Superintendent's News - School District 72 Home - Campbell River ...

JUNE 2009
Superintendent’s News
NEWS & HAPPENINGS WITHIN THE CAMPBELL RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
June 23
Board Meeting 7:30 p.m.
Agenda online: www.sd72.bc.ca
June 25
Last Day of School
September 1, 2 & 3
Pro-D Days
Schools Remain Closed
September 8
First Day of School
School Board Office and
Education Centre Summer
Closure
The school board office will be
closed from July 20 to August 21
and the education centre will be
closed from June 26 to August 31.
During the week of August 31 the
education centre will be open from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The last delivery date to the schools
is June 26. Please ensure that all
materials that need to be returned
to the education centre are in the
delivery for that day. The regular
delivery schedule will resume on
September 9.
For emergencies, please phone
the maintenance department at
(250) 287-8808 and check the local
newspapers and school district
website towards the end of August
for school opening information.
Honouring Retiring District Staff: Guests of honour at the district’s annual retirement reception
pose for a photo at the Community Centre on June 10. Congratulations and thank you all for your
contributions to our district and students during the course of your career. See the district website at
www.sd72.bc.ca to download a larger photo. (See page 2 for a list of this year’s retirees)
Highlighting a Stellar Year
As another school year comes to a close, it’s important to step back and
reflect on the changes and events that highlighted the year, and what
a remarkable year it has been! Below is a list of just some of the year’s
highlights. Wishing all district staff, students and parents safe and happy
end of year wrap-ups and summer holidays.
• Carihi and Timberline’s musical theatres proudly presented “Grease”
and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. Both productions received a
great deal of acclaim from the community.
• The Missoula Children’s Theatre once again showcased the talents of
district and Edaus students with their production of “The Adventures of
Robinson Crusoe”.
• The district’s third StrongStart BC Centre was opened at Sayward
Elementary / Junior Secondary.
• The EFAP Wellness Committee organized the first Wellness Fair on
October 20 and 21 at Robron Centre.
• School District 72 graduates Thomas Beulah (Carihi) and William
Sun (Timberline) were awarded the BC Innovation Council’s Science
Achievement Awards.
• Southgate student Rhianna Martin won the sophomore category of the
North American Braille Challenge in Los Angeles.
• Carihi’s music program got a boost with a $10,000 Band Aid musical
instrument grant from MusiCounts. Music teacher Jim Vining applied
continued page 2
photo courtesy of Janet-Ann Mahoney
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 1

Honouring Retiring
District Staff
As another school year comes to
a close, we celebrate the year’s
triumphs, the nearing of a well
deserved summer break, and
mourn the change in relationships
as students and colleagues move
on to other grades, schools or
roles.
To all those district staff retiring
this year, on behalf of the senior
management team and the Board
of Education, thank you. Thank
you for all that you’ve given of
yourselves for our students, their
parents, and your colleagues.
Best wishes to this year’s retirees:
• Donna Bayne
• Ingrid Boon
• Roy Brooks
• Jan Clark
• Doranne deMontigny
• Wayne deMontigny
• Bruce Davies
• Pat Denne
• Paula Douglas
• Ron Dworski
• Linda Dwyer
• Diana Eckford
• John Elson
• Marion Franklin
• Richard Franklin
• Dave Friederich
• Judy Greenius
• Pat Grono
• Dennis Harrison
• Manfred Hensel
• Jerry Horton
• Bill Johnston
• Jan Johnston
• John Kerr
• Mary-Ellen Lang Collura
• Janice Langley
• Manfred Laube
• Heather MacKenzie
• Ruth Niedziejko
• Marlene Noble
• Eileen O’Reilly
• Marilyn Peterson (CRDTA)
• Doug Phyall
• Doug Puritch
• Coleen Ray
• Janice Rickey
• John Ringstead
• Jeffrey Roe
• Brian Slater
• Barb Staton
• Jan Titus
continued from page 1
on the school’s behalf.
• School District 72 said goodbye to two Superintendents, Julie MacRae
and John Spry, but welcomed Tom Longridge back to the district as
the new Superintendent of Schools.
• Work got underway on the district’s precedent setting third Aboriginal
Education Enhancement Agreement. School District 72 was the
second district in BC to develop an initial Enhancement Agreement
and the first to sign a second agreement.
• École des Deux Mondes’ library got a face-lift in the form of a new
computer lab, new paint and flooring and improved lighting.
