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Ontario
Students Against Impaired Driving Group From Confederation
Secondary School Is Committed to Making A Difference In The
Community |
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Austin Powell (Grade 11)
Amanda McCutcheon (Grade 11) |
Hannah Merchant (Grade 11)
Ashleigh McBain (Teacher) |
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The
Learning Clinic Radio Show, hosted by Robert Kirwan on
Laurentian University's CKLU 96.7 FM included members of the Ontario
Students Against Impaired Driving Group from Confederation
Secondary School as special guests on the December 21, 2009
program. Ashleigh McBain, the Teacher Supervisor of the group,
brought along three students to represent the close to 40
students who have signed up to participate during the
inaugural year of this important extracurricular organization.
All students were in Grade 11: Austin Powell, Amanda
McCutcheon and Hannah Merchant. During the show they spoke
about how it was the death of three young teenagers in a
tragic accident in Valley East on June 21, 2009. Steven
Philippe (16) and Jazmine Houle (15), who both attended
Confederation secondary school, were walking along the side of
Hwy 69N in Hanmer with their friend, Caitlin Jelley (15), when
all three were killed by an impaired driver. Students at the
school have shown tremendous support for the activities being
organized by the OSAID group as the students try to raise
awareness among community members of the need for people to be
more sensible when it comes to driving while being impaired in
any way. They stated that while alcohol is often the root
cause of accidents where impairment is a factor, cell phones,
loud passengers, medication, and a long list of other things
that can reduce one's ability to focus on driving.
If you are interested in downloading the radio program to
your computer, just click
here to get to the archives.
Make sure that you have the date set at 2009-12-21; the start
time set at 18:00; and the duration for 120 minutes. Then all
you do is click on "download" and it will be saved
to your computer in an mp3 format. Then you can enjoy the
interview whenever you wish. NOTE: The archives will only be available
until January 19, 2010. |
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Ashleigh McBain and several more of the students in the
group were at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on Saturday, December 19,
2009, creating awareness among the community of the dangers of driving
while impaired from any substance. |
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The group was set up in the Centre Court area of the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre all day long singing Christmas Carols for shoppers
and drawing attention with "Charger" who was a huge hit with the
youngsters. |
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"Charger" even had a chance to visit with Santa
and Mrs. Claus to give them his wish list for this year. Rumour has it
that he wished for a city football championship in 2010. |
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A second display was set up just outside Cousin Vinny's
Restaurant & Bar. The owners of Cousin Vinny's have pledged support
for the group all year long in an effort to promote safe driving practices
among adults in the community.
The purpose of OSAID is to make students aware of the choices they make
when drinking and to make responsible decisions. The students from
Confederation will be raising money all year long to send representatives
to a provincial conference in Toronto on the first weekend of May 2010.
There they will take part in developing leadership skills and be trained
in approaching peers and the community with the issues and seriousness of
impaired driving.
For more information you can go the the Confederation Secondary School
web site or contact Ashleigh McBain at the school during normal business
hours. |
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The 200 Wolf Squadron Thanks The
Community of Valley East For Generosity |
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The 200 Wolf Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets were at that Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre for their first tag day of the year.
On behalf of the 200 Wolf Squadron
we would like to thank Val Mazzuca and Bob Kirwan for allowing us the
opportunity to hold our tag day in their establishment.
We’d also like to thank all the many patrons of the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre on Dec 11, 12 & 13th for their very
generous support. We raised in
excess of $400.00 in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre alone.
Thank you again for your very
generous support.
The Cadets even took time out to
say hello Santa and Mrs. Claus.
IN THE PHOTO: Sgt Robert Bolger, Corporal Joshua
Bolger, Corporal Aaron Anderson, and Corporal Austin Anderson |
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Danica
Tremblay Dhinel Shares An Inspirational Story With Our Readers About
Showing Your Loved Ones You Care |
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The
Old Man
by Danica Tremblay Dhinel
Dear Mr. Kirwan:
My friend recently told me a story about an elderly man who
frequently comes into her store and gives every woman he sees working a
single rose. The man told her the story of why it is he does this. He told
her that a few years ago his wife passed away. However while she was still
alive he had never bought her roses. His wife asked him many times to buy
her some but he had never thought of doing it. Once she had passed on he
regretted not buying her any and felt guilty. Now, every once in a while
when he thinks of buying his wife roses he enters my friends store, buys a
bouquet and passes them out to the women.
