The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Helping Hands
Cars
Hall of Fame
Chilliwack therapist uses her skills to help in Africa.
Classic car show back at Heritage Park.
Annual nomination drive launched this week.
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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, M AY 2 9 , 2 0 1 5
Changes coming for alternate school Programs amalgamated Jessica Peters The Progress
Continued: SCHOOL/ p7
Mitch Gehman of Pedalsport inflates a bike tire during the Bike to Work Week celebration on Wednesday morning at Safeway in Chilliwack. About 35 cyclists took part in the morning event where they rode from Sardis secondary to Safeway making several stops along the way. In the Fraser Valley there are 788 riders registered, 267 of which are Chilliwack residents. The annual event is put on by Bike to Work B.C. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Riders hit the road for Bike to Work Week Thirty-five residents and Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz pedalled through Chilliwack Wednesday morning as Bike to Work Week continued in the Fraser Valley. “Cycling is a great way to stay healthy,” said Gaetz, who led Wednesday’s ride. “It gets cars off the road and softens our environmental footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Orlando Schmidt, president of Bike to Work B.C. Society, cycled from Abbotsford to Chilliwack at 5:30 a.m. to join the ride. So far this year, Bike to Work
Week has hit record-breaking participation stats, and the numbers continue to climb daily. In the Fraser Valley, there are already 788 riders registered, 267 of which are Chilliwack residents. Also record-breaking, more than 27,600 riders have registered province-wide. Bike to Work Fraser Valley has challenged Bike to Work Nanaimo to a competition to see which organization can get the most riders registered, the most kilometres logged, and save the most kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions. “Nanaimo has a much higher percent participation per capita
than Fraser Valley, but Nanaimo has always had participation rates just slightly above Fraser Valley’s and a friendly competition with them is a fun way for both of our regions to strive towards getting more and more people on their bikes,” said Terri-Lynn Gifford, program coordinator for Bike to Work Fraser Valley. As it stands Thursday, Nanaimo had 705 riders registered and 8,900 kilometres cycled; whereas Fraser Valley’s 788 participants had logged 5,200 kilometres cycled. If the health and environmental benefits aren’t enough to
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motivate residents to try biking to work this week, then how about a chance to win a trip to Europe? This year, registered participants have an opportunity to enter to win a lot of great prizes including a grand prize of a cycling trip tour for two from Prague to Budapest. “The goal is to cut down the use of a vehicle during Bike to Work Week and use a bike instead,” said Gifford. “We hope people discover that biking to get where they need to go is enjoyable.” For more information, visit www.biketowork.ca/fraser-valley.
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A hefty drop in enrolment at Chilliwack’s alternate middle school programs means the Shxwetetilthet Sto:lo school portables will be closing. The school offers a First Nationsbased learning environment to middle school students, on Sto:lo territory. It is a sister school to C.H.A.N.C.E. on Prest Road. Enrolment in the two programs has dropped from 68 kids in 2009/2010, to 38 this year, said assistant superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam. And with such a resource-heavy program, it no longer makes sense to spread resources across two sites. In the fall, he said, the “best parts of Shxwetetilthet” will be incorporated into the Prest Road campus and that the alternate middle school will continue to serve local students. The amalgamation of the two programs will put more resources under one roof, Arul-pragasam said, adding that alternate programs remain an integral part of the larger education picture in Chilliwack. “There is always going to be a need for alternate programs,” he said. C.H.A.N.C.E. is what’s known as a Type 3 school, and the criteria for enrolment are laid out in detail by the ministry of education. A student needs to have evidence of need of additional support services. There needs to be a detailed exit strategy to transition back to a mainstream school or to complete graduation requirements, as well as an individual learning plan. The drop in enrolment is a sign of success in the mainstream schools, Arulpragasam said. Schools are beginning to offer more “wrap-around services” for