FRIDAY MAR. 1, 2013 VOL. 38, NO. 41
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Honouring a community leader Mayor receives Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Pink Shirt Day at IPS
Head of school’s talk suggests a ‘cultivation of humanity’
Penny drive
Bowen Shares gladly accepts discontinued coins
After school club needs room to expand More demand than spaces has prompted exploratory measures SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
T
he need for after-school care is growing on Bowen Island and Ann Silberman of the Bowen Children’s Centre (BCC) that runs the After School Club (ASC) said that it currently cannot accommodate all the kids whose parents apply. The solution? Find or build a dedicated space that meets the demand. Silberman came to the January 25 council meeting looking for “comments, ideas and support” for exploring the option of re-zoning the site at 604 Grafton Road as the potential permanent home for after-school care. “We entered into pre-negotiation around building an after school club on the land [between the Bowen Island Community School (BICS) and the BCC] that is owned by Mr. Al Leigh,” Silberman said, explaining that the easy walking distance from the school and the Children’s Centre speaks in the locations favour and also means that parking could be used by both facilities. In a letter to council, Silberman laid out the background of the ASC that offers licensed outof-school care for children in kindergarten to Grade 6. It started in 2000 in response to the need for quality, convenient and consistent care for school-age children. The program currently uses BICS’ facilities but also accepts children who attend other schools or are home-schooled. Children can sign up on a regular (full and parttime) or drop in basis. “The club’s coordinators organize a range of indoor and outdoor activities and prepare a substantial healthy snack. The ASC continued, PAGE 2
Getting married is surely not such a scary proposition as Carol Cram portrays in her role in this year’s Broadway on Bowen production. See back page for more photos. Debra Stringfellow photo
Celebrating the past and planning the future SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
T
he Bowen Island Arts Council (BIAC) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a impressive line-up of events and initiatives. The non-profit organization’s representatives shared their plans for the celebration with council on Monday, February 25, and asked whether councillors would see value in the preparation of a draft
service agreement that would bring a certain stability of funding to the arts council. Carol Cram, BIAC’s president, said. “What are we celebrating? We celebrate 25 years of supporting arts and culture on Bowen Island. The arts council’s first meeting took place in 1987 and it was incorporated in 1988.” The festivities will include a street banner program, speed dating with the arts where participants can learn new techniques in a
short time and an initiative that envisions brightly coloured bird houses to be installed as trail markers. The literary arts community was invited to participate by submitting works to a Bowen anthology. A three-part exhibit that highlights the history of Bowen artists is being curated in collaboration with the Bowen Island Museum and Archives.
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