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Education Minister Tells Trustees Minister of Education Wil- liam G. Davis termed small school sections “unsatisfactory” and urged establishment of larger administration units to prepare elementary students for their second stage of educ- 20 THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, October 31, 1963 Markham SchooI Grads Told Of U.NQ Need It was a night to remember, students from October 25, when graduates of he envied the Buttonville and No. 4 schools “The world 1 received diplomas and athletiC'tunities; there awards at the graduation ex- perhaps tragei ercises held in the Victoria lenge makes l Square Community Centre. Diplomas Victoria Square and District to .Bonnie Lions were hosts and more than Musselman, 25 graduates and their parents rison, Ro were present, as well as TSA Gordon .A1 3 board members and friends. aret .Selder friends. phenson, Je Dr. Hardy Hill of Richmond Hill, a former Canadian rep- resentative to UNESCO and presently head of the history department at Oakwood- Col- legiate, was guest speaker. showing slides of a visit he and other Canadian delegates made to refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, as well as to headquarters in Europe. Rural Schools Need Amagamation Dr. Hill pointed out to his young listeners the great need the United Nations has for teachers, dietitions, agricultur- NS and urged théni to' éonsidei‘ such a career. S.R. Patterson, former chair- man of S. S. No. 5. and finance chairman for TSA 3. In presenting diplomas to the ten “Distance is being annihi‘ lated,” he said. “and unless we have an organization like the U.N. which brings us together, we could fare badly." Dr. Hill noted that last week the distance from Japan to London was span- ned .in ‘8‘: .hours, .while one hundred years ago it took 81/: months. 'At the Walter Scott School’s recent graduation, approximately 22 of the grade 8 graduates pictured above began their education in grade 1 at the school now in its eighth year. Teachers of the three classes Were (top) John Peace now at Forest Hill, John Wheeler (centre) and Mrs. Eleanor Robertson. Most students are now enrolled at Bayview Secondary School. Speaker at the graduation was David Porter, York Central District High School Board’s attendance ofllcer. Walter Scott Grads’ Class Of ‘63 ation students from Buttonville. said he envied the graduates today. “The world has many oppor- tunities; there will be worries. perhaps tragedy. but the chal- lenge makes up for them." Diplomas were awarded to .Bonnie .Ross, .Gordon Musselman. Barbara Har- rison, Roxana Brewer, Gordon .Ambrose. .Marg- aret .Selders, Donna Ste- phenson, Jeff Locke, Garry Lent and Mervin Picker- ing, and 17 students from No. 4 school. Valedictorian for Buttonville School was Barbara Harrison, who also won the Sr. Girls’ athletic trophy, Keith Burton of no. 4 school also gave a vale- dictory address, and won the Peter Bowden Trophy for academic, sports and character. Buttonville Public School won the plaque awarded by the Victoria Square and District Lions to the school winning most points at the field day, and junior athletic trophies were presented to Philip Johnson and Marilyn Musselman. Rev. A. F. Binnington pre- sided at the invocation; George Brands. president of the Lions Club chaired the meeting; ath- letic awards were made by Gerald Woods. chairman of the girls’ and boys’ committee, and Principals Howard Atkinson of No. 5 school and William Deeds of No. 4 school spoke briefly. At the close of the evening refreshments were served by the wwes of Lions Club men‘ hers. Addressing about 450 members of York County Elementary School Trust- ees' Association’s ninth convention last Wednes- day at King City, the min- ister said pupils coming from poor rural schools were under a tremendous handicap when entering high school. “The simple crossroads school met the basic need when pioneer homes were isolated and roads undeveloped. If any education at all was provided it was through public effort and the schools had to be near the people. The minister also said it was important teachers at the elem- entary school level be encourag- ed to increase their qualifica- tions. “Local control is a philos- ophy dear to Ontarians. “Since pioneer life was simple and close to the soil, it was thought education should consist chiefy of reading, writ- ing and arithmetic and also be- lieved any teacher possessing these skills sufficiently was fully qualified to teach. \Economy Changed I >Principals of schools for 3001 “If~ we are to improve the or more since September, 1961 scope of education here, we have been required to hold a must find a way to provide ad- permanent first class certificate equate, lower cost financing. If to a permanent elementary you think we have problems to- school teacher’s certificate and‘day, we're just starting.” a Bachelor of Arts degree or its‘ Sutton Reeve Marian Gillan equivalent. he noted. was acting chairman in place “This is a significant mile- of Woodbridge Reeve Norn stone towards improved acad- Garriock called to Ottawa. emic qualification and has sup- Other panelists were BM. Mc- port of all interested in better Lean. technical advisor with {education for Ontario school the Department of Education lchildren,‘ he said. and Mrs. D. Lingwood, of r ‘35 interest is a chart indicat- Waterford representing the line. growth in the county of el- Ontario Teachers Federation. ll “It’s natural the system which served so well should not be given up lightly even though the economy has changed from agriculture to industry, from hand production to automation and from rural to urban living as it has to a great extent in York County." Mr. Davis said. The minister said it would seem desirable in York to es- tablish larger units so centrally located graded schools could be built to bring to rural pupils the advantages urban pupils have enjoyed for years. the advantages urban pupils “We can’t afford not to have enjoyed for years. spend money on education,” “It is interesting to note he said. fewer than six out of each Markham T.S.A. No. 3 hundred elementary schoOI Trustee S.R. Patterson said pupils still attend one-room York County should be prepar- schools," Mr. Davis said. ed for the impulse of increased The minister also said it was population and not wait until important teachers at the elem- forced to build new schools. He entary school level be encourag-said school boards were under ed to increase their qualifica- an obligation to provide facilit- tions. ies. “This is a significant mileâ€" stone towards improved acad- emic qualification and has sup- port of all interested in better education for Ontario school children}. he said. For example, in Richmond Hill there were 20 as compared to 113 today; Markham 31 to 91; Vaughan, 55 to 102; King 34 to 71. Roman Catholic Separ- ate Schools took the biggest leap from 10 classrooms to 116. County totals are 287 as com- pared to 860 today. ementary classrooms (teaching areas) from 1952 to 1963. There were only 25 classrooms in the York Central Secondary School area 11 years ago; today there are 167; in Markham, 32 teaching areas and in King, 43. On a panel discussing the scope of educational opportun- ities in York, York- Central High School Board Superint- endant Sam Chapman urged close co-operation between both levels. “It would be a mighty ex-3 pensive proposition if second- ary schools had to deal with every corner school. The ans- wer may be intermediate schools and in larger high schools of 1,500 to 2,000 stud- ents with all under two or even one central board,” he said. Mr. Chapman said that in Ontario in 1947, only 35 per cent of the age group eligible attended school but in 1963, the figure was more like 74 per cent. You’ll need safe winter tracfion SGON . . . Now you can enjoy the safe, sure traction of b‘irestone’s famous “Town & Country” tread for less than half the price of new tires! This deep-biting tread with its action- angled skid resistors will take you through the worst winter weather. Order yours now. Drive in and reserve a pair or have them installed now. Our StOCk won’t last long at this price. 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