WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14,1983, PAGE 19 w HIGH SCHOOL NEWS-WEEK PLENTY OF ACTION AT ANDERSON by GRAHAM MCDONALD, NICK HIGGS AND BILL PENGELLY Anderson's Badminton got off to a good start this year with a tournament in Kingston. Represented by 14 members along with Mr. Uranowski and Mr. Rison, the team Šlaced first in the girls' under 16 category for singles and doubles. The team placed second in the boys' under 16 singles, and third in the girls' under 19 singles and doubles. This strong start was continued at the Harwood tournament when three first place consolations were given to the An- derson team. The boy's volleybally completed its season with a strong finish. The senior boys placed fourth in LOSSA and the juniors made it to COSSA where they placed fifth. Congratulations go out to these teams and the coaches, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Hamilton. On Nov. 18, some Anderson science students went to an open house at the Toronto Institute of Medical Technology. T.I.M.T.'s sole function is the training of health technologists. To provide complete training, the In- stitute teaches in conjunction with 40 affiliated hospitals which provide the clinical phase of the programs T.I.M.T. offers six programs to high school graduates: diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine technology, cytotechnology, respiratory technology, medical laboratory assistants, and medical laboratory technology. Most of these programs aren't available anywhere else in On- tario. The Institute's fees are very low in comparison to university or community colleges; at $520 per year, plus textbook costs which will be $80 to $350, depen- DENIS O'CONNOR HIGHLIGHTS by ANNETTE DONOVAN 'Deck the halls with boughs of holly' or, in this case, paper chains and posters wishing all a Merry Christmas. The entire school is preparing for the festive oc- casion ahead. Every blackboard is counting down to that joyful day - Dec. 16. At 3:15 p.m., students and staff alike will rejoice as the 2 week holiday com- mences. Books, classes and tests will fade... what a pleasant thought! But school is not out yet and DO'C is anything but quiet in these final days before the break. The Christmas Formal is on the tip of everyone's tongue. Heydonshore Pavilion will come to life at 8 p.m, tonight as the crowds converge. It promises to be a superlative evening.. The week's activities won't end there! The following evening, Dec. 15, is the Christmas Con- cert. The DO'C musicians, under the direction of Mr. Ric Arbour, have been rehearsing since Oc- tober. The programme begins at 8 p.m. - do join us, we'd love to have you. The musicians have actually been quite busy this past week. They have been touring our feeder ISABEL WEGG Accent on Living Rent or buy By Isabel Wegg H ome ownership has long been an ideal of Canadians, plus a good way to build assets. On the other side of the coin, high mortgage rates means many people may not be able to afford the kind of home they would like. So, is it better to rent or buy? Monica Townson, author of "The Canadiai Wom- an's Guide to Money", told me it's misleading to be- lieve that house prices will always go up. The housing boom of the late 1960's and early 1970's has calmed down quite a bit in the past couple of years. People who bought houses between 1966 and 1974 saw their homes in- crease in value by an aver- age of 10 percentayear. But by the end of'1977, nouse prices were increasing by only about four to five per- cent a year, Monica said. At the beginning of the 1980's, house prices were booming again. In Van- couver, for example, the cost of an average single- family home shot up by 41 percent in one year. What can we expect for house prices now? Monica said that it's important to check what might be going on in your own part of the country. Shesuggested con- tacting your local real es- tate board to find out how house prices in your own area have been moving re- cently. Then, she said, you should try to make some as- sessment of likely develop- ments in your own commu- nity that may affect the demand for housing. Some economists are say- ing that house prices in the early 1980's will rise by about 11 percent a year. Others say that if the birth rate keeps falling and the percentage ofelderly people climbing, fewer people will be looking for homes and this will ease prices. Monica pointed out that at the beginning of a mort- gage period, most of your monthly payments are going towards the interest and you pay very little off the principal, especially schools since Monday entertaining the students there. Friday, the 16, will be by far the most exciting day of the past four months. To begin with, it is the last day of school before the holiday season. That, in it-. self, is enough to put a smile on everyone's face. The whole day is activity-filled. The day begins with the celebration of the Eucharist, then rapidly moves on to an Assembly. It is here that the Grade 13's will entertain the rest of the student body with skits and other hilarious tidbits. Another event is the homeroom