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PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 11, 1995 - 7 Schools face funding inequities To the Editor: I am writing this letter to ex- press my concern about the lack of recognition given to indepen- dent schools in Ontario. As par- ents with students in an indepen- dent school I feel that we are victims of discrimination. We pay taxes to our local public school system, and we also pay for our children's education at an in- dependent school with no govern- ment support. We are required to supply our building, transporta- tion, and health services normal- ly offered in the public school sys- tem. We feel that our children are being denied their basic rights. You may wonder how an inde- pendent school can survive. In one simple word, the answer is commitment. For many the fi- nancial burden is a difficult struggle, but the commitment goes far beyond that. The board of directors are volunteers who oversee the many committees that are required to effectively manage the school. These committees are armed with parents who manage the fi- nances, care for the buildings, promote the school, review curric- ulum, manage staff, fundraise and generally work together for their children's education. All these committees are run and or- ganized by parents and members who donate their time and effort to give their children an all around good education with Christian principals. The process of education in these independ¢ 1t schools is fre- quently more focused than that found in larger schools and sys- tems. There are fewer distracting demands made on teachers thus allowing them to focus on the main purpose of schooling rather than having to devise time and means to be surrogate parents and counselors. It is distinctly possible that legal recognition of independent schools could be the catalyst for educational reform that would benefit all systems. Henry and Tina Valkenburg, Blackstock Firefighters deserve our praise From Page 6 the reports of the Fire Marshal, and several individual reports from the firefighters themselves, courtesy of Councillors Ken Gadsen and Joyce Kelly. ~The fire, I'm told, started when gases from a smoldering couch, due to cigarette ashes, ignited. The house would have been so hot inside, that the "flash-point" could have occurred just about any- where. Perhaps it was the refrig- erator kicking in that sparked the gases, because the initial flames occurred within the kitchen. My friend would have succumbed to the smoke within just a few minutes, and long before the flames erupted; and she did not have a smoke detector to warn her. The volunteer firefighters arrived within scant moments of being alerted to the fire and immediately set up their forces. Several brave fellows managed to gain limited access through the front door, but alas, my friend had fallen at the door, preventing fur- ther access, or rescue. Several times these brave boys tried to push through, but the flames above their heads and the heat from the fire drove them back in defeat. While this action was going on neighbors and thrill seekers were arriving and in their own minds recording what they saw. Several firefighters, their faces hidden behind their gear, were kibitzing around, making light of a very intense situation. These fellows were noted by the people gather- ing to witness the fire, but by no means should their behavior reflect on that of the other firefighters. The flames, seen through the partly open front door, leapt in a waterfall motion from the inferno in the kitchen, into the living room where the gases were most intense. These neighbors and friends of Sigrid, with good inten- tions, attempted to help in her res- cue by directing the firefighters. It seemed to many that these pleas went unheard, but we know now that the firefighters were fol- lowing a schedule that they had learned from training and rehearsal, and to do otherwise might have resulted in injury, or the loss of more lives. Eventually, the flames were doused enough to allow access through the side door and a path was made through the charred debris to my dear friend's body. She was covered, and left where she lay, by law, but also to preserve some semblance of dignity. She was suffering no longer, and to dis- play her remains to the viewing masses that had gathered would have served no purpose. I want it to be known that although I was not a witness to the fire, I believe, in my heart and through an exhausting but rewarding search for the facts, that out volunteer firefighters did their jobs, with dignity and a dev- out sense of duty. They should be commended for their efforts, acknowledging that they too are human, and suffer also when they are unable to save a life. I am sure that there will be a few who do not agree with me, and that is their absolute right. I hope I will never face a night such as that of the 18th of March, personally, but I for one fegl safer knowing that we have some of the finest and heroic men serving as volunteers, on our firefighting force. Thank you, guys! Pat Kirkwood Halverson, Caesarea pare teeta eee reer eae ee ee J' by Jeff Mitchell FEELIN' DOWN? ...GET WEIRD! SOME GOOF NEWS: Sitting here in the early afternoon and looking out the window at the latest Spring blizzard, I'm guessing that a lot of you out there are feeling a little down in the dumps. | ...Spring has run off and left us at the altar, the snow is piling up -- again -- and everywhere you look, nothing but bad news: Pamela Wallin getting the sack at the CBC, truck wheels claiming more lives and limbs than flesh-eating disease was a couple months ago, the housing market's dim pulse. fading... really, no one would blame us for feeling a little droopy this week. Well: A couple of items on my desk today would seem to indicate that despite everything, you're a whole lot better off to make yourself smile, even when, as the French say, there are no smiles within. oo Dateline London, where a therapist who's done extensive research claims the weird among us are likely happiest. He's spent some time investigating eccentrics -- including Oofty Goofty of San Francisco, who for years has made a living charging people their pocket change to kick him in the pants, cane him, or whack him with a baseball bat -- and has reached this rhetorical conclusion: "Why should we continue to groom ourselves properly and comport ourselves according to social convention while those who flout convention seem to be having the time of their life?" A-ha. Indeed. . And this, from the American Express company (the people 'who brought the hemisphere credit, and all the crippling anxiety it entails, remember): A "Rewarding Lifestyles" survey finds that Canadians are, by and large, 'pretty happy", thank you very much. : : The survey seeks responses to such gems as: "It is more important for me to understand my inner self than it is to be financially successful." Oooh. Ick. Touchy-feely. Get the pepper spray. : CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: In this space just last week, we had a good time ridiculing the Powers That Be for failing, in our opinion, to take action on the incident involving Durham Region workers littering in the township. Since then, there's movement afoot to revise the township's littering bylaw, and to reward 13-year-old John Chrapek, who captured the deed on videotape back in March. Thats-as it should be. John should be given credit for his courageous action, and the bylaw should be given teeth so it serves as a deterrent and accomplishes its stated task. Retroactive action against the four men involved is impossible, and pointless. They've taken their lumps. But with the proper legislation in place, Scugog can assure its residents that those caught in similar acts in the future will be prosecuted, no matter which road they choose to litter on. Score one for the Little Guy. ------------------------------------------------------------------ el Random Jottings full... given enough time. * You can'timagine how grateful we are for thecom- passion and careyou have provided our family pets over the past month and can assure you payment in Yours forever (and then some) The Hvidsten family. Thatjust about sums up our situation this past - month as our household pets, one by one beganto feel the effects of old age, or in the case of our most recent addition, an energetic pup, became sexually overactive with anyone coming inthe door. day recuperation, our 9- Nancy is on a firstname basis with everyone atthe limpseriously. ~~ by J. Peter Hvidsten veterinarian clinic and is welcomed like an old lost Nancy made another trip } bod each visit. A | 9 this wohdeft old animal ST he's almostworn outthe hinges of tfledoor lead- ~~ was drained and with t NEED A MEDICAL ing to the vets office and a corner of the waitingroom trol the infection, she's cor PLAN FOR PETS has been named in honor of our family. Thenlastweek, Tom, ourag Kidding aside, the pastmonthhasbeenatough Nancy rescued from cer {| Dear doctor: one on our pets, who up until now have been very shelter about four years ago) star Enclosed please find our life healthy and aside from regular shots have nothada problems. CLE nila LD savings, 12postdatedcheques, lot ofhealth problems. | He was immediately put on antibiotics an OU and a pledge from our kids to pay down any Farley (the pup), who was billed as a "Labrador/ Dolly, but after a week did not ove. lingering debt after our demise. terrier" cross when | rescued him from the animal again made her way tothe v 3. of shelter last fall has turned out to be a TERRIER/ shepherd cross with a sexually active groin. Aside from being a hyper and scatter-brained he's not a bad animal, butbecause of his "urges" we decided to have him neutered. We'd were told this t calms them down... butdon'tbelieve itforaminute. love all their animals dearly, even though the vetbills He hasn't slowed down one bit, and although he owl ar wears us out, is still the lovable but obnoxious ani- mal he was before the operation. Following Farley's surgery, and mi under arm. Tom took up residence atthe vetsfora few days sporting acatheter tohelp drain hisblad- der and is now resting athome on antibiotics. ~~ Soyou can see, t's beenatrying time around our house the past couple of weeks and since the kids keeping piling up, we'll do whatever necessary to keep them healthy, Thankfully we have OHIP to take care of the kids! Comm Zam a - em em em we En me wn We wm em me em ww wm we mw ae = = -- - - - >» =a vo =v =)