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% Spring Sale Spectacular F O C U S # Wl I )NI SI >AY. H INI 4. J< KH · I *ai>r < I The te m p e ra a /w .re ns n g |u a as p n c e are <fropp rig at B y Consignment la te advantage o f 4*? tm in g to 'get > o u < fnng W a rio i> in gea»! A large selection o f a r S p v iq line n o w 2 5 % t o 5 0 % o f f Come and see us! By Consignment I B U C a k K r s a ic 1.< id k > W e a r Offirial Media Sponsor Soonsor Official 115 1r if a lg a r R d . .w i 1 3 8 -3 4 7 4 O p w » 7 fW yi A W W Editor: Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com A u n iq u e f i r s t f o r Q u e e n 's P a r k Roisin Hartnett and guide dog Penny making history at Legislature By Wilma Blokhuis BEAV'ER FOCUS EDITOR Roisin Hartnett is creating headlines at Queen's Piirk - not for making any political statements - but simply by being there. She is one of 21 pages delivering papers to its 103 Members of Parliament. Normally, pages are also expected to bring the MPPs glasses of water, but the 13-year-old has been excused from that duty. She is Queen's Park's first blind page. "I don't deliver glasses o f water because I could spill water on the MPPs. I just deliver papers, bills and motions." In order to do the job. Roisin had to memorize the Legislature's seating plan, a feat she accomplished in just one hour. She was handed the informa tion in Braille, and "1 remembered their names and where they sit by mak ing up stories using their names for each row. For example, for the Honourable John Baird. 1 made up a story about a bear because of the sound o f his name." Roisin and her guide dog Penny made their first deliveries at the Ontario Legislature May 2ft. much to the delight of the politicians and the press gallery. She got Penny, part black Labrador and part Burmese mountain dog, almost a year ago from the Mira Foundation in Quebec "which is the only place that gives seeing eye dogs to people under 15." Interested in politics, the Grade 8 student at St. Matthew School described the role of a page as a leam- Peter Power · Toronto Star, Rnisin H artn ett. 13, of O akville, is tu rn in g heads at Q ueen's P ark , delivering papers to M PPs accom panied by her guide dog Penny. ing opportunity. "I was selected from my class by the school to apply for the position." said Roisin. She had to answer a number of questions about her interest and desire to become a page. 'I wrote.several pages to answer the questions," she said. The selection is based on the answers the applicants provide. The questions dealt with responsi bilities and chores at school, home and in the community. "1 felt pretty confident about my experiences and responsibilities." she said, noting she maintains high marks in geography and politics, and must look after her dog. Roisin sings, plays violin, and wants to have more music translated into Braille. She also runs and swims competitively. "To be eligible, you have to be a Level Four student," she explained. "That means you must have an average of 80 per cent plus average." Roisin's average is 91 percent. Asked why she wanted to become a page. Roisin said she welcomes the opportunity. "I thought it would be a wonderful experience, so I decided to go for it. If I made it. that would be great, but if I didn't, that would have been okay, too." She feared her blindness would pre vent her from being accepted into the page program for Grades 7 and 8 stu dents. "I didn't know what a page was until I got the application. I'm excited to be here." Pages spend three to six weeks at Queen's Park. It's a five-week assign ment for Roisin - that means she'll fin ish her school year - and her elemen tary education - in the Ontario Legislature. Her day begins at the Queen's Park classroom, where the pages are given their instructions for the day and learn about the Legislature. These instruc tions include organizing MPPs' binders and inserting copies of Hansard, an official government publication, into each binder. She also has the opportunity to meet MPPs and among the first she's met include Oakville MPP and Speaker of the House Gary Carr, New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton and Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty. Carr was pleased she was accepted as a page. "She is a very brave and courageous person," he said. "She did a great job (on her first day) and we're all very proud of her. And of course. Penny is doing a great job as well." Roisin spends afternoons in the house. Her day begins at 8:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. on Thursday, and ends at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays end early at about 3:30-4 p.m. - With files from Torstur News S en ice h e r it a g e W W W M o n t e s s o r i In c . h e r i t a g e m o n t e s s o r i . o r g 'Vl NO PAYMENTS NO INTEREST yNLIM ITID IN© Since 1988 1254 P lains Rd. E., B urli ng ton (J u s t E a s t o f M a p le A v e .) QUALIFIED MONTESSORI AND ECE TEACHERS FREE BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM LUNCH AND SNACKS PROVIDED MONTESSORI EDUCATION ACADEMIC PROGRAM FRENCH COMPUTERS CREATIVE ACTIVITIES DRAMA · MUSIC INDOOR AND OUTDOOR GAMES CONCERTS FIELD TRIPS PARENT-TEACHER MEETINGS REPORT CARDS Don't pay tor ONE toll year , , Please A sk fo r D etails LIMITED TIME O F F E R Contact Rita Centofante SHOWROOM HOURS: M o n - F ri. 1 0 a m - 4 p m , S a tu r d a y 1 0 a m - 3 p m . 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