Vol. 6, Issue 35
Free of Charge
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Students find high school still under construction
S
TROY SHANTZ THE JOURNAL
tudents returned to classes this week at Great Lakes Secondary but some are disappointed by the school’s still unfinished state. “It’s kind of frustrating,” 11th grader Summer Kozlof said while registering at the former St. Clair Secondary School last week. “I think they would’ve been done by now if they actually set their priorities straight.” The older portion of the school has been renovated as part of a $25-million rebuild with new office and student service areas, a learning commons and updated classrooms. But a new addition featuring an Indigenous Learning Centre, music rooms and 550-seat auditorium remains incomplete and off limits. The school at 340 Murphy Rd. was supposed to reopen this time last year, initially at a cost of $16 million. But worker shortages, escalating material costs and other construction challenges pushed back the deadline and added millions to the final price tag.
Principal Jim Stewart acknowledged the school is still a work in progress but stressed the end result will be worth it. He pointed to the many completed classroom improvements including a naturally lit art room and new welding booths in the manufacturing wing. “There’s lots of really positive things for kids for the learning experience.” he said. “It’s a nice layout. We have equipment from two buildings basically coming together.” For students settling in this week, the transition shouldn’t be more stressful than moving into a finished school, he said. However, the cafeteria won’t be ready for another two or three weeks. “Students should pack a lunch,” he said. All of the construction should be finished by December, the Lambton Kent District School Board said. Trustees voted in 2016 to close SCITS and amalgamate it with St. Clair, arguing it was the most cost-effective option. The combined student population has been taking classes at the former SCITS building on Wellington Street while the St. Clair
STUDENTS REGISTERING FOR classes at the rebuilt Great Lakes Secondary arrived to find parts of the school on Murphy Road unready for use, including the cafeteria. TROY SHANTZ, The Journal
property was redeveloped. The missed deadlines and delays are frustrating for some.
“(I’m) a little disappointed that it took so long to do this work and really there’s noth-
ing to show for it,” said Erin
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No such thing as a free ride? You haven’t seen a trishaw
J
CATHY DOBSON THE JOURNAL
ane Hu calls it the happiest vehicle on earth. When the Cycling Without Age bike heads out for a spin, the smiles are warm and the camaraderie even warmer. “I enjoy every minute of it,” says 80-year-old Doris Williams. The Point Edward resident was an avid
cyclist until around age 70 and misses the sense of freedom only a bike ride can provide. Now the uniquely-designed Cycling Without Age trishaw – a rickshaw with the seats in front of the cyclist – has enabled Williams to enjoy the great outdoors on wheels again. “I may have been a little concerned when I first got on,” she said. “But we
haven’t gone anywhere — whether it’s to the water, the bush or Centennial Park — where I wasn’t happy. “And as we go along, everyone smiles and waves at you.” That’s the essence of Cycling Without Age, says her daughter Jane Hu. Hu grew up in Point Edward and moved to Alberta years ago. When
she discovered the worldwide movement that enables seniors and those with mobility issues to enjoy a simple bike ride again free-of-charge, she thought of her mother. “I started volunteering with Cycling Without Age four years ago at our cottage in Canmore,” she said. “Knowing that my mom couldn’t ride anymore, I wanted to bring it home.”
She is so committed to the non-profit organization that Hu is now the Canadian captain for the movement and helping establish chapters across the country. She also started a social enterprise that manufactures and sells Cycling Without Age trishaws at no profit. Canada currently has 57 chapters, many administered through
municipalities and longterm care facilities. Point Edward is the latest to form this summer and Hu is working on establishing several others in Sarnia-Lambton. She has yet to find an administrator for Point Edward. Meanwhile, she donated the $7,000 needed to buy the trishaw and recruited village
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