The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It won't take long for Flin Flon students heading back to class next week to notice improvements within their schools. At their first meeting of the new school year on Tuesday, the Flin Flon School Board reviewed nearly 30 major and minor projects undertaken over the summer. "We had a real busy summer," said Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch. "Our maintenance staff didn't quite have the same time off as the students." The major projects include the long-awaited renovations of two science labs at Hapnot Collegiate and the replacement of an aging portion of roof at McIsaac School Ecole McIsaac. The McIsaac library underwent a extensive renovation complete with new tiles and carpeting. Over at Parkdale School, workers paved a portion of the playground near the jungle gym and hope to install basketball hoops this year. Other enhancements include: the replacement of two cement ramps at the elementary school entrances at McIsaac; the cleaning of the duct system at Parkdale; repairs to chain-link fences at McIsaac; the stretching and rehanging of the movie screen at the Hapnot Theatre; the installation of new tack boards at Many Faces Education Centre and McIsaac, and new black boards and marker boards at Ruth Betts and Parkdale; the anchoring down of the soccer nets at McIsaac; and the removal of carpet and tiles from three Ruth Betts classrooms. In another matter, the board saw a new opportunity to lobby the province regarding the controversial ward voting system for school board elections. The trustees reviewed a news release from the Manitoba government that asked for public input on provincial election legislation, with the aim of ensuring elections "are run fairly" and making "voting accessible." Trustee Murray Skeavington made a motion, which passed unanimously, for Superintendent Veitch to send the government a letter opposing the ward system. The system mandates that communities split into at least two wards for board elections, with a set number of candidates to come out of each ward. Due to the small number of candidates in the 2002 Flin Flon election, four of the seven trustees now on the board were acclaimed to their positions. Since the election, the board has lobbied the province to permit Flin Flon voters to elect their board through an election at large. A recap of other matters from the meeting: Superintendent Veitch noted that the division's 2003-04 annual report will be circulated to Flin Flon homes this coming weekend. Anyone who does not receive a copy may phone the division office. It was noted that the election of the chair and vice-chair positions will take place prior to the trustees' Sept. 14 meeting. Trustee Jim Wilson is the current chair; Trustee Colleen McKee the vice-chair. Trustee McKee, on behalf of the board, congratulated Trustee Gordon Mitchell on his recently being named to the Wall of Honour at the Flin Flon Station Museum.2/9/04
