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Finissants en francais

First french immersion group graduates

A FAMILY breaks up after this
Friday night’s Caledonia gradu-
alion ceremony.

“Tt’s going to be extremely
hard,’ said Michelle Rutherford,
one of the nine students in Ter-
_race’s first ever french immersion
graduating class, ‘‘We’ve grown

“-as a family and now most of us

will be going away.”’

Almost all the graduating
french immersion students started
together at Kiti K’Shan in kinder-

‘garden, moving through the fled-
pling program together.

The close relationships the stu-
dents formed over the last 13
years makes the job of teaching
them challenging, said Ruther-
ford.

“To beable to teach our class
is really difficult because we're
so tight,” she says. ‘A teacher
that can understand us and how
we stick together is rare.””

AS kindergarden and

. elementary students the group be-
“came the butt of playground
jokes, sald Rutherford, making
them band together from the be-
‘ginning,

“We got teased a lot because
we seemed weird,”’ she said. ‘It
wasn’t always mean bugging —
it: was mostly just things like
‘french fries’?

Daniel: Coderte, also a 1994
french immersion graduate, re-
members. the same __ initial
response, -

‘*Kids laughed at us at frst,’’
said Coderre. ‘*They thought we
were trying to be French people
for some reason.”

Parents
support
french

FRENCH IMMERSION is the
great Canadian compromise, says
Sue Trombley, president of the

Terrace’s Canadian Parents for

French (CPF).

“If you can-speak the language, |

you can understand the culture
and you bring people closer,”
Trombley said.

Sandra Parr, Terrace CPF
treasurer, also sees french immer-
sion as a truly Canadian program.

“These kids will not succumb
to the negative forces trying to
pull our country apart,”’ said Parr,
whose daughter Brin graduates
this year in Terrace’s first french
immersion class. '‘They will not
be influenced by a negative
bigotry against Quebec because
they share Ihe language.”

While there may be economic
benefits to bilingualism when ap-
plying for jobs, Parr does not see
money as the main reason for
supporting french immersion.

“You have to look beyond the
economics of it to see that it’s
ebout communications with other
people and other countries,” she
said.

Although most school board ad-
ministratars now support CPF’s
arguments for french immersion,
said Trombley, parents still have
to remain involved.

“We have to continually push
for the program because we're at
the whim of the school board,’”
Trombley said. ‘The Ministry of
Education does not make it
mandatory so it can very easily be
jaken away from us.””

The job of CPF is to generate
classroom numbers by educating
parents and giving the program a
high profile.

Without CPF, said Trombley,
Terrace’s french immersion pro-
gram would not exist.

The tune has changed since
then, he said, because people now
see the bencfits of french immer-
sion.

“Most of my friends wish
they’d done it now and think it’s
cool,’ Coderre said, ‘‘In their
regular french classes, they’re
just learning lo say ‘Je m’appelle’
and I’m basically bilingual.”’

While Rutherford now also sees
the pros of the immersion pro-
gtam, there were limes she did
want out.

“Around grade five, I really
wanted to quil,”” she said. ‘‘T
thought it would be easier to be in
english classes like my other
friends.”*

She owes her bilingualism to
her parents for keeping her in the
program, said Rutherford.

“The french program has
Motivated all of us,’’ she said.
“We've been told so many times
how many opportunities french
would give us that we’ve taken it
to heart.””

Graduating from Caledonia’s
french immersion program along
with Rutherford and Coderre are
Konrad Grueger, Erin Parr, Carl
Goodall, Lana Geier, Jennifer
Zucchiatli, Robin Koelh and
Natasha Young.

Rutherford pians to travel to
Quebec and France next year be-
fore starting university transer
courses at Northwest Community
College.

Coderre will be working in
Ryoun-Noranda, Quebec for the
summer.

i,

DANIEL CODERRE and Michelle Rutherford are two of the nine
students in Terrace's first french immersion grad class.

