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lh antes an. <add hi "A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 11, 1997 - 7 I ETTERS To the Editor, our society. Teachers, along with man: - ents, students other concerned ber by wearing a poppy butdtesh "behind closed doors. - There will be no public This «= = year Remembrance Day falls at a time of unrest in process via the _. Legislature of Ontario. 0 All facets of public education includ- Tr CO: ti- ing taxation, funding, zens of this province have been involved ina battle for democracy against a government whose goal is totalitar- ian rule over education. I know that this fight is nowhere near the intensity of those bat- tles which we remem- learning conditions will | .be controlled by the provincial government 'any time at the will of 'the Education Minister. If your wish to show that you truly remem- ber the price paid for democracy in those past hearings or democratic school boards and and may be changed at lo : ar a poppy, ands in this :ce who say no to 60. You can make 1 Da id Johnston : ducation Minister . ff at school thank the public for support To the Editor, The staff of R.H. Cornish Public School wishes to thank parents, students and our com- munity for support dur- ing the political protest. We took a firm stand in order to bring atten- tion to the unprecedent- ed changes proposed under Bill 160. This bill seriously threatens the education of our children, and the democratic values that our Canadian society upholds. After Bill 160 comes into effect, as a parent or a member of our com- munity you will have no input on ary decision concerning education (e.g. taxation, spending, programming, actual class size, etc.) All changes made to students' learning con- ditions will be made through government regulation behind closed doors - there will be no public hearings or nor- mal democratic process via the Legislature of Ontario. Again, thank you for the support. The protest contin- ues. The staff of R. H. Cornish Public School Port Perry Patriot saves medals From page 6 Shame on those who could afford financially such a gift and chose silence. The pathetic irony in all of this is it. comes near the eve of Remembrance Day. I am disgraced at the feeble effort and an initial reluctance to spend a measly $20,000 (the esti- mated value) which repre- sents a second or two of the daily interest we spend on the national debt, along with the other millions of dollars in waste we never hear about. I don't believe for a minute any Canadian would have logged a com- plaint about the expenditure of what ever it took to purchase these medals. This is a missed opportunity by the gov- ernment to let Canadians know they are at least pay- ing attention and regain a modicum of respect. Tyler S. Briley Port Perry A sorry lesson for Ontario's students To The Editor: As a parent affected by the teachers strike, I have spent a great deal of time struggling with the issues in an attempt to make educated opinions on this matter. After much research, there is one question left unan- swered: the effects on my children. If I were to open a teacher's daily planner for Monday, October 27, 1997 I am sure that the lesson for today would read "Do As I Say, and Not What I Do". Do not break the law but rather respect the rules of the land and the values attached to those community stan- dards. Do not bully those individuals who share values different than your own, but rather respect everyone's unique opinions and grow from society's diverse think- ing. Do not walk away from conflict, but rather learn to talk through your issues and mediate positive resolu- tions. Do not succumb to peer pressure, but rather think independently and flow your own beliefs and val- ues. Our kids have not only lost time in their academic calendar, but they are losing a much more important element in their education, a positive role model. In the future, when teachers find themselves in the position to discipline a student for breaking the rules, disrupting the class or bullying others in order to enforce their point of view, I hope they start their speech with, "Do As I Say And Not What I Do". Leanne O'Donnell Waterloo To The Editor: : UNICEF Ontario wants to thank the many com- munity members - individual, corporate and media, who helped UNICEF during the school closure over Halloween. The Ontario Teachers' Federation assisted us by notifying schools to get the oranges boxes out. Following school closure, UNICEF also received over- whelming assistance from the corporate sector and community groups. The media also helped by informing communities across Ontario quickly about where to get boxes. UNICEF had already shipped over 300,000 orange boxes to most schools across Ontario. During the week of the school closure, McDonald's Restaurants, Kelsey's Bar and Grill and Roger's Video helped dis- tribute an additional 300,000 boxes. Community organizations such as Kiwanis, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and others also helped distribute boxes and collect donations. Across Ontario, UNICEF committees and teachers responded with a variety of ways to distribute boxes through community support. School boards have also responded that they plan to hold a UNICEF drive when schools resume. The public can still make a donation to the orange box campaign and parents with orange boxes can UNICEF director thanks the community send a cheque to UNICEF Ontario, 333 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M4P 1L7 or by phone by calling UNICEF Ontario at (416) 487-4153 or 1- 800-567-4483. Parents can also deposit orange box funds to any of the major banks. Coins from boxes must be changed, as much as possible, into dollars. Close to one million school children across Ontario usually carry the UNICEF orange box on Halloween night to raise almost $10 million. Since 1955, over $61.9 million has been raised in Canada through the UNICEF Orange Box program. UNICEF works in over 150 developing countries to meet the basic needs of children, protect them from abuse, and help them reach their full potential. In Canada, UNICEF works as an advocate for children's rights and with schools, youth and community groups to educate Canadian children about becoming better global citizens. We at UNICEF express our heartfelt thanks to all the children, volunteers, media, corporate supporters and to all donors for your outstanding support during our orange box campaign. Jacqueline Bradshaw Director UNICEF Ontario Government's lies stop here To The Editor: The lie stops here. The provincial govern- ment's latest TV commer- cial (part of the current $1.3 million advertising blitz that we taxpayers are paying for) is more proof of what this govern- ment is all about: lies, Still a Tory deception and the misrep- resentation of fact. Mr. Harris blatantly trivializes the present political protest with ques- tions about prep time, standardized tests and report cards. This is ridicu- lous. This protest against the government is about local representation and demo- cratic rights, both of which the premier is trying to To The Editor: I voted for Conservatives in the last election. I will vote for them in the next election. eliminate. the Bill 160 is by far the most dangerous piece of legislation this province has ever been subjected T. Ollerton Port Perry Meeting organizers thank participants To The Editor: We would like to take this opportunity to thank all who were in attendance October 28 for the "Forum on Bill 160". Having never orga- nized an event that was open to the public and on a topic of this mag- nitude, we both felt uneasy about what lay ahead. Our anxiety was eas- ily put to rest with the to. It would place absolute power into very few hands, and cut education drasti- professionalism of Marilyn Pearce, John O'Toole and Pat Jermey, not to mention the mem- bers of the community panel Roz, Yvonne, Grant, Kathy, Marg and Jamie. Bill 160 is a touchy issue and all in atten- dance are to be com- mended for keeping their outbursts and cat- calls to a minimum. We would also like to thank the Legion for giv- Thank youl To The Editor: Just a note to thank you for supporting the 12th Annual Victoria County Studio Tour with such fabulous coverage. We estimated between 800-900 people visited this studio alone, and I know those numbers are a direct result of The Port Perry Star's cover- age of our event. With cutbacks and deficits commanding the front pages of our news- papers, it is refreshing to see people still enjoy a drive in the country and an appreciation of the arts. A special thanks to Rik Davie and Chris Hall for visiting the stu- dio and their great pic- tures. Once again, on behalf of Elizabeth Poynter, Deborah Couston, Sue Barton, James Merriless and myself, thanks so cally. Our present voice as citizens and concerned parents would be silenced. Our only chance to voice very real local concerns would be to go to Queen's park, and we have all seen how eager this govern- ment is to listen to the people. This government does not care about the average child in the average class- room. The only thing that matters to Mr. Harris is the mighty dollar, and he will tell us anything in order to achieve his bottom line. Michael Strahl Courtice ing us access to their hall, and everyone else who helped keep this event organized and make it a success. Doug Short and Dylan | much! Goulding Bonnie Thomson P.P.H.S. Co-Presidents Seagrave