Davidson

SCC tries to introduce fitness and art project

The School Community Council (SCC) is trying to bring in a fitness and art pilot project to Davidson School that would bridge the gap between the school and the greater community.

Marcia McIvor, chair of the SCC, said Davidson School staff decided last year they want to focus on physical activity and reading as part of their two-year plan, which is done in conjunction with the Board of Education. She said the role of the SCC is to support the school staff while incorporating members of the community with the school, so to accomplish the plan they came up with the idea to introduce martial arts, yoga, archery and artwork into the school.

“We’re hoping to bring it in as a pilot project in the elementary to middle years in the school just to see how it goes,” said McIvor, noting the SCC has already or are planning to approach members of the community, who are involved with these activities, to come into the school to teach the students. “If it goes well that it is something that maybe we can continue. That’s where we’re going with that, (to) try and bring in yoga and martial arts and archery to just expose the kids to something different and give them a little bit of variety.”

McIvor said introducing art would be a way of bringing the students who don’t excel in sports into the community. She said the SCC is thinking about buying some frames and going to local businesses and asking them if they could hang the frames with the student’s artwork in them throughout the community.

That way “any business you go into you might be able to see a couple different students’ artwork,” she said. “Artwork could be a poem, it could be a picture (or) it could be a (creation) of leaves. It doesn’t have to be a drawing. It’s any form of art that the student feels they can do.”

Laura Willner, a Grade 2 teacher at Davidson School and secretary of the SCC, said these activities were decided upon through conversations around the SCC table between parents, community members and teachers. She said the consensus is that this pilot project is a good opportunity for the kids to experience non-traditional activities while building connections with the community.

“There is no question that kids are open to try so many new things,” said Willner. “It is really key (that) often in the early years (when) exposed to something the more open you are to trying it and it may well turn out to be something you love for a lifetime. The more experiences for kids the better for them and we’ve got great community resources here to access and hopefully cultivate interest in these different things for the kids.”

To read more please see the October 28 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Craik

Craik library launches Page Turners

Reading is fun.
Helping kids discover the pleasure in books is the aim of a new program launched this month at the Craik branch of Palliser Regional library.
The Page Turners, a reading club for children in grades kindergarten to five, met Oct. 1 at the Craik library, where they became immersed in the funny, far-fetched stories of Robert Munsch.
Munsch’s illustrated picture books are popular with many children because of the crazy predicaments that children and more often, their parents and teachers, find themselves in.
The Craik library created the Page Turners Club to remind kids that it’s fun to read, said librarian Jo McAlpine.
The club is also a way to encourage children to regularly visit the library.
“It’s a change from holiday themes, so everything isn’t centred around holidays and to show kids they can come to the library when it isn’t Halloween.”
Jody Kearns leads the group, reading a few stories to the children and then gets them involved in a hands-on activity.
Last week’s task involved making a giant cookie to coincide with Munsch’s book Mmm, Cookies!
The Page Turners also made diaries so they may keep track of all the books they’ve read.
To motivate children to keep reading, McAlpine said, they have developed a reward program so that every week, when children return a book they receive a project. Once they return three to four completed projects, they receive a prize.
These projects are fun and simple.
The first project was to match characters to Munsch’s books. Another project shows kids how to draw a pig.
The inaugural meeting of the Page Turners Club had 14 children participating. Next month’s club meeting will feature Dr. Seuss.
“We’re feeling a little guilty about older children (not having a reading club of their own), but we don’t have enough leaders,” McAlpine said.
Craik library’s Page Turners Club meets the first Tuesday of the month.

Obituary

obit SchneiderLucy

Schneider
Lucille Veronica
Beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on October 15, 2013 at the Davidson Health Centre.
Lucy married Ray Schneider in 1949 and bought their own farm in Young where she worked hard milking cows and raising chickens. In the late 50s they moved to Bladworth and Lucy took over the chores and raised her children while Ray worked away from home. She loved being in her garden, playing cards, visiting and cooking for her family and friends. There were always cinnamon buns in the oven, pies cooling on the counter and a pot of soup on the stove. A few years later Lucy went out to work and was the custodian at the Davidson Schools for many years. Lucy retired when Ray’s health failed and she was devoted to taking care of him until he moved to the Davidson Health Centre. She looked forward to cooking his favourite meals when he came home on weekends. The coffee pot was always on and the house was always full of company, either playing cards or Yahtzee. She loved to play Bingo and go to the casino but her greatest joy was her children and grand kids. She kept up with their lives through many visits and phone calls. She was right by their side through the good and the bad. She was an angel on earth.
She will be lovingly remembered by children Michael (Carol), Stanley, Debbie, and Dean (Heidi); grandchildren Jason (Tamara), Scott (Melissa), Janelle (Jason), Roxanne (Nick), Heather (Dan), Brittany (Greg), Joshua (Stephanie), and Jordan (Katelyn); great-grandchildren Eric, Paige, Logan, Teagin, Tessa, Lachlan, Brooke, Hailey, Kassidy, Shaye, Bruin, Carter, Jayla, Cohen, Chloe, and plus one; sister Esther Irvine; brothers Clifford (Elaine) Irvine, Roger (Lorraine) Irvine, Richard Irvine and Stewart (Roxanne) Irvine; sisters-in-law Marcella Mitzel, Emelia (Lawrence) Pavelich, Theresa (Edward) Haberman and Grace Schneider; brothers-in-law Pius Schneider and Lawrence (Kay) Schneider; uncle Vincent (Pat) Pavelich and aunt Shirley (Dale) Weisner; also numerous nieces, nephews and other family members.
Lucille was predeceased by her husband Raymond; mother Frances Irvine; son-in-law Jose Vicente; parents-in-law Michael and Kathryn Schneider; sister and brother-in-law Cecilia and Vern Pinceman; brothers- and sisters-in-law Andrew (Shirley) Schneider, Elizabeth (Ken) Christopher, Jerome Schneider and Peter Mitzel.
Funeral services were held on Friday, October 18, 2013 at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Davidson, Sask. Lucille was laid to rest at the Bladworth Community Cemetery. Arrangements in care of Hanson’s Funeral Home.

