4

ee:

Pes ret rereeakasteek oan cK Pere 5

NESE Ser nT CNTR OE IE AD

POTTS

“ee ee ae,

Sfioh ruth reese! aan

DUSTIN
QUEZADA

CHARLYN N TOEWS

RIP, Kip |

had a dream about a cougar recently, Lwas in
the woods near MK Bay Marina, I recognized.
the sandy soil and prickly pines. I was low to
the ground and stopped in fear when [ sawits |

‘golden flank.

Years ago, over a dozen, a kitten emerged from
under our shed in the back. yard. She was part-Sia-
mese, a lovely small thing with pink paws and nose,

_and her fur was mauve with beige and white.

A tiny, gorgeous creature. _

As she had a flea collar on, we knew someone
out there loved her, so we put ads in the paper and
informed the local shelter. Three hopeful women’
came by to see her so I caught her and held her up
at the front door. “No, no, it’s not her,” each said, as
my growing elation,‘held in check, matched their.
disappointment. Because of course I fell in love.

We named.the skinny little cat “Herc” — short

“for Hercules (to impart. strength) or after Hercule

Poirot, as she was a mystery.
As Our Cat, we took her to the vet-to be de-
wormed, given shots, and fixed. The: ‘young locum
said as he manipulated her, “This cat is’ pregnant”
— what? — “and there is-only one kitten.in there”
- — really? — “and she is due on ' Thursday.”
This was the Tuesday before Easter.. Sure

enough,’ early Easter Thursday, Herc jumped up
_ ‘onto our bed. She said, her loudest ever, “Meow!
' and one black kitten shot out the other end. Herc:

Man

took off, as young mothers sometimes do.
’ Fortunately, hubby was working from home,
and could be mid-wife and nurse-maid to two silly

- Kittens.-He would gather up the reluctant mother-
‘kitten and take her to her baby.

o

The baby kitten, first named
Kitten or Kit, then Kip or Kipling (a
jungle cat, atiny panther) becamean
expert tree-climber at a very tender
age. Zoom! Fast as lightning!

That summer we enjoyed watching mother-kit- ~
ten teach baby-kitten how to climb trees, specifi-
cally the apple tree in our back yard. Run this way!
Run fast, then up! Baby kitten would run a bit, then’
get distracted by a butterfly. Eventually: baby-kit-
ten caught on, because of their excellent built-in
chase refiex. See something running? Chase first,
ask questions later. ; 2

. The baby kitten, first named Kitten or Kit, ‘then
Kip or Kipling (a jungle cat, a tiny panther) be-
came an expert tree-climber at a very tender age.

- Zoom! Fast as lightning!

Later on, I read that a female cat, a queen, even

if fixed, will not be in a place where there are two .

queens. And I brought a squalling baby home from
Mills when Kip was just over a year old, and Herc
left soon after. ,
You know, we thought, “Oh, that is unusual for
Herc to be gone for four hours.” Then we thought, .

 “Isn’t it odd that-Herc has been gone not just

overnight, but for two nights?” Then we thought,
“Where the hell is Herc?” Eventually we realized
she was gone from us. Maybe she went home, to
where her people gave her a flea-collar. We adver-_
tised for a while, then we didn’t.

Meanwhile, we had had Kip. She would run
like a Good Mother every time our baby cried ina

_ high-pitched squeal: There I was, responding to a

late-night cry, and Kip was on the.case, fast.
_ “Thank you, Kipper-gal,. for appearing on the
scene. Were you planning to change this poopy —
diaper?

Or were you going to wet-nurse for me?” Natu-

-rally, she had no response. She was THERE for

me, though, there for the Baby. And a: high-pitched

_ call would bring her every time: Rapid Cat. “Kip!

Kipperrr!”

One time I left the kitchen to find. Kip and tod-
dler-son in cahoots. She would paw at the drawer
where the delicious rubber bands were, and Tod-
dler Son would open it for her. Kid opens drawer
(handy, those opposable thumbs!) and Cat would
consume delicous rubber bands. Mom then cleans:
up cat-puke containing said rubber bands.

“Quit it!” I shouted, as Human Mothers: do,
and the small mammals dispersed to their hiding
places. "

Sunday morning, this past May long weekend,
Kip decided I had slept enough and gently (claws-
in) poked me in the eye. I woke to her face in my
face, purring.

As of Monday May long weekend, she was -
gone, and we suspect an eagle, fox, wolf or bear.
But most likely, a cougar has taken her.

