WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8,1987, PAGE 13 Play casts spell over student audiences By MIKE JOHNSTON How we treat our bodies is a decision we have to make our- selves. It's not a decision .that should be influenced by peer pressure. That is the message a Toronto theatre troupe hopes they leave with students who see their .40- minute production entitled Health Spell. "The play attempts to show children entering their teenage years that it is their choice whether theywill smoke, drink or eat junk food," says stage manager Michelle Robinson after the group finished a well-received perfor- mance at Palmerston Public School last Thursday. Besides Palmerston, last week the group, kpwn as Waterwobd Prioductions, toured Whitby and Brooklin public schools,. perfor- ming at Col. J.E. Farewell, R.A. Hutchinson, Meadowcrest and ' Florence M. Heard. A performance at R.A. Sennett was cancelled due to the snowstorm last Tuesday. Health Spell, due to its message and the way that message is presented, is geared to students in Grades 3 through 6. The play in- cludes puppets, music and an evil wizard. "The younger kids are scared of wizards, especially our's, and the older kids watch the play and take the attitude, 'Oh Yeah'," iays Robinson. While the play stays away from directly saying that smoking and drinking are bad for your healt , it does leave the message that 3you will be healthier if you do. Health Spell is the story of three club members who decide to take a trip to a carnival. One of the clubs members, Rod- ney, decides to throw gum Ot a wizard. In'turn, the wiard decides to get even with Rodney and casts a spell on him which makes him start smoking and eating junk food. But not to fear, the play has a happy ending and the wizard sees the evil of his ways, giving up his bad habits in the process. Sponsored by the Ministry of Health, the play combinedtîwith live action, puppets and music leaves more of an impression on the students than pamphlets or lec- tures would, sà ys Robinson. "When the kids enter the gym they usually ask me if they are going to see a movie. I always tell them 'No, tis, is better than a movie. There are five puppets in Health Spell, with the emcee for the production being a puppet called Mal Nutrition. The puppets were created by Karen Lalleau who has worked on other children shows including Fraggle Rock, and movies, Follow That Bird and The Muppet Movie. Health Spell also gives the students an opportunity to ask questions of the actors at the con- clusion of the play. "The play is free to the schools, they just have to call,V' says Robin- son. Hodever, that phone call would- oe in vain tlisyear as the company. is booked solidfor the remainder of 1987. Health Spell has been playing in schools and other similar venues for seven years. This year also marks the second year the play is being performed in French. Members of the troupe may have looked familiar to some of the students as they performed Mouse Tales earlier this year at the Whit- by Public Library. They. may be returning to the library this summer with a produc- tion titled We Otter Save Wetlands. The play will also be performed in provincial parks in Ontario. Futurist to speak at career conference Futurist Frank Feather will be the keynote speaker at the student career conference, "The Future Works' to be held by the Durham Board of Education at Durham College May 14. Feather is a consultant to major corporations and governments, at home and abroad, on future trends and their implications. As a publisher of the Canada Tomorrow newsletter and president of Globescope Inc., Feather is one of the leading experts on tomorrow's jobs and careers. The conference is open to 20 students from each secondary school in the region. The target group is students involved in co- operative education, career awareness and peer helping cour- ses. Mickie Petursson, who chairs the conference and is a board guidance consultant, stated: "The Durham Board of Education wants its students to know the future works. "We believe," Petursson said, "students' anxieties about their career prospects can be alleviated by having students gain a better understanding of the possibilities of their career future." Bruce Mather, director of education for the board, said, "An examination of significant trends, both local and global, clearly suggests the need for fundamental change in the curriculum and how we deliver it, if public education is to be a powerful force for change as we move into.the 21st century." "This cônference," Mather stated, "will allow exploration of such important issues. We educators have a responsibility to convince young people that they can influence the nature of the world they will be living in and to give them the skills and confidence to do so." Through participation in the con- ference, students will have ah op- portunity to experience thé con- ference process in a community college setting. In workshops, the students will interact and exchange ideas with secondary school students from the . region, while receiving career information from expert resource people. The students will select sessions to attend in the morning and after- noon of May 14 based on their in- terests and concerns. Topics the conference will offer are: 'Which Technologies Will Grow in the Nineties' by William Sanders, guidance consultant for York Region Board of Education; 'Bridging the Gap' by Merle Colege, branch supervisor for Em- ployment and Immigration Canada; 'Career Planning' by Susan Knutson, placement assistant for Durham College; 'Why Go To College or University?' by Janet Hurd, liaison officer, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus and Dick Snowden, manager of student services, Durham College; 'How to Manage Stress' by Robert Wing, principal of Brooks Road Public School; 'Star- ting Your Own Business' by Lorne MacInnis, Federal Business Development Bank; 'Juggling Home, Career and Family' by Myra Novogradski, co-ordinator of women's studies and labor studies, Toronto Board of Education; 'Time management' by Natakue Stein, consultant, Toronto Board of Education; 'What You Need to Know About Money' by Paul Jnlie. bank manager, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Pickering THE CAST OF Health Spell are Robb as Rodney and Melinda Little as Holly. Hutter as the wizard, (left to right) Looking on is emcee, Mal Nutrition. Hilary Taylor as Edna, Murray Oliver Residents are opposed to gas bar, lube bay FROM PAGE 1 "If you get Canadian Tire, they're going to be there forever," he said. He a1so noted that the property would be in demand by other com- mercial developers. "I assure you that will occur at some time in the future - it's a valuable piece of property," he said. He also refuted arguments that the gas station and lube bay would add to the traffic problem. "People don't go out of their way to go to gas stations," he said. He added that the traffic problems already exist and he agreed with residents that they should be ad- dressed. He again argued that other uses of the property might even generate more traffic. Lorne St. Louis, representing Canadian Tire, estimated that about 300 cars a day would use the station. Access to the station would be from Bowman and Dundas. Bowman noted that traffic was the concern when area residents took a previous application to the Ontario Municip'al *Board. He said Canadian Tire then said that a gas bar was not among plans for the property. "Here they are two years later looking for a gas bar," said Bowman. He said there are already a number of gas stations in the area G*IL LE-SP·I-E REAL ESiATE SERVICES INC. P.O. 11()X 276, .IROOKILIN LOB Co and "ail of a sudden we're going to be faced with another one." St. Louis said the gas bar would be open 24 hours although under review is the number of days of operation per week (Sunday opening). St. Louis also said the Canadian Tire gas bar on Brock St. N. would eventually close should the new one be located. "It's going to be a donut town and a gas bar town," complained Ed McDonald of development. Mac- Donald said he used to live on John St. E., behind the former Canadian Tire store, and then moved away to his present address on Bowman only to have the new store locate beside him again. "It's getting a bit much," he said of store lights shining into' his home, also mentioning blowing garbage from the store as a problena. Councillor Joe Bugelli later in- dicated to the Canadian Tire representatives that comments made at the meeting were not in- tended as' a slight against the corporation. But he objected to the planning consultant approaches to nearby residents about the proposed gas bar before the plan was submitted to the Town. Johrson apologized for the ac- tions. Alex Loring of Crawforth St. said if Canadian Tire was successful with the gas bar and lube bay ,ap- plication, then there might be fur- ther development on the green area to be left on the now vacant subject property. "You're going to see a speedy car wash there as sure as God makes little green apples," he said. 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