the community.

Andrea Woogh, a grade 2/3 teacher at Loughborough Public School in Sydenham, was also honored with an award. In her citation Woogh was recognized as a “distinguished leader amongst her peers and someone who promotes each student's uniqueness while ensuring she has the training and skill sets needed to offer her students a nurturing, learning environment.“

Woogh, who has undertaken training in Aboriginal education, dispute resolution, literacy and technology, has introduced students to a number of innovative learning experiences, which have included the Yellowknife pen-pal program, and through a partnership with local high schools, woodworking and computer programming opportunities. She has helped co-create the LPS Green Team in an effort to certify LPS as an “eco-school. As an active athlete herself, Woogh recognizes that students' “growth and development can also occur outside the classroom”. She has coached soccer, track and field, volleyball and basketball at LPS as well as hockey and soccer in her local community.

Sharon Isbell, a long-time teacher at Loughborough Public School, was also honored with an Outstanding Service Award. Isbell was cited by Kim Deline, who wrote that she is “an effective educator, leader and communicator" whose positive teaching style and compassionate interactions with students demonstrate her love of teaching on a daily basis.

In her dedication to being the best teacher she can be, Isbell pursues her own personal professional development and was cited as “inspiring her students and fellow colleagues by offering extra programming through various school clubs while also acting as a liaison for the school's drama and arts programming.”

Isbell is also involved in championing the school's Green Team in their effort to gain eco-school status and is an active member of the school's 100th anniversary committee.

I spoke with Sharon Isbell by phone earlier this week and she said, on behalf of herself and Ms Woogh, that they were extremely honored to have received the award. "We both feel so humbled. There are so many teachers who go above and beyond their daily requirements and we are just grateful and feel privileged to be able to work in this school community with so many committed staff members, parents, students and administrators.”

Helen Peterson, principal at LPS, was thrilled that two of her staff members received awards and said “Sharon Isbell and Andrea Woogh represent the epitome of excellence in teaching. They focus on quality education for all students. They are both examples of the reality that it is just as much about who you are as what you teach. They lead students and other staff by example. Sharon and Andrea are part of the outstanding staff at Loughborough that put the needs of our students, our future, first!"

Heather Highet, principal at Granite Ridge, was equally pleased with Cheryl Allen's award and said she was “thrilled that the LDSB has recognized Cheryl for her unwavering support and decades-long contributions to our school councils."

by Pat Fisher

It's a musical. It has a big cast - actors of all ages. It will be staged the first two weekends in May at Granite Ridge Education Centre. It's The Music Man.

The Music Man was written by musician Meredith Wilson and his friend Franklin Lacey. It was rejected a few times before it was staged. They wrote 44 songs for the show but streamlined it to 18 of the best. From December 1957 to April 1961 it played on Broadway (1,375 shows) and was adapted for film in 1962, staring Robert Preston and again in 2003, staring Matthew Broderick. Theatre companies everywhere have performed The Music Man, including our own North Frontenac Little Theatre in 1981. A peek at the NFLT website will show you the programme and all those of our community who were involved in that production.

People love the music and although the story is old-fashioned (a con man is at work in a small town but love prevails), it has a charm that warms our hearts. Much more about this show will be written in the months to come. Mark your calendars for May performances. Get ready to enjoy an energetic show and the tune "Seventy Six Trombones". Visit www.nflt.ca

Thanks to professional drum facilitator and instructor, Leo Brooks, and a grant from Blue Skies in the Community, grade 7 and 8 students at Granite Ridge Educational Centre in Sharbot Lake are now able to keep the beat on their very own hand made drums.

The students just completed a four-week art/music project they began with Brooks early in January where each student built a hand drum using a section of sonotube that the students first primed and painted in a design of their own making. Once the tubes were completed Brooks returned to the school to show the students how to stretch a piece of wet goat skin over one end of the tube, which was then stapled in place and left to dry and tighten overnight. The drums were ready to play the very next day.

The long-term project gave these intermediate students the opportunity to spend many hours on a single project, and their perseverance and determination really paid off. Their drums are as nice to look at as they sound – and they sound just great.

