Map knowledge Grade 9 student second in national geography contest. PAGE 15 Hope exists Speaker identifies ways people are making positive changes. PAGE 25 Lacrosse loss Senior A T-men suffer defeat in second game of season. PAGE 7
Family featured PAGE 3
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Group pushes toward science centre in park
I
EFFORT MOVES ahead with summer programs for kids. BY CHRIS HAMLYN THE NEWS BULLETIN
How high can a flea jump? How many bones in the human body? How much does a newborn blue whale weigh? All questions with a common denominator – science. And if the Nanaimo Science and Sustainability Society reaches its goal of a science centre in Bowen Park, more fun facts will be available to children and their families. The group’s mission is to inspire families and develop their interest in science and sustainability through handson learning. “We’re all about kids, science and fun,” said Liz DeMattia, society executive director. The group’s goal is twofold – a Science in the Park outreach program for July and August, and the science centre. Partnering with Nanaimo’s parks, recreation and culture department and Vancouver’s Science World, the society is heading in the right direction. “We’re working with the city’s summer playground program from July 2 to August
24,” said DeMattia. “We won’t be there every day, but will be providing some science education.” The programs – planned for Harewood Mining Community water park on Howard Avenue, Mansfield Park on Blythe Avenue, Deverill Park on Haliburton Street and Pawson Park on Franklyn Street – received a boost Tuesday as the society held a knowledgemobilization workshop. The gathering featured Science World staff and science experts from Vancouver Island University, the Pacific Biological Station, environmental groups, engineering firms and more. “The idea is to brainstorm on some fun science activities, make it relative to our area and use it in our outreach programs so when the kids take part, it’s not just a generic program but about the area,” said DeMattia. Kate Henderson, of Science World, said the workshop was an important step to engage and activate members of the science community in Nanaimo. “We definitely got a lot of fantastic ideas from the group which will provide the instructors in the outreach programs with a lot of support,” she said. ◆ See ‘PLAN’ /4
VOL. 24, NO. 12
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Contingencies planned for fall job action BY JENN McGARRIGLE THE NEWS BULLETIN
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Micaela Van Rensburg of Kirkwood Academy dances to the Black Eyed Peas song One Tribe in a flash mob of about 30 people at Woodgrove Centre Tuesday. The event was of one of several staged on the Island and Lower Mainland to kick off B.C. Child and Youth in Care Week, which ends today (May 26).
Trustees are investigating whether outside volunteers can take a larger role in school-based extra-curricular activities in the event teachers continue boycotting volunteer activities next fall. One of the strategies teachers voted on earlier this spring as part of an action plan to resist Bill 22, the province’s controversial Education Improvement Act, was withdrawing from volunteer activities in schools, from coaching sports teams to overseeing clubs to helping out at events such as awards evenings. The move resulted in the cancellation of some activities, events and field trips in Nanaimo school district. Jamie Brennan, school board chairman, said the board asked staff to develop an administrative policy and procedure regarding the use of volunteers in schools so that everyone has an idea of what to expect next fall if the job action continues. “I don’t want to start next year and have all these black clouds hanging over people’s heads over what’s going to happen, what’s not going to happen,” he said. “We hope we’ll get an update in June.” Donna Reimer, school district spokeswoman, said the problem until now is that policies do exist around the use of community coaches and parent volunteers, but the policies are not collected in one document and a variety of different understandings emerged. ◆ See ‘CLEAR’ /4