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6 Tlýe Canadian Statesmnan, ]owmanville, December 24, 1975 P*ine Ridge SchoolIVolunteer Pogram byLiz Armnstrong Aay celebrations marking Pine id e School lias been the event were probably establishe& la Bowmanville carried on vers qietly, if at since 1925 which means that ail. No brass bans or parades someètime thîs year it obser- or speeches of congratulation ved its fiftieth birthday. and best wishes. May the joys of hitasffo you througheut the cornlng year. WESTERnw7 11>N IREWb -, ELEA NOR and JtAY WALKER and STAFF erngyo i lege ada deih.List oir ithanks and' hoiîiay gretIngsi o u~C/htmnas i/ioffare. from the Staff and Management of Rice Bowl R-estaurant 50 King St. E. Bowmanville PHON E 623-3703 ClOsed Chrisimas Day-g P3.7~ SOI y agERI s 37 gigS.W 62-55 gom nil gý gý 4 ý 5JýàýýI1 ý 5ý By its ver y nature, Pîne Ridge is flot t he sort of place that draws rave reviews from the commuaity surrounding it. At best itlh a a tenuous relationship with Bowman- ville in'the overali scheme of things. Similar to psychiatric centres and homes for retard- ed chidren, correctional insti- tutions like Pine Ridge tend to be regarded with a mixture of fear and apprehiension by people "on the- outside". Wishful thinking may be part of the reason that the question most frequentl1 ask- ed about the school is 'When is it closing down? " You don't have to live in Bowmanville very long before y ou hear a story or two about Pine Ridge, and these accounts aren't generally of a very compli- mentary nature.. Most news publicity the school gets is not exactly favorable either. The Toronto Sun, for example, publishied an article several weeks ago which didn't cast the school ' s officiais in a very friendly liglit. It was an expose by former students charging some members of the staff with brutality. Thougli the allegations have been offici- ally denied, a slightly sour aftertaste remains. As for the boys who attend Pine Ridge, it would probably he fair to sav that thevre not usua]ly leadîng contenders for the t6p prize in a Baptist Sunday school class. They're kids who have had ail sorts of difficulties adjusting to soc- iety's expectations and life ia general, and placement in mie Ridge is a pretty clear indication that they've slipped up somewhere along the ine -- likely more than once. Uncertain Fate After 50 years, the fate of the school on Concession St. Ea st is uncertain these days. It's future depends on resuits of a government study expect- ed to be released any day now. Depending on the verdict, there is a reasonable chance that Pine Rige and several other correctional institutions may be closed. Or they may not. Meanwhile, life goes on. This story is a bit of an equalizer, not necessarily la- tended to rally public opinion in favor of Pine Ridge, but merely to point out that there is a brighter side to the coin. Last January a programa was started which links the boys at the school with developmentally handicapped children living at the Durham Centre in Whî 'tby. .The idea was simple. The Pine Ridge students were offered a chance to work with meÛ~tally retarded children on a volunteer basis, teaching basic skills. Ifyou're skeptical about the possible benefits of sucli a program, you're not aloüe. Even officiais at Pine Ridge were hesitant to give the idea a chance when it was first proposed late last year. Maniy were of the opinion that the boys wouldn't be conscienti- ous enough or show the sort of patience and responsibility needed to handie a task wh ic is difficuit even for people who have been specially trained. But the Pine Ridge boys have proven that any doubts the staffmght have had were completely unfouaded. In fact, the program has been far more successful than anyone imagiaed it could be, includ- ing the man who suggested it in the first place. 'Plant the Seed? It Evolves' Wayne Morris describes the results of his idea as "mmnd boggling at times. It's been very gratifying." Wayne lias worked at Pine- Ridge for only 15 months as a Recreation Officer, yet the idea for the program came to him naturally enougli. His wife Pauline is employed at the Durham Centre as a recreation and crafts instruc- tor. To gether they saw the possibilities and worked out a plan. For the Durham Centre Students from Pine Ridge School have been involved in several volunteer programs With mentally retarded children from the Durham Centre in Whitby for the past year. Wayne Morris, the recreation officer who started the scheme, w'as recently promoted to a new Post in Oakville, but the idea has been so successful that other staff members at Pine Ridge have carried it on. 