School cancels Remembrance Day event

[styky]

School cancels Remembrance Day event

By Kelly Roche, QMI Agency

Last Updated: November 3, 2011 8:33am
http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2011 ... 18531.html


OTTAWA - The 20th anniversary of an educational Remembrance Day event is being cancelled at a west Ottawa Catholic high school after the teacher organizing it was told “no tanks or guns” are allowed in the school.

Notre Dame High School history teacher Gene Michaud sent an e-mail to friends last Friday, sadly announcing the end of the Remembrance Day Symposium — shocking many in the military community.

“There’s a huge difference between some kid with a grudge bringing a weapon that’s loaded into a school, and veterans putting on a Remembrance display with non-functioning historical replicas,” said Wayne Mac Culloch, a retired major who spent more than 40 years in the Canadian Forces, including five missions overseas.

“What we’ve got going on here is a warped perspective of no weapons in schools.”

Mac Culloch often speaks at the annual Veterans Week event, which was set for Nov. 10 this year, and says he’s astounded by the new rule.

“We’re not talking tanks — we’re talking a cargo truck, Jeep, things you or I could actually own,” he said.

“If I can drive this thing on a city street, what is the objection of the school board?”

Replicas from museums are usually brought in, “but certainly, there’s nothing that you can operate,” said Mac Culloch.

Grade 11 student Carrington Pilon said he’s “shocked to find out it’s being cancelled because it’s such a great thing that our school does to get everyone involved to remember them. Just being in the same room as them is such an honour,” said Pilon.

Kiara Cullum, 16, first took part in the event four years ago.

“They did have one station where there’s replicas of guns and different things,” said Cullum.

“They had the uniforms that they wore and we were actually allowed to try them on, so it was really cool.”

Cullum said students will be “disappointed” because they love interacting with veterans.

This year’s event would’ve included those who served in Afghanistan.

An Ottawa Catholic School Board spokeswoman downplayed the cancellation, chalking it up to a decision made by an internal committee.

“The committee decided they wanted to change direction of the symposium,” said Lauren Rocque.

“The co-ordinator, he didn’t like the way that it was going, so he resigned.”

Rocque said she doesn’t know the man’s name or when he stepped down.

Michaud tried taking the event to a public school but also got rejected.

“We do not allow weapons in our schools for any reason,” said Ottawa Carleton District School Board spokeswoman Sharlene Hunter.

Ministry of education spokesman Gary Wheeler says schools are obligated to hold Remembrance Day services, but “decisions relating to what type of items are to be brought onto school property fall within the discretion of the school board.”

Mac Culloch isn’t impressed with either board.

“If those in our education system can’t make the distinction, I personally would have to question their professionalism,” he said.

“If we’re going to misrepresent our history, what lessons are we really going to learn?”

OTTAWA CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD WEAPONS POLICY

1. The Board shall not tolerate the use, threat of use, or possession of weapons or replicas thereof by any unauthorized person on its property or in buildings or at Board-sponsored activities. The Board shall not tolerate the presence of weapons or replicas thereof in lockers, schoolbags, handbags, vehicles,or in any other place on its property. The Board adopts the following definitions of weapon:

1. Anything used, designed to be used, or intended for use in causing death or injury to any person;

2. Anything used, designed to be used, or intended for use for the purpose of threatening or intimidating any person;

3. Any knife;

4. Anything that is declared to be a prohibited or restricted weapon by the Criminal Code of Canada (e.g., knives with blades that open automatically by gravity or centrifugal force or by hand pressure applied to a button spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife; pepper spray or any noxious substance, tear gas, tazer stun guns, nanchaku, brass knuckles, spiked wristbands, finger rings with sharp or raised projections, etc.);

5. Any barreled weapon from which any shot, bullet, or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person, and includes any frame or receiver of such a barreled weapon and anything that can be adopted for use as a firearm;

6. Any device which can propel a projectile, i.e., slingshot, compound bow, crossbow, paintball gun, etc.;

7. Any explosive device or the materials used for making an explosive device.

[The Devil's Advocate]

If the museum is no longer allowed to come to the school, then the least the school can do is allow the kids to go to the museum.

[WestViking]

I would like to do an audit of the school computers to see what games have been loaded up that are a violation of the school board policy on weapons.

[RedDog]

If this naive committee of teachers think there are no real guns in lockers, backpacks and sportsbags in the schools, they are sadly mistaken.

[Ben Kenobi]

Grr.

We forgot!

[Gerry T. Neal]

Grr.

We forgot!

Indeed.

Recessional (1897)

by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

God of our fathers, known of old—
Lord of our far-flung battle line—
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies—
The Captains and the Kings depart—
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Far-called our navies melt away—
On dune and headland sinks the fire—
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe—
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard—
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word,
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Amen.

[Edward Kennedy]

...stupid %^&)_(*&^$%^_) socialist ^& teachers....(%^^&+_ for brains

[sturmgeshutz]

It is no wonder why a city kid go nuts when he gets a firearm in his hands.

[RedDog]

My former wife is a teacher. They bring the drug dogs into schools and walk along the lockers in the hallways. When the dogs do their thing they take the snipes to the lock and on a number of occasions where there are drugs there is also a handgun and/or other weaponry. It's assumed they keep them there so parents at home don't come across them. The schools have plenty of guns but then again, these are the same naive butterflies and unicorns fairy dust minds swearing the crime rate has pummeled to nothing. There is no more crime.

[sturmgeshutz]

My former wife is a teacher. They bring the drug dogs into schools and walk along the lockers in the hallways. When the dogs do their thing they take the snipes to the lock and on a number of occasions where there are drugs there is also a handgun and/or other weaponry. It's assumed they keep them there so parents at home don't come across them. The schools have plenty of guns but then again, these are the same minds swearing the crime rate has pummeled to nothing.

Are you saying that the cops bring their weapons into the school? but...but..but...the school authorites said "NO EXCEPTIONS!"

[RedDog]

I assume the guidance councilor disarms the offices at the front entrance. There's not other logical explanation to adhere to the rules.

[Julian]

It is past time for liberalism to be drastically reigned in and a traditional value known as "common sense" is restored to the individual.

This is entirely the fault of the liberal ideal that government and bureaucracy have the answer to all of our problems and myriad of conditions. The truth is quite the opposite. Government is a necessary Evil and should always be viewed as such and kept as minimal as is possible.

[sturmgeshutz]

I assume the guidance councilor disarms the offices at the front entrance. There's not other logical explanation to adhere to the rules.

I see.

...but then it's ok for the guidance counsellor to be armed with a police weapon.

[WestViking]

If the museum is no longer allowed to come to the school, then the least the school can do is allow the kids to go to the museum.

Sound, logical answer. I am curious about why military props are needed to mark Remembrance Day. Thousands of schools across the country manage to mark the day without guns, tanks and other military props. This looks very much like an inappropriate hissy fit.

[sturmgeshutz]

If the museum is no longer allowed to come to the school, then the least the school can do is allow the kids to go to the museum.

Sound, logical answer. I am curious about why military props are needed to mark Remembrance Day. Thousands of schools across the country manage to mark the day without guns, tanks and other military props. This looks very much like an inappropriate hissy fit.

i remember as a young reservist travelling to the local high school with a grizzly, m113 and our full compliment of arms for a recruiting drive, we had dozens of new troops the next week signing up. after a few years when we weren't allowed to bring cool stuff into the school, we might as well of recruited at an old age home for the good it did.