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Saved by the bell? NOT!

MAKING CHANGE while making spending money is Gord Birch, a 17-year-old Caledonia student who works part-time at Safeway he enjoys the money and experience he gains at work.

Cash motivates student to work

PERSONAL CHOICE, not necessity, drives Gord Birch to work part-time while going to school.

Birch, .a 17-year-old grade 12 student at Caledonia, works as a Safeway cashier between 16-25 hours per week.

As he still lives at home, be said extra cash is the motivating force behind trying to balance studying with working. ~ “T own a big truck that takes a jot of gas and there’s insurance and. parts along with that,’” said Birch, ‘Plus I like having money for spending on entertainment and doing things with my

friends,””

While he sometimes has to work 25 hours a week, Birch said 20 hours is usually more than enough for him to handle.

“On the weeks I work more than usual, it definitely affects my school because I’m tired for my morning classes,’’ he said. ‘“You just have to work around it and make sure you get everything done that needs to get done.”

Birch said working gives him a satisfaction school has never pro- vided him with.

“T love working - it’s all about being friendly to the customers and doing something practical,”’

as a cashier. Birch has been working since he was 15 and says

he said. ‘It sort of prepares you for what there will be in the world after school.”’

Getting home from school at 3:30 p.m., grabbing something to eat and doing a half-hour of homework before going to work at 4:30 p.m. is typical day for Birch.

**Afier working until about 9:30 at night, I just come home, go to bed and do it all over again the next day,” he said.

Although he enjoys having his own source of income, he wishes he had more time to spend with his friends,

“I can’t really cver sce them

during the week because I’m al- ways either working or trying to

_get my home work done or catch-

ing up on my sleep,” Birch said.

He has been working part-time since he was 15, first at the Skeena Mall A&W and now at Safeway.

“Tm not really interested in school sports but I can’t sit around in one spot like a vegeta- ble — I always have to be doing something and work gives ine something to do.’’

After graduating next June, Birch plans to take a BCIT plumbing apprenticeship.

Principal points finger at changing society

SOCIETAL .-PRESSURES are leading more and more kids: to fecl.. they need to work while going to school, said Caledonia principal Geoff Straker.

“Society tells our kids that they need lots of clothes and vehicles to fit-in,” said Straker. ‘‘They’re left with the impression that they

_ Must have a job to make moncy.”’

While he acknowledges that

some students work out of neces- |

sity, Straker said the majority of students he sces work because

Clarke short of choices

THE CAREFREE school days of a teenager are mythical to Lisa Clarke, an 18-year-old Caledonia student who juggles a full course load with a full-time job. ~ Between classes, homework and her waitressing job at Denny’s, Clarke has a 70-hour

_ work week.

“JT don’t have a social life at all,” she said. ‘I’ve completely missed out on having a teenage life —- I don’t know how long I can keep this up.’’

Although Clarke now lives at home with her parents, she chose

” to move out on ber own when she

was 13 years old, While she initially tried to stay

~ in school while working part-time

at a fast-food restaurant to pay her bills, Clarke said she was un- able to keep up with her expenses on part-time wages and dropped out of school.

She continucd her schooling Wbrough correspondence courses while working full-time but was still swamped with bills.

Add the the expenses from a car accident she was found responsible for last November to unpaid bills dating back five years, and Clarke is now strug- glingi opm 18 years old and I’m $20,000 in debt,’’ Clarke said. “t's a matter of either dealing

_ withthe school or the bill collec-

tors,”!

Aftér being out of school for five. years, Clarke retumed 1o school in grade 10 at Caledonia in September.

Initially she was working a shift that began al 2:00 p.m., causing

they want the moncy.

“T think we really need to ask oursclyes why we have changed as a socicty so much that school- ing has a second-class rating,’* he said. ‘The reverence with which education is held is lower than it was 10-15 years ago.”’

He said he sees students choos- ing to live on their own or be- come parents at younger and younger ages, two of the reasons some studeats find it necessary to work,

On top of attending classes 20 hours per week, Straker said the minimum amount of homework for senior secondary students should be 10 hoursa week.

*You’re looking at a 30-hour job a weck just to go to school, and then you add work on top of that?’”’ he said. “I think these kids are trying to do two full-time jobs and I don’t think you can do either one successfully at the same time.”

At the same time Straker

LISA CLARKE serves up the coffee during 01 one of her waitrassing shifts ¢ at Denny’ S, The Te-year-

praises employers for giving stu- dents the opportunity to work, he also thinks these employers must be careful when criticizing the school systent.

“There is a segment of the workforce that is critical of the students coming out of the sys- tem, saying they don’t have enough skills and competence,” he said. ‘Yet some of these people are willing to employ stu- dents for up to 40 hours a week.”

ald works full-time at the restaurant while attending Caledonia full-time.

her to miss the final class of the day.

She said the school was under- standing of her siluation initially, but she ended up missing too many classes.

“About two weeks. ago my teachers were saying they’d have to expel me because I was miss- ing so many of the last classes,”’

she said.

She approached her boss at Denny’s, Randy Chalifoux, hoping to rearrange her work schedule.

