fT

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP: Avery Archibald, Felecia Arbuah,
Kelly Austin, Karyn Audet and Sharlene Barger had mixed emotions about gradu-
ating —- thay were looking forward to university and the future, but sad about
leaving behind friends; lan Bohle receives his high school diploma from
Caledonia principal Geoff Straker; Emotions ran high as grads celebrated an end
to school; Students waited patiently for ceremonies to begin — followed by a

night of parties,

Looking to the future

THIS YEAR'S graduating

class at Caledonia
Secondary said goodbye to

13 years of school at :grad:

cefemonies ast’' Friday
night. Valedictorian Kosta
Sainis revisited the past with
classmates, hitting on

highlights of growing up to- '

| gether. Below are excerpts
from his speech:

“Tonight is a night filled ©

with memories, realized
dreams, and a pack of unru-
ly teenagers ready to toss
A their caps and get the party
underway. True, this chapter
of our lives, known to us as
formal education, is coming
to a close. However, we're
not leaving without taking
with us countless recollec-
m tions of the good times and
a bad.
7 Looking back, it seems
like only yesterday that we
4 were first dragged kicking
and screaming through the
doors of our first year of
pre-school. Here, we
learned to incorporate nap
lime in our everyday lives.
It seemed like a worthless
skills then, but it sure came
in handy during CAPP 12,
didn’t it?

As time passed, we floun-
dered through numerous
sandboxes and school yards
as we made our way to
grade 7, where we lived the
high life as the ‘big kids.’
Then, sadly, we were sent to
junior high where we real-
ized there were people a

whole lot larger than our-
selves and that we weren’t
on the top of the food chain
anymore, .

Oue thing I remeniber
about junior high was mect-

Kosta Sainis

ing up with our now princi-
pal, Mr. Straker, We seemed
to make quite the impres-
sion on him back in those
days, because for some rea-
son, he tried to escape to
Caledonia. Litle did he
know that we were hot on
his heels, cause when we hit
the double digit grades, the
class came back the very
next year.’”

‘Now on the last leg of
our joumey, we made our
way to Caledonia, home of
the Kermodes, the ‘‘Chen-
stand,’? and a certain math

teacher

bell.”
“Tn our lives we have set

goals and have had dreams

sporting a

of the future. Some of these _
dreams are coming tre
_ even as I] speak, For we

have accomplished what we
have set out to do for 13
long years. The right to
stand up here, proud,
honoured, wearing a cap
and dress to receive a piece
of paper that signifies all
that you have all accom-
plished something great.”’
“No matter what we de-
cide to do, if we are

q determined and strive for
7 what we believe in, then |

have no doubt in my mind
that we, the graduating class
of 1997, can accomplish
anything that stands in our
path. .

We will never forget the
parents who have raised us
— we thank you. Class of
*97 will never forget the
teachers who have taught us
—— we thank you. But most
of all never
memories we as the class
have shared together.

Tonight we awake and (he
dreams are now all a reality.
They will inspire us and
heip us to move on,”’

Class of ‘97... when] see
you all ten years down the
road — I will look back
proud and honoured, to sce
that we have all become
successful and have accam-
plished our dreams,’’

cow

forget the -

a

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 2, 1997 - AS
ee

The Mail Bag

Tolerance issue silly

Dear Sir:

This issue of teaching homosexual tolerance in
schools is getting somewhat silly. So let me add to the
silliness.

Sure it can be cruel to call names and make fun of
people, and as the saying goes kids can be cruel. But
how far should we take this teaching tolerance. What
about the child that is over weight or has a big nose?

These children are target of name calling and abuse
— fatso, faity fatty two by four, beaker. etc.. They go
home crying and ridiculed, so should we then have a
class to teach over weight and big nose tolerance?

What about bald people, they are called baldy,
chrome dome etc.. should we have a class to teach.
tolerance of baldness?

How far do we take this? Do we have to have a
tolerance class every time someone feels offended or
feelings get hurt?