When
my friend told me this story I began to think deeply on my own life and
all the things I should or could do for the ones I love while they are
still around. Little things to show them that I care and that I’m
thinking of them. Many of us go through life not thinking that these
simple gestures could mean the world to someone. Not much thought has to
go into them, just simple things like leaving a note to remind someone
you’re thinking of them; telling those around you that you love them:
paying for a stranger’s coffee when you’re ahead of them in line at
the drive-thru; calling someone up to see how their day is going or maybe
buying someone flowers on any given day just to show you care.
Like this man, many of
us don’t realize the things we should have done differently while our
loved ones were still around. We shouldn’t wait till they are gone to
realize we should have told them we loved them more often, or spent more
time with them, or we should of gotten them those flowers they wanted so
badly. Don’t wait till it’s too late. Tell your wife or husband or
mother or father, brother or sister that you love them. Give them a hug;
send them e-mails or a card, call old friends up just to see how they’ve
been. Don’t let the people you care about most slip out of your life,
because one day they will be gone and you will spend your life regretting.
I
have not had the pleasure of meeting this kind man but his story will
remain in my heart forever. I am deeply saddened by his story but somehow
it brings a new light to my heart. He realized his mistake too late and
now he is trying to repay the debt he feels he owes. I believe everyone
can relate and learn from such a story, and I hope some if not all will
find it in themselves to slow down and start making the little things
count, cause in the end, it’s what matters the most.
Danica Tremblay Dhinel
Dear Danica:
What a beautiful story. It truly gives you hope for mankind when
you know that there are people in the world like that elderly man. I am
also glad to see that you are back to writing, and I do indeed remember
you. You have a tremendous talent for communicating your feelings. I wish
you the best of luck in your current endeavours and I definitely encourage
you to write often.
Robert Kirwan |
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Confed’s
Evolutionary Band Members Are Earning Their Education |
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Members of the
Confederation
Secondary School
’s Evolutionary Band, all consider their
experience with the group to be memorable and very rewarding. They get to
practice and rehearse for most of the school year to prepare for a Spring
Tour of concerts and trips all over the region under the direction of Band
Leader and Music Instructor, Norm McIntosh. Each year there is usually a
major overnight tour that is the highlight of the season.
All of these activities cost money, and it
is up to each member of the band to do their individual part to help raise
the necessary funds. One of the major fund-raisers of the year is a raffle
which will produce eight winners of beautiful prints by Gordon Drysdale.
Students, such as Hailey Chinn, above, are responsible for using their
creativity and initiative to find ways of selling tickets to the general
public. Hailey is one of the students who have been seen selling tickets
on the prints at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre recently. Hailey, who
is in her second year with Evolutionary, is a member of the crew and is
responsible for the sound board. “I’m not very good at performing or
being in front of an audience, but I love music and wanted to be part of
the band. When I got an opportunity to be part of the crew I took it and I
love every minute of my experience,” Hailey explained. Besides the lead
singers and instrument players, there are a lot of people needed behind
the scenes to make sure that the set is properly constructed and the sound
comes out just right. The nice thing about Evolutionary is that it
provides so many young people with a first hand experience in the music
industry so that they have a better idea of whether or not this is the
kind of career they would like to pursue after high school.
