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Home My WebLink AboutNA2010_09_08_incomplete moc.adnohgnirekcip.www 575 KINGSTON RD 905-831-5400 MULTIPOINT Factory-trained Honda technicians will perform an oil change, tire rotation, inspect your battery, brakes, tires, all ﬂ uid levels, suspension components, lights, wiper blades and much more. NSPECTIONIWITH OIL CHANGE $74 88 With Coupon We will perform a complimentary Pre-alignment check with every service. Westney Road, Just South of the 401 Pressrun 51,400 • 56 pages • Optional 3-week delivery $6/$1 newsstand PICKERING NNews ews AAddveverr titisseerrTHE facebook.com/newsdurham twitter.com/newsdurham PHOTO BY PETER REDMAN PICKERING -- Three-year-old Kirsten Delaney, left, and her sister Alanna, four, showed off the 800-pound pumpkin their dad Chris is grow- ing in the backyard at their Pickering home. The still-growing giant pumpkinwill be entered in the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest in October.Pumped up in Pickering Resident enters pumpkin in Port Elgin competition KRISTEN CALIS kcalis@durhamregion.com PICKERING -- A Pickering man hopes his giant pumpkins will tip the scales at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest in October. Chris Delaney, a salesman by trade and a fairly new member of the Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario, will enter the pumpkins he’s been meticulously caring for on his half- acre property in Pickering into the annual fes- tival for a chance to win the $5,000 top prize. “They have to be over 1,000 pounds to be on the winner’s card,” he said. See SEEDS page 8 Wednesday, September 8, 2010 SERIES 2 Elections? Youth care Durham students step up involvement FEATURE 10 What it’s like? ...to have your tea leaves read SPORTS 17 On the water Siblings bring home 10 medals durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • September 8, 20102 AP You Are More Than Just a Number To Us. Call us for a quote today. 905.427.5888 www.ﬁ rstdurham.com AA UU TT OO IINNSSUURRAANNCCEEFFIRSTIRST D DURHAMURHAM IINSURANCE &NSURANCE & F FINANCIALINANCIAL Whitby youth care about their commu- nity. As young adults, all of us have a say in the pulse of our town, whether it be through our social lives, sports, extra- curriculars, or, perhaps most clearly, our education. Our lifestyles enable us to have a unique voice on current affairs, seeing issues in a different light than most. Although indulging in politics may not be the first thing on every youth’s mind, election time means we have a responsi- bility to become involved. Some see politics as a game of wasted finances and untruths; a murky disease that does not hold any relevance in the world of youth. However, politics does affect students and it’s time we take a stance on it. On topics such as education, for instance, who better to turn to than the students learning in classrooms themselves? If politicians realize that students care about government, it is unquestion- able that government will start to care about students. In a town with one of the highest student-to-adult percentag- es in Ontario, we are due to start creating change. For students, to dream is to dream big. Our perspectives on current issues are hopeful, ambitious and optimistic, cher- ished values that some say wither with adulthood. Perhaps this may just be what politi- cians need to strike gold in their terms of office. The generation of tomorrow is one armed with a structured education sys- tem, more opportunities than ever before and a pulse on advanced social media and technology -- dynamite simply wait- ing to be ignited. All that it takes is an open mind to see students today are passionate about the future. Throughout Whitby, young humanitarians are hard at work cam- paigning for human rights, sports teams are taking home championships, stu- dent councils are starting innovative new projects and stories of volunteer work are being heard in school halls. At home, youth are learning how to become better citizens, better students and better family members every day. The students of today are the voters of tomorrow. I challenge youth to speak up in the upcoming municipal elections. Talk to your town councillors. Get to know who’s who and take an active role in campaigning. Ask how to get involved and we can make sure politicians care about the stu- dent voice. Never be afraid to raise your voice or stand by your opinions. If we call for change, we’ll get it. And we deserve it. A Sinclair Secondary School student in Whitby, Patrick Quinton-Brown achieved a 99-per cent average in his senior year, tying him for top spot in Durham Region. He plans to study international relations and peace and conflict studies at the University of Toronto. COLUMN Youth standing up in Durham elections PATRICK QUINTON-BROWN Hailey Brooks serves as north Durham student trustee BY BRENT BURRY bburry@durhamregion.com DURHAM -- Hailey Brooks isn’t interested in politics, but she is interested in making her mark and giving back. This Uxbridge Secondary School senior is a student trustee of north Durham and, as an extension, is part of the stu- dent senate. She represents five schools and chairs the student senate meetings. “I wanted to make a differ- ence especially because I’m a senior and in my last year of high school. I