• With the municipal and school trustee elections, the district said goodbye
to two trustees, George MacLagan and Ted Foster, but welcomed
Ted Thorburn and Joyce McMann to the Board of Education.
• SD72 achieved a school completion rate in the top 20 percent of all
school districts province-wide.
• The Aboriginal Education Department hosted an Aboriginal
community forum, giving parents and community members an
opportunity to provide feedback and direction in establishing the
district’s third Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement.
• The artistic talents of SD72 students were once again showcased
through a successful two-evening Taste of the Arts. Twenty-nine
groups participated and Taste of the Arts raised a record $1,413 for the
Campbell River Food Bank.
• Secondary schools piloted online course selections through a new
CIMS product, Parent Connect.
• Over 30 youth from Carihi and Timberline’s Youth 4 Diversity groups
were awarded the Nesika Award. The award recognizes excellence in a
diversity initiative that successfully educates others on inclusion.
• The Aboriginal student recognition dinner honoured 43 students from
Kindergarten to Grade 12 for their leadership and exceptional work in
the areas of academics, social responsibility, athletics and citizenship.
• Over the last year, School District 72 has invested approximately
$35,000 to ensure that each school has an emergency preparedness
kit. Bins have been installed in all the elementary schools and will be
installed in the middle and secondary schools next.
• Sixty-two students participated in the district’s annual chess
tournament, the last to be organized by Dave Friederich who is
retiring. Dave has organized the tournament for the last 15 years.
• The EFAP and Wellness Committee challenged SD72 employees to
“Step-It Up a Notch” with this year’s pedometer challenge and the
committee themselves delivered, with the event culminating in a
celebratory walk/run through Beaver Lodge Lands.
• Expansion work began on École Willow Point Elementary. When
continued page 5
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 2

SD72 First Ever to Receive National Cystic
Fibrosis Award
School District 72 has been named
the recipient of the Julia Award, a
national Cystic Fibrosis (CF) award,
for the district’s ongoing efforts and
support of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation. School District 72 is the
only school district across Canada to
ever receive this honour.
The Julia Award is named after a young
girl who lost her battle with CF. It is
awarded to non-chapter individuals or
groups in recognition of a significant,
ongoing contribution to the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Retired SD72 principal, Bill Black,
on behalf of the Canadian Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation, and Risa Brachi,
the Campbell River chapter’s vicepresident,
presented the award to board chair, Helen
Moats and superintendent, Tom Longridge at the
board’s public meeting on June 2.
According to Black, there were several reasons why
SD72 was nominated including: district employee
involvement,; the district’s annual support of such
important CF events as the Bowl for Breath, the
Frightlite campaign, Christmas dance fundraisers,
and the Great Strides Walk; and the involvement of
student volunteers through the leadership and Interact
programs.
For the past 20 years, teachers, staff, administrators
and students have supported the Bowl for Breath
event, raising in excess of $250,000 and also educating
students about CF, charitable giving and volunteering.
Annually, the Frightlite campaign also raises between
$3,000 and $5,000.
Several past and present school district employees
have also held leadership positions at the chapter,
provincial and national levels of the Canadian Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation. For example, Grant Stewart and
Bev Ready help organize the annual Rod Brind’Amour
Golf Classic at Storey Creek Golf Course. Stewart is the
co-chair of this annual tournament, dinner and auction
for CF. This year’s tournament is scheduled for June 27
and tickets are still available for the dinner and auction.
“This positive relationship and support from the school
district has been instrumental in the success of our
Bill Black, on behalf of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Risa Brachi, Campbell
River chapter vice-president, presented the Julia Award to Board chair Helen Moats and
Superintendent Tom Longridge.
chapter,” said Black. “It is with sincere thanks from us
to School District 72 board members, past and present
teachers, CUPE employees, administrators and the
thousands of School District 72 students who have
helped make the life of children and young adults who
live with Cystic Fibrosis better.”
On accepting the award on behalf of the Board of
Education and School District 72, board chair Helen
Moats said, “This is a great recognition of how people
in our district come together and we really have to
acknowledge the efforts of Chris Black, a retired district
employee, in her tireless work to draw awareness to
Cystic Fibrosis.”
Chris and Bill Black’s daughter, Kim, a graduate of
Carihi Secondary, was diagnosed with CF as a baby
and is now a nurse. In light of their family’s struggle
with this disease, Chris and Bill formed the Campbell
River chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and
Chris is the past chair of the provincial association and
past national president of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation.