If you have a chance to purchase tickets on
the Gordon Drysdale prints, or if you wish to help the band out with a
donation of any size, just contact
Confederation
Secondary School
and
ask to speak to Norm McIntosh. |
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Local Students Get A Chance to
Develop Performance Skills This Summer |
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This summer, travel back to the 1960s with Lock and Keynote’s
production of the original musical, Rock
Around the Nation! Lock and Keynote Productions aims to encourage and
facilitate the artistic growth of young people in North-eastern
Ontario
and rural communities. For the past three years, we have held musical
theatre day camps in
Cochrane
,
ON
and Cornerbrook, NLD for children aged 8-18. Our camps are run by young
working professionals who not only have a passion for the arts, but a
passion for children. Each year, a new script is developed, incorporating
a wide range of classic and contemporary Broadway songs. In addition to
learning skills in dance, drama, and singing, we believe that by
participating in theatre, children develop confidence, creativity, and
learn the value of teamwork. Now entering our fourth season, we are
excited to bring our philosophy to
Sudbury
.
The
Musical Theatre Summer Intensive For Youth will be held at Arts North, at
7 Cedar Street
in
Sudbury
from July 20 to 31 with performances on July 31 and August 1. The cost to
participate is only $300 per person.
This year’s artistic
team includes musical director and founding member Shari Porter, director
and playwright Vikki VanSickle, and
Sudbury
native Sarah Williamson as choreographer. Sarah studied dance at Diane
Boulais Dance Studio de Danse in
Valley East
before moving to
Toronto
to pursue her career as a dancer. After joining the Lock and Keynote team
as choreographer in 2008, Sarah decided to bring Lock and Keynote
Productions to her hometown.
This year’s
show, Rock Around the Nation, is a rollicking romp set in the 1960s. The
sleepy town of Happy Hills is about to get all shook up, when famous girl
group The Belles decide to do a live broadcast on the popular television
show Rock Around the Nation from Happy Hills city hall. Jam packed with
dancing, singing, and everybody’s favourite hits from the 60s, Rock Around the Nation is sure to make you stand up and sing For
more information, or to register, please visit our website at www.lockandkeynote.com
or visit www.artsnorth.ca.
SPECIAL RADIO INTERVIEW: The Learning Clinic, a
weekly radio talk show that is hosted by Robert Kirwan on CKLU 96.7 FM,
will feature several members of Lock and Keynote Productions on Monday,
June 15, 2009 from 6 to 8 p.m. If you want to find out more information on
the program, or if you want to listen to a discussion about Education and
the Arts, then be sure to tune in for the show.
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Catherine
Colasimone Named Miss Valley East 2009 |
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The
Miss Valley East Beauty with a Purpose Pageant 2009 was held on
Sunday January 18, 2009
at
Valleyview
Public School
. There were fourteen contestants. Each contestant was judged in a
number of different areas, including: a personal interview with the
judges, scholastic testing, public speaking, on stage performances,
fashion show and formal wear.
When
all of the judging was completed, Catherine Colasimone, shown above in the
photo on the left, a 17 year old student at
Bishop
Carter
Secondary School
was named Miss Valley East 2009. She will represent
Valley East
at the Miss North Ontario Regional Canada Pageant to be held in
Sudbury
April 30, May 1 and 2.
First Runner Up to Miss Valley East was Jennifer Dixon and 2nd Runner Up
was Alysia Manojlovic.
The judges selection for Miss Teen Valley East 2009 was 13 year old Sara
Beeson of Hanmer, shown in the photo to the right. The remainder of the
contestants are shown below. |
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Junior Kindergarten Class Enjoys Field Trip to Neil’s Independent
Grocers |
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Neil
Lindenbach, owner of Neil’s Independent Grocers in Hanmer, has always
bent over backwards to provide support to local schools in Valley East and
Capreol. Individual classes are welcome to visit the grocery store during
special times of the year to use the Community Room and go on group tours.
During
the Halloween Season, many classes took advantage of the invitation,
including Ecole Catholique Jean Paul II of Val Caron. Here we see Madam
Renee Brunet helping one of her Junior Kindergarten students, four-year
old Hailee Kirwan, during a pumpkin carving session in the Community Room.
Madam Brunet’s class took part in a two-hour field trip to Neil’s
Independent Grocers which included a tour of the facility, pumpkin carving
and treats. Hailee and her classmates even got to bring the pumpkins home
as souvenirs of their day at the grocery store.