kind of wanted to do something to leave my mark, leave my legacy. The Durham board has impact- ed me so much helping me with my education. It was my way to kind of give back to them and give thanks to them for all they’ve done for me,” says Ms. Brooks. She was elected to her position last April, and started her term in September. In her role as a trustee, she also acts as a liaison between student councils and the Durham District School Board. This includes bring- ing back any information from senate meet- ings to the schools in the north, the region she covers. She and the other trustees managed to accomplish something that will have a last- ing effect far beyond her term. And she’s proud of it. “We made a motion that got passed, and I think it was the first motion that has ever happened in the Durham board. It was for equities, equity rights between the student trustees and the board trustees. That got passed, which was amazing, and we’ve had a lot of support from (board trustees),” says Ms. Brooks. The 18-year-old was recently accepted into Ryerson University’s radio and televi- sion arts program. And though she doesn’t see a future involv- ing government politics, she would love to work with kids. “I think it’s (government politics) something from this experience that doesn’t interest me as much as I hoped it would. But as from the student aspect and helping and working together in the com- munity, that’s become really important to me,” says Ms. Brooks. “I would love to work with kids, just to help make a difference and to show them that it only takes a small group of people to actually make a difference.” This is the final instalment of our Make A Difference feature series I kind of wanted to do something to leave my mark, leave my legacy. Uxbridge Secondary School senior student Hailey Brooks. Durham high school student gives back PARENTS Abuse workshop offered through Durham social services DURHAM -- Durham Region’s social ser- vices department is hosting a two-hour evening workshop to provide parents with information on how to keep their children safe from sexual abuse. This workshop series is for parents with children of any age and is intended to help parents recognize the signs of sexu- al abuse. The workshop also teaches par- ents what information to pass on to their children, safety techniques, what to do if abuse is suspected and how to raise sexu- ally respectful children. A fee of $20 per person or $35 per couple is required of all participants. Childcare will not be available. The workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Region headquarters, 605 Rossland Rd. E. in Whitby. CALL: Family Services Durham at 905- 666-6240 (press “0”) VISIT: www.durham.ca/FamilyServicesRe- sources Tough penalty imposed on student deadlines for new school year AMY DEMPSEY newsroom@ durhamregion.com DURHAM -- Students across Ontario could face tougher penalties for miss- ing deadlines when they return to school this fall. New guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Educa- tion will allow teachers to hand out zeros to students who don’t submit s assign- ments on time -- a policy previously discouraged in many school boards. “It doesn’t mean that teachers are going to give zeros all the time,” said Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. “It means this is now one strategy that can be used to try and improve the stu- dents’ behaviour, work habits and achievement.” Mr. Coran said the new guidelines will correct inconsistencies in the way students are evaluated across the province. “Some school boards were saying you can’t give a mark of zero, you can’t deduct marks for late assignments. And seem- ingly others were (giving zeros).” Until now, handing in a late assignment would have had an impact on the work habit component of a student’s report card, but not necessarily on the stu- dent’s academic grade. A 1999 directive from the Ministry of Education said teachers should separate students’ work from their behaviour. Oksana Holadyk, who teaches summer school at Bishop Ryan Catholic Sec- ondary School in Hamil- ton, said she agrees with the new policy. “As a teacher, if I do not penalize a student who hands in their work late then I am assuming a role as enabler for bad habits in school,” she said. “These bad habits will certainly not stop when the student enters the working world.” But Jad, 15, a student at Notre Dame Catholic Sec- ondary School in Ajax, said it’s already tough enough to get good grades. “Some teachers are dif- ferent than other teachers,” he said. “But usually if you hand in a late assignment it’s a zero.” -- With files from Liam Casey Amy Dempsey is a reporter for the Toronto Star Page 6 - Today’s editorial durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • September 8, 20103 AP • Do you have a desire to work with the elderly or disabled? • Are you interested in supporting people to live independent lives? • Have you considered a job in community health or a nursing/retirement home? TRAIN TO BECOME A PERSONAL SUPPORT WORKER AND BE PREPARED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ATTEND AN INFORMATION SESSION THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16 - 10:00 AM • Have your questions answered • Learn about this “hot” career • Reading and writing skills assessment • No appointment necessary • Bring proof of Canadian citizenship/residency, and photo identifi cation • Limited parking on-site. Municipal parking adjacent to school. 