‘QUEZADA

B1 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 9 , 2005

DUSTIN

STARTING SHOT
_ DUSTIN: QUEZADA

‘New face i in town

full-time gig, I'll follow my editor’s ad-

working for the Terrace Standard.
It didn’t take much urging.
Much like the departed Jeff Nagel, (whom I'd

per) Rod Link hired me over the phone. Yes, he
interviewed me last February in the flesh at my col-

portunity. I am grateful for that.

So, after a crazy six weeks of planning, spend-
ing. and overstretched goodbyes, I’m ready to im-
merse myself in you, Terrace.

Not only am I embarking on‘a career, but I’m
starting a life in-a new city. I’ve felt a little’ over-
whelmed, but excited -(there’s that word again).
Everyone I’ve met in my first week here has been

on and off the job.

tackle as many recreational and cultural activities
» asIcan muster.
‘2 « Maybe, just maybe, ‘this born. and bred. big-
‘ city boy can be turned into Northerner. Mr. Nagel
stayed here for how long?
So, I ask for your patience as I learn on the fly
‘as’ your community news reporter, because it’s all
, hew to me. ” :

round Town

ike a dutiful young reporter in his first

vice and say how excited I am to be. here

liké to thank for his kind words in last week’s pa- ©

_Jege in.Vancouver, but he’s still giving me an | Op-

friendly; I look forward to meeting many. more both -

Speaking: of my time off the job, 1 can’t wait to ‘

Music festival needs
volunteer help
WITH THE Pacific Northwest Music Festival
celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, organiz-
ers anticipate a higher than normal need for help

from community volunteers.
Hundreds of volunteers hours need to be cov-

to April 23. To ensure a smooth operation, the fes-

and refresher sessions for interested helpers. |
Sessions will take place for those interested in
sectretarial and general volunteer duties at the City
Hall on Saturday, March 19. The secretaries’ ses-
sion will begin at 10 a.m., while the general volun-
teer course starts at | p.m.
For information contact Jo Anne at 635- 4299.

Workshop aims to ease
legal stress

sure to attend the last in a series of workshops orga-
nized by the Terrace Women’s Centre.

Michelle, legal aid worker from L’ax Ghels
Community Law, hosts the Legal Ease workshop
on how to access Icgal informtion on Wednesday,

Library board room.

Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be
provided. Child care subsidies are also-available by
_calling 638-0228 the day before the event.

Benefit from free
financial advice

man Resources Centre of Canada will present a free
financial benefits seminar focusing on old age secu-
rity and the Canada Pension Plan.

Richard Stebeck, an‘income security program

‘income benefits on Thursday, March 17 between
1 and 3:30 p.m. at the Best Western Terrace Inn’s
Skeena conference room.

For more information, contact Lora at the Ter-
race Hospice Society at 635-481 1 ‘or e- -mail at
terracehospice @ telus. net.

Concert generates

tsunami relief money

A CONCERT held at. the R.E.M. Lee Theatre
Feb. 21 has raised an additional $2,031 for the Red
Cross Tsunami Relief Fund. .

including various choirs, bands, local singer The-
resa Fenger, and guest performers Sall Gibson and
David Isaac.

“I was very happy.” ‘said organizer Theresa
"we get to showcase talent.”

She said she’s especially grateful for all those
people who volunteered their time for the show and
the support the event go from the community.

ered during this year’s festival, which runs April 7 _

tival braintrust will be holding special instructional ©

IF YOU'RE stressed over your legal rights, be

March 17 between 1-3 p.m. at the Terrace Public

THE TERRACE HOSPICE SOCIETY and Hu-

officer, will present current information on federal .

Called the Tsunami Relief Benefit Show, the .
concert brought together a variety of performers

" Fenger. “It’s pretty good when people help out and

‘By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN

CHAD. WELLS and Ashley Wells

say they couldn’t wait to get to

' class last semester when they were

registered in what’s become a wildly
successful option - Caledonia
Senior Secondary, school.

The two Grade 12 students are

alumni now of a unique First Nations

art class that recently concluded its -
“second year at the school. “

The program is taught by local
Tsimshian artist-Art Collins in con-

junction with the school’s art teacher

John Eckstein.
This was the second year Ashley
Brown enrolled in the course which

_ sees students first learn pen and ink —
drawing before leading up to a final

wood carving project.

’. This year that, final project was ~
~ a hand carved, sanded and Painted
, mask.

“We really got ‘into it,”

ondary school, says Collins.

‘The impetus came when she saw .
» CHAD Wells ‘and Ashley | Brown show off the wooden masks ‘they carved and painted in First Nations al

class they took last semester at Caledonia Senior Secondary school...

an opportunity: to offer. something

geared toward First Nations. Stu- -

dents. The class, however, is open to

all students and has been met with

rave reviews.

“We have students fill out feed-
back forms,” says Art Collins. “One
of the students wrote down that this
class made him want to come to

school. That’s a pretty great compli-

ment.” ~~ -
What sets this class apart from
others is a fervent desire on the

part of the students to be there and’

the proof is in the numbers. Few
students skipped the class, and of
the 25 students who registered, not
one student dropped the course and
‘many students put in extra time to

TERRACE

says.
Brown... :

The First Nations art class was’
originally the brainchild. of junior |’
high art teacher ColletteGouthier, ~
who has run a similar program with
great success at Skeena Junior Sec- |

complete projects.

STANDARD.

SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOT

a

“They really: ‘loved . their ‘work,

they wanted to be here,” says teacher ~

John Eckstein. “If other kids knew
how great the course was’ we'd. be
; turning kids away.”

~ While the focus is ‘on developing: er
_ the. students’ ‘artistic skills, Collins
_ Sees it as an opportunity for the stu-

dents - both First-Nations and non-
aboriginal ~ to ‘learn about the cul-

_tural history of First Nations people

in the Terrace area.

Collins incorporates story telling
and historical legends with the art
instruction. Students listen to stories

Program to increase

‘number of aboriginal

teachers in province

THE UNIVERSITY of Northern
B.C. is starting a new program here

in May that aims to increase the.
number of aboriginal school teachers ..

in northern B.C,
The Aboriginal Teacher Educa-
tion. Bridging program will be of-

- fered. at UNBC’s Terrace campus..

It’s expected: that about 20 stu-

dents will register in the program, —

which officials said will consist of
two semesters of courses.

The courses will include offer-

ings in math and science, English,
First Nations Studies, geography,
and writing and composition.

‘Only about 400 of the school

teachers in B.C. are aboriginal, de-

spite the fact aboriginal students’
make up about 8.4 per cent of the -
population, -

provincial — student
UNBC officials say.

It’s: estimated that the number

of aboriginal teachers in BC would
have to rise to 2,000 to reflect the

proportion of aboriginal students in _
-the school system.

“The development of academic

‘skills will be complemented by a va-

. ‘riety of field experiences and gener-
al exposure to’a university environ-

ment,” said UNBC Terrace campus
head Judith Lapadat.

“This” experience: will open the -
: door'to. future enrolment in a teacher:

education program, such as UNBC’s
Bachelor. of Education program,”
she said...

. The ATEB program will be coor-
dinated by Laura Gosnell, who will
be‘graduating from UNBC’s Master
of Education program this fall.

Gosnell is from Terrace and com-
pleted the coursework for her. mas-.

ter’s degree in Terrace. :
Lisa McLeod of Terrace, who =

is currently working al the Terrace
campus, will be providing student
support services for the ATEB pro-
gram. The program ties in. with
UNBC’s Bachelor of Education.

* program, started in 2002, which now
has 107 students in the elementary -

and secondary streams.
' UNBC also has: a teacher edu-
cation program in Hazelton, where
students are being trained to become
Gitxsan language teachers.

ve told by Collins and then illustrate a
- part of the story, bringing it to life.

. Students:'later: learned ‘to, carve
‘and ‘decorate traditional First Na-

tions ‘paddles before moving on to

their final project ~ carving a wood-

en mask.
“They have done magnificent

_work, T’m so proud of them,” says

Collins. “The quality of the art we
are seeing in this class far exceeded
my expectations.” "

'. Collins says for many of:his First
Nations students the course was vir-
tually the only exposure to their art-
ist cultural roots. —

LAURA GOSNELL will head upr new: Aboriginal Teaching Briding pro-

“4 anticipated that ‘most of th

~ kids_would be living ere with their

families and getting some exposure
to First Nations culture from. their
families,” Collins explains. ‘

What he discovered in nearly a

third of the students in the classes

are in the foster system,. many_of .

whom: are’ living in non- -First- Na-
tions environments. ° -

The class, he says, is a vehicle for
those students to overcome societal

barriers that may make it difficult to

access their own roots.

Continued Page| BS

gram to be offered at the University of Northern British Columbia’s

Terrace campus this fall.

ROB VAN ANDRICHAM PHOTO.

off her hair once she raises $2,000.

MUI LUC’S long tresses will soon hit the cutting room floor. The local
hairdresser is raising money for cancer research. She plans to chop

Hair stylists normally don’ t make’

the news for cutting hair, but a

local woman hopes to change
- that.

‘Mui Luc has been growing her
hair for two and a half years, but
she'll cut if off once she’s raised
$2000 for cancer research.

Luc, who. has been styling hair
in Terrace for 10. years, was going
to cut her long locks anyway.

“T leant over to put logs into the
wood stove and my hair flared up
on the bottom,” she said.

She lost her dad to cancer when
she was three. A longtime Terrace
nurse, Alice Chen-Wing, a main
sponsor of Luc’s family when she

DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO arrived in Terrace as a refugee in

“cause it

‘hazard. So Luc devised a way to’.

m Hair today, gone tomorrow. :

1982, also succumbed to the dis:
ease a few years ago. ,
Luc won’t shave her hair, be- ‘
“wouldn’t be good for
advertising,” but she’ll have it cut’
short by whoever gives the great-
estdonation. ~
She’s raised over $1500 through
word of mouth mostly from clients
and at Shames Mountain, where
she snowboards. .
Her hair, now measuring 31
inches in length, had become a

raise money for a good cause — and
one that’s touched her personally.

Her hair will be donated to a
store

Continued Page B3

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