Curing incompetent politicians WATCH OUT Gordon Campbell - young script- writer and drama director Adrian Houghton is armed with parody and he knows how to use it. ‘Houghton is the master- mind behind “Kelloop's Rice Krispies,"” a play he penned for the young the- spians of the Terrace Little Theatre’s drama days sum- mer camp. “It’s about a scientist “who invents a cure for in- competent politicians,” explains Houghton, who's been working as an in- structor at the TLT for the past two summers. “It gets stolen and it’s a mystery to find it.” Houghton says he got the idea for the play from the kids, who wanted to do a mystery. ‘The play started out making fun of Gordon Campbell, says Houghton, but then he ended up crea- ting a character called “Tuckwell Day.” “Kelloog’s Rice Kri- spies” runs at about about 30 minutes and was per- formed for an enthusiastic audience of parents and friends at the end of the July drama days session. “It's a really good thing to watch your play being done and done well,” he says. After working at drama Working with imaginati DRAMA INSTRUCTOR Adrian Houghton hams it up with acting student Amanda Kelly at the TLT camp. days last summer, Hought- on caught the acting bug and joined Caledonia’s drama club. He played a priest ina play called American Beauty. “It was about this girl who was almost inhumanly beautiful and no man could resist her,” says Houghton, “The priest tries to get her to kiss him — there was a bit of a con- flict of interest.” Houghton says his ex- perience with the drama club allowed him to bring fresh ideas to the TLT camp this year, At drama days, Hought- on uses various acting games to help kids ages 6- 13 get their theatrical feet wet. “It's a lot of games you see in [the TV show] Who’s Line is it Anyway?" he says. “We want them to have fun [with acting]. That’s pretly much it.” Although Houghton works with a handful of other co-instructors, deal- ing with groups of over 25 kids can still be a chal- lenge. “The hardest thing is getting everyone to lislen : and talk one at a lime,” he says. Houghton will be start- ing off a degree in Biology | at the University of Victor- ia next year, but hopes to stay involved in theatre. “T like script writing,” he says. “I think it’s just the fact that you put a Tot of work into it and it pays On TO DEAL with the challenges of her job at the Terrace Child De- velopment Centre (C.D.C,), Pam Vanderled keeps a few tricks up her sleeve. Or, rather, her pantleg. Vanderled ralls up the cuff on her ‘pants and displays her secret weapon — socks. Her socks are covered with bright orange prints of Tigger, a popular character from Winnie the Pooh. often become so distracted by the socks they forget what was bo- thering them. This is Vanderled’s second summer working with children with special needs such as atten- tion deficil disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome and autism. Vanderled accompanies spe- cial needs children to local pre- schools and daycares through a special program at the centre. She helps provide the support perience. “After getting to know {the children] they do such neat things,” she says. “How they think is completely different.” While working with one little boy, Vanderied used various flash cards to help him understand when it was time to do different activities. “You would never think brains work that way,” she says. As a student assistant, Van- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - AS Hangin’ at the liquor store LOCAL RESIDENT Al Lehmann was one of those who tried to gather enough signatures on a petition fo have a referendum on proportional representa- tion. Here's his story. By AL LEHMANN ’ 1 CALLED the loca! B.C. liquor store, A cautious voice agreed thal. | could set-up outside as long as I] could provide evidence about the initiative that could be faxed to head office in Vancouver. On my ‘kitchen table | created) a small, card- board, table-top sign sporting the words “Free Your Vote!” in red magic marker. | gathered my petition materials, sunglasses, sunhal; and -a novel for the empty minutes, and headed for the liquor store. A woman arrived from the back of the store and glanced through my materials. “The boss said it was no problem,” she said matter-of-facly. “1 just need to fax a copy of the petition.” She indicated the entryway. “There's a table and chair out there,” she added. “Don’t get in the. way,” she added hopefully, “I know — don’t hassle the customers,” I replied. “Exactly,” she said. Beside the liquor store entrance ] assembled a TV tray and chair pravided by the store. | withdrew four slick pens from my pocket, adjusted my hat and glasses to minimize the glare, and sat down. “What's this all about, then?” queried the first person. I ex- plained the general concep! of proportion- al representation and the nature of the peti- tion. “Sounds good to me,” he asserted. He slipped the pen from my outstretched fingers, printed his name and address on * the petition, and Al Lehmann * signed with a flourish. Minutes later one of the store’s BCGEU workers popped out and signed. “I'll have one for you to sign later,” she said. “What about?” | asked. “Privatizing the Jiquor stores,” she stated. A dapper gentleman in a cotlon golf shirt climbed out of his sedan 20 feet away and headed toward me. “What’re you up to today?” he asked. I recag-. nized him, a mutual fund and insurance salesman ; of Jong acquaintance. “Oh, just practising being a rascal,” | answered. He bent and carefully added his signature. While he was in the stere two men in their thir- lies arrived. One had lost his front teeth somehow, an accident which didn’t prevent his smiling broadly .at almost.every;remark. He asked what.the . petition had to.do with the Liberals... “bac ceed. “]-hate that f----n’ Chretien,” he asserted loudly, then’ hughéd. “You miean Campbell,”' his’ more"! serious partner corrected him. “Wasn*t for him, we'd be workin’,” he stated emphatically. derled helps certified instructors ‘lead: activities such: as arts and ‘crafts, drawing and:story time. * One‘ of Vanderled’s favorite ac- tivities so far has been showing children how to make needed to integrate the children into: mainstream-programseiii -ia#WVanderled says -working with:: ‘children with disabilitiés has beén~ a powerful and eye opening ex- “If you’re having a hard day ( with:a kid;:an-easy thing to: do. is sayy ‘hchave something tovshow i you’? she explains. 