FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2012
www.pqbnews.com
VOLUNTEERS HONOURED
POOR SPORTS
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Withdrawl of extra-curricular activities ends some school teams’ seasons early
Local mayors pay tribute to area Cancer Society volunteers
EDUCATION
Music to their ears School District 69 (Qualicum) okays KSS music program for 12/13 BRENDA GOUGH
reporter@pqbnews.com
A music academy in School District 69 (Qualicum) has received the green light and should be up and running for the 2012/2013 school year. The board of trustees voted to move forward with the music academy at their regular meeting April 24, by approving start-up funding of $5,000. The music academy will operate mainly out of Kwalikum Secondary School (KSS) with expertise from Dave Stewart and Dan Craven — the teachers who for many years have been building on the school’s music department. DAVE STEWART There will also be collaboration with Ballenas Secondary School and in the future, as the program grows, the middle schools will be included. Stewart, who lobbied for the music academy for seven years, said he was ecstatic when he heard the news. “It’s a great first step. Now we have to get the program up and running. Putting it together is going to be a lot of work but everyone is excited,” he stated. The new program will be designed give students a higher performance level and the hope is it will attract more international students and generate some revenue for the school district. See MUSIC ACADEMY, page A6
STEVEN HEYWOOD PHOTO
GRAD FASHION FUN: Sporting leather jacket and chaps, Kwalikum Seocndary School Class of 2012 model Miranda Cuthbertson looks like she’s having fun on the catwalk during the KSS grad fashion show. See more photos on page B1.
Women’s shelter needed here
Haven Society taking steps to outline local needs for women escaping abuse AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
According to a recent Haven Society forum in Parksville there is a need for a local facility to help women who have experienced violence. “What we heard is there is a need,” said resource development co-ordinator Sarah Dymock, who added there are people willing to start a committee to begin the initial steps
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of looking into the short and long term needs in detail. Before the forum, executive director Anne Spilker said 45 per cent of calls to the RCMP involve domestic situations and while there are services available to District 69 women through the Society for Organized Services (SOS) and Haven House transition house in Nanaimo, they know they are not adequate. See NEED SEEN, page A4
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