PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1985. WHITBY FREE PRESS Brown pledges to keep English program at E.A. Fafurman, says rumors to the contrary are untrue and disruptive By MARC VINCENT Free Press Staff Anxious parents and Durham Board of Education trustees have reached an agreement on what should be done to save the English, program at E-.A. Fair- man Public School. A meeting was heid at the Palace St. public school last Thursday nlght in hopes of clarifying the future of the English language program at the facility which was in a precarious position. Parents were afraid that the recent addition of the French immer- sion program would compieteiy take over the public school and force children who had enrolled in the English program to go eisewhere. According to Ursula Reeson of the Commit- tee of E.A. Fairman Parents there are now 173 students enrolled in the standard English program from kmn- dergarten to grade B. By comparison there are now 178 students enrolled in the schoois French immersion program from kmn- dergarten to grade 3. However, to date, there are only five children enrolled in the English kindergarten program to being this September while there are three kindergarten classes for the French immersion program. Early this year, chldren attending the English program came home with the news that E.A. Fairman would soon become the first coMpietely French schooi in Durham Region. Parents calied the board of education but received no firm denial that the school would not close the English program. At the meeting, both trustees for the Board of Education in Whitby, Ian Brown and JOjhn Buchanan, flatly denied that the board.had any intention of ciosing the English program. "Categoricaliy and unequivicably there is no officiai or unofficial plan te change the English program at E.A. Fairman,"- Brown said. Brown said that the news of the possible closure was ail rumour whlch "had done more to disrupt the corn- munity than anything he had known in the past. " Parents maintained at the meeting that the rumours persisted because the board had not issued any f irmn commitment one way or the other. Athough the trustees maintained that no firm commitment to any course of action was possible until ail the enrolment figures were in for next year, there wasan attempt on both parties to examine varlous alternatives. Brown admitted that it was unlikely that the prograrn could continue with only a handful of children, however, he promised to look 'at several ways of finding more students to attend the English program. According to Brown the number of students needed to continue the program is at least 18 students. 1The alternatives discussed by parents and board trustees were boundary changes for the school, bussing in of surplus students from neighbouring schools, a door to door count of potential students and the possibility that E.A. Fairman students go elsewhere for kmn- dergarten and then return for grade 1. Brown also admnitted that each of the possibilities hadt their problems. Boundary expansion for students attending E.A. Fairmnan might in- valve dislocatig other students but could also mean transporting student from the new communities outlying Whitby. The bussing in of students from nearby This Sunday (Jan. 20) the Central Lake On- tario Conservation Authority wili hold a guided nature walk at Lynde Shores Conser- vation Area. An authority staff member wiii iead the waik, poin- ting out items of in- terest, including birds and wiidlife signs. People wishing to at- tend should meet at the conservation area parking lot at 1 p.m. To reach the area, go 2½/ Solwa y.... kindergarten present a dilemma accordlng to Brown because the board doesn't know If there wi.ll be an over- flow at other schools. Parents lef t the meeting satisfied that alternatives were being considered. one parent commen- ted that his apprehen- Sion would have lessened had the board suggested alternatives earlier. At the end of the meeting, Brown said that the probiemn would be studled by the board's staff. "The major concern is the ac- commodation of bcth the French immersion programn and the English program and squashing the rumour." kiometers west on Vic- toria St (Baseline Rd.) from Brock St. in Whit- by. The parking lot is on the south side of the road. The waik will last from one to two hours depending upon weather and weariness of par- ticipants. For more infor- mation, cali Steve LaForest of the Central Lake Ontario Conser- vation Authority at 579- 0411. IN THE MATTER 0F rHE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT, R.S.O. 1980, CHAPTER 337 AND IN THE MATTER 0F TH E LANDS AND PREMISES AT THE FOLLOWING MUNICIPAL ADDRESS IN THE PROVINCE 0F ONTARIO NOTICE 0F PASSINGO0F BY.LAW TAKE NOTICE that the Councli of the Corporation of the Town of Whtby has passed Byaw No. 1783-84 to designate the foilowlng property as belng of architectural andlor hIstorical value afiln- terest under Part IV of The Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1980, Chapter 337: Anderson-Flint House 1508 Rossiand Road East Whtby, Ontario 158ROSSAISRADES Histetical This farmn house was bulit by William Anderson n 1834 on land owned by the Unversity of Toronto. William Flint bought the house ln 1855. Anderson Street ln Whitby was namedafter William Ander- son. AmchBecto The house was deslgned ln the Neo ClasslcaliRegency style and ls noteworthy for the tact that 3 sides are of rubblestone construction whlle the front facade ls made of brick. It la the oldest masonry house, and one of the oidest structures of any klnd, stili standing ln the Town. DATED at the Town of Whitby this'31st day of December, 1984. Donald G. Mcl<ay Town Clark The Corporation of the Town of Whltby Whitby, Ontario Li N 2M8 room to- rejoice CONT'D FROM PG. 5 who builds a car doesn't buy a car-who wiii? 'm ail for Thrift and Prudence. £ý» also for Motherhood, Fatherhood, and Brotherhood. But it is high timne that we stop the financial fortress men- taiity and start ta live ike there was going to be a tomarrow. I don't suggest we ail becomne fooish and pradigai. Ail I ask for is somne generosity, somne self- indulgence, some "try it you'Il like it.1' Spending money is a lot like falling in love. You have to give to get. I am part of that doom-aud-gloom generatian who lived through The Depression. Many of us have neyer stopped behaving as if the Dirty Thirties are stili here. What may be even worse, we may have infected another generation with our pessimism., Sa we sit at home waiting, like Chicken Little, foý the sky to fali. Meanwhile merchants suffer, manufacturers cut back inventory, business won't commit ta capital expansion, and a government feeds aur neurosis by preaching cut-backs in everything. At the bottom of the heap are the people with money tied up in my kind of business who are reaily hurting. Toa many people are staying home paralyzed by Fear of The Future, saving pennies, glued to their VCR machines, or Super-Bowling themselves into vegetables. While one generation stays home warrying about a Rainy Day, another stili faotloose and respon- sibiiity-free generation is out there whopping it up over a beer in a place with an Irish name while another couple of places with other Irish names hope for better days and wonder of the price of the satellite dish was worth it. I am afraid that we may neyer change. We wili find something or someone, some institution, some gavernment, to blame for what went wrong; to blame for somnething that maybe, just maybe we could have made better ourselves. There is always hope though. As long as some of us are optimnists. Definition: an optimist is someone who knows what can go wrong. Think about it. There is stili room ta rejoice. Start naw. DID YOU KNOW? MCA.RELD HOME HELP Wo can help you stay et home by providlng MEALS and LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING SERVICES To flnd out how we 571-3501 Can help you cale THE CORPORATION 0FI There is stil This Sunda y.... Nature walk -at Lynde Shores SINCE 1917 FAN CY TALK COM ES VERY EASILY Especially when you see page atter page of ads offering great bargains. Are they bargains? Are they selling you BELOW wholesale prices? MURRAY JOHNSTON'S won't buy that. So we have exactly two sales a year and they are for real. Be sure to corne in and see us at our 1/ YEARLY SALE. Murray Johnston <OSHAwA) Llmited 8 SIMCOE ST. N. (~ 725-4511 Downtown Oshawa