Another Campbell River high school graduate with CF
is Michael Hamilton, a Timberline graduate who is now
an honours science student at the University of Victoria
and aspires to be a doctor or researcher.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic multi-organ disease, which
affects primarily the lungs and digestive system.
According to the CF Foundation, approximately one in
every 3,600 children born in Canada has the disease.
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 3

No Shortage of Projects Slated For Over Summer
While students and many district employees are
enjoying a well deserved summer holiday, there are
several capital projects slated for the summer months.
Below is a list of the scheduled projects, along with the
associated cost projections and target dates.
Cortes: Boiler replacement ($60k). Work scheduled
for late June / early July.
École Phoenix: Building envelope restoration
($900k) BC Housing is managing this project and the
contract is expected to be awarded by the end of June.
Work could start as early as summer and carry on into
the new school year.
École Willow Point: Roof replacement and
expansion ($3.2m) Expansion work will begin in the
summer and continue into the new school year.
Ocean Grove: Building envelope restoration ($1.3m)
BC Housing is managing this project and the contract is
expected to be awarded by the end of June. Work could
start as early as summer and carry on into the new
school year.
Pinecrest: Fencing ($35,300) completion for end of
August.
Southgate: The seismic upgrade is on track to be
completed in August. Roof replacement of six sections
($511k). Partial re-cladding ($61,500)
Timberline: Fire alarm panel replacement ($20k)
Bathroom Renovations: Cedar, Pinecrest, Carihi,
École des Deux Mondes, Phoenix, Penfield, Oyster
River, and Southgate. ($30k). As many as possible will
be done during summer. No work will be done during
the school year.
Entrance Ways: Pinecrest and École des Deux
Mondes ($242k). Pinecrest work will be done the end
of June. EDM is targeted for completion at the end of
August.
Exterior Painting: Oyster River and part of
Southgate ($35k). Work to be done during July and
August.
Lighting Upgrades: Pinecrest, Ocean Grove,
Discovery Passage, and Sayward. ($185,500). Work to
start in the summer and will continue into the fall.
Transportation: Replace four school buses ($580k).
The bus deliveries are expected late summer/early fall.
Carihi Hosts Successful Provincial Soccer Tourney
Over 300 student athletes invaded Campbell River a
couple weeks ago in a bid to claim the provincial senior
girls AA soccer title.
Carihi Secondary played host to the championships and
while the home team wasn’t successful in winning the
title, they did receive great accolades as a gracious hosts
and skilled tournament organizers.
Over 400 spectators turned out to watch Vancouver’s
Notre Dame Jugglers win an exhilarating final with a
wonderful goal to claim a 3-2 victory over Kalamalka
Lakers.
On the field our local Tyees had a highly successful
tournament. Their first game saw them take on
Valleyview, the second place team out of the Okanagan
zone, and win 2-0.
The second game was against Archbishop Carney, the
number one team out of the Fraser Valley zone. Carihi
fought valiantly against this very strong team before
losing 3-1.
On the second day of the tournament, the Tyees
squared off against Duchess Park. A win would secure
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 4
second place in the group play. Our Tyees started out in
tremendous fashion and raced to a 2-0 lead within the
opening 15 minutes of the game, Carihi continued on to
win 3-0.
Next up, Carihi faced Broklehurst out of Kamloops.
Despite dominating the play, Carihi finished with a
1-1 tie. A shoot out followed and Broklehurst secured
victory with a 4-3 shoot out score.
On the final morning, the Tyees took on St. Thomas
Moore of the North Shore zone and with a win secured
seventh place, the best finish ever for Carihi at the
provincial championship.
Hopes are high that the team will once again grace the
provincial championship next season in what would be
the school’s eighth appearance in the past 15 seasons.
Kudos to tournament chair, John Jepson; the Tyee
players for all their hard work and graciousness as
hosts; all the parents for their support; Barry Kegler,
Linda Nagle and the grounds crews of SD72 and the
city of Campbell River; Carihi administration; Bill
Rasmussen; Carihi media; and the Carihi PAC.
see page 5 for some of the tournament accolades

continued from page 2
SOCCER
CHAMPIONSHIP
ACCOLADES
The following are some of the
thank you notes tournament
organizer John Jepson received
following Carihi’s hosting of the
provincial soccer championships:
• “Who chose the officials?
