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12 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 11, 2000 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR SPRING CARNIVAL: It felt more like winter than spring last weekend, but that didn't stop some folks - including Caesarea's Meagan Sorley, 4 - from coming out to the Kinsmen Carnival held on the parking lot at Reid's Independent last Sunday. Of 3 Most educators agree with elimination of OAC program By Meghan Kyte Port Perry Star In three years students will be graduating from high school in Grade 12, and the Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) program will cease to exist. The move to eliminate Grade 13, long regarded as an important preparatory year for students bound for university, begs the ques- tion: Is it beneficial to the students? Durham College Pres- ident Gary Polonsky said elimination of the fifth high school year brings Ontario in line with the other provinces. "People everywhere else in Canada finish high school in Grade 12. They are an adult once they are 18, and we favour getting them into the next chapter of their life," he said. And there's no need to fear that condensing high school into four years will mean Ontario students are being unnecessarily fast- tracked, said Mr. Polonsky. "Because of the way the curriculum is spread out, it can be condensed like the other nine provinces," he said. "l don't see the need scugog realty ltd. ae Ayotte Sales Representative 085-4427 144 Queen St., Port Perry = Rick AcAskill Accredited Home Inspector P.O Box 1137 Seagrave ON LOC 1GO Over 25 years Experience In The Home Industry Put Your Mind at Ease (905) 985-8383 Pager (905) 720-6751. Some feel many students will not be able to finish in four years, and will have to come back. for Ontario to have an extra year. Ontario isn't any bet- ter or any worse education- ally." The college president also plays down fears of a crush of students graduat- ing from Grades 12 and 13 in 2003 creating a crisis for colleges and universities. "We've planned for so long with the school board, and government, we will get this right," said Mr. Polonsky, noting that many Durham College entrants are Grade 12 grads. "Although it depends on the program, | estimate two thirds of students here 'graduated in Grade 12, and only one third of stu- dents here took their OAC's," he said. Doug Moynes, a guid- ance counselor at Cartwright High School, agrees with the idea of dis- continuing the OAC year. "I think that it is a good idea for the country to have a standard system," STEFS 3 to owning your own home « REMIX C, Wi 226 Queen Street, (DOS) 985-8465 Fax: he said. "Time will only tell which system is more preferable." Mr. Moynes did say that the OAC year is of great value to some students: "In some cases the OAC year certainly benefited the student. Some stu- dents' ability in school improves as they mature, the same way they do physically when they exer- cise." Mr. Moynes said stu- dents will still, for the most part, attend 16 years of schooling - 12 years of ele- mentary and high school, and four years in university - in pursuit of a degree. "I'm not an expert on the four-year degree. | under- stand it as a reaction to compensate for the cut of OAC," said Mr. Moynes. Port Perry High School guidance counselor Pam Byers, on the other hand, believes there may be drawbacks to the discon- tinuation of OAC. "Maturity-wise, students need that fifth year," she said. "Higher professions also require more courses, and the OAC year allows students to spread the OAC courses over a span of a couple years." She's hoping there will be options available to students emerging from high school who require more preparation time before assuming a univer- sity course load: "There is the idea floating around that there will be a com- mon year that students will have to pay for and will take those courses that were previously in OAC." Mrs. Byers also expressed concern that post-secondary institu- tions will favour OAC grads over their Grade 12 coun- terparts when the double grad year arrives in 2003. "I definitely think that there will be some prefer- ence for the OAC stu- dents," she said. "I unfortunately think that most students will not be able to finish in four years, and that most will come back for an extra year." © Mortgages KEN REINHARDT PROFESSIONAL MORTGAGE BROKERS 985-4029 | 877 985 4 George Smith Lawyer Real Estate Law for Over 25 Years War /1 for Georee Smith's "Smith on Real Estate" column public (lie hich appears in this is [ I HL every other week o [or Real state Peace of Mind * Port Perry. Ont. 1.91. 1139 DIR EREER VAY Scugog Moving & Storage Inc. OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE "Free Wardrobe Service" Local & Long Distance Moving Piano & Office Moving Palletized Heated Warehouse Self Storage Units Senior Citizens - 5% Discount Po Toll Free 1-800-563-5061 Pom Office (905) 985-3761 Cannington (706) 432-2237