INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 “SPEAKING OUT - SARAH de LEEUW Thoughts on Mother’s Day t’s the haze of new grecn that let’s us know spring is here. The highwaters under the old bridge, the scent of cotton wood buds, people tuming over garden soil and raking lawns. May is rushing up to meet us with blue skies and tiny purple crocuses. Then there’s the advertisements on TV for Mother’s Day. A sure sign May is on it’s way. ° I-don’t own a TV. | grew up, for the most . parl, without one. One may think these facts would render me utterly uninterested in the box, Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is, I’m an addict. I have no will power against the thing. I’ve never be’ desensitized, I’ve never learned to look away. Tn my defence though, I do take it all in, and_ even the most trivial of TV tidbits I process | _ and think about, The bonanza of Mother’s Day commercials bamboozie me. Last May, they held me transfixed while cx- plaining that gifts of certain fast food poultry products, combined with instant cheesecakes, would make my mum.a happy woman. My mother, the TV told me, would love a shirl ta match her eyes, a perfume to lift her spirits, flowers to brighten her day, a card with balloons and sunrises. In. Canada, 83 per cent of lone- parent families are headed by’ women, and these mums can be ex- pected to have the lowest incomes of all family types in Canada, Now, don’t get me wrong, mothers deserve ‘a day of flower, favours and frivolities. ‘But every year, these flashy ads of happy mothers set me thinking. Is one day enough? What message is this one day only thing send- ing? What the true realities of mums? And what needs to be done, every day of the year, to lessen their tremendous loads? ’ According to BC’s latest statistical profile on women, 71 per cent of mothers with kids at home participate in the paid labour force. The, same source tells us women still carry primary responsibility for household chores and other unpaid work, spending an average of 5.4 hours per day on these duties, In other words, the average women works one job during the day, and another one when she comes home. Her husband, Stats. BC tells us, spend three hours per day on unpaid labour. So mum is still pulling in 2,4 hours more than dad when it comes to household work. "And that’s for the mums who are lucky enough to have a partner. In Canada, 83 per cent of lone-parent - familics are headed by women, and these muins can be expected to have the lowest in- comes of all family types in Canada, They also spend nearly three times as much of their (relatively small) annual income on child care. There’s more, At work mum doesn’t get to make the same amount as dad. Employed women in BC carn about 73 per cent of men’s wages, for the _ same type of work. The majority of women: (80 per cent) work in the service industry (retail, hotel, or restaurant). These jobs are traditionally non-unionized areas of work with little or no job security and little in the way of pensions or paid holiday time. 1 don’t ‘know, but sometimes I get the feel- ing a bucket of fried chicken with a cheesecake and a shiny sunrise card is not : going to cut it in terms of making my mum feel a whole lot better, Maybe I should just scrawl out an “‘T love you’: “Dear mum — this card can’! fix the fact you’re underpaid and undervalued in the workforce and often. at home, or the fact that you're more than likely running a single fi ily who’s living in poverty. But I just wanted” to Iet you know that from this Mother’s Day forth, I’m not going to spend so much time watching garbage TV and getting you per- fume which makes us both sneeze, Instead, I'm going to get out and lobby for your rights,”* The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 28, 1999 - 61 SECTION B ALEX HAMILTON 638-7283 ALOCAL STUDENT from thé Teen Learning Centre is one of 80 students in the northwest to win a new computer from the Samuel A. Munroe Scholarship Pro- gram. Sixteen-year-old Mannie Wesley, won the $2,000 computer for entering an es- say in the Skeena Native Development Centre's Stay in School scholarship pro- gram, ; ‘ft made my day,’ Wes- ley said of winning the com- puter and software package. The topic of this year’s es- say was ‘‘What is your un- derstanding of the trealy process?”’ Wesley focussed his essay on the Nisga’a treaty, in- cluding how the ireaty wiil impact First Nations people living in the Nass Valley. “Tt was a lot of fun writ- ing it up and researching it,’ he said. ‘T like re- searching.” He said he uses his new computer everyday to do homework assignments, SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: Mannle Wesley, a student at the Teen Learning Centre, won a computer for the essay he submitted in the 1999 Samuel A. Munroe Education Scholarship Program. listen to music and to draw using a painting program. The purpose of - the scholarship program is to encourage First Nations and Inuit youth from Grades 5 to 12 to stay in school and succeed in their studies, Directors of the Skeena personal computers, so they decided to award educa- tional scholarships in the form of hardware and soft- . ware. “*The computer is given as a tool for kids to use-to help’ for this year’s competition and awarded 80 youths for their contributions, Other Terrace scholarship winners included’ Lee Ann Huisman from Caledonia, Samantha Kirkaldy «from Native Development Saciety recognized — that many youths couldn’t afford them in school,” said John Amos, of the Skeena Native Development Society. Amos received 159 essays Cassie Hall, Marilyn Lag- modiere from Cassie Hall, and Michelle McNeil from the Caledonia Paces pro- CALEDONIA student Matthew RAcoker, 