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4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, July 20,1994 Education Valedictory Address from The Pines Senior Public School Puppets. Maaic and Games Will Deliver Important Message Safety on the Farm Dan MacDonald Graduates of 1994...It's September September of '92. The buses arc just arriving at the Pines from such exotic places as Newtonvillc, Kendal, Newcastle, Kirby and Orono. It was our first glimpse of the Pines Sr. P.S. Remember how excited and nervous nervous you felt??? Remember the fear of getting lost or forgetting your locker combination??? combination??? Remember how big the grade 8's looked in comparison to us -- The Pincconcs. Our grade 6 teachers had warned us how much tougher the work load would be here. After all, to us, we were entering the "Real World." Then the first class was about to begin. I remember looking UP and UP and UP. It was Science, and Mr. Massie was the teacher. Boy, do they grow 'cm big here.' Then it was Design and Technology. Technology. The grade 8's had warned us that Mr. Hansen was a mean man with the hammer - a Regular Tool Time Tim. It was difficult in Music class to distinguish Ms. Mccarthur from the students, but she had us playing up a storm. It didn't take us long to find out, with Mr. Staples, you could turn a Geography lesson into sports talk, anytime. And we were always a little worried worried Ms. Caley might spill a container of "killer" Mealworms. We wondered what would happen if Ms. Wilson lost the use of her hands. Would she still be able to talk? We marvelled at Mrs. Gibson for having the courage to be in the kitchen kitchen while we were at the stoves. She might have been better off as a volunteer volunteer firefighter. Then there was Ms. Stcmier. She should be commended on surviving one of the most difficult tasks in the school - teaching French! She has done a great job! Mrs. McFadden tried to brighten our Thursdays with Hot lunch. For those of you who haven't ever sunk you teeth into one of her hotdogs - you don't know what you've missed. It's a good job you teach better than you cook, Mrs. McFadden. We came! We saw! We survived! Now we were in grade 8. We were the top guns. We were the big shots. We were the head PINECONES. We suddenly had all the answers. No longer did we have our Orono groups, our Newcastle groups, our Newtonvillc groups. We had become one. We had taken on new responsibilities. responsibilities. We were the leaders of the school. It was our task to make the Pines the best school in the Northumberland Northumberland and Clarington Board. We got involved in sports - In Music - and in Drama. We proved we were a hardworking bunch - We won Think Bowl; our dances and plays were the best, and we stuck it to Bowmanville in Sports. Way to go, PINES! You see...a school is more than just a building; it's more than just a door and 4 walls. It's the people inside inside the building that makes the difference. difference. It's people who care about Reflections on life in Clarington over the past two centuries By Sher Leetooze Courticc used to have a very different different flavour to what it has today. For one thing, Kingston Road, or highway #2 as we know it wasn't nearly as wide as it is today. Some of you will remember the store that used to stand at the comer of Courticc Road on Highway #2. In my youth it was Becker's I.G.A., and after that, a Beckers Milk Store. That particular building was built in the 1860's and housed A.F. Run- dle's Market. In 1874, James Courticc opened a carpenter shop adjacent to it. He produced produced wippletrecs, wheelbarrows, cutters and buggies. His son, William R. took over the business. In the book, The Way We Were, there is a photo of Courtice's carpenter carpenter shop as it was just before its demolition demolition about 40 years ago. It stood to the east of the store, between the store and Courtice Road. To the west of the store was the residence of John Walter. In 1908, a post office was installed in that building, building, with Mr. Walter as postmaster. This duty was passed on to his daughter, Mabel, in 1926, then to his son, Frank in 1949. Frank Walter held that position until well into the 1960's when the Courtice Post Office was closed. In the 1920's John Walter had a gas pump out in front to serve customers. customers. That area of Courtice which straddles straddles the highway, the 'four comers', you could call it, used to be called Short's Comers. Right where Roy Nichols Motors now sits was' George Short's blacksmith shop - hence the name Short's Comers. Unique Program Offered At Early Learning Centre The Hydro-Durham College Early Learning Centre has customized a unique program, in conjunction with local boards of education, for meeting meeting the needs of today's families. Beginning Beginning in September, children who will be attending kindcrgartcn/parl- time care will have the opportunity to attend the Hydro-Durham College Early Learning Centre on the days they will not be attending school. Qualified Early