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On behalf of the York County board of education I wish publicly to apologize to these two excellent students for any embarrassment this error may have caused either of them They both have earned the highest commendation. A subseqhent checking of marks reveals that on the best six subjects (the normal Year 5 Program) Karen Whillans obtained one more mark than Charles. It is the intention of the board to award all prizes for being “top student“ to each of these young people. DOUG ALLEN, chairman, 191 Laverock Ave., Richmond Hill, Ont‘ The other error is that the ministry of education has increased rather than withdrawn its financial support of values education programs in Ontario schools. Dear editor At the Richmond Hill High School commencement‘ Charles Painter was named _a top student. Actually the board authorized a new values education committee, authorized a meeting with the minister “for the purpose of clarifying the in- terpretation of values education policy," and called for a moratorium on certain teaching methods until the board had adopted values education teaching guidelines. The ministry continues its support, through the field centres of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, of pilot programs in coâ€"operation with many school boards (eig., Peter- borough, Sudbury, London, Lakehead). The' ministry' V also continues its support of research by the OISE Moral Ed_qcation_ Project centred in Toronto. Through its grants-in-aids of educational research the ministry recently funded values education projects in Scarborough. The first sentence of the article says “Education Minister Thomas Wells recently withdrew all financial support from the values education programs in Ontario schools and Monday night York County board of education withdrew its moral support." There are two errors here. 'As the rest of the article shows, the board did not withdraw “moral supâ€" port.” Top student mistake made Be a Red Cross blood donor this holiday season today from 2 pm. to 8:30 pm. at King City United Church, or Friday at Bayview Secondary School from 9 am. to 1:30 pm. 3sch00/ story errors What‘s the one gift you can give this holiday season that you don’t have to pay for? What’s the one gift only you can give? What‘s the one gift you already have plenty of, that could give you the opportunity to be a life saver? The gift is blood, the most vital one you can give. Share your health and holiday spirit with others. As an involved citizen of Vaughan, I wanted to congratulate you and your staff on the fine coverage your paper gave of the Dec. 6 elections. In particular, the Dec. 1 article by Denise Romberg “Vaughan Split on Development" was probably the best piece of local political analysis in any of the York Region weeklies â€" and I read them all! Ms. Romberg laid out the issues unemotionally, factually and without bias, something that is at I'm sure you will want them to be able to assess the actions of their elected officials on the basis of correct information. / Dear editor Dear editor: The article “Values education loses moral support” (Nov. 24) contains three errors which might seriously mislead your readers. Best Yule gift That problem is the organization of electric power service and authority according to changed urban Letters _ _ _ Election coverage fine V This unfairness puts the spotlight on a problem which hasn't been cleaned up since regional government started six years ago. . Electric power rate increases announced this week by Ontario Hydro are hitting some local users unfairly. The Lubeval '5 published evevy Wednesday by Metrospan Commun-ly Newspapers Lumneo The Woodbndge Noah Dtvusuon. which also publishes Yhe Bannev In Aluova, Newmarkel Vaughan News, and The Bench Enlevpuse pAGE A4 WEDNESDAV. DECEMBER 15, 1976 NBUSMER JVG. VAN KAMPEN Rates unfair E11: Zfibn'al \ONH Yong: Slveel. Richmond Hull L4G 4V6 Omava This caution seems to be what is often picked up and misrepresented as proof Brian Burnham ..... readers misled The ministry has also just placed a contract for further values education developmental work with the Halton board of education. In all fairness. researchers have said time and again that no single, short program is a foolproof method 0f producing moral behavior or complex valuing processes. The last paragraph of The Liberal‘s article, attributing to Dr. Beck the statement “moral dilemma and group consensus discussions were not ef- fective,“ is also in error. These methods have been shown in studies with young children to be at least as effective as presently used alternatives. In studies with older students these methods have been found to increase learners‘ abilities to deal with difficult values questions. Also, the ministry is just now distributing to schools their new publication, The Reflective Approach to Values Education, “a product of extensive research, designed to stimulate community discussion," as a recent official release describes it. Dr. Clive Beck and Dr. Edmund Sullivan of OISE are the authors of this work. Published studies by Beck and Sullivan, as well as those by this board, hale shown just the opposite. 