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Service with a smile
So far, so perfect
Richmond Tourism honours local heroes in the hospitality industry who go the extra mile to help visitors and locals feel welcome in Richmond.
McMath Wildcats senior girls soccer team will put its unbeaten season on the line at next week’s provincial “AAA” championships in
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The Summer Night Market opened last weekend with Tony Tan seasoning his skewers, left, Acrobatics of Equilibrium performing and Kuang Xiong watching the sunset through a colourful pinwheel.
EDUCATION
Students fight to keep youth worker Ryan didn’t like school — still doesn’t. “I struggled through school my whole life,” he said. “It sucks.” But the Grade 11 Steveston-London student is still in school, and he credits the youth support worker there as the only reason he’s still attending. Taylor credits the same worker for helping him quit cocaine. Allan Cole, 16, said she helped him get through a very troubled period in his life — the six months he spent in foster care. Janiece said the worker helped her adjust to her new school when she transferred here from another school district.
‘They’ve got to hear it from the people who it’s going to affect:’ Student These are among the nine students — eight of them from Steveston-London — who contacted the News recently to voice their concerns about losing their youth support worker due to provincial cuts to education. “She’s done a lot for us — it’s our turn to give back,” said Cole, the Grade 11 student who organized last week’s meeting. “They (school authorities) have got to hear it from us. They’ve got to hear it from the people who it’s going affect.” (Cole’s mother has given him permission to speak to the press. The others quoted are referred to only by their first names, as
they did not have their parent’s permission to speak to the News.) The worker in question declined to be interviewed by the News and did not want her name used. “She’s applying for other work in the district,” explained June Kaiser, president of local 716 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents many of the educational support staff being laid off as part of a $6-million deficit elimination exercise by the Richmond school board. Every high school in Richmond has a youth support worker. All 10 are being laid
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off as part of budget cutbacks resulting from a lack of funding from the provincial government. The school district will replace the 10 school youth workers with two district youth support workers. “We tried to stay away from affecting the classroom (with teacher cuts), and this is one of the decisions the board had to make,” said assistant superintendent Nancy Brennan. Students who spoke to the News say cutting the youth support workers is a big mistake. “Our principal and vice-principal, their see Taylor page 3
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BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com