Tuesday January 14, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 4)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Queens of the court: In a battle for bragging rights, senior girls basketball teams hit the court at the Surrey Firefighters Goodwill Classic last week, with the Holy Cross Crusaders emerging victorious. i see page 15
Gasoline or diesel found after neighbours report seeing man with jerry can climb tree
‘City takes tree poisoning seriously’ Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Chemical analysis of a tree on private property in west White Rock has confirmed it was poisoned. City manager Dan Bottrill said Friday that legal steps are among options being considered after test results on the 50-foot conifer – located on under-development property in
the 1500-block of Bishop Road – indicated the presence of hydrocarbons. “We’re evaluating now that we know… that we do have an issue,” Bottrill said. Confirmation of hydrocarbons means there was gasoline or a diesel-type product found in the tree, he said, however, exactly what it means to the tree’s future is unclear. “We don’t have any information with
respect to the quantity, so at this point, the implications to the tree are unknown.” The tests were done after the city received a complaint on Nov. 26 from neighbours who said they had witnessed a deliberate effort to poison the tree. Area resident Geoff Parkin told Peace Arch News at the time that video captured a man climbing the tree, drilling holes into its
trunk and pouring liquid from a jerry can into the holes. The property has been the subject of controversy for some time, with some of the issues raised a result of city error. Mayor Wayne Baldwin had apologized in October for mistakes in how the project was handled, describing it as “not one of our finer moments.” i see page 2
Report cards evolve
New management
Grades passing
Sea fest tries to rekindle support
Alex Browne
H
Staff Reporter
ow stakeholders feel about a pilot project exploring alternatives to letter grades on report cards seems to depend on their comfort zone. If you’re a teacher who’s interested in different ways of assessing students’ learning – like Rosemary Heights Elementary’s Linda Chau – you might be happy with getting away from the As, Bs, and Cs of traditional reporting. “I was relieved when it started,” Chau, who teaches a Grade 5-6 combined class, told Peace Arch News last week. “I was already doing alternative reporting. Letter grades didn’t always fit in with what I was doing in class.” But if you’re a parent who grew up with letter grades, and find they’re a crucial yardstick of your child’s academic achievement – or if you’re an ‘A student’ like 10-year-old Paige Evans – you may not be so happy. “I actually don’t like not having a letter grade,” the Rosemary Heights Grade 5 student said, adding she feels it adds to the “half page of comments” that she and her classmates now receive. “You know that you need to work harder to get an A – it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have a goal to reach for.” i see page 4
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Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Alex Browne photo
Teacher Linda Chau and students have varied reaction to the absence of letter grades at Rosemary Heights.
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Organizers of the White Rock Sea Festival’s 65th birthday party are crossing their fingers city officials will see fit to invest in the 2014 summer celebration. Specifically, the volunteers are hoping to convince council to approve $50,000 for a city float and commit a further $15,000 to fund a torchlight parade. “That’s where it started and that’s what we wanted to bring back, so that’s where we’re headed,” said Brian Hagerman, head of the newly formed society leading the effort. Hagerman and fellow White Rock Events Society 2013 member Michelle Pedersen were to make the appeal to council during a delegation Monday evening, after Peace Arch News’ press deadline. Expecting to make a quick pitch – “to give city council an early look, so to speak” – Hagerman told PAN the effort to breathe new life into the waterfront festival has gained momentum since meetings to explore the options began last summer. It followed criticism of the scaled-down 2013 event, in which festivities including the parade were limited to East Beach. i see page 2
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