'With a littie help from my friends' this youngster is learning to dive. The Pine Ridge boys are usually assigned to assist the children on a one to one basis, but the night these photos were taken, there was a surplus of volunteers. After the swim is over, the boys evaluate the progress of their young students. The volunteers are driven to the Durham Centre in Whitby by one of the staff members in a Pine Ridge van, and then ail the participants are bused to the pool. iess fortunate than they are. scary but other boys heip togig on both- at Durarn Often teenagers (or anyone break them in. Centre and at Pine Ridge1 else) with problems have "If a volunteer continues One of the risks taker is difficulty seeing beyond their with the programa for three or allowing the students lhe own situations. This program four weeks, he's hooked, and measure of freedom required flot only gives the students a then it's a gentlemen's agree- to run the program succ ss- chance to iend a heiping hand, ment that hie continues. 0f the' fully. It's significant to ote but it heips them to forget boys who go on a trial basis, that not one boy has attem ted their own troubles for a whiie the vast majority stay," to run away--(or go AWOL in and see that they're actuaîîy Wayne added. Pine Ridge terminolcg ) quite a bit iuckier than they Staff Very Heipful whie they've been in Whi b y. had previously thought. Despite the initial doulits, This is a tough task. Wayne thinks another rea- the staff at Pine Ridge have Words can't properly de- son the boys from Pine Ridge been tremendously helpfui, scribe the atmosphere at the have done weil is that they've "Psychologists, treatmrent pool wher. the boys and their been 'through the miii' them- workers and house supervi- young friends are involved ii% selves. "Recause these boys sors have been so enthusiastic the weekiy sessions. Wi.i,; have been institutionalized, that some of them have taken guages the success of t they have empathy that might over parts of the program. program by the "intEnse be lacking in th e average They've gone out of their way concentration" the boys s ow teenager. 1 think they have a to help out," hie said. during the hour and a iaif littie more sensitivîty than Communications with Dur- they're with the kids. other kids the samne age." ham Centre have been good Along with the conce tra- "There's a trernendous lift- too. "The program takes tion, there's a lot of ca ing ing of pressure, too," Wayne tremendous cooperation. Both too. . .Mixed in with the fun an5d said. "To see thle boys sides have to be totally laughter, it adds up to a% ery laughing and smiling is good committed--there bas to be special experience for ev ry- la itself.. .it doesn't often complete knowledge of what's one. happen here at Pine Ridge. - Wth the kids froni Durhamg Centre, the boys also get a chance to demonstrate theircJI 4 affection in an uninhibitedg Wa5Yeeraî teenage volunteersg g from Whitby also articipate g( in the program anUthis gives g the boys a chance to develop Merry Christmas friendships with people from an gropru outside. The attitude is that 'if - a w eru the iboys are relating to Best wishes from Edna & David Goheen g crim nas, they wili be crimi- nais.' On the other hand, ifg GOHE E NS HAN DY SHOP they 're with a group of KigS.W Bowmanville g 'o dnry'1 teenagers, the 4 igS.W chances are that group pres- sure will force them to 3*. e7- conform. Such is the goal of the recreation program at Pine Ridge; to. have a positive effect on the boy's deveiop ment, to teacli skiis that wiii __ help him when lie graduates o and eoes back to the com- g munity, la short, "to make ~_ good citizens..." -E Radical Changes Over the course of the past J 10 months, between 40-50 bo y s have been involved in t he e Whitby project and in some cases, the staff at Pinie Ridge have osrvd radicalg changes in the boys' attitude f~ and outlook. According to Gayle Esier,g the Director of Volunteerg Services at the school, "the boy who lias probably doneg besnl the program was one ofg our most difficult gaiu problems." i~2aiu The evening volunteer pro- gram lias worked well enough to encourage exp ansion of tue Brungmng aid fashioned joys to warm g scheme into fuil-time paying g jobs for some of the boys. g your heart at Christmastide. One Pine Ridge student began as a volunteer and theng Our gratitude for your support. worked in a craft shop on ag fuil-time basis wîth retarded g From the Managemnent and Staff ofg aduits. He got so interested lan the program that, after g1~rT~~~r1 5r 4~. graduation from Pine Ridge to C UiaLutIV ays C. .LJuu. a local group home, le asked to continue working there. The 24gIPO V. OMNIL arrangement was made, and 24SMPO AV.BW ANIL the Mnistry of Correctional Services kept hlm on their nohrstudent worked 50 1 successfully la the craft shop 1 that lie was hired for the summer at $2.40 an hour. He is C / I~ 4 4 now working to complete lis 1 high school education, and is ~~1 hoping to go on to college 50 that lie can work with retard-v ed children after lie gradu- ~1 Big-Little Brother Feeling 14gyo al h As a reward for the efortyu that they have put into the L e rogram, both the hofo m lssn soa Joo4 mne Ridge and the kids from T* Cl1 Whitby are taken to special Hid~ay zSeason. 1 events. At one outing to a carnival in Oshawa a few 1 mýonths ago, the students were given money to spend on amusements for both them- selves and the Durham Centre chilren. quarters of the oy spent ALL the money they had j on the kids," Wayne said. -There's a real big-little brother feeling that exists" The Pine Ridge boys take a short training course when1- Mgg This Christmas wiII be g remembered by most of g our citizens as a lime of 1 enioVment and rejoicing M4 in family reunion. 1 Unfortunately for some 1 this Christmas wilI be the 1 season during which they Iost a Ioved one through,1 a traffic accident. Most of 1 the accidents are need- 1 LAIess. They involve too 1 much aicohol and a 1 Moment"s inattention to 1 driving. 1 The mnembers of the Durham Regional1 Police remind you that at this imne of the year il is even more important to 1 drive defensively. We wish you and your families a Very 1 SMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 11 JON M. JENKINS 1 Chief ofg Policeg Using a straw to demonstrate, this volunteer shows his young partner flow to blow bubbles. Though progress is often slow, the Pine Ridge boys stick to their task with great concentration. In addition to swim lessons, there is also a bal hockey program every Tuesday evening. compassion and uaderstand- ing. The plan becaàme a reality in Jaauary when seven boys from Kîwanis House started a bail hockey program with the kids at Whitby. It wasa't long before boys fromn another house were asking "Why caa't we go too? " The program now ruas two niglits a week. About 10 boys are involved in a Wednesday evening swim program and bail hockey continues every Tuesday night. la addition, volunteer Pauline Storks from Newcastle takes two boys each Tuesday to be part of tZ CHUM program, which in- volves teaching life skiils to mentally retarded aduits. The eathusiasm is in- fectious. Not only are there more boys becomn involved, Wayne added tha t " there are kids cryiag to go to Whitby both Tuesday AND Wednes- day evenings. We actually have to persuade them that there are other programs they can get involved in. After the seed lad been planted, the idea simply evolved." Pure Joy What lias the program accomplished? For the Chldren at Durham Centre its easy to tell by the expressions on their faces during the swim lessons-pure joy. At the samne time, the're l earning simple swim skills such as flutter kicking, blow- ing, bubbles and treading water. Beyond the pool activities and the bail hockey games, the kids are also gaining fundameatal skills ia other areas. For an average person, the process of getting dresséd and undressed is takeri for granted; for retarded children, it's often a slow and C anstaking task. With the elp and the encouragement of the volunteers, progress is being made. For the boys from Pine Ridge, the benefits of the program are even greater. They are considered to be staff members at Whitby, and because they're in charge of individual dhidren during the activities, they develop maturity and a more respon- sible attitude. Perhaps most important of al,- Wayne said, "This is the first opportunity they've had to find out that they can be as ordinary as ordinary telen- agers. Part of the key to success, too, is the fact that the boys are exposed to kids wlio are To the people in the Bowmanville High School Dis- Strict. The students of ËowmanviIIe High School are Sthankf ul for their, many successf ul activities- in 1975.'We realize that- your fine community support and co- operative efforts have made ail of these possible., Merry Christmas and Happy New Year e, From Ail of the Students 1 Sincerely yours, 1 Bowmanville High School,1 Students' Council, '1 E. P. Chant, President. 1