2 Friday, October 21, 2016 brooklintowncrier.com Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Meet the Creature Ah, that time of the school year, isn't it? Once, it went like this: A mother, Mrs. Simpson (I've forgotten her real name), entered the gym with her grade 10 son Gary in tow. He looked like he wanted to climb into his own skin and pull his scalp over his eyes to hide. To begin with, a gymnasium was a lousy place to hold parent-teacher interviews. Every conversation bounced around like dodgeballs. On the discomfort scale, it was almost on a par with interviews held in a hallway where desks and chairs were so close, people were regularly bumping into each other. Then again, the proximity of normal humans was beneficial the evening a parent threatened she'd send her three adult sons to "straighten me out." 'Twas the night a new teacher learned the importance of wearing dark shirts to camouflage sweat stains. Besides, in a ten-minute block, it was next to impossible to whittle down problems to the core issues and seek solutions. Or was that even the objective? Mrs. Simpson's problem was mostly with Gary. I think. Maybe. He wasn't working to his potential. The curriculum moved too fast. Did he ask questions? Did I call on him when he didn't? The grading scheme seemed convoluted. He won't get to university with these marks. No, the level is where we want him. Yikes. Every few moments, she'd turn to him, as if expecting a pronouncement of remorse or his guarantee things would get better immediately, if not sooner. No, he had nothing to say. Or, lots to say but, hey, we were in a gym. Where were the basketballs? Trying to address it all in that venue, in that time block, was like playing hopscotch on a bed of nails. So I said practically nothing aside from point- ing out the V.P. who was doing nothing important for the moment. Given the boy's rough semester and that he was also in my phys. ed. class, where he excelled, I'd been frequently updating his parents on his progress. The interview seemed superfluous. I almost always liked Meet the Creature night. Parents weren't the en- emy and I got a kick out of most of them. Humour can deflect a lot. The rare ding-dong was likely a ding-dong elsewhere, too. Besides, the staff gatherings afterwards were special in their own way. As parents of two kids, my wife or I attended nearly every Meet the Creature night ourselves. Only a couple of times did we face a little more push than should have been. I kind of miss those days. At least now I don't need to buy dark shirts. (Full disclosure: Yours truly retired from teaching in 2014 after 36 years in the private and public systems as a teacher, department head, union rep, and sometimes vice-principal type guy.) "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Crystal at 416-839-0248 crystal@maudeinteriors.ca Next Issue: Friday, November 4 , 2016 Deadline: Friday, October 28, 2016 DRPS: Pin-up Poochies Calendar Our four-legged members will once again grace the pages of the DRPS 2017 K-9 Calendar. All proceeds will be donated to Alzheimer Society Durham, Autism Ontario and The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS). Last year, over $25,000 was raised for local agencies. You can get your $20 calendar online at drps.ca. They will also be available at DRPS Divisions and at the Police Education and Innovation Centre (located inside Durham College), as well as a variety of community partners. A full list of locations is available on drps.ca. Police Remove Drugs from Streets Police concluded a three-month long drug trafficking investigation resulting in three people being charged and a dangerous form of heroin believed to be laced with fentanyl was taken off the street. Project Explorer involved officers from East Division and the Drug Enforcement Unit with assistance from Halton Regional Police's Drug Unit. The investigation focused on the trafficking of heroin believed to be laced with fentanyl, which is a dangerous combination of drugs. On October 7, 2016, undercover officers were involved in a drug transaction at a plaza parking lot in Oshawa. Members of the DEU surrounded the suspect vehicle and boxed it in. The suspect attempted to flee by driving into the police vehicles. He was not successful and caused damage to his own vehicle and four police vehicles. A search warrant was executed in Halton Region and a quantity of heroin was seized as well as cash. Laboratory testing is currently being conducted to confirm the heroin was laced with fentanyl. Bryan LEMIEUX, age 33 of King Street East in Oshawa, is charged with Trafficking x4 and Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime x3. Pankaj BEDI, age 37 of Liberty Street North in Clarington, is charged with Trafficking x4 and Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime x4. Justin BELLINGER, age 27 of Sawgrass Drive in Oakville, is charged with Trafficking, Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime and Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle. Anyone with new information is asked to call the DEU at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5802. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward. Smile Cookie Campaign Raises Big $$$ Participating Durham Region Tim Hortons restaurants raised $134,079 during this year's Smile Cookie campaign for Community Care Durham (CCD) and its clients. The overwhelming generosity from across the region will go towards assisting more than 12,000 individuals with services that include support for activities of daily living, health, nutrition, transportation, personal safety and caregiver respite. Community Care Durham also provides mental health group support services throughout Durham, and assisted living. The services help people avoid hospital admissions and emergency department visits. It also helps people when they are discharged from hospital, assisting in their successful transition home.