The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 17

CITY MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1998 B3 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN CFL fans seek help to get team for Ottawa Vy uw'-. I- ROD MACIVOR, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN Confederation High vice-principal Bill Mitchell, with Pathways participants Mike Piscatelli, 18; Lori MacDonald, 18; and Adrian Williams, 17. Students pick pathway to jobs This includes a unit on career planning and the development of employa-bility skills. A key part of the program is the school's partnership with area businesses, including auto repair, horticulture, travel and tourism, the environment and high-tech. There is one three-week job site portion of the curriculum that is developed by the business the student has chosen.

The work component differs from traditional high school co-op placement because the student "lives, eats and sleeps the business," said Mr. Mitchell. Mike Casey, general manager of Charterways bus service, thinks the idea of students working alongside employees will provide the type of experience schools can't offer. "I'm a firm believer that until you feel the bumps in the road you don't really experience life," said Mr. Casey.

About 60 per cent of Confederation's population of 1,100 students pursue post-secondary education. The rest go to work or drop out of school, Mr. Mitchell said. Candidates for the Pathways program are students who don't necessarily fit into the traditional learning pattern of eight courses a day which sometimes requires meeting strict deadlines. Some of them weren't able to achieve the success they would have liked, said program co-ordinator Clark Moffatt.

and I don't have to show up to class at a particular time," said Ms. Lindop, who says at times the deadlines on assignments help her organize her schedule for other classroom work. "I'm an average student and this gives me a chance to work on two subjects for half the year instead of a multitude of courses." She also said she is now thinking of going to college. "Pathways is formatted to help you and teach you what college studies might be like," said Ms. Lindop.

Bill Purvis would like to get into computer programming and Pathways is helping him get there. It has also given him the opportunity to work on his own and learn at his own pace. "I wanted to try to work on my own and so far I've learned self control and self discipline," said Mr. Purvis, 17. "(Pathways) is helping get where I want to go." So far the new approach is working, but there are still a handful of students having problems.

However that doesn't worry Mr. Mitchell "We are having a good success rate. Some are falling through the cracks, but they are the ones who just don't seem to be motivated or don't want to go on in the program," he said, adding one student has left the program and dropped out of school The federal government recently gave the school $142,000 to help deliver its new approach to education. "Some of the students here have difficulty concentrating and coping with school in the regular system," said Mr. Moffatt.

"Here they have fewer distractions." Pathways is structured so that Grade 11 and 12 students take three courses from September to January and three more for the remainder of the school year, plus two co-op credits, for a total of eight, the normal compliment in a traditional curriculum. Mr. Moffatt is the one constant face in the class of 55 students. Three other teachers travel between Pathways and their regular classroom duties. His field of expertise is data processing and politics, which the students are taking this semester.

Last semester students studied mathematics and English, but Mr. Moffatt is readily available to answer any question and for counselling. Although the program focuses on students who are having difficulty with traditional education, it doesn't exclude those who are thinking about attending university. For Caroline Lindop, 17, it's an opportunity to take her time and focus on her work, although she is still required to meet deadlines. She admits it's difficult sometimes to absorb the material because a teacher isn't always available to answer her questions, but self-discipline and self-directed learning are the results.

"I can take my time to do my work By Jake Rupert The group trying to bring CFL football back to Ottawa and save Frank Clair Stadium at the same time, wants to hear from you. Next Sunday at 1:50 p.m., a public meeting will be held at Rick's Cantina on Bank Street to see if there is enough community support for the project and to give people a chance to voice their views on the subject "We want to hear from the fans," said Harold Moore, one of the leaders of the group and head of the 65 Roses Sports Club. "Whether we go ahead with the project will be up to them." Mr. Moore and four others, including former Ottawa mayor Jacquelin Holzman, attended a meeting yesterday to discuss strategy to get a new team for the 1999 season and stop the demolition of the stadium. This is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2001 after the Francophone Games.

The Ottawa Rough Riders football club folded after the 1996 season when investors couldn't be found to prop up the sagging team. The Rough Riders had been mired in a series of financial problems since the team was sold to a group of local limited partners in 1986. At the time the team folded, a very public campaign to save it came up well short. This new group is looking at several ownership possibilities including limited partnerships, single ownership and, possibly, community ownership. But the week-old group has no firm plan, and is willing to listen.

"We're going to look at every and all possibilities of ownership and structure," Mr. Moore said. "We're going to see what's out there and move ahead from there." If the project is to be successful, one thing the group will need is a big chunk of money. CFL chief operating officer Jeff Giles has already said he wants to see between $5 million and $10 million from investors before the league would consider a team for Ottawa This would cover the franchise fee of between $2 and $5 million, and two years of operating costs of about $4 million. He has also expressed support for the project and said league bosses definitely want a team in Ottawa, but there will be no special dispensation given to any franchise purchase proposal for Ottawa Mr.

Moore knows getting a team will be an uphill battle. "It's not going to be easy," Mr. Moore said. "Right now, we need about 1,000 volunteers to get the project under way." ROUNDUP the south end is looking for a special volunteer on Tuesday afternoons. They need an English-speaking manicurist who enjoys working with elderly people.

Parking is available and the building is handicapped-accessi ble. Homework tutor: A west-end community centre runs a homework club Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and the members need tutors. The participants are from Grades 3 to 12 and the language used is English. Teen recreation: A community resource centre in Vanier is looking for adults to help with its teen programs. Activities are both indoors and outside, and include dances.

