III fi 4i r, FROM PAGE 8 "If you spend so much time here, it should be pleasant," says Dekker, who also likes the greenery provided by .the plants. "Show pride in the building. People should say "It's my school. It's part of the "inviting school concept" which Dekker so adnires in the writings of an American educator. To complement the surrotn- dings, visitors also "get treated with a friendly ap- proach," a characteristic already in place in Anderson, says Dekker. 1 Dekker, 45, was born in the Netherlands and came to Canada when he was 9. From his first day at school in Holland though his youth on the Niagara peninsula (Win- fleet, Ont.) he says he always liked school. But it wasn't so much the academics, but the total package offered at school which appealed to him. "If it hadn't been for the ex- tra-curriculars, I probably would have dropped out," he says. He décided on teaching as a career he says, "because I felt I had the skills to work with people." He was a teacher at Port Perry High School for 14 years, head of guidance at Brock High School for three years and split four years as vice principal at Ajax and Pickering High Schools. "I still see myself as a teacher, not as a principal," says the Brock Township resident. Dekker says the job of he and his vice principals is to "create the best learning environment for students and teaching environment for teachers." Whenever he feels he has lost sight of the needs of students, he'll "become" a student. "You have to go back your- self and sit in the a desk as a student," he explains. It's one way, he says, of trying to regain a credt9ve touch in an administrative task which can easily become "the same old thing, the same old way." He also divides some ad- ministrative duties among the vice principals, for example, public relations. He emphasizes that it's im- portant to get to know the overall picture within and without the school, "to know how all the parts work." He tries to attend all events and sports and managed to arrange two lectures on drug and alcohol abuse to "build an awareness among students and give them a choice." (The drinking and driving seminar may lead to the for- mation of a school group similar to Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), although Anderson students prefer to come up with their own title rather than adopt the American name for the organization., "We don't hide our head un- der a bushel," says Dekker of the substance abuse lectures. "If there's an issue, we'll deal with it." As for drug and alcohol problems, which Dekker says are the same or less than other high schools, "We make it clear - if there are any drugs, we hit it hard." The principal who sees him- self as teacher, "tries to help students, deal with them and help them to grow," whether it means "lending a helping hand, or a helping boot, whatever is necessary." As for curriculum which he defines as everything at the school from math to moga to hockey, it offers something for everyone. He says schools are now "getting much more on board" in providing guidance to students who are thinking about future careers. That's particularly difficult now, he feels, since the- information explosion helps to make career choice "wide open" when compared to 20 years ago when "life was a little less complicated for them. "Don't get me wrong, though," adds Dekker, with regard to the role of schools in career guidance. "Things are never 100 per cent." He says the school environment has continued to improve, however, by placing more emphasis on the individual need of the student and by providing better teaching. Special education, he cites as an example, offers "a course for everyone." "Something for everybody" is important to Dekker: "Once a student has a focus, then he or she succeeds," he says. "If they're drifting, they drop out." He says he is encouraged by trends in education that point to an ever-improving system. As for himself, he promises self-improvement next year. "I'm looking forward to the second year...I think I'll be a better principal next year. "It's very rewarding but also humbling," he says of his first year as principal. "What you do can affect the lives of hundreds of people. "And as principal, you have no one else to look to." WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3,1987. PAGE 9 Knight's art - for kids Paintings now on display at Whitby Public Library until June 9 will be of great interest to youngsters. It's "kid's art" by Whitby artist Debbie Knight who paints stories featuring bunnies and mice which encourage a child's imagination and which tickle the funnybone. "They're just things that I think kids would like," says Knight of her watercolors which emphasize fan- tasy and hardly ever include human characters. Flowers, photographs and her own childhood memories provide the "models" for her paintings that feature events "kids can relate to." And humor, which she includes in all her art stories, is an important ingredient. (Mice, for example, wearing bathing suits). She now plans to expand her work into mall murals, such as for children's rooms while continuing her education through correspon- dence courses at the University of Waterloo. She is also now organizing a how- to course on decoration of children's rooms, which.she hopes to launch in September. It will be a step-by-step course for parents, showing them how to "utilize what they have" in their homes, Knight's watercolors can also be seen at the Whitby YMCA location on Centre St. and in Oshawa, where she formerly resided, at Baby Kingdom. Library show June 1 - 9 DEBBIE KNIGHT at "story" in her Whitby work on a children's home. Free Press photo NATION A L'S TO TA L MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT l combinas monoeymarketrateswith 1110 Iiquidity oaadaîlyintarast account. If you maintain a large balance in your savings or chequing account or want liquidity for your short term invest- ments, the TOTAL MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT is ideal for you. For balances of $10,000 or more, you will receive a rate of interest, usually higher than 30-day Term Deposits, based on Government of Canada 91-Day Treasury Bills. On balances of $50,000 or more, the interest rate is even higher. Of course, you still enjoy liquidity of funds which allows you to access your account for deposits or withdrawals at any National Trust branch in Canada. Open a TOTAL MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT now and get money market rates with the liquidity of a daily interest account. NATIONALTRUST WHITBY 352 Brock St. S. 666-1800 & 308 Dundas St. W. 668-9324 AJAX Harwood Place Mall S. 683-7344 OSHAWA 32 Simcoe St. S. 723-5207 PICKERING Pickering Super Centre 831-6501 Anderson principal Dekker CORRIDOR CAPERS By MARY McEACHERN I have been receiving numerous calls concerning boy scout paper drive. People are putting their papers out, and having to bring them in and finally put them in the garbage. If any scout or cub groups know of a paper drive in the Corridor Area, please call so the word may be passed around. Call 725-8967 if your group has, monthly paper drives. The 100-cup coffee perk is available for loan to anyone needing large quantities of coffee. The coffee urn is the property of the "Corridor Area Ratepayers Association and loaning the urn is one of the many community services performed by the association, To reserve, call725-8967. Corridor Areas Ratepayers Association executive meeting was scheduled at the home of Lanny Cooke, 72 Sawden Dr. in Whitby on Wednesday June 3 at 7:30 p.m. The East End Education Action Committee was scheduled to meet at Anderson Collegiate on Wednesday, June 3,7:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Parents from several school areas will jointly assess their problems and try to resolve matters such as safety, school overcrowding, busing etc. On Friday evening, a teenage girl was accosted at knifepoint in the westerly area of Oshawa, adjacent to the Corridor. area. For- tunately, she was able to break free and run away, but it was a very scary experience for the young girl. Teenagers, beware, walking alone indeserted areas is not safe. I A