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Laurentian
University Students Conduct Survey In
Valley
East
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Two
new residents of Valley East who moved here from
Marathon
, Rene and Diane Brunelle,
shown on the right in the photo, were more than happy to give up a few
minutes of their time recently to help out a group of Laurentian
University students with one of their projects.
The students, from the left: Melissa Kirkey, Danielle Roy and
Courtney Conaty, are all in the 2nd Year of a four-year
Bachelor of Commerce Program. One of their major assignments for the year
is the development of a new product that could be brought to market. In
order to determine the viability of their product they are required to
conduct interviews with potential customers to gather information that
will be beneficial in their marketing efforts. They decided to conduct
their survey at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
The product created by
the group was a “pack of greeting cards designated to a particular
person and containing all the cards that would be needed for the occasions
throughout the year”.
Two other members of the group, Justin Sawicz and Michelle Goneen
were present for the photo. The entire group will be appearing on The
Learning Clinic, a local education radio talk show on CKLU 96.7 FM on
Monday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m. to share their thoughts about the
Commerce Program at Laurentian. Any secondary school student who might be
interested in enrolling in this program in the future should listen to the
show or pick it up on their computer off the web site at www.cklu.ca
.
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Young
Ladies Give Up Their Saturday For A Good Cause & Community
Service Hours |
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Jasmine McTiernan and Lindsay Aubin, both Grade 9 students at
Confederation
Secondary School
, spent the whole day at the
Hanmer
Valley
shopping Centre on Saturday, March 29. However, they weren’t there to
spend money – they were there to help raise money for the Canadian
Cancer Society by selling daffodils to kick off Cancer Awareness Month.
The time spent will also go towards their 40 hour community service
requirement that is part of their Secondary School Diploma Program.
Even
though they are only in their first year of high school, the two girls
have indicated that they are already beginning to think about what they
will do after Grade 12. Lindsay is pretty certain that she wants to enter
a career in radiology after having spent a day shadowing the head of the
X-Ray Department at the
Sudbury
Regional
Hospital
. Jasmine is still undecided, but is considering a few of her options.
Both
girls attended
Valley
View
Public School
and have continued with the French Immersion program at Confederation.
When asked what the biggest difference was between high school and
elementary school, both girls indicated the same things. “You are more
responsible for what happens to you in high school. The teachers are
always watching what you do in elementary school but now we are left on
our own a lot more. We have to make sure we do things ourselves without
being told all the time.” They also find that there is much more social
time to interact with other students in high school.
Lindsay has already put
in her 40 hours of service even though she still has three years of high
school left. She has done things like helping with the
Rick
McDonald
Park
in Azilda, the flu clinic and now selling daffodils. Both Lindsay and
Jasmine indicated that they have always loved volunteering their time for
good causes and were glad to do their small part for the Canadian Cancer
Society.
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Local
Girls Perform Well In The Pool During Meet In
Timmins |
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Sarah
Tkachuk is a 15 year old swimmer who joined the Valley East Waves
last season. Sarah
started in competitive swimming in
Newfoundland
with the GANDER LAKERS SWIM CLUB in
the 2005-2006 swim season.
Previously she had been involved in diving and was a member of a
diving club, diving was not available in
Gander
so she joined Competitive Swimming with her brother Alex.
She attends grade 9 at
Marymount
Academy
and is also a member for their school swim team.
After several months of training in Group 2 of the Valley
East Waves, Sarah had a great meet in Timmins at the Fred Rams B
Championships on February 23 + 24 with 6 personal best times, 6 gold
medals and overall high point winner for the 15 and over girls age
category. |
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Corinne
McAnulty joined the Junior Waves program of the Valley East Waves in
the 2003-2004 season, following in the footsteps of big brother
Steven. Now as a 14 year
old competitor who has moved through the program from Junior Waves
to Group 2, Corinne trains hard five times a week for one and one
half hours at a time, she has really found her groove in sprint fly
events. Corinne who
attends Grade 9 at
Confederation
Secondary School
also competed for her high school swim team at the recent City
Championships. Corinne
attended the Fred Rams B Championships on February 23+24 in
Timmins
. With six personal best times
(what the Waves consider a perfect meet), 4 gold medals, a silver
and bronze Corinne was the overall high point winner for the 13+14
girls age category. |
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Laurentian University Nursing
Students Conduct Vital Signs Clinic |
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As part of their program, students enrolled in the
Laurentian University Nursing Programs are required to spend a number of
hours in community and clinical settings. On February 11, 2008, seven of
the students, under the supervision of Lynn Aubuchon, third from the right
in the photo, conducted a Vital Signs Clinic at the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre.