0° Vanderied says the children Pam Vanderled “volcanoes” using baking soda, vinegar and red dye. “It was a hoot,” she recalls. Vanderled says that occasion- ally other children don’t under- stand the special needs of the challenged children. “They’ll be running around and everyone says: ‘Well why can’t we do that?” But she says most of the time, kids are just kids. the job has been learning from ex- perienced child care workers. “My discipline skills have tot- ally changed just from watching the other educators,” says Van- derled, who also teaches piano and saxophone lessons. This fall, the 19-year-old in- tends to ‘attend Trinity Western University to get her bachelor’s degree in music. “Him, too,” stated the first. Both signed. “Damn government clased the jail,” said one. “T used to like to go to jail. Naw you can’t even go to jail.” He pave me his gap-toothed grin. Then,’ “You couldn’t spare a toonie, could ya?” When | * demurred, the two wandered away across the parke . : ing lot. are signing this petition,” his car. “Pm impressed with the discriminating sort. who observed my grinning © salesman friend as he passed on the way back to The afternoon passed. Signers were a mixed group — relirees, loggers from camp, an employee of a fishing guide, wives, husbands, students — — | even an illiterate man who insisted on trying to print his name in kindergarten-sized block Jetters. -_ Although Vanderled once had dreams of becoming a fashion de- signer, lately she’s been thinking about being a music teacher. “It’s really interesting when you see two kids with specials needs working together,” she says. “It’s exciting when they get exci- ted about it.” experiences life. CALEDONIA STUDENT Jen Haynes spent some time learning the ins and outs of fire fighting as she prepares for a career In emergency medicine. According to Vanderled, the One of the best things about She says she’d definitely like she’s had working with children can be translated *T into many other situations in her says to keep working with children in the future. like kids, how they come up with things you'd never think of,” Vanderled. “Their imagina- tion is so big.” Experiencing the front lines JEN HAYNES likes being in the thick of things. That's why riding shot- gun in one of the Terrace Fire Department’s shiny red trucks was the perfect — job shadowing opportunity for the 17-year-old Cai stu- dent. Thanks to a new career preparation program, Haynes had a chance to learn about the ins and outs of fire fighting for school credit. After graduating next year, Haynes hopes toa work in emergency medi- cine. “The emergency room would be interesting — there’d always be action and you'd never be bored,” she says. Haynes has already job shadowed at the Mills Memorial nursing unit this summer, but the fire de- partment let her exper- ience the front lines first hand. Donning a bright red jumpsuit with “Ron. the firefighter” embroidered on. the pocket, Haynes dived right in and learned all about fire truck equipment, hydrants and hoses. “(The hoses are] really heavy, especially with the water pressure,” says Haynes. “You have to be teally strong.” She also accompanied the firefighters on building inspections, helping to check out fire exits and smoke detectors. But the most impressive thing was the actual fire- fighters. “They work hard, 10 hour shifts. They’re on call ; a lot,” says Haynes. She admires how the firefighters give back to the community. “They’re always ceally friendly and wave,” she says. “And if a fot of kids are around the truck they let them play with the butions and stuff.” While Haynes has: en- joyed her time at the fire: department, she’s poing to stick with other ambitions. “(Medicine] just inter- ests me,” she says: “II's ‘something to accomplish.” Some wanted a lengthy explanation of the issue ~ and asked intelligent questions. Others simply looked at my sign, took a pen, and added their names without so much as looking me-jin the eye.” As he wrote, one added , “Everybody bitches about. politics. [t's good to see somebody doing some-. : thing about it.” ae Most who stopped signed, although there were. many who walked quickly by, eyes averted, unwil- ling to be drawn in by some unknown solicitation. One skeptic looked me in the eye and asked, “How did you vote in the last election?”. When - answered NDP he looked darkly at me and expres- sed fervently his belief that they had been no bet- ter than (he communists who had run Russia for 75 years. After further discussion he added that the Liberals were a lot like fascists, though. He, too, did nol sign. ; A First Nations man emerged froma late-model van and questianed me closely. On hearing that under proportional representation the..Liberals.. would not have elected as many MLAs during: the last election, he bent quickly. and signed. “They opposed the Nisga’a Agreement,” he said gravely. ture. The afternoon wore on. My arms were becorning sunburned. A large 4X 4 rolled into the lot. A man and. his’ - wife began unloading empties from the back. Sev-. - eral cans dropped free and began rolling around the slanted pavement in the breeze. While he unlaa- ded cases onta a shopping cart, she gathered toge- » ther most of the lost cans and they headed inside . togeth. On rdy oul each stopped ‘to sign the: peti- : tion. They climbed back into the truck, noticeably .- without any new liquor, and pulled away. | won- dered how badly they had needed Ihe money. ae ‘By four o’clock.1 had had enough. A ‘cursory: in- ° spection showed more than 50 signatures. I gath- -ered together the petition materials, replaced the’. chair and TV tray and thanked the manager. A whiff of breeze rustled my shirt, and [ heard a familiar rattle. An empty beer. can was still rolling erratically around in the breeze, up a slope of. pa- - vemenl, then back down to rest agalnst a storm drain. Bs “B.C,” J thought. to myself, qT ‘climbed. ittto my: Civic and headed for, the post office (1 lo ‘mall away : “the names. eo, as He left a two-dollar donation along with his signa- -