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Davidson

Students hold basketball clinic at Kahkewistahaw

Interested students at Chief Kahkewistahaw Community School made major strides in the game of basketball last month thanks to a clinic run by a few Davidson School students and one graduate.

Grade 12 students Kim Baldwin and Matthias McCreary joined up with Grade 11s Jill Rettger and Grade 10 kids Tina Stone, Cheyanne Nordmarken, Huck Rettger, Sydney Booker and Gabe Ebenal along with 2012 Davidson School graduate Sydney Willner to run the Nov. 29 and 30 basketball clinic at Chief Kahkewistahaw Community School (CKCS). During the clinic the Davidson School kids imparted their knowledge of dribbling, shooting, basic defensive and offensive plays and the rules of the game to the group of aspiring players.

“Volleyball is a really big thing in (Kahkewistahaw),” Kim said. “The principal (Evan Taypotat), who interned here a couple years ago so we know him pretty well, was trying to get basketball started in their community, so they wanted a couple kids who had been playing basketball for a while (to help).”

Kim said they first received notice Taypotat hoped to get a basketball clinic going when he approached Tony and Sandra Baldwin in late October when the Raiders senior girls volleyball team were playing in a CKCS tournament. She said Sandra then organized how the clinic would operate before asking a few kids if they’d like to go and they were all for it.

“The first day and part of the second day we split everyone up and went over basics,” Kim said. “Then at the end of the second day we had a scrimmage, so we split the kids into two teams and they just played and some of our students played and me and Matthias coached the teams. It was really fun.”

Jill said the Davidson kids were able to show the CKCS students “little tricks” how to approach plays in a different way during the clinic. She said they were also able to give them a quick lesson what to do at different moments in a game.

“They got really good,” said Tina. “Everything they got pretty good at, but they were originally pretty good.”

Tina said this was the first time the Davidson School students have ever done anything like this before, but they would take part in coaching another clinic if given the chance.

Kim said they planned on conducting the basketball clinic at Kahkewistahaw for free, but their good will was rewarded by the generosity of CKCS students at the end of the second day to their complete surprise.

“We had lunch with them the second day (and) they supplied breakfast for us,” she said. “They also gave us all gifts. They gave us all a (CKCS) t-shirt, a pad and a pen and $40. It was really cool.”

Davidson, featured

Students raise hope this Christmas season

Grades 4 and 5 students at Davidson School are leading the charge against homelessness and hunger this Christmas season.

Twenty-five kids from the two grades recently contributed to the Habitat for Humanity and Genworth Canada “Meaning of Home” online writing contest. With every entry received $5 was donated to over 30 Canadian Habitat affiliates by Genworth Canada.

In total 7,038 entries were submitted this year from grades four to six students with 546 of those coming from Saskatchewan placing student participation in this province fourth largest in the country. The entries raised $35,190 so far as a further $60,000 grant to a Habitat for Humanity affiliate of the winning entry’s choice along with five runner-up prizes of $5,000 each are going to be awarded in January.

“I would donate (the prize) to either the Saskatoon or Regina Habitat for Humanity shelter, so they can expand on it and take more people in,” said Grade 5 student Baylie White, 9, on what she would do if her entry was chosen as the winner.

In her entry Baylie wrote: “Home is something that everyone should have. Home is shelter, warmth and coziness. Home is a place where you can run and hide when you are scared. Home is somewhere you can have your family over for dinner. Home is somewhere you can watch your kids grow up. Home is something everyone should be able to call their own. Please help everyone have a house to call their own because home is where the heart is.”

Baylie said she had a little bit of help from her mom with the entry, but she likes writing and found it fun as well as important to contribute to the “Meaning of Home” contest.

“Seeing homeless people on the streets makes people really sad, so it’s kind of nice to try and donate to them,” she said.

Fellow Grade 5 student Logan Farrell, 10, said it is extra special for the kids to contribute to this contest because this is the Christmas season and this is a good way to give back. He said it was important to participate because it gave the kids a chance to “donate things to the homeless people.”

Habitat for Humanity “build houses,” said Logan. “If (people) need a house they do help them or they raise money for shelters.”

Logan’s entry into the contest read: “Home is (warm) and a (warm) bed. A place you can spend time with your family. Home is a place you can eat. Home is a movable place. Home is where you have Christmas and (Thanksgiving). Home is where I feel happy. That is what home is to me.”