Childhood Education Education workers have designed an exciting, exciting, vibrant environment to meet the needs of these children and their parents, parents, "We have put a lot of thought and time into developing a new, stimulating, stimulating, program. The environment will be caring and geared towards the child's interests and learning ability," commented Judy Guay, Supervisor of the Learning Centre. This new day care program, located located at the Hydro-Durham College Learning Centre on Wcstney Road in Ajax, has been designed specifically to meet the developmentaf needs of children in kindergarten/part-time care, recognizing how important it is to play and learn at the same time. A wide variety of excursions and field trips have been organized throughout the year. Activities including; art, creative problem solving games, puzzles, puzzles, gross and fine motor skills, as well as language arts, will he the basis basis of the program. Parents interested in learning about programs at the Hydro-Durham College Early Learning Centre, can contact Judy Guay at (9(15) 42.8- 4302. The building at the comer of Trails Road and Highway #2 (I believe believe it is still known as Food- worth's) was built in 1926 for Ed Pidduck, who later sold it to Earl Trull. The upper floor, now the living quarters for the owners, used to be a dance hall. Many old timers will remember remember a few good times there, I bet. Someone else who remembered a few good times in the Courtice area was Ralph R. Tooley, known to many locals as Longboat. Mr. Tooley explains in one of his stories how he came to get the. nickname nickname Longboat. He refers to the Indian Indian runner of that day, Tom Longboat. It seems Ralph and his chums were out raiding a melon patch one night when they were caught and had to dash out of the patch as fast as their legs would carry them. He was told by one of his comrades in crime that he ran as fast as Longboat. The name stuck for the rest of his life. Here is a Courtice story he told that is sure to tickle your funny bone. "One very cold night, when my father and I were grinding grain about 9 o'clock, a man named John Beer, who lived about a mile cast and north of Courtice, entered the mill. He was an odd looking man with extremely extremely crooked eyes and a ragged beard. He was in a very happy mood. Dad asked him what was the cause of his good humour. Here is John Beer's story, just as I recall it. Coming along King Street, in Oshawa, near the farm of Lcn Rogers, Rogers, two men jumped on his wagon, telling Beer they were going to rob him. He told them he had only a few cents on him, but they went through his pockets and found the three or four cents. Apparently, these lads were able to take a joke on themselves. themselves. They told old John Beer, that he was a dammed sight worse off than they were and, according to Beer, gave him two quarters, and with a chuckle jumped off the wagon. To finish this story, John told us, "I hope they hold me up again!" In Mr. Toolcy's book, Laugh Along With Longboat, lie mentions a number of old time residents of Courtice. Courtice. "The village store in Courticc was the centre of life for the community and here, in the evening, gathered the folk to hear of the latest happenings and to visit one with the other. Mr, Beith often dropped into the village store and through him the folks were kept abreast of happenings in Parliament. Parliament. Robert Beith was a true politician politician for he was never too busy to stop in and chat awhile in the store. In addition to the 'store visit' many old timers would go down on a Saturday night to watch the local boys shoot clay pigeons. A few of these great shots were Sid Brooks, who once tied with the champion of Ontario, breaking 49 out of 50 clay pigeons. The next day the tie was shot out. Sid lost by one bird as the champ broke 50 while Sid scored 49. Dean Pickell was another good shot as well as a great fiddle player. Ed Wade could hold his own with most comers and Milton Gay came along with gcxid shots. Arthur Gay was a good shot and excelled as well as a ball player. Fred Courtice, belter known as 'Coho' was another great shot and sport. Football was his meat. Cube was always a happy-go-lucky fellow, full of fun and mischief night and day." each other and who are willing to help each other. It has been our teachers, and our class that have made these years special. Tonight, we must thank our grade 8 teachers on a job well done. We thank them not only for what we have learned, but also what they have taught us about growing up. To begin with, we would like to thank Mrs. Brasch, a great but hyper 3-pitch coach and leader of 8A. Her excitement for teaching kept our spirits spirits alive. Then we move to SB, the lair of Mr. Stevens. We thank him for a great year. There's always the hope, in his class, that the dates of major assignments would be forgotten - not just his keys and lunch. And, who can forget 8C's resident fanner, Mr. Mack. A man who in the summer or the winter you will find out-standing in