Progress
The Chilliwack
Wednesday
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Wrestling revival at AD Rundle.
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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 • W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5
Forum brings out byelection hopefuls Greg Knill The Progress Candidates hoping to win a seat on the Chilliwack School Board faced questions ranging from corporate funding to year-round schooling at the second of two allcandidates forums on Monday. Hosted by the District Parent Advisory Council, the event drew 10 of the 12 candidates hoping to win the Dec. 12 byelection. The group included Paula DeWit, John Edwards, Angelina Gosselin, Karen Jarvis, Brian Mielke, Marion Mussell, Bob Patterson, Megan Praat, Robert Stelmaschuk, Lisa Thébault Alisha Atkinson missed for medical reasons; Perry Sherstobetoff, who attended the early all-candidates forum on Thursday, was out of the country. Facing a sparse gathering at the G.W. Graham school theatre, the candidates were offered a chance to introduce themselves, before addressing written questions that had been submitted through social media, or gathered from the audience. Because of the number of candidates, questions were directed to half the candidates in each round. Funding was a dominant theme; another was what each potential trustee could bring to the board if elected. Asked if corporate funding should be accepted by the Chilliwack School District, most candidates with a chance to respond reluctantly agreed, provided there were adequate controls in place. “In a perfect world, no,” said Bob Paterson. “But we’re not in a perfect world.” Paula DeWit, agreed the funding Continued: CANDIDATES/ p6
Students at Bernard Elementary School had the opportunity to try wheelchair basketball on Monday, guided by Marni Abbott-Peter and Nadine Barbisan from the B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society. SAM BATES/ PROGRESS
Students gain paralympian perspective Sam Bates The Progress The sound of bouncing basketballs resonated in the Bernard Elementary gym on Monday. But this was no ordinary game of b-ball. The kids were trying out the challenging, eye-opening, fun game of wheelchair basketball. On behalf of the B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS), the inclusive ‘Let’s Play’ initiative brought in nearly 20 wheelchairs for the elementary students to try. The provincial program promotes integrated and inclusive play, sport and fun for children of all abilities. Paralympian Marni Abbott-
Peter and Nadine Barbisan from the BCWBS were there to teach the kids about wheelchair basketball and a broader lesson about accessibility, too. They demonstrated the differences between a sports wheelchair and an average “day chair,” and provided a quick how-to course on wheelchair posture, movement and safety. Bernard Elementary vice-principal David Wellingham invited Abbott-Peter and the Let’s Play group in effort to provide an unforgettable learning experience for the kids. “Like every school, we have our students who have a range of challenges. This [program] was a way to spread important messag-
es to the students and to the community,” Wellingham explained. Most important of which being, “when we set goals for ourselves, we can achieve them. Regardless of the obstacles that we face,” he said. Although it took some practice, the kids quickly got the hang of things. Grade ones were racing around the gym playing wheelchair tag. Grade 6 students got nothing but net by the end of the session. Wheelchair basketball provided another added benefit, a level playing field. “Regardless of your athletic ability, everyone is starting from square one,” Wellingham said. Each student is trying something
new, experiencing the same challenges. One challenge of which was learning that, when the ball falls out of reach, you can’t just stand up to retrieve it. Though Abbott-Peter is now a B.C. Sports Hall of Fame inductee and multiple gold-winning paralympian in wheelchair basketball, she had a long and challenging journey to get there. From youth to age 18, she was skiing competitively. Unfortunately, a traumatic fall on the slopes left her with a severed spinal cord. While in rehabilitation, learning to live her life without the use of her legs, she met fellow
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