Friday marks the end of another academic year at Durham College. For most students, it cafle a haIt te the assigmnents, tests, reports, grades, at least until uIt *for many, Friday will mark the end of two or three years of the other-worldly life. One day, they'e writing exarne or. tests; the next, continuing the hunt for a job to challenge their fresh pocketful of skIlls and knowledge. if experience is any guide, some 98 per cent will find that first job. But it is not statistics I want to, talk about. Ites people. You see, over the years I have been lucky enough te, rwatch many reach their potential. That's important for teachers: on those bad days when we wonder why, why, why, it rnay be the thought of one particular student that keeps us going, even though we tend te exaggerate our own part in that success. Some of ny happy steries: A happy-go-lucky average etudent Who tended to follow advice and who hasproceeded through the ranka to a position on a large Meropota daily; A 'iature student who hated photography in first yoar journalism and now is a photo editor on the saine large daily; A city editor of a mid-sized Ontario daily who keeps sharpening his reporters' tories until they win awards, consistent]y, whiile he sits in the background, as ail good editors- do; A superb columnist on a large weekly newspaper who as a student, couldn't epeli, and stili admits te stili not being able te. This I point out te those of emal mnd who insiet that the first necessity of sehool je teach the basice. Some people know better than te spend much turne on basics: WITH OUR FEET UP- by Bill Swan Special of the special A first-year student who dazzled this weary veteran by overcoming ail odds and eelling hie first freelance piece te, The Toronte Star. (Wheels section, Saturday, April 22, 1989, Page G17: Bike industry in a slump); A graduate who bas used solid performance te work his way from cub reporter on a weely newepaper te publisher of another weely, gathering several awards along the way. (And introducing this teacher te one of bis own heroes!); 1Dozens of others, who have overcome difficulties in large and small te flnd their way on professions] careers. But even more iinpressive te me than these happy stries are the smail tales of heroism that makes up student life: The student who drove tai-cab full timne throughout bis second year, and stili put in a solid acadernic performance; The one who completed firet year on the dean'e liet while working fuli nursing shifts (including over-nighte) at a local hospital; The several studente over the years who ended up in my office in teare of frustration over college expectatione -- and responding te worda of encouragement by performing at a level I knew al along they were capable of. During my 18 yeare at Durham, close to 200 have been graduated from the journalism course I teach; about 50,000 (my guess) have been graduated ftom other college course with diplomas and certificates. Each has aetory te tell. Every May the college holds a graduation ceremony. Last year, in the reception that folows the awarding of diplomas, a grad I had neyer met sought me out to shako my hand. "r7m a single parent" she said. "Last fail you wrote a column about how you admire single parents for the waY they juggled echool work and parenting. I cut out that column and pinned it te my bulletin board," she said. Its the only thing that got me through." Only? Talent, perserverance, dedication, and determination had to corne in there somewhere. If I were to hand out meda", the most would stili go to single parents. Try this for a day's routine: get up in the niorning; make breakfast; wake and drees the two pre-schoolers; catch the bus ait 7:15 a.m. to arrive ait the college by 8 a.m.; drop kids at day care; rush te, class; spend 6-8 hours in class each day; pick up the kids at 5 p.m.; take the bus home, arriving about 6 p.rn.; make a mes], bath and bed the kids; finallyl by 9:30 p.m., ait down te a cup of tea. And two to three hours hoenework. In your spare time you can do laundry, grocery shopping, housework. Ail of this, of course, on subsistence income. That's the carefree college life for some people. To survive this requires ja special kind of person. If ail our college graduates are special -» and I think they are -- then single parents are the special of the special. 5% raiise at Region Regional councillors voted themselves a 5 per cent raise last week. Retroactive to January 1, 1989, a regional councillor's sal- ar will increase to $19,000 from $18,024. The salary will increase to $20,000, January 1, 1990 and to $21,000 January 1, 1991. Council also voted regional chairman Gary Herrenia a 7 per cent raise. His salary wvill inecase to $68,000 frorn $63,495, retroac- tive to January 1, 1989. It will then increase to $71,500 January 1, 1990 and $75,000 effective Januaryl1, 1991. Salaries will also increase for chairmen and vice-chairmen of council's standing committees. Those councillors will receive $2,500 as of January 1, 1989, S2,750 the following year and 3,000 in 199 1. i Thse ae jst afew xamlesf*t et b. t., :i -M AMLAF OVR10,0 PARS &WOLST "IDES II'S FO - 'gt rcs* A OW O ~siTw !DSO N PI, Get a piece of Barrymore, free. 25% off on "lLimited Edition"' furniture. Right now at the Kaufman Furniture Gallery, our exclusive line of Barrymore IrLimted Edition" custom ordered, upholstered funshings is 25% off. Everything from hand-crafted wing-back chairs to contemporary love seats. In about 100 different fabric sélections. And., as always, you get free in-store design service and free delivery with your Barrymnore purchase. So, corne into the Kaufman Furniture Gallery before April 29th, arnd get 25% of your new fumiture free. 1Only 3 Days Left The Kc3ufman Fuvnituve GciIIery Ltd. Where l3eautiful Homes Begin. WHITBY The Kaufman Furniture Gallery Hghway #2 east of Thicksort Rd. Telephone 434-1733 MARKHAM The Kaufman Furniture Gallery Highway #7 jus! east of McCowan Telephone 471-5353 MISSISSAUGA The Kauf man House Gallery 2273 Dundas Street West <west of Erin Mills Prkwy.) Telephone 828-1330 WBITBY FREE I>RESS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1989, PAGE 5 AJAX ý4ar*-jia Aye ffletImeen il*V 2 and 686-0719