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Look Befor The municipality should look carefully before it leaps into any plans to purchase the 95-acre Pine Ridge Training School. The purchase of the property by the municipality has been in the background for many years. But now that the school is being closed, you can expect plenty of debate on the subject. And debate on this key issue is certainly what we need. The purchase of the school is a major decision and it is something that cannot be decided by council members alone. The council needs the opinions and views of its electors before arriving at any decision. It is the taxpayers, after all, who will have to pay the mortgage if the e We Leap school site is purchased by the town for use as an administration centre or any other purposes. It is very important that all the information on this subject is placed on the table. We need facts and figures. How much will the property cost? To what extent can existing buildings be used? What are the long-range plans that could be made for the land? These are just a few of the matters that must be decided. Let's have all the information put before us and then the taxpayers along with the elected officials and municipal staff can begin the process of deciding whether or not the purchase of the Pine Ridge Training School would be worth whatever the asking price might be. Congratulations Eagles Everyone is congratulating Bowmanville's Junior C Eagles these days after their impressive victory in the O.H.A. Junior C championship during the weekend. They certainiy deserve the praise. To the friends and families of players, coaches, and everyone connected with this top-notch team, the Eagles' victory represents a great personal achievement. To the many persons involved in hockey at all levels in the Bowmanville area, the Eagles must be an inspiration. Every six-year-old lacing on his first pair of skates can look up to members of this team and dream of matching their achievements. And to a certain extent, the Eagles' victory is a victory for the entire Bowmanville hockey system which trained many of the Eagles and gave them their first start on the ice. The Eagles' victory solidly establishes this town's reputation as a powerhouse in the amateur hockey field. Most teams who have played against Bowmanville at all levels of competition already realize this. But a win in the Junior C leagues really brings the fact to light. As a newspaper, we would like to thank the Eagles for giving us the thrills of exciting hockey which made fine copy for our pages this If you look through our pages this week, you will note that we have given a certain amount of coverage to two school programs aimed at getting students experience in the work world. One story deals with a proposed co-operative education program which would give students practical training at local businesses and industries. A series of photos shows students at the Bowmanville High School involved in a one-week work experience program which gave them a taste of the business world through jobs at local stores and factories. These trends in education towards apprenticeship and on-the-job training are good. It seems to us that too often the students' training has consisted of classroom exercises. Anyone over 50 will tell you that season. We would also like to express our appreciation to Don Wilcox who covered the games. We note that the Eagles' road to victory was not an easy one. With a shortened playoff series in the local league, disputed games and heart- stopping action on the ice, the Eagles' play had all the elements of suspense and surprise that are the bread and butter of sports stories. No one is likely to say that the Eagles' victory is undeserved. The team came so close to winning so many times and in the last few years it seemed as though they were alwa s the bridesmaids and never the rides. The Junior C crown escaped them in the final games. This year was different. The right ingredients were put together in the right way and the result was a first- class hockey team which took the championship. The Eagles' victory has put this town on the map and we can all share some pride in the team's accomplishments. Congratulations, Eagles, on this year's big win and we hope that you continue to liven our sports pages with similar accomplishments in the future. In fact, we're saving a space on next year's front page in case your winning record is extended to two seasons in a row. Ponder Air Conditioning Some municipal employees still aren't sure whether they 'll be working in a blistering hot office or a cool oasis this summer. Of course it depends on the weather but it also depends on whether or not council decides to go all out and install seven air conditioners in its offices. So far, the prospects are pretty bleak since the finance and administration committee tabled such a request from Town Manager Albert Guiler Monday. He asked that quotations on the purchase of air-conditioning equipment and installation be received for the following offices: one in his secretary's office, his office and the building department, two in the Bell Building and planning department. These are the only town offices except for one not currently air-conditioned, he said. on-the-job training is no new invention. In fact, by re-discovering this idea, the school