• The "Not Too Big To Be Small Players" From Thorneloe University Put On Special Live Performance of 'A Christmas Version of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs'
• Valley East Youth Centre Sponsors Penny Table At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre To Raise Funds For Activities
• Heatwave Tanning Salon Welcomes Amanda Barnett To The Staff
• Greater Sudbury Education Services Centre to Operate Out of Valley East Today Office At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
• Valley East's Marty Kirwan Has Grown With His Experiences On The Ice To Become One Of The Most Respected Referees In The Ontario Hockey League
• GREATER SUDBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY OFFERS A TEEN ADVISORY GROUP
• Education Travel Group Holds Bake Sale & Penny Table To Raise Funds For Trip To Italy In The Spring
• Raising Awareness About School Bus Safety Is Lifetime Commitment by Adam Ranger's Family
• Two Young Students From Valley East & Capreol Among Winners of Greater Sudbury Public Library Design-A-Bookmark Contest
• Mothers' Day Display At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre

For the complete story and more photos 

"One of the things I was most disappointed with during my 28 years as a professional elementary school teacher is that there were so many things going on in the schools but so little awareness among the community in general about the accomplishments and achievements of the students and teachers," Kirwan explained. "Each school functions as its own little community. Every week teachers and parent volunteers are involved in a wide variety of exciting and creative activities. However, even the members of the school community often are unaware of what is going on in their own school."

"Now that Valley East Today has become firmly established as an online publication, I have decided to devote more and more space to the coverage of events and activities that take place within the elementary and secondary schools in the community. With no less than fifteen public schools in Valley East alone, just imagine the stories that will be filling the internet as we give proper recognition to the great work that is going on in our schools."

Valley East Today will still carry the wide variety of stories and special interest articles that take place elsewhere in the community. All of those stories will remain linked from their appropriate sections on the Community Web Site as Valley East Today grows into an online  "Living History of Valley East". The school-based stories will be something that people can look back upon many years from now as they reflect upon their childhood memories.

In conjunction with this new focus on the schools, Kirwan will also be making some minor renovations to the office at the mall as he turns the front section into the "GREATER SUDBURY EDUCATION SERVICES CENTRE". More details will be forthcoming on this initiative in the coming weeks. Basically, the Greater Sudbury Education Services Centre will be devoted to providing parents and students of all ages with information about the Education Services available in the City of Greater Sudbury. This not only includes the formal education institutions, but also all of the businesses which provide goods and services that are in some way designed to enhance one's education program or personal growth. A special web site is being designed at this time that will contain all of the necessary information about the Greater Sudbury Education Services Centre and how it can be of help to parents and students.

Parents of children currently in secondary school may find the web site link below to be of particular interest. Your Career Planner has been designed by Robert Kirwan as an online resource for people who are in need of direction and focus with respect to education and career planning. Kirwan also offers special presentations in-class to students and in the evenings to parents to help them in the development of personal career plans which will result in a better chance of career satisfaction once one's formal education is completed. Follow the link below to visit the web site at www.careerplanner.ca

Marty grew up in Val Therese. He attended St. Anne School then attended St. Charles College. He graduated from Laurentian University Sports Administration (Bachelor of Commerce) Program in the spring of 2002. He has his Senior Level 4 Canadian Hockey Association Officials Certificate. 

Marty also knows what it is like to play the sport, having competed at the 'AAA' Major PeeWee level before deciding to devote full time to refereeing. After four years off the ice he played a starring role on defense with his high school team while in Grade 13. So Marty knows the game from all sides and uses this knowledge to effectively manage all situations while on the ice as an official.

Before being appointed as a full-time referee with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) at the beginning of the 2005-2006 hockey season, Marty was a well-respected referee in the Northern Ontario Junior "A" Hockey Association (NOJHA) and in the Ontario College (OCAA) League during the 2001-2002 season before he decided to move to the Toronto Area at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season to advance his career on the ice and to manage the family owned marketing business. He was married to Christina (Woodley) in October 2004 and now lives just north of Guelph. He began a career as a police officer with the Peel Regional Police Department in January 2005.

In the spring of 2002 he had the honor to be a Referee in the Ontario "Air Canada Cup Regionals" held in Timmins and other tournaments such as the Big Nickel Major AAA tournament and the high school OFSAA tournament that was held in Sudbury, Ontario.

Marty was also selected as one of the six (6) referees assigned to the do the games at the 2004 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge which is being held in St. John's, Newfoundland from December 28 through January 4. He was only one of two referees from Ontario, with the other four coming from Quebec and out West.

Marty summed up his feelings with the following, "The thing that I love the most about being a hockey official is that it does not seem like work to me. You show up to the rink and you know that for the next two to three hours, you are going to Referee a hockey game that has never taken place before. You never do the same game twice, it always changes."

Just to drive home the importance of the campaign, the same week the sign was unveiled, Riley Richer, a five year old Hanmer boy was hit by a car as he crossed Elmview Drive after getting off his school bus. The driver of the car, Jessica Chiblow, 19, of Hanmer, is facing numerous charges under the Highway Traffic Act. Fortunately, the boy was not seriously injured and was released from the hospital that same night, but it is definitely an experience he will remember for the rest of his life. It could also have had far more devastating results. 

The driver of the truck that struck Adam Richer was convicted of criminal negligence causing death and manslaughter.

It is hoped that the signs will make a huge difference in how drivers approach school buses this year. The law states that motorists travelling in both directions must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its upper red lights flashing. The only exception is on highways with a median, where traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.

The Greater Sudbury Public Library “Design-A-Bookmark” contest was once again a big hit.  Twelve winning bookmarks were selected from a total of 570 entrants.  These winning designs were chosen to be printed as the library’s official bookmarks for 2006.  The contest was open to any student from junior kindergarten up to and including grade twelve.

Staff from the Greater Sudbury Public Library selected the winning entries.  Congratulations to the winners. Their bookmarks will be available at all thirteen locations of Greater Sudbury Public Library:

Camille - age 5 - École publique Hélène-Gravel

Mikhellie - age 5 - Northern Elementary Academy

Miranda - age 7 - Westmount Avenue Public

Amanda - age 8 - Westmount Avenue Public

Thomas - age 9 - C.R. Judd Public

Katelyn - age 10 - Valley View Public

Curtis - age 11 - Carl A. Nesbitt Public

Simon - age 12 - Northern Elementary Academy

Justin - age 13 - Carl A. Nesbitt Public

Celeigh - age 14 - Marymount Academy

Mireille - age 15 - Macdonald-Cartier

Grant - age 16 - Lively District

Ginette Mallette, the Children and Teens Programmer with the Greater Sudbury Public Library thanked all who entered the contest and urges all residents to visit  the library and pick up one of the winning bookmarks for 2006.

Student Page Is A Free Public Education Service Provided To
The Schools of Valley East by
Robert Kirwan, B.A. (Math), M.A. (Education)
Independent Education & Career Planning Advisor
Member of the Ontario College of Teachers
His office is located at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, Hanmer, Ontario
Office Phone: (705) 524-7006       Home Phone: (705) 969-7215