his field. He made learning fun, and a challenge. His rivalry rivalry with 8D was well known. He could certainly stir the pot, and get things going! Then there's Mr. Windsor, 8D's mentor, who has the reputation of a drill sergeant, but the respect of all of his students. I wonder how many push-ups a wrong answer would get you, in his class. We musn'l forget coach Kerr who lead our Basketball' and Volleyball teams right to the finish - he never gave up on them. For this we are thankful. I'm sure, if we all pitch in, we can buy Mr. Kerr a container of raisins. Camp Tawingo is just around the comer! Then finally we come to Mrs. Armstrong and Mr. McKclvcy or "Coach Cito" as he's called, who made all this possible. They arc the captain's of this great team! Without them, the success story of the graduating graduating class of '94 wouldn't be complete. complete. Tonight we graduate. We move on to High School. We will meet new friends. We will have new teachers. Some of us may move away. However, However, the memories of these past 2 years at the Pines will never fade in our hearts. We will always be proud that we were "PINECONES"!' by Lorraine Manfredo Accidents can be prevented. And farm accidents involving children arc no exception, says Sara Metcalf, Farm Safety Co-ordinator with the Durham West Farm Child Care Program. The ninctcen-year-old Bowmanville Bowmanville resident wishes more farm families families would learn the value of taking care on the farm. That's why she has organized a Family Safely Fun Fair for this Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Port Perry Arena. Her safety message will be delivered using puppets, magic acts and loads of games. The day should turn out to be a fun and educational experience for parents and children alike, she says. It might even save a life. "Tractor safety is one of the biggest concerns in Ontario," Ms Metcalf says. "I stress the 'one seat equals one rider' message." "Kids will beg for a ride but I teach parents not only to say 'no' but to explain why it is unsafe." A child perched on a driver's knee, or balancing on a fender, is in danger of falling beneath the wheels or getting pulled into the machinery. A snagged pant leg can drag a child right into the spinning cylinders within seconds. Children should also be warned against running alongside a moving tractor. If they fall they can easily be crushed. Although some parents permit their children to drive the tractor, Metcalf doesn't endorse this idea. "If they arc not of the proper age to drive, they should not be operating operating any farm vehicle. Don't put a child at risk." Even with professional driver training, anyone under the age of 16 is not mature enough to sit behind the wheel, she insists. Operating a tractor, even for an experienced driver, requires great care and attention to avoid tipping or roll over. Parents may wish to show their children where the emergency shutoff shutoff button is on a tractor, Metcalf says, but suggests that only children over eight be taught about the procedure procedure if the emergency shut-off button button also turns the tractor on. Otherwise, Otherwise, a curious child may just push the button to see what happens. It's a good idea to lock up all the farm vehicles in a barn or shed when they are not being used, she suggests, as farmers should also do with their chemicals. No child under 12 should be without supervision and farms with: children should have a fenced-in play area. Even ponds should be fenced-in she says, arguing the expense is WUIUIVYIHIV IU piuicvi VllllUICIl. "As a child care worker, I know children can be pretty. sneaky. By the time you turn you back they are somewhere else." Reports of a recent double , drowning near Tillsonburg left Metcalf sympathizing with the family family of the victims, but also hoping dial other farm families respond by stepping up the safety precautions on their properly. "Accidents like that make people think about how fast a child's life can go," she says. "The main thing is to keep children children safe. They're the world's future." future." Sara Metcalf and her friend 'Watchit!', the scarecrow, will be on hand this Saturday to entertain and educate children and their parents about safety at the Farm Safety Day at the Port Perry Arena. The event is sponsored by the Durham Farm and Rural Family Resources and will feature a puppet show, magic act, toys, games and crafts. The fun goes from 10 a.m until 3 p.m. LIMITED EDITION INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW 1994 CAVALIER Z22 COUPE. CAVALIER. CANADA'S BEST SELLING CAR FOUR YEARS RUNNING. • 2.2 Litre L4 MFI Engine • Standard Anti-Lock Brakes • Rear Spoiler *Z22 Graphics Package • Remote Trunk Release • Tinted Glass • Power Door Locks • Floor Console • And Much, Much More. SMARTLEASE PER MONTH 36 MONTHS BRING THIS VOUCHER TO YOUR LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND THE FIRST MONTH'S LEASE PAYMENT IS ON US.. M=F^Srf<>NUsT THE M'WUMVAIUE 1 ' . J ' 1 ! 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