The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 6

rJ Barrhaven School's out! Shopping centre approved A community shopping centre with a major food chain store, and 26 boutiques will soon become a reality for Barrhaven residents. Nepean council voted Tuesday to give the go-ahead to the project, which will be located on a six-acre site at the southwest corner of Larkin Drive and Greenbank Road. The centre, which is being built by Melville T. Barr Investments will also include a bank, a restaurant, and 8,750 square feet of office space which will house medical and dental offices. In addition, the area surrounding the shopping centre will be landscaped with trees, and fences will be constructed to separate the project from homes adjacent to the site on the south and the west.

Closures mean Sept. move for students Neighborhood news What's happening in your neighborhood? We'd like you to let us know. Just phone The Citizen at 829-9100 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and ask for Neighborhood news or write to Neighborhood news, The Citizen, 1101 Baxter Road, Box 5020, Ottawa.

5 -A. 3' ilium i i rn ft "a I 1 7 i 2 il iiiViinmiiTihliiM Page 4, The Citizen, Ottawa, Wednesday, June 29, 1977 Borden Farm area Parents rally to protest mandatory French lessons Mike Pearce. Citizen By Bozica Costigliola Cili2en staff writer Partial and full closures in 10 Ottawa separate schools will mean better facilities for some students, a return to community schools for children attending French language intermediate schools, and the loss of a French immersion centre. The changes, brought about mainly by declining enrolment coupled with increased costs, will save the Ottawa Separate School Board an estimated $385,000 per year. Reaction to the closures has run the gamut from acceptance to disappointment and anger.

"The funds just aren't there so what are you going to do," said Sister Ruth Goulet, principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, one of the schools which closed its doors forever on Tuesday. "I wanted this school to continue but I know from the teachers' and principal's viewpoint it is extremely difficult." Goulet said the doubling of some classes and the lack of a teacher for children with learning problems had made it hard on teachers. "The teachers naturally find it difficult when they see a child who needs help." Better resources At their new school, St. Brigid's, the pupils will have access to better resources, such as a bigger library, said Goulet. At Ste.

Jeanne D'Arc School which has closed, "the parents insisted they should have a better school," said principal Albert Potvin. "Not only do they support the move, they suggested it." Aline Lapointe, president of the school's parent-teacher association agreed, albeit with mixed feelings. "We liked Ste. Jeanne D'Arc the way it was. It was a small school.

But it was overcrowded. We're getting into a nice, interesting school where the kids will have room." Lapointe said Ste. Jeanne D'Arc suffered from having no gymnasium and an unequipped yard, a situation that will be rectified when most of the school's 160 pupils move to Msgr. Marie-Joseph Lemieux in September. But not all the closings were accepted so easily.

Parents at St. Pierre School are angry about the move to close their school, saying it will interfere with the neighborhood plan in Sandy Hill and cause problems for some of their children, who will have to cross busy streets to get to St. Pie School. "Most of the parents are quite discouraged," said Pierre de Blois, parent spokesman. "This year they (the board) essentially screwed us." Closure 'a surprise' De Blois said the board had indicated last year that the school would remain open for the next three years.

The notice to close the school this year came as a surprise to the parents. "All the parents are keenly aware of the development plan (for Sandy Hill). They want to keep the school open." Our Lady of Perpetual Help is closing because there are two other schools within one block with better facilities, St. Anthony and St. Agnes.

Most of Our Lady of Perpetual students will go to St. Anthony. Queen of the Angels will close because of declining enrolment and a lack of facilities. Pupils will go to the new Rrince of Peace School and to McMaster. Notre Dame du Bon Conseil, Ge-nest, Ducharme and Pierre Laporte schools will disappear under the reorganization of intermediate (grades 7 and 8) schools.

All French-language schools will comprise kindergarten to grade 8 so that students don't have to attend three different schools elementary, intermediate and high school. Some classes stay Pierre Laporte school will still be used for area grade 7 and 8 music, art and industrial courses. Ducharme and Genest schools will operate some junior kindergarten and kindergarten classes. St. Christopher School will close because the board is phasing out French immersion in favor of a 50-50 (half day French, half day English) program.

In the fall the program will have taken effect up to grade 3. The program is scheduled to expand one grade per year, but the board must give its permission for expansion each year. Students at St. Christopher will attend St. Leo School, to which the former has been twinned for six years.