7 (That board has requested per- mission to use in its work the important considerations survey, a measure of moral reasoning power developed in 1974-76 in York County under a ministry grant.) The ministry has also taken out an option on the publishing rights of the values education program guide developed in the Haldimand-Norfolk Region. All members of the previous council who had carried forward and initiated substantial development proposals were returned to office. Councillors Cameron and Jackson, who were considered by many to be times, all too rare, particularly during an election. And n0w the people have spoken What did they say‘.7 In my opinion, the people have given the council a clear mandate to proceed wiin_developmenl _â€" but cautiously. The disparity will actually be $281 a year for a few months, until Vaughan Hydro Commission raises its rates. It‘s past the time when provincial leadership should have turned into action. A Thornhill-Markham or Unionville resident with a 30,000 kilowatts-a-year all- electric home faces an annual bill $141 higher than a Thornhill-Vaughan resident across Yonge Street. Smaller but similar differences exist within or between other towns and townships. The province is leading a study and is working on the problem in this and other similar fast-changing areas. The Thornhill, Unionville and rural areas of Markham are being hit the hardest. and municipal areas But six years is far too long to let the matter drag on without action. EDITOR HAROU) BLAINE The point clearly is that, regardless of the support for values education in the York Region, interest in and sup- port of values education is both deep and wide across Ontario. BRIAN BURNHAM, Chief research officer, York County board of education, Aurora, Ont. ‘ The most recurrent topic, however, was values education, with four papers presented by Ontario researchers. In other words, a balance has been achieved on council that will ensure development proceeds, but that all facets of it are examined and exposed anti-development, were returned with fewer votes than senior councillors and even newcomer Di Giannantonio. That indicates to me the people want Cameron and Jackson there to watch development proposals carefully and see that they [will protect present communities, creating attractive and livable new neighborhoods. of “ineffectiveness” At the annual conference of the Ontario Educational Research Council, Dec.’3-4, evaluation of students‘ progress, reading clinics, mathematics studies, modern languages education and many other studies in “the basics" were reported. (A maximum stress period occurs when making a decision on a new job or buying a new house.) It‘s obvious that over a period of a year a large amount of time and energy is used up before the shopper spends his hard-earned money. Or so one is led to believe. The average homeowner in Rich- mond Hill pays $700 per year in taxes. Further expand this example to purchases ofxa car, vacuum cleaner, store, electric carving knife, etc. In addition he will pass through what is termed a “medium” stress period four days prior to the television purchase and continuing until 112 days afterward. About 34 per cent of this goes to the town, 15 per cent to the region and 51 per cent to public education. During his shopping search he spends approximately 712 hours comparing models, features, etc. He will Eravel 312 miles, spend an average of $3.25 on meals and beverages. If my memory is faithful, the average person for example, spends an average of $625 for a color television. I remember reading an American survey conducted by a consumer research group studying the buying habits of the average consumer when purchasing a major item. Shopper works hard SHOU'LL; OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT V0 ter stress negligible By Richard Luxton I would also like to congratulate the people of Vaughan for coming out to the polls in larger numbers than for many years. The percentage of voters (46 per cent I am told) is still abysmally low, however, and makes one wonder whether- people, really do believe in democracy. In any event it is h0ped those who did not vote realize they have no moral It goes without saying too, that all residents of the town should be protected from any extraneous costs associated with the park. (It was of course, never clearly demonstrated “the people" of Maple generally, oppose the park. For in- stance, no all-candidates meeting was requested for Maple.) All this is not to say strenuous efforts must not be made to see Maple residents are shielded to the greatest possible extent from any possible ill effects of their proximity to the park. I think we can trustâ€"our new council to accept responsibility for both these concerns. to view As far as the Maple theme park is concerned, it is evident that whatever the fears of the people of Maple, these were not shared by residents across the town. Voters have told council members they must work for the greatest good for the greatest number even if this means going against the wishes of a small number of residents, i.e. the people of Maple. Of this combined total, several candidates commented that 65 per cent to 75 per cent were already committed voters. That leaves a maximum of 44 uncommitted voters attending. My wife and I attended both candidate meetings under the auspices of the Citizen Advisory Group at Richmond Hill High School and Oak Ridges Public School. At the first meeting I counted about 72 people and at the second meeting about 54. Unlike the financial commitment toward a color television, tax money is given autocratically. In other words, once tax money is given there is no apparent concern as to who, how, why or when it is spent. ’For all intents and purposes it is given “carte blanche“, so it seems. C it/zen works little A 'ODICII autumn of ammo» by