120 Centre St. S., Oshawa AT E.A. LOVELL CENTRE 120 CENTRE ST. S., OSHAWA Limited Seats Available REGISTER NOW FOR JANUARY 2011 Retiring Lawyer WALTERS, DIZENBACH, FERGUSON BARRY A. WALTERS announces the closing of his law ofﬁ ce at 29 King Avenue East, Newcastle, ON Tel. 905-987-4735 Fax 905-987-1061 as of October 31, 2010 Clients with wills and powers of attorney left with the ﬁ rm may pick them up at his ofﬁ ce until October 15, 2010 after which they will be with the law ﬁ rm of RICHARD J. MAZAR PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION at 115 King Avenue West, Newcastle, ON Tel. 905-987-1550 1-866-873-9945 www.welcomewagon.ca If You Are... Moving Expecting a Baby Planning a Wedding New Business Appointment Looking for a Career Call Welcome Wagon Today! It’s absolutely FREE! SCHOOL’S BACK Dog ate your homework? Students can expect a big fat zero JASON LIEBREGTS/ METROLAND PICKERING -- Ethan Johnston needed some encouragement from his mom, Erin, before the first day of classes began Sept. 7 at Pickering Bayview Heights Public School. University student wins Rising Star Talent Competition DON CAMPBELL dcampbell@durhamregion.com AJAX -- When Dylan Hayden sings he is just as interested in hitting the right emotion as he is in hit- ting the right note. “If I can make at least one person in the audience cry during my performance then I know I’ve done well,” he said. “The job of any performer is to make the audience feel some deeper emotion they weren’t feel- ing when they sat down.” The 21-year-old from Ajax won the hearts of the audi- ence - as well as the judges - by winning the 24th annu- al Rising Star Talent Com- petition at the CNE on Sun- day, Sept. 5. His rendition of Nessun Dorma from Pucci- ni’s opera Turandot earned not only a standing ovation from the crowd of 2,000, but also a spot at the Canadian Youth Talent Competition in Calgary this November. “It felt great because this is such as big competition. I have done this competition five times before and to win it finally is just fantastic,” he said. Mr. Hayden, who is cur- rently in his fourth year studying vocal perfor- mance ay Queen’s Universi- ty in Kingston, feels right at home singing other genres of music having performed in front of crowds since he was in Grade 4. In addition to the national finals in Cal- gary, he will compete in the finals of the country music competition at the Kingston Fall Fair later this month. However, despite his wide vocal talent range, he said opera is where he wants to pursue a career. The Rising Star Talent Competition pulls together different types of perform- ers from all over Ontario. It starts when the CNE opens and includes a prelimi- nary round, semi-finals and finals that are held on the Sunday of the long week- end. Vicki McKinney, who organizes the popular event, said it is open to any type of amateur performer with various age categories. “We have comedians, dancers, singers and even ventriloquist’s, so it’s open to just about everyone,” she said. “Dylan has been in the competition in the past and was an excellent performer this time around. He will be representing the CNE at the national finals and we know he will make us proud.” As for Mr. Hayden, he hopes this and his spot this summer with the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy at the University of Western Ontario will help when he starts applying for jobs. He is sure with the con- tinued support of family and friends, many of whom travelled a great distance to see him perform at the CNE, his dream will some- day become a reality. “Their support is so impor- tant. Without it, the life of a performer would be a lone- ly one,” he said. durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • September 8, 20104 AP 120 Centre St. S., Oshawa CREDIT NIGHT SCHOOL REGISTER ONLINE at www.dce.ca OR call 905-436-3211 • 1-800-408-9619 OR visit E.A. Lovell 120 Centre St. S. Oshawa • Earn credits toward your high school diploma • Upgrade for employment • Upgrade for post-secondary programs • Get credit for a second language Programs are offered two nights a week in PICKERING • WHITBY CLASSES START THE WEEK OF September 27, 2010 GRADES 11 AND 12 HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT COURSES IN ENGLISH MATHEMATICS SCIENCES SOCIAL SCIENCE CREDIT INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES COURSES ALSO AVAILABLE Ontario Works is a proven local recruitment service. We assess, prescreen and refer candidates to meet your requirements. We provide follow up support and can help with training. Employer funding may be available. We provide WSIB coverage during the training period. hiresomeonetoday.com Our Service is FREE “This job has taught me teambuilding and time management skills.” 905 432 2929Works Get the employees you need We can save you time and money. Call us  rst. MUSIC Ajax singer brings down the house at the CNE SUBMITTED PHOTO AJAX-- Dylan Hayden, of Ajax, was crowned the winner of the Rising Star Talent Competition at the Canadian National Exhibition. If I can make at least one person in the audience cry during my performance then I know I’ve done well . Dylan Hayden