Shown in the photo, from left to right, are: Carrie-Ann Castilloux,
Marie Rose, Dominique Leroux, Renee Bertrand, Nathalie Lebeau, Lynn
Aubuchon, Charlene Quesnel, and Fatima Sankoh.
The girls are all part of the 4 year French language nursing program at
the school. |
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Canadian
Model and Talent Convention Could Be The Start Of A New Lifestyle
For The Collin Family
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A local family from Hanmer is one step closer to realizing their dreams.
The Collin Family are shown from top to bottom in the photo, includes,
Alyssa (8), Ashley (17), and Aubrey (11), They have successfully
auditioned to attend the Canadian Model and Talent Convention (CMTC) in
Toronto this coming May. At the CMTC, they will have the opportunity to
meet OVER 50 of the World’s Top Modeling and Talent Agents, attend
workshops and seminars as well as compete in several competitions.
Ashley is 17 years old
and has been in dance, acting, singing and modeling for 4 years. Her goal
is a career in acting and singing. She began at Paquette School of Music
as a vocal student when she was 10 years old. The family then moved to
Belleville
where she continued singing and acting and had a lead role in the school
play, Joseph and the TechniColour Coat. Upon returning to
Sudbury
and buying a home in
Valley East
, Ashley was enrolled in Diane Boulais School of Dance where she attended
for 3 years. In 2007 Ashley decided she wanted to expand her experiences
and joined Gauvreau School of Performing Arts. Since being at Gauvreau she
has been in the French River Trading Post commercial on MCTV, modeled
wedding attire in the local Bridal Show and modeled Fashions by Deedee at
the Sudbury Arts and Crafts Show at the Howard Johnson. Ashley began
secondary education at Bishop Alexander Carter in Hanmer and in Grade 11
transferred to Sudbury Secondary Performing Arts School where she is
currently completing Grade 12. She is a Drama Major, Vocal and Dance
Minor.
Aubrey is 11 years old
and a natural born actor and comedian. He has been professionally trained
for one year and his goal right now is to become an actor. Aubrey is in
Grade 6 at Immaculate Conception School. He enjoys being center stage in
any situation and much to the dismay to his teachers, easily engages his
peers with his stories and antics. This is Aubrey's first year of formal
training in the Arts and he has exceeded all expectations. He attends
Gauvreau School of Performing Arts and studies Musical Theater.
And finally there is
Alyssa. She is 8 years old and has been in dance, modeling, and musical
theatre for 4 years. Her dream is to sing and dance professionally. Alyssa
is in grade 3 at Immaculate Conception School. She attended Diane Boulais
School of Dance for 3 years where she studied tap, ballet and jazz. Alyssa
and her classmates competed in the North Bay Kiwanis Festival where her
group placed first for her division. This year Alyssa wanted to try
modeling and enrolled in Gauvreau School of Performing Arts. She has
modeled flower girl attire at the Bridal Show in
Sudbury
. She is also taking Ballet and Musical Theatre at Gauveau.
In order for the family
to attend the four-day CMTC, they must raise $7000 to cover the expenses.
The entire Collin Family will be set up at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre every Sunday in February from
11 a.m.
to
3 p.m.
They will be available to talk about their dreams of one day becoming
professionals and will be hoping for your support in helping them achieve
their goals. If you would like to make a donation to the family so that
they can attend the CMTC, please stop by their table at the mall. They
would appreciate any and all donations.
If you would like more
information, you can contact their mother, Carrie Collin by email at thecollins26@hotmail.com
or by telephone at 662-9105.
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