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stouffville suntribune thursday nov 18 stoufiville says by hannelore volpe alyshia higgins do you think students should be forced to stay in school until theyre 18 asked at stoufiville district secondary school sue leroy j ibbbbtggiftfaf 4 mrs sf 3pli w v first the government worked to get rid of oac now they would be reversing themselves co op programs would be ideal for them but the government hasto provide adquate funds rob butters no they shouldnt it is not for everyone to pursue learning in an academic setting it would not benefit all students tracy nllpiilbj mantziouras hp- h fflsm keep the age at 16 kids can make their own decisions they dont have to be forced into doing something they dont want to do they should have the right to drop out- james upton yes they should so teens wont make a mistake theyll regret the rest of their lives staff photomike barrett signing simon popular childrens author simon rose signed copies of his books for emma cooke left erin devenport brittany barber britney brunelle and miranda clayton during a visit to summitview public school in stouffville lights fight downtown crime by hannelore volpe staff writer brighter lighting in down town stouffvilles back alleys and laneways should alleviate some security concerns for residents special security lighting protected by sturdy wire enclosures should be installed on a number of town and pri vately owned buildings and facilities whitchurch- stouffville council decided tuesday night we will encourage every one to come on board with this project said eric button chairperson of the bia business improvement area it is for everyones benefit several landlords are on the bia board of directors dusk to dawn owners of buildings in the bia core will be requested to install or upgrade to high pressure sodium lamps after installing the 200 light fix tures property owners will be responsible for keeping them in good working order the lights will stay on from dusk to dawn the town will install secu rity lighting at the silver jubilee club the lions gazebo on main street and the grand stand in memorial park the total cost of upgrading light ing on townowned property is 1500 councillor susanne hilton a member of the bia board made a resolution at tuesdays meeting that leisure services staff investigate the status of lighting on the grandstand with the aim of upgrading and replacing them with suitable lights that they definitely need to do something about the youth vandalism in this town larry irwin downtown merchant arent overlybright for the neighbourhood she also requested security lighting for the rest of memorial park be explored the owner of the pet stop rebecca stanley thinks lights are a good idea she finds her store is a big draw with young people coming to look through the window insurance agent larry irwin of the cooperators who had a large storefront window smashed in the spring at his main street location is also in favour of the move he believes the lights will be a deterrent but isnt adverse to using security cameras if theyre needed as well he would also like to see a curfew in parks unless there is a planned event they definitely need to do something about the youth vandalism in this town he said hot spots socalled hot spots were identified by the bia and stouffville community pol icing centre earlier in the year york regional police received a map of highabuse areas in town from ruth leblanc the bias manager she met with town staff about a year ago to request security lighting be installed to prevent loitering and van dalism ms leblanc requested york region police step up patrols in downtown stouffville the new lights shouldnt affect tenants in apartments above stores on main street paul whitehouse director of public works said pointing out the lights will be angled down they would provide securi ty lighting for residents when they leave for work in the morning and when they return he added briefly 30 entries already in santa claus parade the christmas season officially kicks off dec 4 when the santa claus parade hits stouffville sponsored by the stouffville kinsmen club the parade starts at 2 pm at cam fella boulevard and 10th line and heads for main street and downtown stouffville bruce gribbon a parade organiz er noted 30 entrants are already reg istered and by parade day he expects the number to top 100 entrants include bands floats from local schools businesses and service groups and walkers and driv ers decked in their holiday best to register a float band or other entry call 9056405004 the com mercial float entry fee is 25 there is no charge for nonprofit groups alyshia higgins school emailing parents to help keep parents updated on their childrens progress stouffville district secondary school is sending out a weekly email newsletter to make it work however princi pal arlene smith needs addresses of more parents or guardians about 250 are on the list so far notes and newsletters sent home with students only reach about 20 per cent of parents ms smith said as well as letting parents know about events the newsletter includes students attendance and marks arid teachers phone extensions several other schools including markville secondary in markham and huron heights in newmarket have adopted the electronic format advantages include saving costs of paper and photocopying which could go toward other school supplies parents can provide their addresses by emailing stouffvilledssyrdsbeduonca hannelore volpe quoteworthy oust to see the joy in the kids faces that day will be worth it const mark lau on toys for tots campaign see jim masons column on page 6 contacting us have a news tip please phone us at 9056402612 email us at jmasonyrngcom visit us at 34 civic ave stouffville for real beef lovers the new bk steak burger o 2004 burg king corporation uod under ltcon