You can call a cat ail you like, but she may not
answer. “Kip, Kip, Kip! Kipling! Kipperrrrr! Kip-
per-gal!”

Mi

mw TERRACE STANDARD

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - B1

= Undivided attention

Students at PACES came in to the schoo! on their day off June 2 in order to take Child Safe First Aid course. From left, Leah Spalding, ‘
Candice Bryant, Heather Leavitt, Megan Brown and Nicole Makara take directions in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation from instructor
Ben Mattheis (out of frame), a teacher at Parkside Secondary. The school, a teen parenting program, gives its students the opportunity:
to take the training each year. ‘Nine moms and one dad took part in the course.

rm o ~ oUt
> ° dy Sutiey ?
Spe ory +. t

Wey WD AA >

Ne areat bo Donde aris.

yoo

DUSTIN QUEZADA: PHOTO 2 oe

Cala

By DUSTIN QUEZADA

A-GROUP. of 20 students enrolled
in a leadership class at Caledonia
Senior Secondary School has
become the first in the province to
earn recognition as Safe Harbour

ambassadors.

One of two teachers at the school
who has taken the workshop and
helped to present the program to stu-
dents says the session served a dual
benefit for the high schoolers.

Greer Kaiser said the students

were nat only exposed to methods of.
inclusive and accepting behaviour, --

but they earned {7 marks (out of a
required 80) toward their graduation
portfolio,

Safe Harbour is an anti- racism/

-anti-discrimination program that was. .
started in Nanaimo in 2004 and this _

March, members of the local Skeena
Diversity Society became certified

‘to teach the workshop.

The society has since led a hand-
ful of workshops, including the May
5 one for students.

Estelle Warren, the other Caledo- .

nia teacher, was at the first workshop

and felt it could be adapted for stu-  §

dents.

“Estelle was really excited,” said
Skeena Diversity’s Frances Birdsell.
_ Birdsell then got permission from
the Affiliation of Multicultural Soci-
eties and Service Agencies of B.C.
(AMSSA), which developed the
program, to tailor it forteens.

The sessions involve a Safe Har-
bour’ informational bricfing and
brainstorming exercises in which
participants identify who makes up
the community and in what circum-
stances people might not feel valued

"in that community. .

The teens mentioned in excess of
30 groups, ranging in race, sexual
orientation, age, religion and more.

‘Mona Horvatic, a Grade 11 ‘stu-

-dent, says: the exercises were ap-
plicable to the high school setting ©

where much of the community’s
diversity is evident and: where rac-
ism, bullying and ethnocentrism is
a reality.

“Tt was-an interesting workshop,”
Horvatic said. “We got to see things
from a different perspective.”

The workshop then involves ac-

tivities and scenarios where partici-
. pant Sam Louie said it allowed her

to feel how others might feel when
discriminated against and how to
prevent those situations.

“fm racism and bullying, the by-
stander has influence,” said Birdsell,
adding silence may be seen as con-

doning the act.

Birdsell lists calmly disagreeing
or refusing to participate as ways
students learned to combat discrimi-

(igh sch

AMBASSADORS for the Safe Harbour program include from ieft) Caledonia students Mona Horvatic,
Sam Louie and Rory Bird, who display proof of their training.

_ DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO:

nating behaviour amongst students.
It’s this type of knowledge that’s
needed in a multi-cultural’ society

like ours and why Skeena Diversity’

took the initiative to train the youth
in what has always been a workshop

aimed at people in businesses and

agencies.

“We really think it’s absolutely

key,” said:Birdsell of the youth train-

. ing.

Another benefit for the teens,
either on the cusp of working or al-
ready earning a part-time paycheck,

“yy

is the certification the training Pro-

vided.

“Honestly, - I was looking: for

something to put on my resume,”
said Louie.
With additional funding, Skeena

. Diversity is hoping to repeat the
exercise next school year and at

the urging of the teens they’ve just
trained, may explore involving stu-
dents in younger grades.

. Tim Welsh, program director with
AMSSA, says the Vancouver-based
group is pleased both with the local

initiative and its results.
_" “We've been so impressed with ,

Skeena Diversity’s - work,” © said |

' Welsh, adding AMSSA developed -

the workshop but it’s up to the local .
agencies to promote it.

“Having the students understand
what’s meant by‘diversity is key to .
the youth’s future acting in society,” -
Welsh added. a

_ Now, thanks to students and staff
at Caledonia, the school is the only

one in B.C. featuring the Safe Har-

bour decals on its windows.

638-7283