luncheon. The day concludes with a sock-hop in the gym. Christmas celebrations came early for the Fren- ch Club. Last Thursday they met for goodies, games, skits and songs. Yet, there is another side to Christmas. There are those who live close by who will be going without during the holiday season. After the success of the clothes drive, a food drive is presently underway. Get in the Christmas spirit by helping our neigh- bours. Help make this a happy Christmas for everyone. Merry Christmas, everyone. when interest rates are high. So, if you plan to buy a house and sell it again after a few years to make a profit, vou could still owe quite a bundie on your mortgage. Unless house prices in your area are increasing very rapidly, she said, you may be better off finan- cially if you rent rather than buy, especially if you don't expect to stay in the same location for a long time. In provinces with rent controls, renting can be even more attractive. According to Monica's calculations, you might be able to earn more on your in- vestment if you take the money you saved for a down payment and invest it in a five-year guaranteed investment certificate. As she explained it, the results depend on how high mortgage and other inter- est rates are, how quickly house prices in your area are increasing, and your income. Of course, there may be reasons other than purely financial ones for buying a home, but certainly it's worth taking some time to think about it carefully. Isabel Wegg is Vice President of Consumer Relations for The Cana- dian Life & Health Insu- rance Association Inc. ding on the program. All the programs atre two years long, except medical laboratory assistants, which is a one-year program. The minimum entrance requirements vary from program to program. The lowest entrance requirement for medical laboratory assistance, is a Grade 12 diploma, Grade 12 math and chemistry, Grade ilmath and any Grade ilscience. Once a program is completed, the student must pass a standardized national exam, and then become a registered technologist. Job prospects are very good for graduates.'Nearly one hundred per- cent find work within three months of graduation. Some of the jobs, such as nuclear medicine technology, are in demand. In short, Toronto Institute of Medical Technology offers good career opportunities at very reasonable prces. CLOSE-UP ON HEALTH Coping with stress Dr. Hans Selye, the world-renowned stress expert, once defined stress as "the rateofwearandtear on the body." The late Dr. Selye also said that stress isn't all bad. Some of it is positive, even joyful - as when you kiss someone you love ot attend a happy occasion such as a wedding. Then there's negative stress - linked to un- employment, marriage problems, death of a spouse, money worries, poor housing or concerns about children. There are dozens of reasons for Cana- dian men and women to feel "under stress". If people can't cope with stress, it may lead to high blood pressure, heart dis- ease, ulcers, migraine head- aches, asthma or depend- ence on alcohol and drugs. Health authorities say stress is one of the leading causes of disease in our society. How can you control stress, so it doesn't result in a serious condition? Ex- perts say you should be aware of thewarningsigns. They include rapid heart- beat, sweaty palms, a stom- ach in knots, short temper, or feeling irritable or inade- quate. To get over these feel- ings, some people may go on an eating binge, or drink too much "to escape". They may turn to tranquilizers, sleeping pills or cigarettes, which won't help at all. In fact, any of these escape mechanisms may impair health even more. Experts say that people under stress should accept it as a part of life. They should realize that some things just can't be changed. Stress counsellors offer coping techniques: Set priorities and organize time, attending to essential tasks first. Eat the right foods. Get enough rest. Re- vitalize through exercise. Counsellors emphasize that it's just common sense to realize that a body in poor physical shape won't be able to handle stress very well. It's also suggested that relaxation techniques are useful: deep breathing, stretching, walking, yoga. For men, expressing emo- tion rather than repressing it often helps. It may help to talk over anxieties with someone in the family, a good friend, a member of the clergy or a sympathetic physician - someone who will take time to listen. If the stress prob- lems are very serious it may be useful to seek profes- sional help and to get a good book or two with sound information on stress management. Experts also say "Listen to the body. It will tell you if you're pushing too hard or taking things too seriously. And look on the funny side. Give yourself a treatoncein a while. Develop a new hobby. Do something for somebody else." Solutions may not be easy, especially in a time of recession. Yet stress coun- sellors say being aware of stress, accepting it and ad- justing toit are thebasics in coping. This column is written by the Health Promo- tion Directorate of Health and Welfare Canada. j 1