The project culminated in a drum workshop on January 27 led by Brooks, where the close to 50 students learned how to play their drums. Brooks began by teaching the students basic drum care, for the short and long term. He then showed the students the many different ways to create various sounds on the drum either first by using their hands which depending on their placement and delivery can greatly affect the sound produced. Similarly he demonstrated how the drum can be struck with a small stick either on the skin or its side to give different sounds as well.

He spoke of the history and origins of various rhythms, many originating from African countries, and taught the students how to create them first by giving the individual beats words and then by inviting the students to play the beat while saying their corresponding words. Once the students were able to memorize and play one distinctive rhythmic pattern, Brooks would add his own different beat under their unified rhythm, showing how a multi-layered rhythmic effect can be created. The students were transfixed. The musical element of drumming is a real draw for students who seem to delight in being able to come together in one single rhythmic whole. “When the students are drumming in time and creating one strong single rhythmic pattern you can really see the delight on their faces. Playing perfectly in time with one another can really help bring the students together as a group,” Teacher Julia Schall said following the workshop. “Learning to drum as a group is not only about being able to play yourself but it also depends on really listening to one another”.

Student drumming at GREC will not end with the workshop and Ms. Schall said she would be incorporating the drums into her bucket drumming music class at the school. “The beauty of now having these drums here is that we will be able to take them out any time, learn new rhythms and play together.”

Perhaps as the weather warms up, passers-by might hear the magical unified beat of the drum thanks to these GREC students and their fearless drum guru, Leo Brooks, who showed these students not only how to build their own drums but also how to keep the beat.

For years now, Ms Schall's grade eight graduates have been making a trip to Montreal to celebrate their graduation while taking in all the special sights and educational experiences that that wonderful city has to offer. This year will be no different and in mid-June, 29 graduating grade eight students from the Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) in Sharbot Lake will be boarding a VIA train to Montreal where they will be spending two nights and three days.

To raise funds for their travel expenses, a bottle drive fundraiser was held on Jan. 9 & 10.

The trip is a combination of education and fun and for many of the students it will not only be their first visit to a major Canadian city but also to French Canada. While in Montreal the students will be getting around on public transportation, and will be navigating the local subways and buses while also practicing their French and enjoying the many sites in the city. They will be touring Old Montreal, taking an exciting jet boat tour of the Lachine Rapids to the location of the city's first and oldest settlements, and will also visit the Biodome and the Olympic City. A trip to La Ronde, the city's famed amusement park, is also on the itinerary.

While Schall has made the trip many times over the last seven years, one event continues to be her favorite. “Personally for me the highlight of the trip is always the night hike that we take up Mount Royal where we walk up to the top of the mountain and look out over the huge expanse of the city, which is lit up by city and traffic lights and with the blackness of the St. Lawrence River in the background.”

To date the students have raised $4,000 towards the trip and are hoping to raise a total of $11,400, which will cover the transportation, accommodation and food costs for all the students.

Ms. Schall said that the trip is an important one for graduating students, many of whom form very strong bonds with their fellow classmates nearing the end of the school year, prior to moving on to high school. “This can be a very intense and emotional time for these graduating students, and the trip gives them a chance to bond further and also presents some new challenges to them; challenges like navigating their way through the city, looking at city maps and having to problem solve in a number of relevant ways in an environment that is new and challenging and unknown.“

Schall added that the trip also is a kind of initiation for the students into the bigger, broader world they will entering upon graduation in June. “These students will be entering a new school atmosphere where they will have more freedom and will be required to show more responsibility as a result of that freedom. This trip represents an initiation into that bigger world; it offers them a chance to be more independent while literally seeking out their own personal paths, which is something they will have to be doing more and more of as they move on through life.”

Those who missed the bottle drive fundraiser will have other opportunities to donate to the trip, including at a volleyball tournament that will take place at the school on Sat. January 17. For more information about how to become involved in the tournament contact Tina Howes at 613-375-8152.

A broomball tournament is also being planned for February at the Tichborne rink. Keep an eye out in the Northern Happenings for the date and time.

