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6 stouffville simtribune thursday nov 15 2007 istouflville sunlribune 6290 main st stoufmile on l4a 1g7 ywvwyorkregioncom publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief debora kelly business manager robert lazurko director interactive media technoijogy john futhey director advertising york region printing distribution general manager barry black bob dean director circulation systems lynnpashko editorial legion deserves our respect it was quite a week for stouffvilles branch of the royal canadian legion one of the largest remembrance day crowds this community has seen during the last 25 years gathered but- side branch 459 sunday morning veterans and their families politi cians and other community leaders joined other residents to remember the sacrifices canadians particular ly whitchurchstouffville residents made during war earlier in the week news broke that the branch will likely be forced to move talk of eliminating the jogs where the ninth and tenth lines meet main street has been going on for more than 20 years politicians and bureau crats are now getting serious at least where the ninth line is concerned improving traffic flow especially with stouffvilles population steadily growing is the impetus fair enough as anyone who has been stuck in the maze of traffic lights and backups in the neighbour hood can attest to the loss comes with the removal of several family homes at least two businesses and the legion branch thats not easy all contain fam ily histories memories and pieces of stouffvilles heritage that cannot be replaced the legion is sacred ground to many veterans built the branch with their own hands after the second world war its precious so is the work the branch does in our community from the annual nov 11 services and school educa tion programs to its assistance to veterans and their families the legion and its ladies auxil iary does much of the same work as our service clubs raising money and donating it to the likes of markham stouffville hospital and youth sports particularly track and field its club room meeting rooms and banquet hall are community centres and social centres dinners and lun cheons here are legendary providing food for body and soul a new branch can accomplish much of the same work in more mod ern and accessible facilities finding an appropriate and cen tral location is important treating the legion with the respect it has earned here during more than 60 years of community service is imperative its the least we can do system should meet needs of all stu- it is an issue many of us may dismiss as irrelevant in diverse yet affluent and har monious suburban york region but it would be wrong to think the issue of black students inabil ity to reach their full potential in public schools is a concern only for toronto where the public board has galvanized debate in communities across the gta with its plan to open an afrocentric school next fall admitting it continues to fail some students of colour the toronto board is proposing an africancentred alternative school that would have more black teachers and mentors focus on students heritage and parental involvement from junior kindergarten to grade 8 many argue blackfocused schools smack of segregation and would do little to alleviate the reasons black and white students fail including poverty dysfunctional families and sub stance abuse yet black leaders point to statistics such as a 50percent dropout rate as clear evidence the system is failing im happy about the debate says cecil roach a longtime high school principal assigned as a special assistant to the director of the york region district school debora kelly board now people are talking about the underachievement of our kids the underachievement of black kids has always been a major issue i do not want to downplay that that said the longtime black educator doesnt see the need fof ethnocentric schools if school boards are doing their job as they are in york region blackfocused schools simply allow the school system to cop out he adds in york region we are very forwaidtninking our board is open to intervention strategies to ensure that black kids are suc cessful that attitude has embold ened parents the community and educators to do whats neces sary to have schools that work for all students he says the board also has links with black community leaders and groups such as the markham african caribbean association which offers a saturday school program many of the regions high schools have black student clubs which are welcomed by the aclministration theres an advisory committee on race relations of which mr roach is a member and a liaison officer for the africancaribbean community but that doesnt mean how ever the board can rest on its laurels im not black and wont pre sume to know what it is like to feel helpless and hopeless in a world that expects little of you as a parent i can however relate to the willingness to do battle to ensure your child has every opportunity available to succeed yet like many ontarians i want our public schools to be for all children with a curriculum that promotes equity and an appreciation of diversity in colour race faith and ability we need to continue to figure out why the system is failing some students not just black children and what needs to be done differently within that system off the top with jim mason big shooters a glass of red and an arts centre it was called an evening in wine country and as much as last thursdays fund raiser at wonderful willow springs win- ery was a friendly little community mix- andmingle it was also a night with the big shooters folks wearing ties worth more than my suit and driving cars cost ing as much as small houses to the organizers credit 300000 was collected or pledged for nineteen on the park the latest name for the rede velopment of the old town hall in down town stouffville this projects had more false starts than torontos opera house much of the donated cash came from the development community fair enough in a community thats being ripped up at every corner good of the companies making big coin here to pump some of it back and for members of council to ask for it its unprecedented in this town when the first pad of the arena was built in the mid1980s a similar event at spring lakes golf club netted cheques from user groups and service clubs fundrais- ing was ongoing families bought bricks volunteer telemarketers were enlisted it was more of the same for the skat ing community when the second ice pad went up sadly that didnt happen at least on such a scale when our gorgeous and wellused poollibrary was approved these are different times apparently as at major league ball parks and are nas the name of the complex was sold to lebovic homes expect more of the same and additional fundraisers for nineteen on the park it wont be the 200seat theatre many residents wanted cynics have said it may become just another small hall in a community full of them but it is proving to be a rallying point for council and some segments of the arts community and it will definitely be an improve ment to what has sat vacant for far too many years jim mason is editor of the sun- tribune 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 suntribune reserves 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 ig7 jmasonyrmgcom editorial editor jim mason jmasonyrmgcom interactive media marketing advertising manager dawna andrews dandmisyrmgcom advertising retail manager staceyallen sallcnyrmgcom classified manager ann campbell acampbcuyrmgcom assistant classified manager bonnie rondeau brondeauyrmgcom production team leader sherry day sdayyrmgcom press council 5 fdsfl canacian catulxsoas aug board w frccab editorial 9056402612 fax9056408778 advertising 9056402612 classified 18007433353 fax 9056408778 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 thomhill vaughan citizenthe erabanner newmarketaurora markham economist sun georgina advocate york region business times north of the city yorkregioncom and york region printing