Please thank them! Finally a
group of refs who allowed the
girls to play!”
• “In all my 19 years of
coaching boys and girls I
have never attended such an
incredible banquet. My girls
didn’t want to leave!”
• “Thanks a heap for a very
memorable time. You have
outstanding fields and what a
memorable banquet!”
• “Thanks for putting on such a
great tournament. I’ve been to
a few national championships
at the university level and this
tournament was by far the
most organized and well run
event I have been to.”
• “It was the most amazing
tournament, most amazing
banquet, most amazing
weekend! Thank you so
much!”
• “The officials would like to
commend the organizing
committee, under the
leadership of John Jepson, for
a first class tournament, both
on and off the field of play.
The officials, to a man, had
a most enjoyable experience,
throughout the three days,
as part of what can only be
described as a true celebration
of the beautiful game.”
• “On behalf of the soccer
community, I would like to
thank you and your committee
for promoting soccer in our
community, developing young
soccer players, and for doing
such a good job of hosting
tournaments.”
• “Thanks for the great work.”
finished, the school will be able to accommodate up to 75 more
students.
• The Ministry of Education announced funding to repair and prevent
water damage at École Phoenix and Ocean Grove.
• Work began to improve the entrance to Pinecrest Elementary.
• Southgate and École Willow Point underwent seismic upgrades to
make these structures safer for students and staff.
• District and several community groups partnered to create a new
workbook to help special needs students’ transition from Grade 12 to
adulthood.
• Locally developed Liqwala / Kwakala Language Integrated Resource
Package (IRP) was provincially approved as curriculum for Grades 5
to 12. This achievement was the culmination of 30 years worth of work
by many within the Campbell River Aboriginal community and School
District 72.
• School District 72 was presented the Julia Award, a national Cystic
Fibrosis award given to non-chapter individuals or groups in
recognition of a significant ongoing contribution to the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. School District 72 is the only school
district across Canada to ever receive this award.
• Tchadas Leo, a Grade 12 student at Carihi, was one of five students
from across BC chosen as a winner of the BC 150 Youth Video Contest.
• The Board of Education signed the BC Climate Action Charter, which
commits that the district will become carbon neutral by 2012.
• Carihi Tyees secured their first North Island high school senior girls’
AA soccer championship title in 12 years.
• Timberline Secondary media student, Nikki Blondeau won first place
in the documentary genre at the BC Student Film Festival for her
documentary entitled, “The Sober Choice.”
• Carihi hosted the Subway Cup BC provincial high school senior girls’
AA soccer championship, receiving high praise from coaches and
parents for a skillfully organized event.
photo taken by Ken Zaharia of the Courier-Islander
Left: Ken Zaharia of the Courier-
Islander newspaper shot this picture
of Discovery Passage’s Ryan Smith,
left, and Willow Point’s Grady Kennelly
racing towards the finish line in the
1997 boys 400m heat at the district
track meet on June 2. The meet saw
new records set in girls shot put by
Sandowne student Michelle Laslo;
boys 400 metres by Penfield student
Andrew Schopp; 1998 boys shot put
by Penfield student Seever Rondquist;
and 1997 boys high jump by
Sandowne student Josh Nelson. There
were also six aggregate winners:
Olivia Knowles, Tyrone Martin, Cassidy
Hinsberger, Tyler Cathey, Megan
Nuttall, and Dennis Jang.
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 5

photos courtesy of Phil Cizmic
Aboriginal Science Fair Celebration
On Thursday, May 22, 166 students participated in an
Aboriginal science fair celebration at Robron Center.
Since January, grade 3-6 students from Georgia Park,
Cedar and Pinecrest schools had been hypothesizing,
researching, experimenting and concluding in order
that they could present their scientific findings to their
peers, parents, and family members on this special day.
Many of the scientific inquiries were Aboriginalthemed.
Students studied the medicinal qualities
of plants; creating paint form natural products; the
optimal displacement of different canoe designs; cedar
bark harvesting and weaving; and sound experiments
with different types and sizes of drums. As one might
also expect to see at a science celebration, there were
also inquiries focusing on modern “science” topics,
such as aerodynamics, but these were often connected
to traditional Aboriginal science.
This science fair celebration came about as a result
of a partnership between the school district, the B.C.