our readers Submunom should be no more "can IW words, typed preluably Opinion 2) Residents on the whole have achieved the euphoria of perfection, happiness, contentment, love and peace with their lot. They‘ve ef- fected an envious phiIOSOphy of “I don‘t give a damn! “ Or else they‘re thinking along the lines of “Don't bother me . . . I‘m all right, thank you very much". I can only conclude that: (1) The majority of residents are planning a mass equusn Needless to say. I am concerned about the continuing apathy of Rich- mond Hill residents. V 3) Tlie piddling contribution of $700 toward local taxes is a small price for my piece: (sic) of mind. We ourselves didn‘t attend the Hillcrest meeting, for as concerned voters we felt we might become a disruptive force. Thé turnout Dec. 6 was a disap pointed 43.7 per cent. A minority elects for the majority. That means only half a per cent of voters (uncommitted or otherwise) were interested in hearing or knowing the candidates. Assurfiing this same trend oc- curred. the Hillcrest Mall meeting would also be badly attended. may There are 23,643 eligible voters in Richmond Hill. Seasons greetings to all, and best wishes __ for a progressive and prosperous New Year for the Town of Vaughan. (MRS) MARGARET McLEAN, Chairman, Vaughan election committee, 20 King High Dr., Concord, Ont. Margaret McLean ..... the best piece right to complain about anything council may do. Let me pursue this further, if I Disruptive force 4 conclusions (Richmond Hill citizen Luxton resides at 22 Poplar Grove in Oak Ridges postal area. â€" Editor.) So the adage lives on. “The people get the government they deserve." Long live Richmond Hill! It isn‘t in the character of Rich- mond Hill residents to collectively have an opinion on their investment in their future. It would necessitate a personal commitment. And we all seem to agree, apparently: or} that pgirly 0r 4) The mental stress of buying a new micr0wave oven this week is far too great. Therefore the im- portance of a mere local election is ill-timed and thus a downright in- convenience. Then people say, “If I only knew then what I know now'. . . I would have done things differently." Nothing changes. In fact, in retrospect, I doubt very much if there will be many com- ments about all this next week. r Unfortunately history has also shown that in many instances the stand often comes too late. History has proven time and time again that the individual will eventually be forced to make a personal stand. I try to remain optimistic, but it's very hard. 5 pain 1‘s for live Yule pet victory But I‘m with you â€" this year it‘s strictly skates and goalie nets and a new pair of Lee cords. Once was definitely enough. This definitely eliminates any thought of putting it in a sock. Still, the dog has this skinny face and these big floppy ears we can't resist. As my husband says. she's the only one in the house who never talks back. Secondly, you must make sure you have a houseful of company Christmas Eve when you go to collect said animal. The column last week by Sharon Brain brought back memories of Christmases past â€" especially of the one two years ago when Santa brought us a dog. But, Sharon, I really do have to set you straight on a few points. Number one: never buy a puppy and hang it from the mantle in a sock. That‘s DUMB! What you do instead is find a dog that, when it puts its front paws on your shoulders, is a head taller than anyone else you know. The prospect of being able to go back to using all of their four-room townhouse themselves, and not having to leap the lawn in a single bound each morning, has them giddy with delight. Actually, with a blanket of dog hair over everything for the 715th con- secutive morning, a four~gallon bowl taking up a corner I'd love to put a plant in, and muddy paw prints in a kaleidoscopic design on my kitchen floor, I wonder if there are a few points about the subject I may have missed. Like your Suggestioh of buying a turkey instead. Then make yourself sound Gery firm and cross when it make too much noise chewing up the furniture. I bet she didn‘t turn that deadly shade of white, either. They‘ll promise to get all its shots, won‘t take a penny for it, and will throw in all bowls. bones, collars and leashes. The chase is qfiite an impressive sight, though; It also gets you lots of fringe benefits, because the peOpIe you‘re getting it from bought it when it was 4" by 2" and they didn‘t kn0w it would get to be 6‘ 8“. They‘re so delighted y5u'll give it a home they'll keep it till late Christmas Eve for you. The cries of Vconsternation from your guests effectively cover the noise of bringing the dog in.) The trick is to keep smiling and pretend everything‘s normal. After all, you can‘t go out and get something different at 6:30 Christmas ’morning. This is the main cause of families running up and down the street in pyjamas and slippers at 7 o‘clock Christmas morning. The barking sounds can be explained to the children in terms of a guest who‘s one or two over his limit. Number three: you have to know how torhiqe a dog till the next morning. No big deai. You just sit up with it all night in a room with a strong lock. Number four: You think your mother screamed and leaped when she saw your gerbils? At least they didn‘t follow her up onto the couch. And fifth, make sure you ddn't ownva eat if you‘re getting a dog, or vice versa. Self commitment Optimism diff/cult. Extra advantages Once is enough Fringe benefits Death/y pale By Lynda Nykor Iynda's lashes