Under the reorganization, students from the closed schools will be attending classes at schools closest to their homes. By Rick Laiken Citizen staff writer The Carleton Board of Education's compulsory French language program, scheduled to begin this fall, is running into stiff opposition from some parent groups. The board plans to introduce the Core, Extended and Late Immersion program (CEL) to 14 of its elementary schools, but many Carleton area parents object to it being mandatory. Bells Corners Black Forest Lane extension protests win council support There were smiles on the faces of more than 80 Black Forest Lane residents who crowded Nepean Township's council chamber Tuesday, as council voted unanimously against the proposed extension of the lane to Moodie Drive. The motion to maintain the status quo came as a result of a protest campaign by the residents, who felt the extension would increase traffic on their quiet, residential street.

Plans for the extension were originally part of a $250,000 road improvement project being undertaken by regional government in the area. The township originally argued that it would help alleviate the traffic hazard at the intersection of Moodie Drive and Richmond Road. But, as resident spokesman Peter Fair-child told council, the hazard would only be worsened by the extension, with southbound cars on Black Forest Lane heading directly at northbound cars on Richmond. Fairchild said through traffic should stay on the major arteries, and, judging from Tuesday's vote, the councillors seemed to agree with him. "I can't see any reason why it shouldn't be left as it is," said councillor Eileen Con-siglio.

"Changing it will only disturb the li-veability of the area." Reeve Andy Haydon said the extension would be the best long-term solution to the traffic problem, but said he was prepared to drop the plan at least for the time being as a result of the residents' complaints. Deputy reeve Bob Mitchell agreed. If traffic problems worsen as a result of the council decision, he said, the extension will be proposed again. The township must now look for alternate solutions to the traffic situation at the intersection, and the matter has been referred back to the public works department for further study. Nepean Waterfront Park improvements set Nepean Township has granted a $47,713 tender to H.J.

McFarland Construction Co. Ltd. for the paving of parking lots, walkways, roadways and the construction of curbs at Waterfront Park. At Tuesday's meeting, council also voted to spend $8,500 on the design and construction of a washroom and storage facility for the 60-acre recreational area located along the Ottawa River. In addition, the township will hire a firm of landscape architects to prepare landscape designs for Phase I of the park, west of Stillwater Creek.

The architects will work in conjunction with an engineering firm on the overall design of Phase which will include the marina area. "This is by no means an anti-French concern," Gwen Norminton, president of the Century Public Home and School Association, said in an interview Tuesday. "But some children just don't have the ability to grasp a second language, and there's no escape hatch for them in this program." She said many parents whose children will be affected by the change did not realize the program was to be compulsory when it was first announced. CEL involves three elements of French language instruction. The core component is the 20 minutes a day introductory course already being taught in the school system for kindergarten to grade 3 students.

The extended component, the subject of the parents' criticisms, gives students in grades 4,5 and 6 a total of 75 minutes of instruction in French a day 20 minutes of oral French and 55 minutes of environmental studies. The third part of the program gives grade 7 students the option of taking a year of immersion in which 80 per cent of instruction is in French. Parents are afraid children who have trouble with environmental studies, the basis of geography, history and science subjects, when instruction is in English will be left way behind if they have to deal with French language instruction. "And the board has no policy for providing remedial help for slow learners other than in French," said Norminton. Operations superintendant Stanley Katz said the board has received a number of calls about the compulsory nature of the program, but he did not see any problem with going ahead with it in September.

"Of course, if we run into too many complaints and problems we will have to re-examine the added. Katz said the program had to be mandatory because of economic constraints. "It would be very difficult to provide funding for the extra staff it would take if 22 students are going to take the French courses and three don't want it," he said. "Hopefully the large majority will be able to cope." He said parents' fears about children not being able to keep up if taught in French are unfounded. "There's been a lot of research done in this area, and on the basis of what we've seen in places this has been tried, our program will be successful.

Concerned area parents are meeting today at 8 p.m. in Century Public School, 8 Redpine to discuss strategies for fighting the program. Hull Mutchmore Park to be turned into recreation centre Hull municipal executive committee gave its approval Tuesday to the development of a district park in Vanier Ward. The committee authorized $850,000 towards the development of the three-acre Mutchmore Park off Mutchmore Street as a "district recreation centre." Preliminary plans call for an outdoor swimming pool, a baseball diamond and a multi-purpose chalet. The latter will cost an estimated $400,000 and will provide space for a gymnasium and community office space.