featured

89-year-old Hanley woman survives elements

Verna Zwarich says she is prepared to buy a cell phone.
It’s a concession the 89-year-old Hanley resident made last Tuesday, speaking from her bed at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. She was recovering from surgery to repair a broken hip.
A cell phone would not have spared Zwarich the operation she needed Sunday to fix her hip, but if she’d had that phone, then maybe the surgery could have occurred days earlier, preventing a four-day ordeal of hypothermia and dehydration as Zwarich lay in her farmyard northeast of Kenaston waiting for help.
“I prayed and prayed and prayed so much. It was a big help to have God on my side,” Zwarich said.
She looked and sounded surprisingly well for an elderly woman who’d spent days out in the cold without warm clothes, food and water.
She gives credit to God for her survival, however, Zwarich, who prides herself for a life of hard work, must also possess a mighty will to live. A strong stubborn streak likely didn’t hurt either.
“What an experience at my age. But I’m a strong person. I do all kinds of work on my own,” she said.
She was out at her beloved farm about 9-and-one-half miles northeast of Kenaston on Wednesday, Oct. 9, doing yard work, including putting away lawn ornaments. She was nearly finished with just two more ornaments to stash in the shed when at 2 p.m., as she was walking to her pickup truck, her right hip broke and she fell. (This injury happened to the same leg that she hurt a few years earlier when the riding lawnmower she uses to cut the grass in her farmyard fell off the bed of the truck onto her knee requiring a knee replacement.)
Her right leg useless, Zwarich said she tried to pull herself into the truck, but couldn’t reach anything to grip. As she lay near the truck, Zwarich said she watched as cars and a school bus drove by on the nearby road.
“I was waving for people to stop, but they go so fast and they don’t ever look. I was out in the open where they could see me,” she said.
She crawled to the house, but couldn’t raise herself up to open the door.
So, “I crawled over to the shed Wednesday night because I knew the door was open there. I kicked the door shut and I laid there for the rest of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
Zwarich said she found two “skinny little quilts” in the shed she was able to cover herself with, providing a slim bit of warmth during the frosty nights. There she laid for three nights and two days, listening to the mice scurrying about the shed all the while praying and hoping that help would come.
“I was so cold,” she said with a shudder.
Saturday it seemed her prayers were answered.
To read more please see the Oct. 21 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson

Hanley Elks farm for community

Members of the Hanley Elks last Tuesday celebrated their second successful harvest.
Five combines made the rounds on a half section of land northeast of Hanley as part of the local service club’s fundraiser.
“Our slogan is: Hanley Elks Farming for Our Community,” said Garry Dubyk, exalted ruler of the Hanley Elks Lodge No. 153.
Proceeds from the sale of the soft white wheat crop, whose yields Dubyk expected to average 55 bushels to the acre, will go towards community projects.
Some of the proceeds from last year’s harvest were donated to the Hanley skating and curling rinks, as well as helping with medical expenses in the community. Other revenues from the first harvest were invested into community farming project.
“A lot of last year’s revenue we put back into it,” said Henry Peters, Elk member and one of the project organizers.
He said the Elks borrowed the idea of farming land to raise money from other communities. He said the idea behind it is instead of having a lot of suppers and other small functions to raise money, they could pool their manpower and resources by farming land.
This year’s harvest is bittersweet for the Hanley Elks. The land belongs to the late Erwin Beaumont, who passed away in the spring.
Dubyk said Beaumont, who was 80 rented his land to the Elks in 2012 when he heard the group was looking for land to use in its fundraiser.
“He was so proud and happy because his dad had been an Elk,” Dubyk said. “Erwin even rode around with us for the harvest.”
To show their appreciation to Beaumont for allowing them to rent the land, the Elks invited him to their events that year, something the long-time bachelor seemed to enjoy.
“It’s sad he got sick,” Dubyk said.
Beaumont got cancer and died before he could watch the Elks farm the land a second time.
Dubyk said the Elks appreciate Beaumont’s family, who are honouring the three-year lease agreement they had with Erwin.
They also appreciate the support from machinery dealers and input suppliers for helping them with the initiative.
Hanley Elks has 48 members ranging in age from their early 20s to 80s.

Craik

Craik and Palliser Co-ops merge

Palliser Plains Co-op is expanding its reach after members of the Craik and Palliser Plains Co-ops showed their desire for amalgamation in votes last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Terry Vanmackelberg, general manager of the Palliser Plains and Craik Co-ops, said 100 per cent of Palliser Plains voters and 97 per cent of Craik Co-op members voted in favour of the merger, which takes effect Dec. 1.

Amalgamation “strengthens the whole association, so for Craik especially the buying power (has increased) being part of a larger organization,” said Vanmackelberg. “Most of our members will have access to facilities in four communities.”

With the merger, Craik Co-op would be added to the Palliser Plains coverage area of Tugaske, Central Butte and Shamrock. The Co-op would have around 2,400 members, 56 employees working at the four branches and projected sales of $35 million in five years time.

Vanmackelberg said an important part of the amalgamation is the Craik Co-op is not currently in the agronomy business as far as chemical and seed, while Palliser Plains is heavily into these commodities. He said this merger then helps open “Craik territory for our agronomy services and chemical and seed.”

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan