Glebe Report

OM. -:.;,!1!!! atasini ..... 111811111111. .." oh, ... "SIS' e net n. 411111111111111111110 Serving the Glebe community since 1973 FREE Glebe dancer wins Lindsay Munro de Leeuw Last year for Mutchmor? teamed up with U of 0 student An epic battle is taking shape care centre in Mutchmor's base- Super Ex youth Erin Mansfield to win the grand over the future of Mutchmor Pub- ment, forcing parents to scramble talent contest prize at the 16th Annual Talent lic School after the 105-year-old for day and after-school care; Competition, sponsored by the heritage building was designated A huge increase in traffic con- Central Canada Exhibition on for closure in an August 28 staff gestion and safety problems at August 27. With extensive back- report to the Ottawa-Carleton First Avenue Public School, grounds in Highland dancing, the District School Board (OCDSB). where 200 or more Mutchmor stu- girls choreographed a lively Trustees will vote on the re- dents would be sent; Celtic dance to the music of the commendation to close Mutchmor Serious erosion of both the early Canadian band, Leahy. on October 23. Public presenta- French immersion program at Competing with 81 other acts tions to the OCDSB are scheduled First Avenue and the Eng- in the categories of Vocal, Variety for Sept. 26 and 28. lish/core-French program now at and Dance, they won the $500 The Mutchmor Save Our Mutchmor; both would suffer if first place prize in the Dance Schools committee and the Glebe they were forced to co-exist in Category and were declared over- Community Association are vow- cramped quarters. all winners during the final ing to keep the school open. Beer warned that it might even round. Mutchmor SOS is focusing all be counterproductive for Glebe Lindsay and Erin will now its efforts on convincing local parents to call suburban trustees travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia school trustees to postpone the directly, especially if those (Erin's home) to represent the school closure process. trustees are already hearing from CCE in a Canada-wide competition "Ottawa's population is ex- constituents who are desperate to at The Canadian Association of pected to double in the next 10 ta get their children out of port- Fairs & Exhibitions Annual Con- 12 years, but the staff report ables in overcrowded schools. vention in November. They will uses out-of-date population fore- "The best messengers are the be competing for prizes up to casts" said Mutchmor SOS co- people who live in these trustees' $3,000. chair Mitchell Beer. own neighbourhoods. Our job is to Lindsay Munro de Leeuw (left) Atwood to receive Regional Chair Bob Chiarelli talk to our friends who live in from the Glebe, with Erin has asked the OCDSB to wait for other parts of the city and get Mansfield, winners Key to the City the results of a demographic them to insist that their trustees of Super Ex Talent Contest. study of the region that will be slow down the closure process." at Glebe C. C. Mar- available early in 2001. To get involved, send an e-mail RALLY TO PROTEST World-renowned author Closing the school would mean: to [email protected] or call SCHOOL CLOSURES garet Atwood will receive the Key Loss of the Mutchmor field; Mitchell Beer at 594-8281. Join other schools and to the City from acting mayor Allan Higdon at the Glebe Com- Relocation and loss of the brand KEY DATES community associations in a new, wheelchair-accessible play rally to save our schools. munity Centre, 690 Lyon Street, Tues., Sept. 26-Public rally on Wed., Sept. 20, at 11:30 a.m. structure funded by parents at Tues., Sept. 26, 7:30-public pres- Tuesday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m. District Ms. Atwoodwho was born in Mutchmor and Corpus Christi entations to the board Ottawa-Carleton School Board offices Ottawa and spent part of her schools, the board and the city; 28, Thurs., Sept. 7:30-public 133 Greenbank Road Glebe Loss of indoor space at Mutch- early childhood in the or presentations. Call Joan Melancon Watch for flyers with infor- First and Patterson avenueswill mor that supports community 596-8211, ext 8381 to book. recreation programs; mation on busing. For more receive the Key to the City in rec- Mon., Oct. 23- trustees vote contact Mitchell Relocation or loss of the child information, ognition of her outstanding See GCA p. 6 & Trustee p. 23 Beer at [email protected] achievements as a poet, novelist and critic. School board plans to close 'old' schools The Corpus Christi school choir will sing. BY WENDY J. DAIGLE ZINN By to 108 per cent. Downtown standards. then, the funding Admission is by invitation. Of the nine elementary