OCTOBER 9, 2013
$1.30 includes GST
Two Sections, 48 pages
100milefreepress.net
Dressed for Battle
Community losing amazing musician B1
Dozens march in antiviolence rally A4
INSIDE
opinion A8 letters A9 entertainment B3 sports A21 community B1 classifieds A26
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Chris Nickless photo
Glen Tanner was dressed for some Heavy Fighting at the Coill Mhor Forest Champions Tourney at the 108 Mile Resort on Oct. 5. The day of Medieval celebration, which included a Rapier tournament, a Heavy tournament and a Bardic tournament, was sanctioned by the Society for Creative Anachronism. See more photos on page A2.
Portable going to Williams Lake CCTA and parents unhappy about losing art, band, First Nations study room Ken Alexander Free Press
Much to the chagrin of the Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers’ Association (CCTA) and the Parent Advisory Council (PAC), the portable at Mile 108 Elementary School was dismantled last week and then transported to Williams Lake on Monday (Oct. 7). CCTA president Murray Helmer says moving the portable will be a huge disruption for the 200-plus students at the school because the building was used for band, art and First Nations cultural study classes. Those programs will now have to be moved into the main school building, he says, adding it will be very difficult for the whole school
population – both students and staff. being moved, and the union presiSchool teaching staff wasn’t dent says he immediately wrote a aware of School District #27’s deci- letter to schools superintendent Mark sion to move the portable to Nesika Thiessen, stating that moving the Elementary School in Williams Lake portable would be “inappropriate.” – to house an alternate eleDue to the elementary mentary program for students school closures in Williams who have to be removed for Lake, Helmer explains one reason or another from Nesika Elementary was full the regular classroom setting because it had students from – until Sept. 24. the closed schools going Helmer says art teacher there, and a portable was Monique Corno was in the needed for the alternate proportable after school when a gram. Murray SD27 maintenance employee “My argument was we have Helmer came in and said he had to 200-plus students at Mile 108 take measurement because Elementary using it daily and the building was being shipped to you’re [going to move it for] a proWilliams Lake. gram of eight to 15 kids on a pull-out Corno contacted Helmer with basis because there isn’t any room in the information about the portable the regular classrooms....”
However, Thiessen says that while it’s correct the alternate program will serve eight to 15 students, the portable will be used full time, as it will be housing students from two schools for the alternate program, as well as First Nations support and other learning-support programs. Noting the next step in the process was looking for alternatives, Helmer says he suggested the alternate elementary program could be relocated in a school that wasn’t full and the students could be transported by bus. When he was told busing students wasn’t an option, the CCTA president suggested using the portables at Buffalo Creek Elementary School, which was closed last year. Continued on A24