The park is to be completed before next summer and in the winter will provide skating and hockey facilities. A similar project was recently approved for the Island of Hull sector, at Fontaine Park. Both are part of a five-year program to develop district recreation centres throughout the community. Last day for students and St. Pierre School Many St.

Pierre pupils reluctant to make move Brigitte de Blois and Michael Doxtater were among 135 pupils who spent part of their last day at school Tuesday packing books and colored paper for a move many are reluctant to make. The usual happiness that comes with the start of summer holidays was lacking among many pupils at St. Pierre School. St. Pierre is one of 10 schools the Ottawa Separate School Board is closing this year because of declining enrolment and increased costs.

"I'm gonna miss this school," said Brigitte, a grade 3 pupil. Brigitte said she wasn't looking forward to attending St. Pie but admitted it might be alright after she got used to the new school. "I like this school better than St. Pie because I never tried St.

Pie yet. I don't know it." Michael, a grade 4 pupil said "I like this school. It's the only one I ever went to," and added that he'd miss going home for lunch next year since St. Pie is too far for him to walk. Michael lives on Stewart Street, in the northern part of Sandy Hill, a few blocks away from St.

Pierre on Friel Street. St. Pie is on Mann Avenue. "St. Pie is probably at the furthest southeast part of Sandy Hill," said parent spokesman Pierre de blois.

"It's very badly situated. Kids from the north end will have to cross a lot of busy streets to get there." De Blois said the board is looking into the possibility of providing a school bus for pupils who live far from the school. However, Michael would have had change schools in the fall anyway since St. Pierre only went up to grade 4 this year. The threat of closure is not a new one to St.

Pierre School, but parents were surprised to hear the school would close this year. The issue came up last year but was deferred when parents suggested the board split classes between St. Pierre and St. Pie the former taking classes up to grade 4 and the latter grades 5 to 8. "We suggested it in order not to have doubling of classes," said de Blois.

"The reason was to create bigger classes and keep the schools busy. It worked quite well, but in May we heard that St. Pierre was on the block. "Last year they promised they'd keep the school open for another three years in order that the Sandy Hill plan take effect." "This area of Sandy Hill is the most predominantly francophone area in Sandy Hill. Now the social and cultural structure is endangered because a lot of francophones are leaving the area," said de Blois, whose daughter attended St.

Pierre. "A lot of people in Sandy Hill are immigrant families who normally send their kids to St. Pierre. They live in the Stewart-Wilbrod area. Now they are registering their kids in the English school (St.

Joseph)." The parents feel the school closure will act as a deterrent to potential residents moving into the area. The Sandy Hill plan with its emphasis on preserving the residential character of the area seeks to attract families into the neighborhood. "If you want to keep this area open to families you're going to have to keep the schools open," said Jean-Marie Comeau, who has one child at St. Pierre. "The families with the children will stay away and the area will become a semi-slum environment." By-St.

George's alderman Georges Bedard, also a St. Pierre parent, said one solution proposed by parents was to rent part of the school to the city for use as a recreational facility. The rest of the building would be used for classes. "What we were saving is operate it jointly (between the city and the school board)." That way, said Bedard, when the Sandy Hill plan was implemented and enrolment at the school grew along with the population in the area, the building could gradually return to full use as a school. But with the decision to close the school that plan has been abandoned in favor of one to use the building as a day care and community centre.

If the city's negotiations to purchase the building prove successful, the parents feel they still have a slight chance of seeing the 71 -year-old school reopen in the future. "If it has to go as a school, it might as well go as recreational space," said parent Madeleine Bedard. "Maybe in the future if we need it again it will probably be easier to get it back from the city." Beacon Hill, Rothwell registration at stake Guiding leaders, aides needed Registration for brownie packs and guide companies in the Beacon Hill district will not be held this fall unless a commissioner is found before Sept. I. In addition, a district commissioner is needed for the Rothwell district and both districts require new leaders and helpers.

Training is available for anyone interested in working with a pack of girls seven to 1 1 years old or with a company of girls II to 15. For the Beacon Hill district, east of Ogilvie Road, call 745-0726. For the Rothwell trict, west of Ogilvie Road, call 749-5488..