On a more serious note, this teaching of morals and
values in school docs concern me,

I feel an institution or government shouldn’t be tak-
ing away the parents responsibility and right, Morals
and value teaching is the parents job. We can't have a
institution telling people what our morals and values
should be.

School is reading, writing and arithmetic, not how we
should think. It borders on society mind control, which
is a scary concept,

You can’t have others imposing their view on people
through a tax run institution, Behaviour cannot be
legislated.

Ken Newman
Terrace B.C.

Gay protest alarming

Dear Sir:

Oa Saturday, June 7, two opposing groups rallied in
Vancouver, Parents rejecting homosexual curriculum
in schools were confronted by a crowd of homosexuals
and their supporters. The event was recorded ‘on
BCTV.

Pushing and cursing, the homosexuals shouted a
chant over and over: ‘Ten percent is not enough.
Recruit, recruit, recruit.’’

This explains quite clearly why parents are con-
cerned.

Wanda Kerby
Terrace, B.C,

Radar critics confused

Dear Sirs

Councillor Rich McDaniel’s latest rejection of photo
tadar misses three major points,

He states that because he was elected he can say what
is brought into his city and what is not.

He overlooks rules and regulations set down by such
statutes as the Criminal Code of Canada, the civil laws
of Canada and B.C.; and the Bible ‘under which -all
councillors live, the Municipal Act of B.C,

And he overlooks the wishes of his constituents (a
common fault of politicians after election day).

Photo radar is just a high tech tocol of law. If you
don’t like the law, change it, eliminate speed limits and
let the carnage begin.

Councillor Hull notes that Harris in Ontario got rid of
the radar, (but makes no mention that Klcin in Alberta
allows photo radar) and congratulates him for that.

But Harris is going to use other high tech tools, the
notable one being a ‘hand scanner’ to positively LD.
welfare people so there will be no cheating (similar to
Clark’s ID card that got him into trouble),

Tt is now obvious that, in common sense Ontario
people on welfare are subject to all the high tech scan-
ning, while the people with a $60,000 Mercedes can do
120 in a 30 zone and risk only a high speed chase
against a cop on a bicycle.

Why all this fuss against radar? Because it’s an NDP
idea.

When you get in your car you know the laws and the
risks, be they photo radar or black. ice. Drive accord-
ingly. If you want to steal the government’s ‘cash
cow’, don’t speed,

Les Watmough
Terrace, B.C.

Rock climbers scary

Dear Sir:

Recently I have seen some scary scenes at the Onion
Lake Crags rock climbing site, Those involved were in-
experienced or worse yet, were being introduced to
clinbing by someone who had limited knowledge of
the sport, but had a bag full of gear,

Two examples are: 1) a belayer not watching his part-
ner struggle through an overhang, while the belayer’s
brake hand wasn’t even on the rope; and 2) the use of
tow slings to rig a top rope with no carabiners for the
rope - the rope was passed through the slings and they
were lowering form this set up.

To the belayer I suggest an experiment, Tle a 150 tb
bag of rocks into your next top rope and hoist it 60’ in
the air while you have it on belay with your figure 8.
Have someone behind you hold and then telease the
rope while your brake hand is held in front of you - try
to catch the fall. Have gauze nearby for your hand and
use an old bag you don’t care about.

To all climbers, it’s in your best interest to fully in-
struct and watch your belayer. To the climbers using
stings, throw the ones you were using away — the heat
generated by lowering climbers has. made them

suspect. Buy two locking biners for the bolt hangers -

and two oval biners used in opposition for the Tope.
Cheap, safe, almost fool proof.

If you are thinking of trying rock climbing or are new
to the sport, do yourself a favour and learn the basics
before you hit the rock. Enroll in a basic climbing
course (available in Terrace), or buy some books on
rock climbing.

Nobody would — ] assume --- purchase a parachute,
pack jt themselves and jump from 9,000 feet wlihout
nstruction.

Why would you rock climb in ignorance of the forces
applied to you and your equipment, where hitting the
deck from 60 feet would result in \ your being just as
dead?

Murray Minchin
. Terrace, B.C,