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metronews.ca WEEKEND, September 21-23, 2012
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Stephen Avenue launches Walk of Fame Tongue-in-cheek. ‘Grate Portraits’ of local celebrities aim to hinder small litter Celeste de Muelenaere calgary@metronews.ca
Tired of the constant debris of cigarette butts and small litter lining the tree wells on
Stephen Avenue, the Downtown Calgary Association unveiled its innovative solution to the old-age litter problem. On Thursday the association launched the Stephen Avenue Walk of Fame on the iconic street that showcases the faces of influential Calgarians on 55 of the 96 tree grates. “We strive all the time to keep downtown clean, safe and vibrant,” said Shauna Quinn, downtown pedestrian
mall manager. Local artist Mandy Strombo was thus commissioned to bring her creativity to the popular avenue, by transforming dull metal grates into eye-grabbing “bad portraits of great people.” The association hopes that passersby will be less likely to litter the streets if their trash would be desecrating pieces of art. Master of ceremonies and inductee Dave Kelly said the
tongue-in-cheek Calgarian version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame is very much the Canadian way. “It seems pretty Canadian to say, ‘OK, it’s not the Walk of Fame like Hollywood, but its fun and it’s better,’” he said. Other “Grate Portrait” recipients include: Strombo, Newsman Darryl Janz, wrestling pro Bret Hart, poet laureate Kris Demeanour, and Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Dave Kelly, TV celebrity and actor. Celeste de Muelenaere/for Metro
Language. Calgary Board of Education eyes fall 2013 for high school Arabic program Calgary’s public school board won’t be rolling out Arabic courses for high school students this year. But a director with the organization said steps have been take to acquire a proper curriculum for learning the language and soon a search will be conducted for staff. “We are going to use this year to do that work, to get it into shape so it aligns with our other programs,” Sheila McLeod said, adding they’d like to open the program next September. A high school Arabic program in Edmonton was halted due to a lack of interest. Calgary mother Alex Poole isn’t convinced it will thrive here either. “Students at that age have strong views on where they’d like to go for high school — generally where Sunday
Indie-rock bands invite you to help clean up Elbow River
Quotes
“We are going to use this year to do that work, to get it into shape so it aligns with our other programs.” Sheila McLeod, director with Calgary’s public school board, on the steps taken to acquire proper curriculum for learning Arabic.
their friends are going or where they have a trade interest, which is why the program was not successful in Edmonton,” she said. McLeod said student interest will ultimately decide the high school program’s fate. “We won’t know until we ask,” she said. Jeremy Nolais/metro
Study
Cohesion, some struggles a year after Slave Lake
Calgarians are invited to join civic-minded local indie-rock bands in cleaning up the Elbow River on Sunday. The Rock ‘n’ Roll River Clean-up will take place between the Glenmore Dam and Fort Calgary from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., followed by a concert and barbecue at The Area, 1119–10 Ave. SE. Stations will be located at the Glenmore Dam, Sandy Beach, Stanley Park, Lindsay Park and Fort Calgary. Follow @rivercleanupyyc on Twitter for more info and updates.
A year-long study of people affected by the 2011 Slave Lake wildfire indicates that as the community continues to recover, particular attention must be paid to families and children. Dr. Judith Kulig, a University of Lethbridge health sciences researcher and wildfire recovery expert, was on the ground in Slave Lake a month after the disaster. The study found ample evidence that Slave Lake exhibited a solid level of community cohesion and resilience. The study added that the actual transition back to what some families expressed as “normal” would not be without challenges.
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What does your freedom look like? You tell us what. We’ll show you how. tellusyourfreedom.ca F55_Digest_4C_Shark.indd 1
12-09-03 9:28 PM