Wilmot Horticultural Society flower show winner

The Wilmot Horticultural Society handed out trophies to top flower arrangers and growers in several categories during their May 10 Flower Show in Haysville.

Here, Marilyn Reist (right) is being presented the WHS Trophy for most points in the Adult Competition, by president, Marian Sloss.

Thousands flock to Mennonite Relief Sale & Quilt Auction

See this week’s paper for more photos and full story on how the event went including the top selling quilts and the grand total of funds raised.

W-O celebrates with Barnyard Bash

Waterloo-Oxford’s annual Barnyard Bash gave students a chance to celebrate the imminent arrival of summer.

Friday’s event, which included a mechanical bull ride and sack races, also gave kids an opportunity to let off some steam before exams.

The annual barbecue and activities help raise money for student activities with a portion of this year’s proceeds going to the school’s Relay for Life campaign.

Pictured here are watermelon eating contestants Shannon Jewitt, Jeffrey Drake and Christine Young chewing their way down to the rind. Drake won the contest, but not before spewing a red gusher in front of the cheering crowd.

Ashley Kuiack agreed to get her long locks chopped so that a wig can be made from her hair for a cancer patient. To cap off the noon-hour event, members of Jemmy Jam and the Funky Bunch met the commitment to have their heads shaved. During a Thursday concert, Jem McWhirter, Matt Beauvais, Matt McGrath and Scott Malloch made the promise to lose their hair if the school raised $300. The students doubled that amount. Here Emily Campbell gives McWhirter a cool summer look.

Waterloo-Oxford’s Relay for Life, with a goal to raise $150,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society, runs overnight next Friday at the school.

New Dundee Women’s Institute donates to park project

The New Dundee Women’s Institute recently donated $5 000 to the New Dundee Parks Improvement Project. President Joanne Rush said that the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner was a huge success and she thanks the many members that contributed to it.

The $648,000 project involves construction of two new ball diamonds on land behind the New Dundee Community Centre, and significant upgrades to the existing park.  These include a new children’s playground, a multi-use cement pad, parking area and landscaping.  The ball diamond construction is underway.

Grants from federal and provincial governments and a contribution of $100,000 from Township of Wilmot total $532,000, leaving $116,000 to be raised by the local community   Since this is a Wilmot Township project, the business canvass is involving many of the businesses in  the township.   Fund Raising Chair, Rick  Berry hopes to surpass the $116,000 target so that a few of the ‘extras’ can be included at time of construction.

For more information or to find out how you can assist check the web site www.abetterplacetoplay.ca.

For information please contact Rick Berry, 519-696-2537

Fund Raising Chair, Rick Berry and Wilmot Township Councilor Elliot Fung accept a $5000 cheque from Women’s Institute fundraising representative Linda Stoltz and president Joanne Rush.

Students stop traffic in downtown New Hamburg with thrilling dance moves

Passersby couldn’t help but stop and stare when about 80 Grade 8 students from Forest Glen Public School took to the streets to show off their traffic-stopping dance moves at the intersection of Peel and Huron streets in New Hamburg Thursday afternoon.

Assisted by the Waterloo Region Police, the students transformed the busy street into a stage, performing the choreography from Michael Jackson’s song Thriller.

The students have been practicing the dance for about three months, which counts as part of the dance component of their English and gym programs.

Crusader girls out of CWOSSA contention following loss to Bluevale – PHOTOS

The Waterloo-Oxford Crusaders won’t be defending last year’s WCCSSAA championship after they were crushed by the Bluebell Knights Wednesday evening, in a 17-5 loss.

Check NewHamburgIndependent.ca for a full story.

New Hamburg Independent

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Students compete at Ontario Skills

Waterloo-Oxford student Ryan Brander, facing camera, puts his woodworking skills to use in the cabinet making category at the Ontario Technological Skills competition at RIM park today. Hundreds of students from across the region are competing in the competition in Waterloo this week. The OTSC is a showcase of the opportunities that exist within the skilled trades and technologies. Attended by a staggering 30,000 annually,  this event attracts a lot of attention from the general public, education, politicians and industry.

Chuck Kuepfer photo

Independent earns two first place editorial awards from OCNA

The New Hamburg Independent picked up two first-place awards for Best Rural Story and Best News story at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association gala in Toronto last week. Here editor Doug Coxson is congratulated by OCNA president Don MacLeod. The Best Rural Story (circulation under 9,999) was awarded to reporter Tim Murphy for his story about a local hemp test crop. The Independent’s editorial staff won Best News Story (circ. under 9,999) for their coverage of the December 2008 flood. The Indy also received an honourable mention in the General Excellence category (circ. 2,000-3,499).

At the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards gala last Thursday in Toronto, the Independent won first place for Best Farm Edition (circ. under 9,999) and three second-place awards for Best Editorial Pages, Best Special Section, and best Feature Story.

The Indy won first place for Best Breaking New Story from the Suburban Newspapers of America in February.

Grade 8 students get “pep” talk at Waterloo-Oxford

Future students of Waterloo-Oxford take part in the annual feeder school pep rally last week.

Brigitte Szucs

For the Independent

Every year Waterloo-Oxford prepares to welcome new generations into its classrooms. Usually around May, Grade 8 kids come into their future high school and experience a bit of what they’ll be immersed in just a few months later.