Science Fair Foundation and MISTIC (Mid-Island
Science, Technology & Innovation Council). The
purpose of the partnership was to increase student
participation and interest in science, particularly
the number of Aboriginal students. The partnership
exceeded everyone’s expectations. Patti Leigh,
executive director of the B.C. Science Fair Foundation,
was thoroughly impressed with the students’ projects.
“Typically when students do these science projects
the first time they are quite basic. These projects are
fantastic. They have graphs, tables and some students
have used and discussed independent, dependent
and controlled variables. The teachers have done an
outstanding job of teaching their children the scientific
method.”
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 6
written by Greg Johnson
Teachers and students involved in the science fair
celebration had access to Cape Mudge elder, June
Johnson, as well as language and culture department
teachers Patti Lamothe and Lisa Johnson to help the
students learn about traditional Aboriginal science.
Teachers Hendrick Horsthuis, Stacey Noren, Beth
Kingston, Mary Deagle, Cathy Macfarlane, Daryl
Stevens, Selma Kennedy, Tom Kennedy, and Walt
Klassen all found the experience a “roller coaster” and
were extremely happy with the students enthusiasm
and level of learning. Having met every two months to
plan and share information and assessment practices,
they also enjoyed the professional development aspect
of the project.
Unlike a science fair where students are judged by
adults, all assessment occurred in the classroom and
involved peer, teacher and parent feedback, which
allowed students to set goals and improve their projects
and oral presentations right up to the day of the show.
Students were welcomed to the traditional territory
of the We Wai Kai and We Wai Kum First Nations
by Pam Lewis and Jason Price. Following words of
appreciation by Patti Leigh, students shared their
topics with the other students at their tables. There was
also drumming, a scavenger hunt and a draw for an
indoor/outdoor microscope provided by Paris Gaudet
of MISTIC. Students from the Laichwiltach Learning
Program provided lunch for all participants and, in
the afternoon, Science World came and did a science
demonstration for all the students.
Based on feedback from students and teachers the
day and learning throughout the project were very
successful!

Network of Performance-Based Schools
School District 72 was well represented this year in the North
Island Network of Performance-Based Schools. The Network
of Performance-Based Schools is a voluntary action research
community designed to improve student learning and to
strengthen public education. Network schools represent the
diversity of public education in BC with small remote rural
schools, large urban secondary schools, schools serving
vulnerable populations, and schools in affluent communities all
being part of this learning community.
Participating school teams of teachers and principals develop a
question that becomes the focus for their school improvement
work on an annual basis and commit to collecting baseline
data, working over the course of the year on their key question,
assessing students using the BC Performance Standards,
attending three meetings and displaying their findings at a yearend
celebration of learning, and writing a two-page report of
their inquiry work including suggestions for other schools.
photos courtesy of Kim Padington
The following Campbell River schools participated this year:
Timberline, Phoenix, Southgate, Ripple Rock, Willow Point,
Discovery Passage, Quadra, Penfield, and Sandowne. Be sure
to check out the presentations prepared by Campbell River
educators at the September Pro-D days.
Planning for next year?
Download the 2009/10 school
calendar from www.sd72.bc.ca
The calendar features three noninstructional
Pro-D days before
Labour Day and a two-week
Spring Break in April.
Campbell River
School District
Learning to Be Our Best
Superintendent’s News is published
regularly for employees of the
Campbell River School District.
Feedback is always welcomed.
For more information, please
contact:
Jennifer Patrick
T (250) 830.2333
E jennifer.patrick@sd72.bc.ca
For all the latest news in the
Campbell River School District:
www.sd72.bc.ca
Summer School Applications
School District 72 will once again be offering a variety of programs to
support learning through the summer. Academic programs for middle
and secondary students will be available through Summer School 2009,
which is being held at Timberline Secondary School from July 2 to
July 31.
All core academic courses through Summer School will be offered at
no charge to students. A $50 refundable textbook deposit is however
required upon registration. A limited number of non-credit programs,
such as summer band and computer animation, will be offered as well,
but have a fee attached to them, as noted on the application forms.
For elementary students, there are also a couple of summer programs
being offered through the month of July at Georgia Park Elementary.
School District 72 is also offering entrepreneurial and arts in education
summer programs.
The registration deadline for Summer School 2009 is June 26.
Application forms are available at the school board office, Continuing
Education, each of the middle and secondary schools, or the district
website at www.sd72.bc.ca
For more information on summer learning opportunities in Campbell
River, check out the district website or contact John Bowers, Summer
School principal, at (250) 923-4253.
superintendent’s news june 2009 page 7