Podunk Below the Masthead Friday, July, 2 2010

Charles Hays graduation, the Daily News is under new ownership and a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of tanker traffic on the north coast, some of the items of the Friday news cycle,

Daily News, front page, headline story
CHSS GRADUATION MARKS END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR -- A review of the Graduation ceremony for Charles Hays Secondary School, which took place last week at the Performing Arts Centre.

Some background on the much discussed announcement by Health Minister Kevin Falcon that the province has committed itself to providing every British Columbian with a family doctor by 2015.

A look at the summer offerings for youngsters from Harbour Theatre as their always popular summer camp program gets underway in the city.

The Sports section features a look at the success of the Rupert Rapids  in Surrey last weekend as well as some pre planning for September's Cannery road race.

(Daily News Archive for Friday July 2, 2010)

CHSS graduation marks end of the school year
Every citizen will have a doctor
HST supporters fighting back
Let the summer camps begin

The Northern View
Black Press acquires several Glacier Media newspapers, including the Prince Rupert Daily News -- What appears to be a press release of sorts outlining the acquisition of the Prince Rupert Daily News by the corporate owner of its cross town competition The Northern View (see article here)

CFTK TV 7 News
No tanker campaign -- The no tanker campaign of Mae Jong and Marty Bowles is underway and CFTK TV 7 outlined their plans to protest the prospect of oil tankers on the North coast, (see TV 7 item here)

CBC News Northern BC
Daybreak North Daybreak North is only posting selected items on their website now. 

The most recently posted items can be found on the archive page for Daybreak North click here

Daily News, front page, headline story 
CHSS graduation marks end of the school year 
By George T. Baker  
Staff Writer 
Prince Rupert Daily News
Friday,  July 2, 2010

 It was the finale to the graduation season in Prince Rupert with more than 70 students walking the stage and flipping their tassels.

They are all grown up and last week, as they passed through their final rights of passage towards the realities of an adult life, Charles Hays Secondary School students took one last bow as children.

 “I just want to say that we feel like we are graduating from Hogwarts because all of our teachers look like wizards,” said CHSS co-valedictorian Matthew Murray.

Murray was speaking of the collegiate dress code that all of the CHSS teachers were draped in for the graduation ceremonies last week. The blue robes the grads wore matched their teacher’s long dark robes. It certainly had a magical feel to it all.

It was also a nod to the fact that the graduates were just entering Kindergarten when Harry Potter was just becoming an English novel 
success.

Eighteen until they die, perhaps. But teenagers can’t be expected to jump out of their teenager days and into lives of adults without the wise words from those who have already made the transition.

In a day and age when having a university or college education is now a basic, graduating from high school is not as much a final success in education as it is a part of the process.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t weepy eyes and enlarged hearts in the Lester Centre for the Arts. Most of them belonged to parents sitting in the crowds, jubilant that their child had reached a significant milestone.

Delegates and educators were also on hand to enforce that what the graduates have acheived is indeed very special.

“I challenge you to do what it takes to make you happy,” said Acting Mayor Kathy Bedard. “Whether you realize it or not, you are in an amazing place, where the future is in front of you.”

The future for students will likely include more schooling.

According to a BC Statistics report on the Labour Market outcomes for youth, 83 per cent of those with high school diplomas end up in the workforce with steady jobs. That number jumps up to 87 per cent when the individual has a bachelor degree and increases another two per cent when the degree is now a Masters.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons said that he was delighted to share in the milestone and reminded the future leaders of Canada that it was important that they be themselves.

“Look after yourself and look after your environment. It’s important to remember that when your alarm goes off, it is time to get up,” said Coons.

School Board 52 superintendent Lynn Hauptman also congratulated the students and reminded them that it will take more than dreaming to make dreams real.

“We’d like you to not only dream, but aspire to goals so that you reach your dreams,” said Haputman. 

But the day belonged to the youth. And amongst the flashing light bulbs and the reminiscent pop songs that always serenade the graduation processions and recessions, Eimear Tighe, Murray’s co-valedictorian, wanted to let parents and educators know that when faced with the future the past should be honoured.

 “What we will remember most is how far we have come,” she said,