board is going back to the concept of apprenticeship. To learn how to be a blacksmith, you used to learn in a local shop; to learn how to be a carpenter, you worked with the neighbourhood carpenter. To learn how to get along in the working world, you really should go out and work. While we are not downplaying the role of classroom instruction, we do believe that a balance between academie experience and practical experience is most desirable. That seems to be what some of the present and some of the future high school programs will accomplish. Classrooms are fine but nothing can beat the rough-and-ready experience that you can gain in the working world. Don't ever try to tell me that teaching school is a dull life. Oh, it can be pretty gruelling, not to mention gruesome, in Jan. and Feb. But once we get that March break behind us, the whole scene blooms like a riotous garden in May. For one thing, it's spring. And as you walk around the halls of a high school, trying to pry apart couples who are so tightly grooved that you're afraid they're going to cave in a row of lockers, you can't help thinking you were born 20 or 30 years too soon. For another, the cursed snow and ice have gone, or almost, and you know there are only 10 or11 weeks of martyrdom left until you walk out of that shoe factory, (which most modern schools resemble) and kiss it goodbye for eight weeks. Then, in the spring, all kinds of things pop up. The drama festival. The teachers vs. students hockey game, in which an assortment of pedants, from nearly 60 down to the late 20's in age, pit their long-gone skills against a group of kids in their prime, who would dearly love to cream the math teacher who failed them in the March exams, or the English teacher who objected gently to their use of four-letter words in essays. As I write, our school is bubbling with excitement. First of all, our custodians are on strike. This gets the kids all excited, and rumours fly about the school being closed, and a free holiday. Then their faces drop a foot when they're told they may be going to school in July, to make up for lost time. And they start cleaning up after themselves, instead of leaving it all to the janitors, as they usually do, and hope the strike will be over tomorrow. They don't give a dibble about the issues in the strike. They are practical. They want to be out of here on the first possible day in June. Don't blame them. It's human nature. For the teachers, who generally respect the caretakers, it is an object lesson in how important are the latter - the guys who sweep the floors, vacuum the rugs, wash the windows, and generally do the hard and dirty work of keeping the school spruce and sparkling. As an old floor-scrubber and lavatory-cleaner, from the first job I ever had, I perhaps respect them more than anyone. Unlike other countries, like England, where unions are closely knitted, we cross the picket line and go to work, however much we respect and sympathize. If we don't, we're fired. Simple as that. But we are forbidden, by our union, to do any of their work, such as emptying a waste-basket, sweeping a floor. Sort of fun. But the really big excitement among our staff, at least the males on it, is the shuffle-board tournament. Oh, I don't mean the outdoor kind, where elderly people push with a pronged stick a plate- like object. No this is the kind you find in taverns across the land: guys with a beer in one hand and a two-dollar bill in the other, shouting their bets through the smoke. We don't have beer in our staff room, but we do have a shuffle- board table. It's no frill from the school board. A staff member built it, and the'rest of us bought it from him. It's the greatest relaxer in the world, after teaching four classes in a row the great truths of the world to 120 kids, 90 per cent of whom are about as interested as an aardvark. Shuffle-board is to curling what dirt pool is to English billiards. Curling is a gentleman's game, theoretically, where you shake hands with the winners, and both teams sit down for a drink and discuss the fine points of the game. The spectators are either behind glass or up in the stands, where they politely applaud a good shot and groan with sympathy when someone makes a near miss. Something like a cricket match, with good manners as important as winning. Shuffle-board is a game where you walk away after losing, face red with rage at your stupid partner, who missed a key shot. I have never seen any hand-shaking, but have heard a lot of muttering. The spectators constantly heckle and offer coaching tips designed to destroy the player s concentration. "Put a guard on it. No, draw around it. Tap yours up. Draw deep. Play safe and cut them down." etc. There is univeresi1 delight among the watchers wuen a great player misses an easy shot, and reluctant grunts of appreciation when a poor player makes a brilliant shot. Out-psyching the opponent is a vital part of the game. Just as he is about to shoot, you lean far over to blow away an imaginary speck of dust, hiding the rock he is shooting at with your tie. You always blurt, "Don't miss it now," just as he is about to make game shot. And he frequently does. It sounds like foul play, and it is. But it can be hilarious. Shuffle-board brings out the absolute worst in characters who are normally considered to be people of