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6 stouffville suntribune thursday may 3 2007 stouffville 0mtoufivde mm suntnbune 6290 main st stouffville on l4a1g7 wwwyorkregionconn publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief debora kelly business manager robert lazurko director interactive media technology john futhey director advertising marketingpartnerships distribution barry black director circulation systems lynn pashko director debra weller york region printing general manager bob dean editorial new school more than a building the opening of the new stouffville district secondary school is more than a ribbon cutting more than a photo op for the provincial government and york regions public school board more than simply your tax dollars at work the old school shuts down next month a day of games ceremony and celebration is planned for june 1 the old place deserves its day it has launched the lives of thousands of local residents marriages and families have been created here careers have been started lifelong friendships sparked a building doesnt accomplish that people do teachers and students volunteers and administrators a building can help though the new stouffville secondary at weldon road and hoover park drive opens in september with it are new and added facilities and capacity for hundreds of addition al students a triple gymnasium auditorium cafeteria and expanded technical departments are some of the anticipat ed highlights the old school like markham district high school is getting tired our students deserve the upgrade so does our community schools arent just places of learning they are community centres for sports clubs theatre groups specialinterest organi zations churches and political parties it remains a shame the theatre so many in this community want wasnt at least given serious consideration by town council it could have been a per fect fit stouffville secondarys image can only improve with the opening of the new building its been on an upswing in recent years an awardwinning music pro gram helps so do the championships won by its athletes including the boys and girls ontario hockey tides captured this spring graduates moving on to successful educations careers and lives are the topper a scan of the photos of graduating classes and sports stars at the old school reveals a group of future politi cians community leaders and entre preneurs whitchurchstouffville can look for ward to more of the same and an even brighter future for our next generation at the new stouffville district secondary school starting in september letters to the editor volunteers didnt pay way to africa to ridicule demean children re offensive photo shows lack of respect for less- fortunate letter to the editor by james simm may 3 let me start by offering my apology to mr simm im sorry you found the picture offensive and insensitive i do appreciate your passion and willingness to defend the equal rights and image of this child never has there been any hostility as a result of this particular picture even when it was printed in another paper last year what you depict as a foolish grin demeaning an african child i see as the compassion of a 79-year- old man trying awkwardly to blend in and relate to a culture so foreign to us do you think ron elliott was attempting to ridicule and demean a child he travelled so far to meet and support with this gesture perhaps if i had a picture of mr elliott as he walked to the job site with five or six children jostling just to hold his hands every day your letter might have sung a different tune there is no doubt in my mind that ron and everyone who has been to igoma has a big heart for the children and community we acted like children because they are so pre cious to us and are at the heart of the stouffville igoma projects mission the children would run to catch up with us on the way to work every day yelling mzungu which means white person that walks around in circles obviously poking fun at us they reciprocated our love and worked with us to accomplish the greater good whats important is whats being done to help the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 6290 main st stouffville l4a 1g7 emailjmasonyrmgcom or fax 9056408778 mr simm i havent forgotten about the child in me and neither has mr elliott a stouffville resident who on his own time and money travelled to igoma to head up a construction team put up mosquito nets and entertain children as a senior in this for eign environment we learned more from them about living than they did from us we didnt travel that far to appear smart and superior we went there to help and came back humbled im sorry i have a personal flaw in remembering names we went to igoma because we care and a small and insignificant gesture in the background of a picture wont change that im no hero by my actions but stouffville has become a hero to igoma for the work that has been done hearts have been transformed in this town for the people who have gone and the people who support this humanitarian effort justin kerswill stouffville off the top with jim mason molding woodworkers and hobbyists with cuttingedge humour forget renting a banquet hall forwally curries retirement bash theyll celebrate in the woodworking shop of stouffville district secondary school with the big saws routers and stock of lumber its only fitting ive spent half my life in that one room he said i spent more time with these kids than my wife twentyseven years and thousands of woodshop students later mr currie will turn off the power to room 115 for the final time next month the equipment will move to the new school at hoover park drive and weldon road mr currie 60 will move on im not retiring just changing jobs he said actually returning to his old job after a 27year break he was making cabinets and doing other carpentry in the 1970s when his partner returned to farming training someone else didnt excite me he said so he obtained his teaching degree and launched his new career training hundreds of whitchurch- stouffville teenagers every year about 100 of them took up wood working as a career and i hope a lot more have taken it up as a hobby he said at his home in cookstown on the farm he has lived his entire life he has- taught 300 adults the hobby during the last 19 years theres a waiting list to take the fall and winter evening classes you dont talk to mr currie without exchanging oneliners its in the curricu lum at least unofficially a sense of humour will carryyou a lot further than an education he says he has high praise for his students their parents and his fellow teachers and not just because hes leaving i leave with regrets he said but it is time to go im at the top of my game and im leaving with excellent memories former students and staff are wel come to the retirement party june 14 at 4 pm sense of humour required jim mason is editor of the suntribune letters policy the suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the suntribuncrcscrves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space letters to the editor the suntribune 6290 main st stouffville on l4a 167 jmasonyrmgcom editorial editor jim mason jmasonyrmgcom interactive media marketing advertising manager dawna andrews dandrewsyrmgcom advertising retail manager staceyallen sallenyrmgcom classified manager ann campbell acampbellyrmgcom assistant classified manager bonnie rondeau brondeauyrmgcom production team leader sherry day sdayyrmgcom fdsftj canadian orautons aun board member ccab editorial 9056402612 fax9056408778 advertising 9056402612 classified i80o7433353 fax 9o564o8778 distribution 9056402612 suntnbune a york region media group community newspaper the suntribune published every thursday and saturday is a division of the metroland media group ltd a whollyowned subsidiary of torstar corporation metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across ontario the york region newspaper group includes the liberal serving richmond hill and thornhillvaughan citizen the erabanner newmarketaurora markham economist sun georgina advocate york region business times north of the city yorkregioncom and york region printing