FRENCH IMMERSION Grad Class 2006: Caitlin Narstrom, a Kiti K'Shan french immersion kinder-
garden student in Madame Waltz's class, points to the month of her birthday written in french.

The program started when a
group of Terrace francophones
went to the school board asking
that their children be educated in
french.

They were told that programme
cadre, which allows students with
french-speaking parents to
receive french education, could
begin with a minimum ten stu-
dents, ;

In 1981, the first french immer-
sion class in Terrace started with
18 kindergarden students.

That same class graduates this
year with nine students, only two
of which have a francophone
parent,

The class size dwindled because
students cither moved from Ter-
race or dropped out of the pro-
gram, Trombley said,

One of the most common tea-
sons for parents taking their child
out of immersion, she said, is be-
cause they see their child having
problems and feel unable to help.

“Usually a child who has prob-
lems with french is going to have
problems in regular english
classes,”’ according to Trombley.
“Even if a parent speaks english
only, all you need io dois get out
the french-english dictionary and
work with your child.”

Parr sees the concerns of
parents as the biggest problem
facing the french i immersion pro-
gram.

“Parents Eeel thal they won'l be
able to help their child,’’ Parr
said. “I don’t know how much
help most parents are ta their kids
in math elther, but that doesn’t

Sue Trombley

make them take their kids out of
math class,”’

Tales from other side of classroom

A PATH was cleared by the 1994
french immersion graduating
class, says Caledonia principal
Geoff Straker.

_ “YT think they’ve been real trail-
blazers because they’ve had to
overcome some outside ap-
prehensions,”’ Straker sald.

The class has always been a
tightly-knit group, said Straker,
who has known the students since
they were in grade elght when he
was principal at Skeens Jr.
Secondary, .

“It’s kind of a circle-the-
wagons effect with them,’’ said
Strakez, “‘They may be harsh to
each other, but if anyone else
challenges one of them, look
out.’*~

“J think Ibey've had some mo-.

ments of tears and pain together,
as their teachers have also had
with them’?

Caledonia french immersion
teacher Estelle Mitchell will attest
fo the tials and triumplis of
teaching the class. ;

“It’s really Uke teaching a
bunch of siblings because they
know each other so well,”
Mitchell said, **They have their
pecking orders and roles well-
established.”’

While the group dynamics
make teaching the class intense,
said: Miichell, it is enjoyable be-

cause they want to leatn and im-

prove their french skills.
“‘They’ve become. really com-
fortable . chatlering away: with

Quebec exchange’ students,”” she

said, adding that oral abilities
Tange from excellent to average
within the class,

Grade 12 french immersion stu-
denis take only Erench class, chial-
lenging them to find ways to usc
their french outside the class,

Although {he fmmersion stu-
dents don’! have english accents,
said Mitchell, francophones
night know they speak french as
asecond language by their hesita-
tions and use of english sentence
structure.

**T think they are more comfort-
able. as- Canadians by speaking
french and Having a foot in both
cultures,’? she said. ‘Il gives
them another outlook because
‘Quebec is not the unkown to
these Kids. ”

Estelle Mitchell

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 15, 1994 - AS

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag

Bewildered by column

Dear Sir:

The headline on Claudetic Sandecki’s June 1 column, ‘*A reason
to be skeptical,’’ was most appropriate, As the owner and publisher
of Maturily magazine, I read her criticism of myself and Maturity i in
absohite bewilderment.

I purchased Maturity from the bankruptcy trustee in April 1992,

The past owner had not.published for several! months and tumed no ~

records over lo the bankruptcy courts. All of Ms. Sandecki’s un-
fortunate subscription experiences in 1991 were with the past
owner, a person I have never met nor spoken to,

Ms. Sandecki writes, “‘When a newspaper prints a reporter’ S arti-
cle beating the drum for a service or product, I expect much more. I

trust the reporter and the newspaper io offer me only reliable

businesses, ’”

No one could argue with such a noble statement, but Ms,
Sandecki does not apply these same high standards to her own writ-
ing. One phone call to our offices would have cleared up the entire
issue,

When I phoned her to discuss the article, she said it was not up to
her to phone Maturity and confirm facts or details. She admitted
there might be a problem with some of the facts but that no harm
was done to me or Maturity. In dosing, she stated, ‘I did not do
anything wrong, ”

Legally she is probably right. But did Ms. Sandecki give any
though! to how much damage her misleading column could cause to
a small company and to the owner who has his entire life savings
and home at tisk?

