PAGE 36, WHMfY FREE PRESS, WEDNESI)AY, FEBUAlRY 21,11990 Anew look f-or.sehool portables By Trudie Zavadovie Thom Park, principal of Leslie MacFarlane Public School in Whitby is proud of hie school and with good reason. The school has undergone many changes since he arrnved threeyears ago. It has gene from a senior public achool ta include elemen- tary grades, and now has a grade seven and eight french emersian* prograni. Last year it was also chosen for a new pilot project involving the schoasnee:f2six portables. Instead of placing the portables as six separate units, they -were built together as one campiez, with a hall and an exit at each end. It was bufit over the suri- mer. Park says the campIez ia work- ing very well and seenis ta suit the students, the teachers and the parents. "I think because they're buiit as a building, they're vwarmer, better ventilated, mare sound- proof well lUt, and attractive,» says ý?ark. "There seenis ta be 'a sense of, belonging a sense of unity Of the pletliere- "The building lai in total com- miunication with the school. It gets ail the bell'signais and the address system. 'l've yet ta have a coinplaint frori a parent." He says that parents seeni mare satisfied that they form a unit instead of the standard, orphaned, portables. Ail they lack la running water, wash- rooms and lockers. «Unless it's exorbitantiy more expensive, it seems ta me the way ta go," says Park. «The advantage over a filxed addition is that, if the population changes. it can be disassembled.» Parék saya that the portables have students from ai i grades, except the primary grades. 'Mhe big-gest complaint firari students," says Park, «% having tam go athe washroom.» He anticîpates, that witb the gowth of th~e student population, byneit year they wili ne.ed even mare portables. "I hocpe they (the Board) do the sanie thing with the'additionai portables.» THESE ARE PO1EABLES!? Portables at Leslie McFarlane'Public Sehool have been joined by coridors like the one iilustrated above. On the ogtside (fle), they look like any other portable. FrSeu 'e8Photo tudyrng ai .gh Intercuiture Canada, olirriers, by living with the host rîg international student famii1 and attending a local high re organization, higli schoo, their experience moves, ;tudents across the coun- step by stop, toward total immner- ,enjoy the unique and sion into a new society. It's an rig adventure of studying apprenticeship whose rewards last a lifeti me.»' not-for-profit organiza- Departure dates reflect the eciaized in intercuitural school1 caiendar of the host coun- 18i now conciuding this try. For southern hemnisphere earch for students, aged countries, such as Thailand, Bra- iterested in the challenge zil, Costa Rica and Chile, depar- and studying in any one ture can be as eariy as February. 30 countries around the For Caribbean and Europe des- tinations, inciuding the T.S.S.R., assadors of friendship", departure is set for next sum- Sfitting termi for these mer. In both cases, students are , according to a regional urged to submit their applica- er for Interculiture tions by December. Intrculture Canada and its itiaily, these youngsters partuer countries requiro time to dved in breaking down ensure program quality. Fin.ding broad- a suitabie host -famiiy, taking care of schooi enrolment and ensuring the presence of a volun- teer counselior for the studeut are ail part of maintainlng that quality. Participation fees are ail-inclu- sive and may be compared to the amount often spent on an adoles- cent over an 11-month perlod. For students from i nancialiy dis- advantaged families, assistance is availabie. Interculture Canada is part of A.FS Interculture progranis- the worid's iargest internationa stu- dent exchange network, esabi- ished ln 1947 and currently operating in 67 countries. For more information, contact Wendy or Rob Weafer, volun- teers, at (416) 235-3576 or, toîl- free. 1-800-361-7248. Catholic schools make up forJ By Trudie Zavadovice; T'he-school caliendar for Catiio- lic aecondary achool atudents bas been revised ta make Up for instructional time loat during the teachers' strike. Exani days and P.A. days have been sacrificed i order ta regain instructianal time for atudeuts. Students at Whitby's Fr. Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School lost il ai the 18 instruc- tional days the teachers were on atrike. (the other seven days, which were desiguated forexams do not caunt as instructional days) They have regained five ai the eleven days by iasing two exani days (June 12, 13) and three PA. days (Apr. 15, 16, May Monsignor John Pereyma atu- dents i Oshawa regainedive ai their eleven instructional days, Paul Dwyer regained aine out ai 18 days iost, Denis O'Connor Schoo, Ajax,reg.ied five ofl10 days lest. St. ry', Pickering regained five af eleven days lest, and St. John'a Schooi, Uxbridge r eied three ai the 16 instruc- tiona days they lost. One ai theéPRA.days sacrificed due ta the strike was May. 18, which wasj designated as the OE(TA Day. On Feb.. 15, Blair Morris, pre aident ai the Durhami Secondar Schoi Teachera' Association wrate Dr. -Earl Lagroix asking that May 18 remain a P.A. day. His letter aaid that the work- shape and progranis ai the day would be beneficial for bath tea- chers and studeuts. Hie letter went ou ta read, » the teachers hoid that if the Board deletes this day froni the current calendar, it wouid be acting in a manner not only contrary ta, the recent memoran- dum ai agreement but waould also be' incurrlng a liability for the cansiderabie expeuditures that have aiready been made." Legroix said the decision ta cancel the P.A. day was based ou the needs ofithe studenta. «Lt was aur itent ta use as many as possible for instruc- flouai days. It is very,,very un- portant that the day s emina the end ai the achool year for twa, reasans. Ail marks have ta, be i by the end ai June, and students are competing for sunimer jobs.' Hie aaid that no mouey had been laid out yet for that P.A day. Trafalgar Castie Tiffany Bradley, Weil, it was lic eorecuperate, on the long weekend, but now, moat of us are back to work once again. I say "mot cf us," fer, because of extrerne snow conditions, a few "unfortumate" were not able ta, drive ta, sehool. But fortumateiy Mr. Davis, a verY dedicatod teacher, was able ta niake it to, school from, Barrie. Now w. cma al write our biology testes. It seerns as though everyone has a February "blahe. But we can't forget that there are only a few weeks uni March break. - Mrs Large bas dist;ributed ail parts for the play 'The Rez Sisters.' This play wiil be performed at thie Drama Festival that Trafalgar is hosting this year. Congratulations ta, ail who receved a part, and good luck in the upcoming rehearsals. There are many field trips pianned for this weekend. On Friday, Feb. 16, 'three girls wiil be attending the play 'Agnes aod,' hýi Wihitby. On Saturday, Feb. 17, there wiil be an excursion ta, the Sky Dame in Toronto ta see the tennis semi-finals. On Sunday, Feb. 18, we are very fortunate ta, obtain tickets to, Andrew Lloyd Webex's produto in Toranto. usprsthis week aur "awesoene voileybell team was victoriaus over Toronto French school. They aIs> bave the priviiege of pxiiaing iri a voileybail tournament in Ottawa. On March 5, the teachers wîll take on our "awesome" seniors in a fight for glory. Go We are ail looking forward ta, Activity Day on March 2, but so far, we are not sure as ta, the different activities that have been lanned. And finaily, I amn proud ta, say that we, Trafagar =èslewiIlbe basting thé, Pine Rtidge regional debating taurnament. Efight different schools wiIl be in attendance. You and yurfuture The Durham Board ai Educa- flan is holding its fourth,,annuai TYou and Your Future' conference, at Henry Street High School lu' WhtbySaturday Feb. 24. Teconference begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. It la open t6 studeuts i grades 7, 8, 9' and 10. Morning workshopa are- self- profiiing activities ta, assist stu- dents in makig career choices. A pelarecent high-achool grauaa 1ofýIil disas their emioyent experiences Afternoon' workshopa pesen- ted by professionais include the military, construction, iaw, com-. puter tehology, engineering, steèiand many more.' t-ILterested studeuts can con- tact Barb Ritchie at 668-7046 ext. 30. S0 Throuj a leadir exchangý school st trj can rewardir abroad. This tion, spe iearning, year's se 15-18, ir of living of over worid. "Amba seems a students, voluntei Canada. "Essen are invc' Lost ti*me -~~ 'J -1 mur