It was a coup of sorts that took place at the Granite Education Centre in Sharbot Lake on November 7, and kudos to the members of the GREC parent council 's fundraising committee who birthed what might just continue as an annual tradition. The event was the first ever "Ladies Night - Christmas in the Country" shopping extravaganza. The parent council organized the fundraiser to help pay for the school's new $20,000 electronic sign, which advertises both school and community events and was in large part paid for by the parent council. Proceeds from the event will also pay for the recent painting of the school courtyard and help fund other programs and student-related expenses at the school. The $5 entry fee included delicious snacks courtesy of staff and parent council member Anne Howes, and fancy mock cocktails courtesy of senior students Brandi Armstrong, Josh Keefe, and Jake Watson, who served them up with flair. Over 25 vendors lined the halls, offering up a wide array of gift giving options that included tole painted gifts, jewelry, fine arts and crafts, clothing, kitchen accessories, body products, native crafts plus many other holiday treats. Guests could purchase 50 cent tickets to win one or more of the over 45 themed Christmas gift baskets and prizes that were donated by vendors, artisans, local businesses and students and staff from the school.

Cheryl Allen, vice chair of the GREC parent council, said they had hoped to attract “especially the ladies in the local community whose husbands were away hunting”, but the night was well attended by both men and women, who all enjoyed a fun evening of socializing, snacking and holiday shopping.

by Nina Jenkins

Things are a-buzz on the stage at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as children and adults of North Frontenac Little Theatre prepare to stage their first production, Aladdin, in the new facility. Those involved are pleased to be working on a nicer, deeper stage and are getting used to working in the new space. Members of the theatre group are appreciative of the working relationship with the school administration and staff and the school board for allowing us to use the space to provide community entertainment to the surrounding areas.

Brian Robertson, who is directing this play, is pleased to have permission to include a stage extension to provide for scenes to be done in front of the curtain while a scene is being set up behind. Jeff Siamon assisted with installing it in the cafetorium.

For the first production at GREC, the theatre group has chosen the play Aladdin, a family type show with broad audience appeal, which involves young children, teens and adults. Robertson, who has directed many such plays while teaching at Land O' Lakes School, is very pleased with how rehearsals are going. The show has a lot of music and dance and so requires a good amount of practising “to get it right”.

Assisting Robertson is Andrea Dickinson who works with six of the youngest actors/dancers arranging choreography, practising lines and preparing costumes for them. Basically, she is responsible for the part of the show involving the young actors and it is amazing the progress these young people are making. Dickinson has been involved with a number of NFLT shows, most recently in My Narrator.

Also doing choreography with the other actors is Tim White who has a background in dance.

Jeff Siamon now has the theatre lights installed in the room and is grateful for the use of the “genie lift”, which allows him to reach the high ceiling to position and manipulate the lights. The process of setting up the lights to get them where you want them takes time and patience. Siamon has used a general placement of the lights which can be used not only for this play but for future plays and school activities with some minor adjustments. He is satisfied with the results and is now concentrating on fine tuning the lighting for this show.

We are happy that Andrea Jones, a newly retired elementary school teacher, is sharing her talents and is teaching the songs for the show. The songs are tricky with a lot of words and she is pleased with the progress of the actors, especially the young ones.

Rounding out the music for the show will be Gary Giller on Bass, Sandy Robertson on flute and John Inglis on piano.

Set design and construction is being done, once again, by Peter Platenius, Donna Larocque and Martina Field. Peter says that he is pleased with the space in the wings of the stage and is adjusting to the new space.

Sally Angle, house manager, is busy planning on how to set up the “house” and is planning for placement of the ticket table and refreshment site.

Costumes are being prepared by Peggy Muldoon who is busy finding the appropriate pieces, altering, tucking, embellishing and fitting them for each actor. John Pariselli and Nina Jenkins are co-producers for the show.

Aladdin will be presented at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Thursday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 28, Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 1:30. So pick a date, get on your “magic carpet” and join us for an entertaining evening or afternoon. Tickets will be on sale soon at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy and Sharbot Lake Dollar Store. Watch for future ads in this paper and for posters in the surrounding area businesses.