The issue is bigger than damage to me. It is about ethics and {n-
legrily in the press and the responsibility of writers to ensure that
what they put forward for public consumption is beyond reproach.
Her lack of journalistic professionalism destroys a little bit more the
public confidence in the media.

Ms. Sandecki refers lo Maturity as a ‘so what’? company and me
as a publisher who ignores my readers. She owes me-an apology.
and she owes it to her readers to retract these statements which \ were
based on ignorance, not fact.

If she fails to provide her readers with accurate information, it is
she who should stand accused. of ignoring her readers and she will
be relegated to the status of a ‘‘so what’’ writer,

In closing, I encourage your readers to pick up a free copy of

Maturity at any branch of the Bank of Montreal or ITP travel -

agency and see us for what we really are: a magazine committed to

enriching and Securing better lives for Canada’s maturing popula-
tion.

Donald A. Causton,

Publisher, Maturity Magazine,

New Westntinster, B.C,

- Stinging accusation —

. An open letter to Norman Prest

Dear Sir:

In response to your accusation of a company that has ‘no concem
or respect’ for its employees, insinuated in your Ietter dated June 4, -

1994. A very stinging accusation!

In regard to the situation about the employee you mentioned; we.

would like to inform:yow that. immediately after’ his injury -he.was.

given the best'of. care: that we could provide under ‘the circum-
stances dictated on a day to day logging operation. ,
He was attended to-by three Industrial First-Aid Ticket holders

Lo

along with the rest of the immediate crew. He was transported to.

Milis Memorial with ample First-Aid attendants and upon his ar-
tival was promptly attended to.

That same evening he was visited by the chairman oF the logging
division safety committee. The following day a follow-up. visit was
done by the woodlands division foreman, to find out how your

friend was doing and to find out the exact extent of the employee’ 5.

injuries.
This information was then passed on to the rest of the employees.

‘the following Monday morning, and upon receiving this informa-|

tion the general consensus was a feeling of relief. Relief because it
could have been a more serlous injury.

Mr. Prest, you are very vague on your quote ‘this company did

not have a representative for these types of situations.”

We would welcome any solutions or ideas that you may have to

make situations of this nature more relaxing for everyone involved. .

As to the “respect and concem,”’ this company has a very high:

percentage of long term employees with many having a very good |
rapport with supervisors and management, The respect from both

sides is there,

It is very compelling to see-such public concern for your friend

and his employer, but in future’ Mr. Prest, could you be a little more
specific on who and what you ate addressing?

Employees ax and | safety committee of the company,

wed , _ Terrace, B.C,

THE START IS FOR PEOPLE LEARNING TO READ

The Start

Human rights
DO YOU think you have a human rights problem? _

The provincial government wanls to know. more..It- has.

hired Bill Black. He is a professor at the University. of -

British Columbia. And he'll be here June 22;:

Black is going around the province to listen to people, ;

People in other towns say it is hard to get news about

human rights.

They also worry about what might happen until ‘their

case is heard.

The Terrace meeting takes place at the college in.

Room 213. That is on the second floor of the main

building. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. »

Land claims.

MIKE SCOTT says he is worried that people | might not’

accept land claims, He is the Member of Parliament
(PAR-LI-MENT) for Skeena,
The problem, says Scott, is that there is not enough in-

formation about land claims. And if people do not’ have.

information, they will not support land claims deals.

So Scott is going to hold meetings this simmer, He
wants to hear what people think about land claims. And .

he is going to give some facts and figures.

Afier Scott holds smaller meetings, he will bold a big :

one. It will take place i in Tertace i in early fall,