Logan said the grades four and five kids are not the only ones at Davidson School trying to help the less fortunate this Christmas season as all the grades are participating in the Davidson InterChurch Association (DICA) Christmas Community Hamper project. For their effort, students and family members purchase “plates” from Dec. 3 to Dec. 13 with all proceeds donated to the Christmas Community Hamper project.

“Now we donate $2 to buy a plate for the homeless people,” said Logan. “I’ve looked around and I’ve seen lots of plates hanging on the doorways.”

Davidson

Davidson deals with Christmas Grinch

Herman Crescent resident Pat Rhodes is asking anyone who lost Christmas decorations from outside their home to contact her, as they may be the ones she found spread around her property.

“We found some laying in the street in front of our house then we found more laying in the alley behind our house,” said Rhodes about her Dec. 4 and 5 discoveries. “The one in the front was the Abominable Snowman and he was claimed and then in the back there was a candle and a couple strings of lights and one of those white spirals…they’re supposed to look like a Christmas tree when you stand them up. Then there was three light-up gifts with a star and another set of lights attached to it.”

Rhodes said the candle and one string of lights was claimed by the United Church and returned, but the Christmas tree spiral, the gift bags and a string of blue LED lights is still in their possession. She said all the lights are still in working order and nothing seems too damaged.

“We’ve had some people phone asking about reindeer, but nope there wasn’t any reindeer,” she said. “So there was more (decorations stolen around town) and I guess the Catholic Church had some stolen too, but they found theirs by the school.”

Rhodes said there hasn’t been any mention to her of anyone else around town who found missing decorations. She said the job right now is just to get these ones back to their rightful owner before Christmas comes.

“It’s just they’re here for whomever that they belong to to come and claim them.”

Craik

Tommy John Ehman brings band to Craik for New Year’s Eve bash

Country rock recording artist Tommy John Ehman is set to bring in 2014 with a toe tapping show Dec. 31 at Craik Legion Hall for the Craik Lions Club 2013 New Year’s Eve Cabaret.

“It’s going to be pretty fun playing New Years,” said Ehman, who is bringing his band with him to his hometown show. “I haven’t played a New Years in Craik since probably my very first band when I was growing up here. We probably played a New Years or two back then, but not since then. I’m pumped about it.”

Ehman said the band would be treating the crowd to original music mainly from his fourth studio album, 2008’s “Wheels of Life”, and his most recent recording, 2010’s “Turn On The Radio”, during their set. He said they’ll also be mixing in some classic and country rock standards during the evening.

“Generally we start off a little mellower and a little more country,” he said. “As we move into the night we’ve got some Tom Petty, some John Mellencamp, some Steve Earle, some Trooper and who knows. It’s that kind of thing. It’s songs people like to tap their toes to and sing along with and hopefully get them up on the dance floor.”

Since releasing his first album, “Wasted Nights”, back in 1996 Ehman has kept busy writing songs and touring both solo and with his band at house concerts, clubs, cabarets and festivals throughout Western Canada and beyond. Ehman said his focus at the start of his music career was songwriting and that continues to be his focus, but his writing style has changed since those early days.

“It’s matured and I assume it’s got a little bit better and more focused,” he said. “When I pick a topic I want to write a song on I think I can drill down on it a little better. I’ve been writing songs for over 25 years, so you better get a little bit better. I think more than anything I’m just maturing as an artist, as a songwriter, as a singer (and) as a guitar player. You just get better with time.”

The band, which includes bass player Rob Ehman, drummer Rod Mochoruk and new guitarist Billy Ray Houston, has matured as well, which puts a damper on the heavy touring schedule they enjoyed back when they were first starting out. Ehman said 20 years ago they could go on the road and play shows whenever they wanted and that is not the case now with family responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean they have stopped completely or toned down their high energy shows.

To read more please see the December 16 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Sports

Sabers fall short in comeback attempt

The Davidson Raiders senior girls basketball team’s 43-33 win over the Hanley Sabers at home last Wednesday never appeared to be in doubt during the first three quarters, but then the Sabers started showing their strong athleticism in the final minutes of the game.

Down 39-16 heading into the fourth the Sabers finally started breaking through the Raiders defence thanks to strong drives by point guard Megan Fairbairn to get the ball in close to the Davidson basket where forwards Jill Kroeger and Taylor Shpyth were waiting to drain a few shots. In those last 10 minutes Hanley put up more points than they did in the first 30, but just didn’t have enough time to complete the comeback.