On May 12 W-O welcomed hundreds of future students in a pep rally, entertaining them with an cheerleader’s routine, while sports and clubs were introduced by senior students. W-O principal Ed Doadt, and others welcomed the students.

New teachers, new friends and a new educational environment are what some students will encounter in September. Others are already familiar with the school.

“I have a lot of friends here and I expect to look back and see something beautiful,” says Lauren Witner, an Grade 8 student.

Doadt talked about why W-O is such a great place.

“Because we’re bigger, we have more opportunity for kids to get involved in different activities, such as sports or clubs; we probably have the most activities in the region,” he said.

W-O’s principal took the opportunity to express his suggestion for the new students.

“My advice is to always be connected with the school; join a club, a sport or any activity, but keep connected with the school,” he says.

Students are very excited about going to high school, and fun is what they’re expecting.

“I know a lot of people here; my family went here. I expect it to be awesome,” says future student Serena Devitt.

Since going to a new school is not just a new beginning just for the kids, parent council member Monica Todd advises parents to attend parent council meetings.

“It’s a good way for parents to be connected to the school. We’re always looking for the parents. The meetings are about six times in a year,” she says.

Todd also encourages parents to visit the school’s website to find out more about activities available for their kids.

MP becomes a “chair-leader” for a day to raise awareness about accessibility issues

Twenty-four Members of Parliament and Senators participated as “chair-leaders,” spending a day using a wheelchair last week. Each MP and Senator went about their daily routines using the wheelchair to raise the awareness of the daily obstacles a person in a wheelchair goes through. The “chair-leaders” also took part in wheelchair races in front of the Parliament buildings.  Last year, Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht served as Honourary Chair of the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion campaign for Kitchener-Waterloo.
Here, Albrecht is with the Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State for Democratic Reform and the first permanently-disabled Canadian elected to the House of Commons.

photo submitted

Young St. Agatha public speaker earns provincial award

Morgan Wase, 14, of St. Agatha, a Grade 9 student at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo, placed first in the province-wide Intermediate English (Grades 9 and 10) Multiple District A (M.D.A.) Lions Effective Speaking Competition in Toronto on May 8.
The Lions Clubs of Ontario and Western Quebec has organized this event, the largest speaking competition in Canada in both English and French, for the past 60 years. Morgan found out after his 5-7 minute prepared speech and 2-3 minute impromptu speech that he had been judged by members of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. These volunteer judges were impressed by all of the speeches.
Morgan won the club-level competition each of the three years it has been held in St. Agatha School.
In 2009, against 19 competitors, he won the Junior level (grades 6-8) for his District, qualifying to compete provincially in Toronto.
One representative competes provincially from each of 10 districts, so there are at most 10 competitors in each level (Junior, Intermediate and Senior). Last year Morgan did not place in the top three, which was his goal this year.
Morgan  will travel to Kingston to say his speech once again for the Lions at their Conference in June. Approximately 400 people will be at this gathering.
Since he was in Grade 4, Morgan has written and presented speeches, at times to the whole school.  He has been inspired by all of his teachers over the years and through them has discovered his love of public speaking.  He is also a Lector, or reader, at St. Agatha Roman Catholic Church.
Morgan would like to thank the Lion’s Club of St. Agatha for their support and sponsorship.
He hopes that they continue to offer these programs for the youth.
Morgan will also be presenting his speech at Kennedy’s on May 18 for the St. Agatha Lion’s Family Night featuring the St. Agatha Effective Speaking Winners.

Forest Glen students jump for Heart and Stroke

Students at Forest Glen raised money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation on Monday during their annual Jump Rope for Heart event.

What an exciting year for the staff and students at Forest Glen as they continue to celebrate their partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Many events have been taking place to commemorate this milestone. The Demo team is performing throughout the region, including schools in our community: Baden, Holy Family, Grandview and Wellesley. Skipping clubs have been held for students in JK to Grade 6, a staff luncheon was held, yogurt sales are ongoing, and the school welcomed guest speakers in the junior classrooms.

Forest Glen held its Jump Rope for Heart event May 10 and a special event called Kinderjump is underway for kindergarten students.

Also, mark your calendar for our community event on Wednesday, June 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to join Forest Glen in celebrating 25 years of skipping that has helped raise $2 million for Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Anyone who was a part of the skipping team at some point is asked to submit photographs and other skipping memorabilia in order to chronicle the last twenty five years. Please bring any items to the school office, labelled with your name and phone number so that we can ensure that they are returned to you.
Please contact teachers Cathy Williams or Colleen McEwan-Griffith at 519-662-2830 if you have any questions.

Rain pummels New Hamburg

The first of two bands of severe thunderstorms swept through the area around 4:30 this afternoon, dropping several millimetres of rain over New Hamburg.

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the entire area and is forecasting wind gusts of 100 km/h and damaging hail over the next couple of hours.

Check the radar HERE and carry an umbrella this evening.

C’mon get McHappy today!

New Hamburg McDonald’s employee Sam Mokren gets a hug from Waterloo-Oxford mascot Chubby during McHappy Day at the restaurant. McDonalds is donating a dollar from every McMuffin Breakfast Meal, Big Mac Meal and Happy Meal sold May 5 to the school’s Relay for Life fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Students were there all day Wednesday to promote the event, offer car washes in the parking lot and sell tickets to Thursday’s appearance from Canadian country music star Aaron Lines. Local celebrities were on hand to help at the counter and Elvis is scheduled to make an appearance at 6 p.m.