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NEWCASTLE EDITION Vol. 75 · # 25 Wednesday, June 27, 2012 GST Included $1.35 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 Clarke High School marks 50 years Ask any student who ever attended Clarke High School and they will tell you the best thing about the school is its size. Because the school has remained relatively small, especially by today's standards, staff and students maintain a good relationship. Shelley Trimble (Fice) and Charlene Perrin (Peake) of the Clarke 50th Anniversary Committee, both graduates of the school who currently have children at Clarke, say that with the smaller student population students get more oneon-one time with teachers. The teachers know the students personally, and they knew just by looking at you if you were having a bad day or if things weren't well at home. Trimble, who transferred to Clarke from a large high school in Oshawa commented, "You also got to know the rest of the students in the school, not just the kids in your grade." When Mr. Brien Page came to Clarke in 2007 to begin his first principal posting he appreciated the small school atmosphere he found at the school. "This was a very welcoming place," he told the Orono Times in a meeting at the school on Thursday evening. "You get to know the kids really well, and with the smaller staff, strong social ties are made," he stated. Page said when he started student enrolment was approximately 600 and today it is approximately 500. Enrolment at Clarke is expected to decline slightly according to School Board Trustee Cathy Abraham. The Board projects that with the planned development in Newcastle, enrolment will increase to around 620 in 2016-2017. "It will never go up to 700 kids again," Abraham stated. Clarke High School with its 16 classrooms, a gym and cafeteria, was built to accommodate 400 students. When the doors first opened in September 1962, 300 students were enroled. Prior to the building of a new high school Orono and Newcastle each had their own high schools, on the upper floors of their elementary schools. Discussions at the Durham County District High School Board were "hot and heavy," leading up to the decision of where to build the new school, according to Murray Paterson, who along with Irwin Colwell were the Newcastle Village representatives on the Board. "The Orono boys wanted it in Orono and we wanted it in Newcastle," Paterson told the Orono Times. "We said Newcastle is going to grow a lot quicker and it [the new high school] should be in Newcastle," Paterson stated. "The Orono boys didn't agree, consequently it was built smack-bang in the middle, that was the only site that was going to satisfy both parties." Seeing what has since transpired with the two communities, Paterson says it was not a good decision. At the time, neither community was growing very fast according to Paterson, but Newcastle was in the process of installing municipal water, with sewer soon to follow, CLARKE see page 5 Ward 3 and 4 Regional Councillor Willie Woo won "Walker with the Most Spirit" Award at Saturday's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes walk through downtown Bowmanville. The walk against domestic violence is organized by Bowmanville's Women's Shelter -- Bethesda House. DurhamCLEAR incinerator challenge falls short DurhamCLEAR is ending its legal action against the Region of Durham's waste incinerator. The group which call themselves a Durham Citizens Lobby for Environmental Awareness and Responsibility launched a legal challenge to the zoning for the York/Durham incinerator, which they claim does not comply with Clarington's Official Plan. A November 30th court hearing to deal with two procedural matters resulted in a judge's ruling that the group met the requirements to proceed with its legal application but had to post $40,000 security. Covanta, the U.S. firm contracted by the Region to design build and operate the incinerator now under construction in Courtice, asked the judge at that hearing for a $40,000 security cost upfront from DurhamCLEAR in the DurhamCLEAR see page 7