“It was our first game of the season and we’ve had several practices already cancelled because of weather, so we’re pretty raw,” said Sabers coach Kelly Graham. “That’s about what I expected (is) to come out there and make some mistakes, but by the end of the game we were starting to learn and play together. As the game got going we got better. We lost, but I still feel pretty good about it.”

Both the Raiders (3-1) and Sabers (0-1) got off to a slow start in the game with each team firing bricks on their scoring opportunities during the opening minutes. The Raiders were the first team to wake up halfway through the first leaning on strong defensive play from guard Tina Stone who swatted a number of Hanley attempts and post Kim Baldwin who wasn’t afraid to put herself at risk by fighting hard defensively against the Sabers.

Leading 14-6 after one, the Sabers started making a charge, but Davidson matched them along the way bringing the score to 21-14 at the half. The third quarter is when the Raiders put the game away thanks to point guard Sydney Booker and her prowess moving the ball down the court and making plays and centre Cheyanne Nordmarken who made good on a number of shots staking the home side to a comfortable 39-16 lead.

“It was a really good practise game because we have been working on things like press and a couple of plays and we had a really good opportunity there to get to practise them,” said Raiders coach Karielle Willner. “That was excellent. It was really good for that. It’s always good to play Hanley because they have such raw excellent athletes. They are just going to give you a good game no matter what because they have such raw talent in terms of athleticism. It’s fun to play them.”

To read more please see the December 16 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

featured

McCraney patrons group await greener pastures

The leader of the McCraney PFRA Community Pasture committee patrons group is not willing to sign a lease agreement with the province unless it secures the non-reversionary land on the pasture for them.

Dean Palmer, chairman of the McCraney patrons group, said they were told on Nov. 29 that they won’t be able to own the yard site for the pasture that sits on non-reversionary land for a while. He said this is because the federal and provincial government has not come to terms on what they’re going to do with the land, which makes it tough on them to take control of the pasture when they don’t know who is going to secure the land rights to the non-reversionary piece.

“We’ve seen a draft lease and we’re supposed to be getting the official lease within two weeks, which is what the powers that be told us,” said Palmer. “We’re kind of waiting for that and see what happens then. I’m hoping there is some negotiation after that.

“The biggest thing for me is to get it spelled out properly how the non-reversionary land will be handed down once it does get put in place. The second issue is the bull issue. We’ve got money in place to buy the bulls, but we’re fighting too. They want us to buy the bulls now and we feel we need a full bull evaluation come spring to pay them in full and they’re balking at that as well.”

Palmer said they had 37 bulls and have cut out six already just by simple observations in the fall processing of the bulls, but they are not going to have a chance to do actual semen evaluations before they buy them making the patrons go into the sale “blind.” He said the land lease is not likely to “change a whole bunch” as the province doesn’t appear willing to negotiate, but the group’s power there lies in the fact the Saskatchewan and Canadian Governments don’t have their cards in order for the non-reversionary land.

“They do know that is important for our manager and his family and we’ve expressed interest in that already,” he said. “We were told way back on Nov. 17 that we were going to have a lease on that quarter because they had done a land swap with the federal government and everything was basically a done deal. When I asked for that written down on paper Mr. Hoehn, Wally Hoehn, said that you’ve got 17 witnesses. There were 17 people at the meeting that day and he said there are 17 witnesses here that will vouch for me.

“Then I get a call on (Nov. 29) saying that nothing can be done, so that is kinda a bit of a game-changer for us right now because our manager and his family are pretty important to us and our community.”

Wally Hoehn, executive director of Lands Branch with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, said the province has not acquired the non-reversionary land on the McCraney PFRA Community Pasture. He said they were trying to acquire it, “particularly the home quarter because we see it as an operationally critical chunk,” but have not been able to as it has not yet gone through the federal process.

“We have a proposal with the federal government to exchange some other Crown land that we have for critically operational land in those pastures (with non-reversionary land),” said Hoehn. “The federal government does have a process though that they have to follow through in terms of this non-reversionary land and so in the interim we do have agreements with the federal government that allow us to lease the non-reversionary land to include it in our lease to the patrons. So in effect we’re leasing it from the federal government and that lease that we have with them allows us to sublease it to the pasture patrons.

“If there is a lease for the McCraney group to sign next week it will include the non-reversionary land. Now the term of that land is a little different. You know (provincial) leases are for 15 years. The term of the non-reversionary land is undefined until the federal government gets it through the process, so we’re just waiting for that process to be finalized.”

To read more please see the December 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader.