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THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012 Did you know? Time Zones Canada holds the interesting distinction of being the country with the third most time zones, behind Russia (with 11) and the U.S. (with nine). There are six time zones moving east to west: Newfoundland Standard Time (NST), Atlantic Standard Time (AST), Eastern Standard Ti m e ( E S T ) , C e n t r a l Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST). While some areas of Canada participate in Daylight Savings Time, many THE NEW TANNER 9 remain on their standard time all year-round. These include areas of Quebec, east of 63 degrees west longitude, most of Saskatchewan, and Southampton Island. NST is a unique time zone in that Newfoundland lies exactly three and a half hours from Greenwich (the Prime Meridian), and therefore, was able to adopt its own time zone as a separate dominion. Informed and effective MSB students tackle big issues With persuasion and prose beyond their years and a firm belief that one person can make a difference, Grade seven French Immersion students at McKenzieSmith Bennett School argued for change in letters to editors written as part of a Stand Up class project. "The [Stand Up] unit is about standing up for things that need to be spoken about and addressed by responsible citizens," teacher Sue Vander Kooij said last Thursday, adding the 20 students are very aware of global issues and of the need to be informed and effective global citizens. After discussing the issues, students chose their cause, and then what audience they were speaking to ­ some letters went to the Prime Minister, six to The New Tanner, several to other newspapers and magazines, and to the Town. Over a threeweek period, students worked on sentence and paragraph structure, clear wording and persuasive arguments as they wrote and rewrote their letters with the help of peer editing, then teacher/ principal editing. Van der Kooij said the students showed a "high level of motivation" to write informed and effective letters in this high-tech world where letter writing has become a "lost art" ­ she had to demonstrate to several students how to fold a letter for a business envelope. In his letter, 13-yearold Hunter Rushlow, a self-described former bullying victim, urged everyone to stand up for the victims who might not be able to take it. "...They may choose to commit suicide which is not good at all," he wrote, adding, "So, stop the hate on innocent people. Stop it; don't watch it." For Connor Crowe, the fight against smoking should include more advertising for antismoking aids because people are dying. "It's really addicting and hard to stop. They need to advertise the products that would help stop smoking," Crowe wrote, adding another possible way to fight smoking would be to "reduce the sales every once in a while." Three students tackled the issue of pollution, with Jessica Pond vowing to clean up the park near her house at least once a year, and help reduce air pollution by taking the bus to school when possible. Pond urged people to carpool, ride their bikes or use public transportation, and also to recycle to reduce the amount of garbage going to landfill. In his letter, Brenden Geim said the fight against pollution, garbage in particular, is down to one person who he said can be in charge and not litter. "All you need is the courage to stand up and make a difference," Geim wrote. Sam Bergin wrote that global warming is melting polar bear and penguin habitats and one way to halt the harm is to reduce pollution, including littering. Another way, he said, EXPERT ADVICE: Jordan Miller with EPA (Eramosa PhysiotherapyAssociates) gave a very informative talk about managing pain to a large group of very interested seniors at the Acton Seniors Centre last Tuesday. ­ Julie Conroy photo "...is to find other ways to manufacture things without producing as much pollution," In her letter, Melora Andrews said she wanted to draw attention to the plight of abused animals that have no voice. She urged people to make sure they are ready for the responsibility of pet ownership before getting one, and vowed to "...speak up for animal abuse, and help out with animals that have been abused that are now in shelters." Va n d e r K o o i j s a i d she had an unopened response letter for one student from the Town, said they were all waiting to see what else the return mail might bring. TORONTO DEPARTURES · ONE WEEK · ALL INCLUSIVE Toronto departures. 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