“He was really understanding .

and we've worked it out so I can start at 3:30 p.m.-and work until 11:00 par m. or s0,””. ‘she said, Ad

ding that she will start alternating a 40-hour week wlth a 20-hour weck.

“I’m bound and determined to gtaduate in June 1996, no matter how hard it is,”? Clarke said,

After gradvaling she wants to complete a degree In nursing at the University of Alberta.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 26, 1994 - AS

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag

Still unanswered questions

An open letter to; Hon. John Cashore Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

Dear Sir:

I would like to reiterate the three points ] addressed to you at the Oct. 13 open house at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre. ~~

Firstly, the South Kalum Community Resources Board, which is engaged in the process of assembling a Land Resource Manage- ment Plan for the Kalum South Timber Supply Area has a rea- sonably broad profile of sectoral perspectives at the round table with the exception of First Nations.

We do Lave a Tsimshian band member from Lax Kw’ alaams, Port Simpson, but all other bands and tribal councils owing to other

commitments and position stances on resource issues have so far

elected not to participate with the board.

We do get a filtered trickle-down of their concems through a forest service nalive liaison officer, but not sufficiently enough to grasp a holistic understanding of each nation’s perspectives on forest values.

” This lack of face to face interactions between First Nations and

~ our board has frustrated the work and indeed compromises the qual-

ity of its results.

I stated a personal question concerning the financial settlement of the various land claims throughout B.C. — some 42 at present count. I remain very apprehensive about the constructive good that vast lump sums of cash injected into settlements will achieve in the mid to long term for respective tribal and band council's individual families and constituents.

I can endorse their preater role in co-management and stewarding of the resources, and the strengthening of their community fabric and building blocks such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, language, culture, cic,

If an apportionment of settlement funds could somehow be at- tached to community to community bridging of trades, vocational, marketing and computing skills in an accountable manner, leaving the details and specifics of the business plans to the First Nations recipients, I would find the process much more conscionable and supportive.

Your ‘Resolving Land Claims in B.C.’ - Progress Report No. 1 contains the statement ‘‘continucd access to hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities will be guaranteed’? needs further elabo- ration with respect to free and unfettered access to those activities which were formerly just that on Crown Lands.

These privileges which are inherent to all B.C. citizens and Cana- dians must not be infringed upon in settled territories (native resource management arcas) so contemplated under the current ne- gotialions and those yet to take place.

Your government’s recent policy paper on backcountry tenures

has stated that proprietary righis to structures and facilities on the land bases and water courses cannot preclude the inviolable right of the public to freely access and trave] through these areas. _ The understanding is that if actual approved facilities by tenure holders are utilized or in some sort advantaged by the general recreating public, then compensatory cost recovery fecs are permis- sibie.

What I do not want to sec, especially regarding those persons or groups parlaking in non-consumptive recreational pursuits are fces, surcharges, permits, licences or other forms of bureaucracy affect- ing the unhindered access to natural resource values,

How can you assure myself and many others that native resource management areas will embody this quintessential valued privilege to the recreating public when land claims are being negotiated?

ongle. oe “Gerry James Bloomer, Kitimat, B.C.

oe eg Se _- Meetings appreciated Dear Sir: - ;

I would like to- thank The Terrace Standard for the meetings pre- sented recently on the subject of First Nations’ land claims.

Both sessions were highly informative and provided unprece- dented access to pivotal figures in the claims negotiations process,

Judging by the slight attendance at the final session, it is apparent that most Terracites now fee] themselves adequately informed on the topic and have few unanswered questions and absolutely no ex- cuses for ignorance,

For its contribution to condition of the body politic, The Standard deserves commendation for its exemplary forporate citizenship. Again, thanks. ; ;

John How, Terrace, B.C

Hel; p given when needed Dear Sir: :

Although Rwanda reminds us “of mankind’s cruelty, it also demonstrates how the people of British Columbia respond When they see others in need.

I'm told that Canadians struggle with compassion fatigue and cynicism. Yet the golden rule of ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ seems to live on. ;

This province gave some $1,550,560 io help relleve the suffering people of Rwanda, It is an amazing feat in a country struggling out of a recession.

My message is simple. On behalf of the recipients of this help in Rwanda, may I express our deepest gratitude. Your support is help- ing us locate parents of Jost children, assist farmers; provide medi- cal aid and perform a host of other humanitarian activities,

Of course money is not everything, but it is a good indicator of people’s allitudes and belicfs about what is important.

, , J. Don Scott, President, World Vislon Canada, ' Mississagua, Ontario

THE START IS FOR PEOPLE LEARNING TO READ

The Start |

Flu season

IT’s THE flu season ‘again. The health unit is giving out shots. es These are for elderly people. They are also for people who have trouble breathing. And people who. have heart

_ problems can also get the shots.

The shots contain dead flu viruses from last ' year. oe That helps to protect people from the flu this year. ©

The shots will be given out until December. Some companies are buying flu shots for their workers. They say that will help cut down on. sickness,

The companies also have. to hire a nurse: fo: ‘giv ‘the

shots... uo