schools will be gone and we will pay for schools have limited outdoor targeted for closure by OCDSB this neglect in our children's space to accommodate any port- staff, two are from the Central lives. ables to deal with temporary in- creases in population. Several Family: Mutchmor and Elgin. The Schoorclosure is also a fallout INSIDE closures would take effect Sep- of this funding formula. The Central Family schools, including tember 1, 2001. The board's ob- province has directed that exist- Hopewell, Lady Evelyn and News 3 jective is a 90 per cent utilization Mutchmor, cannot accommodate ing schools must be at capacity Tackling a mountain of garbage rate inside the Greenbelt. before new schools can be funded. any portables; First Avenue and The OCDSB is in an untenable There is no question that there is Glashan have playgrounds that GCA 6 situation. The funding formula are among the smallest in the a need for new schools in the bur- GCA meeting Sept. 19 dictated by Queen's Park deter- geoning suburbs and in rural ar- board. mines how education dollars will eas. However, the board has never Make no mistakeschool clo- Coun. Doucet 8 sure is not about "half-empty" be spent. Over the past two years, substantiated its claim that each Coun. Berg 9 the board has been forced to cut closure nets savings of some urban schools. The board has made it very clear that their $61 million; $23 million will $250,000 annually. Our commu- Glebe Questions 12 choices for school closures has to have to be cut from the 2001-02 nities deserve a complete and do with reducing maintenance and Feature 16 budget. school-specific cost-benefit There are anal- renewal costs. All the "old" two main reasons for ysis before closing any schools. A visit to a camel camp the funding shortfall. First, schools will close. Mutchmor has the Although the board is very close 17 province funds only been at the heart of this commu- Feature $55,000 of to 100 per cent capacity overall, the cost of a teacher's salary and nity for 105 years and Elgin Meet Marilyn Buffalo we need to close 600 spaces above benefits, which averages about since 1890. From a city-planning 100 per cent to build each new 19 $60,000 province-wide. The perspective, they are still at the Travel school. The board has provided heart their communities. shortfall to the board is $11 mil- only sketchy of School Trustee 23 information on how Contact the school council by lion. Second, staffing levels are many new schools are needed, and calling your neighbourhood Delay vote until 2001 $8 million above what the funding where. This pertinent information school; call trustee Lynn Graham formula allows. Most of the addi- will not come to the trustees until Words 30 tional staff are allocated at 730-3366. Contact me at 232- to spe- after they decide which schools to Margaret Atwood at gala fund- cial education programs. The close. 2928, fax: 230-7697, e-mail: province admits that standards [email protected] raiser for library for special education are needed. There are no half-empty Wendy Daigle Zinn has been However, despite the speed at schools in the Central Family. chair of Glashan School Council which they can move on school Overall, the Central Family for the past four years and mem- NEXT DEADLINE closures, the province says it will schools are at 79 per cent of ca- ber of Glebe Collegiate School Monday, September 25 take three years to produce these pacity, ranging from 69 per cent Council for two years. N Glebe EWS Report September 15 , 2000 2 Scouting in the Glebe The Glebe Scout groups (36th ter and exit a canoe and, of Ottawa Glebe-St. James, and 26th course, paddling. Ottawa St. Matthew's) had an ac- The final camp of the season tive outdoor spring and summer was the regional Sea Scout Ren- this year. They enjoyed two dezvous. Organized on a nautical camps, several outdoor meetings theme, the camp offered activities during May and June, and staffed in sailing, canoeing, power boat- the Scout tent at the Ottawa Ex. ing, signaling, seamanship and The first camp was the district riding down a cliff in a bosun's Alert Camp at Kent Lake, Quebec, chair. in early May. The scouts took In August, several of the part in an activity camp involving scouts assisted with the Scouts scouting skills. They came sec- Canada lost children's booth at ond in the camp cooking competi- the Exhibition. Our scouts tion with a three-dish meal of helped several children find Malaysian herbed .rice, chicken their lost parents. stir fry and shrimp stir fry, all The scouts meet every Tuesday cooked on a camp stove with fresh at Glebe-St.

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