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www.gregmonforton.com Volume 2, Issue 15
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
www.southpointsun.ca
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Weekend Weather Thursday
H 24º L 10º
Friday
H 24º L 13º
Saturday
H 16º L 11º
Sunday
H 16º L 11º
As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC
Keeping children safe
Happy Mother’s Day!
Allison Stuart, Assistant Deputy Minister and Emergency Management Ontario Chief, presented Gore Hill Public School with a Certificate of Recognition from Jim Bradley, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Pictured from left to right are: Chuck Parsons, Deputy Chief, Public Education/Training, Leamington Fire Services; Anna Mastronardi, Principal of Gore Hill P.S.; Ms. Allison Stuart; and Mike Ciacelli, Fire Inspector, Leamington Fire Services. (SUN Photo)
The late afternoon air show on Sunday, May 8 was a special Mother’s Day gift for a Leamington mom. Arthur McKay serves with the Canadian Armed Forces based out of Bagotville, Quebec. He was given permission to do a flyover in the F18 jet as a surprise for his mother on her special day. (Photo courtesy of Randy Holland)
Gore Hill P.S. steps up efforts in emergency preparedness Scouts Jamboree Page 19
Neufeld at Leamington Arts Centre Pages 6 & 7
By Allison Siddall Last week was Emergency Preparedness Week in Ontario. Every year emergencies happen, and the 2003 power outage and the tornado in 2010 in Leamington are evidence that this area is not immune to emergencies and must be prepared. On Thursday, May 5, Gore Hill Public School held a tornado drill. The school is located just one block outside of where the 2010 tornado struck. Attending this important educational and training event were Allison Stuart, Assistant Deputy Minister and Emergency Management Ontario Chief; Peter Kimball, a meteorologist with Environment Canada; and Chuck Parsons, Deputy Chief, Public Education/Training, Leamington Fire Services. Several members of the media were also invited to observe the drill. “This is a great opportunity to reinforce the importance of planning,” said Ms. Stuart. “This is a school which has experience with tornadoes and keeps up with drills. Children are our best messengers. They take the message home and help keep families safe.” “The point is to be prepared, not to be afraid,” added Stuart. “Hoping for the best is not a plan. It’s important to make a plan for ourselves. The drill gives a sense of control, mastery – ‘I know what I have to do.’” “We had our first drill a couple of weeks ago,” said Gore Hill principal Anna Mastronardi. “Some of the children showed anxiety, but with the second one they felt more safe and secure because they have a plan.” The procedure for the tornado drill goes like this: the principal announces that “this is a drill.” Teachers usher their students to a pre-designated section of an inside corridor, where they are seated up against the walls. All doors to the corridor are closed and teachers do a headcount to ensure everyone is
accounted for. The students wait until the “all clear” is announced and return to their classrooms. Ms. Mastronardi monitors weather conditions daily with a weather radio, and it is at her discretion when staff and students are to follow emergency procedures. There are 240 students from JK to Grade 8 at Gore Hill Public School. It was clear the students knew what they were doing, and they did it well. It took approximately 2-3 minutes for the children to arrive at their designated spot, and all were accounted for in quick order. This was all done in a very orderly and efficient manner. Chuck Parsons of Leamington Fire Services congratulated the children at an assembly afterwards in the gym. “Good job,” he said. “You really came through.” Peter Kimball of Environment Canada said that tornadoes in Canada are actually quite rare, and the odds of having another one in this area are about the same as rolling two dice and coming up with a pair of sixes, – three or four times in a row. “You don’t need to be worried,” he reassured the children. “It’s not very likely, but you still need to know what to do.” Ms. Stuart congratulated the children for their awesome job during the tornado drill, and announced that Eton Industries was donating a weather radio to every classroom at Gore Hill. She also presented a plaque from Minister Jim Bradley in recognition of Gore Hill’s emergency preparedness that reads: “Certificate of Recognition, presented to Gore Hill Public School, in recognition of your commitment to emergency preparedness, School Tornado Drill, May 5, 2011. Your efforts are helping to make your community a safer place. Signed: Jim Bradley, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.”
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