Bee deaths prompt the Barkleys to take action

There may not have been an actual red carpet, but the Students’ Council of Seaway District High School made sure that the seventh annual Oskar night at the school was filled with pomp and circumstance.

“We always have a really big turn out of students for Oskar night,” said Hayley Smith, vice president and Nikki Devries, student senate. “The event is really popular with kids at Seaway. Everyone wants to know who actually won in the 12 categories. It’s a semi formal occasion, so we also have a Much Music Video dance after the Oskar presentations. Everyone looks great and has fun.”

Oskars, held at the high school on Thursday, March 21, began with students’ council seven years ago, and the tradition has continued and grown since then.

There are 12 categories (a few of them fairly unique) and students are nominated in the junior and senior divisions of each by their peers. Then there is a secret ballot and the top three finishers in a category are entered into the contest for the coveted Oskar.

“Suspense is really high, and everyone comes out to see who the final winners will be,” said Hayley Smith. 

There were two hosts at this year’s Oskars, Brodey Casselman and Ryan Brown. The contenders for Oskars were shown to the crowd in special video clips (just like their Hollywood counterparts), and the winners announced.

The gold plated Oskars (who may have been “Barbies” in another life) are treasured by the winners. At the celebration, 28 statues were handed out.

Each students’ council generally adds a special category or two of its own to the event. In 2013, Most Likely to Appear in Duck Dynasty and Most Likely to be ID’d at 30 were selected.

Winners of these categories were (sen.) Ryan Brown and (jun.) Collin McCooeye (Ducks) and (sen.) Eric Swank and (jun.) Zach Thompson (ID).

Other Oskar winners in the 2013 competition included:

Leading Lads – Brodey Casselman (S), Toby Mullin (J).

Leading Ladies – Sarah Dickey (S), Allison Lee (J).

Biggest Athlete – Vicki Van Hoof (S), Andrew Jarvis (J).

Dynamic Duo – Bailey Wells, Danielle Whitteker (S), Peyton Bradford, Mackenzie Barkley (J).

Most Dedicated – Sam Venema (S), Lyndsay Venema (J).

Most Unique Style – Ashley Dupuis (S), Dani-Shae Barkley (J).

Class Clown – Josh O’Connor (S), Evan Mullin (J).

Best Hair – Casey McNairn (S), Mackenzie Barkley (J).

Biggest Gamer – Nick Madden (S), Chris Goupil (J).

Cinderella and Prince Charming – Travis McNeilly and Valarie Stewart (S), Tristan Hanes and Alyssa Mayhew (J).

[…]

Thanks to the Morrisburg and District Lions Club, students attending Morrisburg Public and St. Mary/St Cecilia schools continue to have access to the No Child Without (NCW) program. 

Sponsored by the local Lions, in partnership with the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation, the NCW initiative focuses on children who suffer from childhood diabetes and asthma, and allergies like peanuts. It also protects children with other pre-existing medical conditions.   

NCW provides elementary students with a MedicAlert bracelet or necklet custom-engraved with the child’s medical information, member ID and the MedicAlert 24-hour Emergency Hotline number, free of charge. 

This service is available to all children in our community, ages four – 14 with pre-existing medical conditions or allergies to ensure first responders have access to the student’s vital health information during a medical emergency. 

By calling the Hotline, school staff or health care providers have immediate access to vital information from the child’s electronic health record, including existing medical condition. 

The emergency numbers found on the back of the MedicAlert bracelets and necklets provide Morrisburg Publilc and St. Mary/St. Cecilia schools with important information to assist a student in an emergency situation. 

In addition, parents are immediately notified by MedicAlert when the Emergency Hotline receives a call about their child. 

As a result, parents of children who wear MedicAlert bracelets or necklets have peace of mind knowing they will be advised in the event their child has a medical emergency and furthermore the comfort that proper care was quickly provided.

Parents are encouraged to contact their school to obtain a brochure about the No Child Without program, providing more information and how to participate in this initiative.     

[…]

WILLIAMSBURG – The rain held off and 10 teams held on here Saturday to raise $5,045 for the Dundas County District Chapter of Easter Seals Ontario. That brings the 12 year total of the Brian and Tracey Shaver organized ball hockey tournament to over $40,000, an amount the Shavers and all of the ball hockey players are very proud of.

This year’s double knock out event attracted 10 teams, down one from last year’s record 11 teams.

For the third consecutive year, it was the James Morrell entry finishing as the champs. Playing for the Morrell team were Kelly Morrell, Laura MacDonnell, Lindsay Waddell, Dave Summers, Greg Millard, James Morrell, Adrian Glauser, Daniel Glauser and Colin Moran (goalie).

For this year’s win, the Morrells knocked off Team Francis which included Andrea Francis, Scott Francis, Jamie Francis, Adam Schofield, Chelsea Seguin, Debby Berwick-Seguin, Will Mclean and Paul Flaro.

Money is raised for Easter Seals through pledges, with each player asked to collect a minimum $25 in pledges. Getting the most pledges this year was Jason Rooney at $475.

The Dundas County Chapter of Easter Seals assists children living in Dundas County with physical disabilities.

The Chapter counts annually on three major fundraisers, the ball hockey tournament, Snowarama and a blooperball tournament along with the annual Easter Seals Paper Egg Campaign.

The Dundas Chapter now consists of just four committee members and it assists 14 children living in Dundas County.

“We need this [successful ball hockey tournament] because we are down in events, and we are a small committee,” said secretary Harriet Clarke. “As always the community has been very generous with our prizes today and Brian and Tracey [Shaver] do a wonderful job. It is a lot of work. Brian and Tracey do this out of the goodness of their heart. They deserve the credit and a huge pat on the back.”

According to Chapter Chair, Ian MacLaughlin, the group is looking for volunteers. “This would allow us to diversify and to take on more activities.”

“We would like to make more people in the Dundas County Community aware of us and what we do. We would also like to reach out to the parents out there who don’t know they can access us.

To find out more about the District Council for Easter Seals, local residents can contact any member of the committee. In addition to MacLaughlin and Clarke, they include Bob Ruddock and Deanna MacKillican.

[…]