Principal’s Page
By Jeff Reaburn
http://www.shdhs.ca
I would like to start this week’s column by commending all of the students who attended this year’s Formal for their very good behaviour at the dance. As I had indicated in my columns over the last two weeks, we did do a breathalyzer test on each person who attended the Formal. I am very pleased to report that we did not have to turn anyone away, and the evening went very well indeed although it was swelteringly hot in the small gym. I would like to thank Ms. Black, Ms. Magill and the Formal Committee for their hard work in organizing the dance and decorating the gym for the evening’s festivities.
I would also like to extend my congratulations to Lauren Haberer and Marcus Haccius, who were voted by their peers as Students of the Year for 2007-08. The voting was very close this year, the closest in fact that I have seen in my seven years as principal, and as I said on Friday evening, any of the nominees would have been a good choice for this honour. So congratulations as well to the other nominees: Katie Anderson, Janita Pfaff, Carly Schroeder, Dimitris Fragiskatos, Bryce Halpenny, and Kurt Van Osch. Katie Anderson had an outstanding weekend, as the Formal took place between two races she ran in Hamilton at OFSAA, the provincial championships in track and field. On Friday afternoon, she placed fourth in the Senior Girls 1500 M race, and then she “raced” back to Exeter for the Formal. She returned to Hamilton on Saturday afternoon to run in the Senior Girls 3000 M race, finishing second and earning a silver medal. These are outstanding achievements, a great way to finish off her high school track and field career. Congratulations, Katie, on these incredible accomplishments.
Katie’s performance and the performances of all of our athletes will be recognized at our annual Athletic Awards Assembly, this Thursday morning. The assembly will take place at the beginning of the day, but contrary to what some students will try to tell their parents, it will not last the whole day. The exact times for classes have not yet been determined, but we will be running all five periods following the assembly. This is a very important time of year for students to be in class as we are working on final assessments and getting ready for exams: so, if your son or daughter tries to convince you that there are no classes on Thursday, please let them know that I have told you otherwise. Besides, we do feel that it is important to recognize the hard work of our student athletes, and we would like everyone to attend the assembly.
On Friday evening, we will be holding our annual Relay for Life to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Once again, students, staff, parents, and community members will be walking the track from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in support of this very worthy cause. The event will open with the traditional Survivors’ Victory Lap and once again the track will be lighted by luminaries, candles placed in paper bags in memory of loved ones who have lost the battle with cancer. We encourage you to support this event by sponsoring a walker and attending the opening ceremonies.
Finally, I would like to remind students and parents that exams begin on Thursday, June 19, and run until Tuesday, June 24. Students are advised that they should by now be preparing for these exams and working on any final assessments that have been assigned in class. Report cards will be available for pick up in the school office from July 2nd to 4th: reports that are not picked up by July 4th will be mailed out on July 7. Students need to ensure that all textbooks have been returned, and any outstanding library fines or fees have been paid prior to getting their report cards.