Bilingualism or French-language capability is essential March Break: Do you snowboard? Skate? Dance? Swim? They need you in Nepean during the March Break to help with their daytime children's programs. The children are between four and 12 years old and the locations are scattered across Nepean. Charity run: There'sa fund-raising run Sunday April 5 in Wakefield and they need help handling registration and moving materials for the event. Some experience with animals would help. One of the jobs requires a car or van.

Bilingualism is essential. This run is for the benefit of a society concerned with pets and animal care. Porters: There is an urgent need in a centrally located seniors residence for volunteer porters to escort residents to the therapy centre or activities. A once-a-week morning commitment is needed and volunteers must be able to push a wheelchair. E-mail the Volunteer Centre of Ottawa-Carleton at aj550Freenet.Carleton.Ca seen pedalling north on Bank Street, wearing a green coat with a hood.

Police are also looking for a youth, possibly armed, in connection with another incident in Vanier. Three youths were waving a handgun in the face of another youth on Lavergne Street at 7:45 p.m. Police arrested two youths about 10 blocks away. School offers alternative plan for students having trouble BY DEREK PUDDICOMBE Not everyone is cut out for college. Many high school students don't have the money, the marks or the inclination to go on to post-secondary education.

After watching students drop out or graduate into unemployment, Bill Mitchell, vice-principal at Confederation High School, felt the education system ought to be doing more. So, Mr. Mitchell and Confederation are carving out a path for students who do not choose post-secondary studies. The program helps students make the transition into the work world. "It gives students a Grade 12 diploma and an opportunity to acquire skills that will help them find employment," said Mr.

Mitchell. To help them reach their goals, a training plan outlining the pathway to work is developed for each student. The in-school component of the program includes some courses from the existing curriculum. 'War is a failure of civilized society' Demonstrators call for end to Iraqi sanctions By Charles Enman Demonstrators on Parliament Hill yesterday afternoon called for an end to sanctions against Iraq. "Sanctions are not getting rid of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein but they are causing the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children," said Richard Sanders, co-ordinator of the Ottawa-based Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade.

The demonstration was sponsored by the Coalition, Project Ploughshares, Faith Partners (an organization of area churches), and Ottawa Quakers. "No one here loves Saddam, but there are lots of guys worse than him who we leave alone," Mr. Sanders said, citing Indonesian President Suharto and the genocide in East Timor, and Turkish leaders he said were responsible for the deaths of 50,000 Kurds. "Right-wing fascist mi'itary dictatorships seem to be OK, but not Saddam. Let's get one set of rules that apply to everyone." Mr.

Sanders claims the U.S. is being hypocritical. "The Americans have their own biological and chemical weapons and they don't allow just anyone to inspect them." Carl Stieren, an Ottawa Quaker, said Canadians have also not been notably virtuous in their dealings with Iraq. "Remember, it was a Canadian scientist, Gerald Bull, who almost developed a supergun for the Iraqis." Mr. Bull was assassinated in 1990, ostensibly by members of Israeli intelligence.

Reports say his gun would have allowed the Iraqi military to fire chemical and biological weapons at Israel While calling for an end to UN sanctions, the demonstrators were also insisting that any military aggression against Iraq would be immoral. "War is always a failure of civilized society," said Quaker Peggy Land of Ottawa "Sanctions should be dropped not bombs Already one Iraqi child dies every 10 minutes because of the blockade. A military attack will only make the situation worse 7., i fc fx 'i ijj 'f as a ItjJW jj VOLUNTEER If you were a caller to the Citizen Expertline, please be advised that this service has bean discontinued. In order to obtain access to a wide range of volunteer opportunities, please call the Volunteer Centre of Ottawa-Car-leton, a United Way agency, at 789-4876. Family ties: This volunteer opportunity involves the whole family.

Participants are matched with another family to provide social and emotional support, information advice and to have fun. Auditor: It's annual meeting time for this emergency food service, and that means they need an auditor. The work must be done by May 15, and they specify an English-speaking Museum assistants: Dinosaurs and computers this downtown museum needs help with both. The crafts section needs help with hands-on dinosaur activities, and they need someone to help teach visitors to use the computer-video equipment. This is a March Break daytime activity and either English or French language is welcome.

Odd jobs person: If you're good at painting and fixing up or if you'd like to learn how to be good at these jobs a retirement home in the east end has a job for you. The hours are flexible and the need is immediate. Bilingualism would help. Special event: The International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination will be the theme of a March 21 celebration, and this immigrant support agency needs your help to make it special They're looking for an organizer and a decorator as soon as possible. Some of the work can be done from home, and facility in any language would be an asset.

Manicurist: A retirement home in Yes, there A BAD PEME BUT THERE IS 3 'r" I mtZm' A GOOD WAR NEGT8 ATE, BON'l BOW Purse snatcher flees on bike ce and Social Ottawa-Carleton police are looking for a bicycling bandit after a woman was robbed of her purse at knifepoint while she used a bank machine on Bank Street last night at about 9 p.m. The woman was inside the bank machine doors when the thief put a knife to her throat and demanded her purse. She turned it over and he ran outside and hopped on a bike. He was last CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN Demonstrators on Parliament Hill said sanctions against Iraq are only hurting innocent Iraqis, especially children. A dozen people representing various peace groups called for an end to the sanctions.

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