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6 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, January 30, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PUBLISHER .... ... . .. J. Peter Hvidsten D : 5 Member BUSINESS DFFICE Judy Ashby, ist Dudley, 1 patent Tm TY Ty . Fe nl Canad anet Rankin, Lesley Wes GENERALMGR ....... Don MacLeod OoChna I 0) 24 J | & ER R Y DA Cs CNA MANAGING EDITOR . Jeff Mitchell Cn ; -- . ; Newspaper ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin OFFICE MANAGER . . . Gayle Stapley renin err m--" Association Gail Morse, Sandra Spears, Linda Clarke, Lisa Monk, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox Member Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. ADVERTISING MGR ...Deb McEachemn PRODUCTION MGR . . Pam Hickey REPORTER .... ... Chris Hall PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - LIL 1B7 E-MAIL: editorial@portperrystar.com advertising@portperrystar.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 Year - $37.45 (includes GST) Six Months - $19.79 (includes GST) Foreign 1 Year - $96.30 (includes GST) EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and letter writers are not necessarily those of The Port Perry Star. Letters must be signed and the telephone number (which will not be published) included. Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there ts a compeling reason to do so. Errors wall be corrected of Publications Mail Registration No. 07881 We acknowledge the finanaal support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) towards our mailing costs PRODUCTION: Trudy Empringham, Daryle Wright, Arlene Cheel, Robert Taylor, Richard Drew freelance Writers: Heather McCrae, John B McClelland, Rik Davie | toward a solution, for now, and the future. brought to the editor's attention. We reserve the nght to edit or refuse publication of any matenal submitted. ADVERTISING POLICY: The publisher is not able for sight changes or aphical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher is not hable for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of ary monies paid for the advertisement. All daims of efor in publication must be made by Wednesday, noon, prior to the next week's publication, and, if not made, will not be considered. No daim will be allowed for more than one insertion Editorial Comment 'Student's bold challenge He could probably do with a few pointers on diplomacy, but you've got to admire the candor Chris Skinner brings to his job. Mr. Skinner is an 18-year-old OAC student at Port Perry High School, and a student trustee sitting on the Durham District School Board. During his tenure as a student trustee so far, Mr. Skinner has proven himself not to be shy when it comes to adding his voice to debate. Now he's addressing the community. In an interview with The Star, and in an article on this page, Mr. Skinner says he's simply sick of the bellyaching surrounding the issue of extracurricular activities at the local high school. And he's challenging all of us to help bring about a solution. His straightforwardness will win him little favour with the teachers, who are notoriously touchy when it comes to any discussion at all of their actions and motives these days. And it may rub the wrong way with some public school sup- porters, who just want the board, the province and the teachers' union to settle their differences, and restore after- school activities. But his words ring true, even if his challenge is largely rhetorical: The impasse that has led to this withdrawal of services is terribly deep, and is the result of numerous factors. And the parties involved - especially the province and the teachers - have their heels dug in; they are playing for keeps, and it is difficult to foresee any substantial give and take, in the short term, at least. > Maybe Mr. Skinner's call for volunteers will result in people stepping forward to help run extracurricular programs at the school. If that's the case, and if programs are restored even partially, that's a good thing. But it does not excuse the major players from working MERCHANTS OF PORT PERRY ARE ALL \N FAVOUR OF A SKATE ROARD PARK... IN SEAGRAVE.! WE. THE RAOVR | ForRT PERRY STAR Port Perry Star Letter of the Week Students rely on community now To the Editor: Over the past few months, | have been on the receiving end of numerous comments from angry parents and students, stemming from the ongoing teacher/board disputes. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it. I, like most of the members of our community, am sick of the stalemate we have come to con- cerning the issue of our education. Being a student, | am trapped in the middle of a minefield and I don't know which way to turn. | can see where the teachers are coming from. I can see where the board is coming from. Heck, I can almost even see where the gov- ernment is coming from. No one wants to give, but everyone wants to receive. So | bring to you this challenge Port Perry: You do it. You go to the school and vol- unteer. Give up your time and perhaps we can bring an end to the plight we face as students. Students, stop complaining about the lack of teams ... build a bridge, get over it. Have you got a mom or dad? An older brother or sister? Get them to call the school, let them know they can coach any team they want, Maybe your quandary is an issue with the board of education itself. Call them up. Let them know. They want to hear it. Bring your concerns to the school com- munity council. Port Perry, the ball is in your court now. It is up to you to do something with your child's edu- cation. | urge you to take control. Give your time to the students and make a difference. Chris Skinner, Student trustee for Durham District School Board, Ram