integrity. As played in our staff-room, itjs not a game for those who believe in winning in a gentlemanly fashion. They wind up with ulcers and don't sleep nights. In our type shuffle-board, the mighty can fall, and the turkeys become eagles. I teamed up with another venerable gentleman, both of us former prisoners-of-war (on opposite sides), and we showed some of those young punks who were in their diapers while we were trying to make a better world for them. We came out of eight games with four wins, .500, the best I've ever hit in my life. And if that dummy Hackstetter hadn't missed his draw in the fifth game and bumped the opposition up for five, we'd have won the tournament. Johnny: I'm having difficulty with a particular word: "Justice." What does it mean? I just finished reading the April 23rd edition of the Toronto Star. On page A-4, there was an article describing the new contract signed by the Durham School board and its maintainence staff. Its terms ($7.12 per hour etc.) are comparable with many other boards of Ontario eg. North York. On the same page there was another article explaining how our local board (Newcastle Northumberland) cannot afford to meet the demands of its staff. I wondered, "What kind of an astronomical wage are these people after." The funny thing that I found out as I continued reading was that this tremendous salary demand was in reality almost $1.00 per hour less than Oshawa received. It was $6.19. Perhaps the board should get with it in the sense of knowing today's cost of living and competitive wage structure. In the last election, I voted for our board chairman. Maybe I should re- evaluate that decision. Ted Brown Dear Mr. James: "Scabies - Fact or Fiction" As a concerned parent of high school students, I would like to enquire into the so-called rumor of scabies going around the high school. I have had no success in obtaining information from school or health authorities. Are there scabies in the school? If so, are they the result directly or indirectly of the custodian strike? Surely the school cannot be as clean (washrooms, etc.), now as when they are properly steri- lized and cleaned. Scabies are bred in dirt, is it wrong to assume that the school possibly could be a breeding ground for them? The health authorities say each year there are a few cases, are there more this year? Please don't sweep this under the rug anddpretend it doesn't exist. it does exist, RIGHTNOW! I'm not saying to close the school because I realize that some Grade 12 and 13 students need this year to be able to attend college and university, but I think the School Board should do some serious talking and get this thing settled, or find some other way to get the school cleaned. Would you want your child to come home with SCABIES? A Mother. Dear Mr. James: On behalf of the Bowmanville Minor Hockey Association I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks, our gratitude and appreciation for the coverage your paper gave to Minor Hockey in this community. The Bowmanville Minor Hockey Association provides hockey at a regional, competitive level for a good number of boys in the community and your coverage of their activities adds in the overall picture. Once again, thank you and may we look forward to a great 1979/80 season. Yours in hockey James L. Hooper Secretary Bowmanville Minor Hockey Association Dear Sir: For the past few weeks the writer has been actively engaged in the necessary publicity for the Kiwanis Music Festival for Oshawa. This popular "Kifest" is now on its way and I wish to express to your newspaper the very sincere appreciation and "thank you" from all of the Kiwanians in Oshawa. Your help and understand- ing with this most worthwhile work is a source of continued strength to our efforts. Yours sincerely, Hayward Murdoch, Publicity Chairman. Dear Editor: The Scugog Shores Historial Museum, a non-profit organization, is holding "Pioneer Days" on May 19th and 20th, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This will include demonstra- tions such as woodcarving, spinning, weaving, ice-cream making, churning butter and sheep shearing. There will be a variety of contests including bread slicing, apple peeling, log sawing and wood splitting as well as contests for the children. On Sat., May 19th at 2:00 p.m., Her Honour Pauline McGibbon, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will officially open the museum. Scugog Shores Historical Museum is located on Scugog Island, 1 mile east of Port Perry on 7A - turn ½ mile north on Durham Rd. No. 7. Refreshments are available Sincerely, Roy Walker Smith Lake Scugog Historial Society National Day Of Conceru A National Day of Concern has been declared for Saturday, May 5 by the growing numbers of citizen groups questioning the wisdom of using nuclear power. Elsewhere in Durham Region a petition introduced by Oshawa housewives, Jil Chappell and Barb Kimball, demands "the stoppage of construction at Darlington and public inquiries into waste disposal and accident records at Pickering." On Wednesday, May 2, at 8:30 p.m. the film "Lovejoy's Nuclear War" will be shown at the Bowmanville Public Library. The hour-long film depicts how one individual puts his concerns into action. The general public is cordially invited to attend. Opening Day of Fishing Season at Vanstone's Mill Dam Learning on the Job