17, identifies vehicle parts April 1 16 at the Northwest Regional Skills Competition held at Northwest Community College. Students test skills FOUR CALEDONIA students won gold medals April 16 al a regional skilis compe- tition, earning their right to compete at the provincial championships next month. Jay Foster won the Architectural CAD ° division, Steve Miller placed first in the Mechanical CAD division, Chad Buhr won the Carpentry Division and Mark Rose tock first place in Web Site Design at the North- west Regional Skills Competition held al Northwest Community College. The purpose of the skills competition, which attracts about 1,000 students’ from across the northwest, is to identify the area’s top trades and technology students, The competition also gives students the opportunily to use and test the skills re- quired to be successful in technology and trade occupations. ‘We use this competition as a carrot to encourage students to perfect their skills all year long,” said Doug Brewer, Calcdonia automotive instructor, Students tested their skilis against indus- try standards in six different contest arcas: automotive service, carpentry, welding, ar chitectural and mechanical CAD and Inter- net web site design. Gold medal winners from the Northwest Regional Skills Competition will go on to represent their region at the 5th annual BC. Skills Competition May 11 in Vancouver. Brewer said Caledonia students fave -a history of excelling at Skills Canada com- petitions. Last year, Caledonia student Dalen Wiebe placed second provincially and second na- tionally at Skills Canada Competitions. Results ARCHITECTURAL CAD: Ist Jay Foster Terrace, Caledonia 2nd Wesley Tetreau, Hazelton 3rd Katherina Loschberger, Hazelton MECHANICAL CAD: 1st Steve Miller Terrace, Caledonia 2nd Ben Goertzen, Hazelton CARPENTRY: Ist Chad Bubr Terrace Caledonia 2nd Russell Walkom Hazelton 3rd Mike Van Herd Terrace, Caledonia WELDING: Ist Joshua Fendick Smithers 2nd Steve Malkowr Smithers 3rd Ryan Mattson, Hazelton WEB SITE DESIGN: -ist. Mark Rose, Terrace, Caledonia 2nd Andrew Baslarache, Prince Rupert 3rd Catherine O'Neil, Prince Rupert AUTOMOTIVE: ist Jeremy Liberman, Kilimat and Tom Fox, Terrace, Caledonia’. 3rd Mait Rooker, Tetrace, Caledonia -and> Canadian gram. Sam Monroe (Sim’oogit _K’iphaas) who the scholar- ship is named after was a Nisga’a elder who served First Nations people until he died Jan 9, 1999. As well as being a village administrator in New Ajyansh, Munroe was also a key figure in the develop- ment of the national Path- ways program, a {ederally- funded initiative intended to re-train and employ native _ people for the job market. In recognition of the dedication and service Mun- roc gave lo First Nations youth, the Stay in School scholarship program was named in his memory. Organizers need help with dry grad . PARENTS expect close ta 300 Grade 12 students at this year’s dry grad party June 30, That means they need help. Event planners need to raise about $10,000 for the party, which features carnival-style games, food, great tunes and dozens of prizes, Organizers depend on the generosity of businesses and clubs for donations. Volunteers are also necded to help prepare for the party. “There are 250-300 grads bul we haven't seen near that many parents out at mectings,’’ said organizer Sonya Smoley. Dry grad began three years ago to offer Grade 12 stu- dents a safe alcoho! and drug-free party. “It’s a fun party to bring cveryone together,’’ said organizer Sonya Smoley. Exclusive parlics leave people out,” she said. This way lhey can party ane Jast time as a whale group.” She explained that if grads want to drink, they can do so al other parties days before or afler graduation. To ensure no one drinks before getting to the dry grad, students are bused to the arena immediately after the cap and gown ceremony. Last year, about 80 per cent of the grad class (250 stu- dents) went to the party to soak in hol tubs, don sumo wrestling costumes and play games. Will this year’s dry grad be a repeat of the wet watergun wars of Jast year? Organizers are tight-lipped about what's in store for the grads at their year end party. If you would like to help out with donations or would like to volunteer your time, call Sherri Foster at 638-0247 or Cathy Morgan at 638-8837. Bring them back! Movie goers enjoyed an alternative to will come. At least that was tie case with the five independent films shown here in the past two months, “The alternative foreign films drew such large crowds of eager fans, organizer Sandi Jen- nings says she’d love to do -it again-next year. ~“Tt was better than we ex- pected,'’ Jennings said, “Demand for one of the films, The Red Violin, was 80 greal that 183 packed the theatre. | The first. iwo lms, Dirty and The Inheritors brought ‘in 40-and 50. movie goers, ’ Fifty-six t people — alterided Last Night, and 56 people went to. sce Kiichen Party. “T was surprised The Red Violin” did “as well as it did,’ said Adnan Enright, - owner of: Tillicum Twin back. movies watching Hollywood blockbuster films. . IF YOU show them, they Theatre. Enright said the artsy films drew in three limes as many people as the other movies playing on the same night. The Red Violin had 10 times more people than the other films combined,’’ En- Tight said. The lineup, called the In- ternational Film Series, is organized by Vancouver- based Pacific Cinematheque which sends the indepen- dent films from small town to small town, The Terrace Multicultural Society. and the Northwest Development . Association were responsible for bring- ing the films here. Enright sald he hopes the Multicultural Society brings . again next year, **] think overall people en- joved it,’* he sald.