Photographer: Pam Harrison
 
Dianne was in the chair and welcomed members and guests.
 
 
Gold Mine Presentation:  TRHS students Zach, Carly and Lena received from Dianne a cheque for $568 for the high school.
 
 
Induction of New Member:  Charlie outlined some of the main features of Rotary based on the familiar Rotary Wheel emblem.  Josh (acting as proposer of the new member and as President) introduced Stacey Merrigan who is a graduate of Mount A and UNB and has just passed her bar exams.  Members came forward to welcome Stacey as a member of the Sackville club and of Rotary International.
 
Visiting Rotarian:  Sharon from the South Lake County Club, Florida.
 
Birthday:   Louise was serenaded by members, with an encore by special guest Mariah who sang Happy Birthday in German !
 
 
50-50 Draw:  Jamie’s number was drawn by Mariah, but he failed to pick the 9 of Clubs. So the pot of $395 carries forward to next week.
 
Happy Dollars:  Wynn reminded members that a Sobey’s card can be used at Foodland.  Charlie drew attention to the new exhibition at Fog Forest Gallery, “Our Town and Gown”; Mary Scobie’s painting “Chevy at the Diner” (Mel’s) was chosen for the poster and was sold within a day.  Dianne will be in Stockholm next week as part of a Baltic cruise; she will miss sharing her birthday with the club.   Louise shares a birthday with a 14 year old niece; she is studying for a Public Sector Accounting Course exam in Halifax.   George who chairs the Membership committee was happy to see Stacey welcomed as a new member; he hopes to see other new members soon.  This month marks the 40th anniversary of his arrival in Sackville.   Edna thanked Gayle for looking after the front desk, and Bill for looking after the house while she was away.
 
Next Week, 18 May 2017:  No morning meeting !  Paul Harris Evening, 6:30 p.m., at Cranewood on Main, 113 Main Street.
 
 
Rotary Foundation:  A reminder from David that our Paul Harris Evening will be held on next Thursday 18 May at 6:30 p.m. at Cranewood on Main (113 Main Street). Local volunteers to be recognized are Alice Folkins, John Higham, Dianne Minshull, Heather Patterson and Allan Pooley.  Tickets @ $15 per person are still available and entitle you to one free drink.
 
 
Spring BashJamie thanked everyone who helped with the Spring Bash last Saturday, especially Wayne who looked after the bar.  Josh thanked Jamie for all the great work he did to ensure the success of this major fund-raising event.
 
President’s Time:  Josh gave an update on our international project which has been cancelled.  A similar project in Bombay looks like a possible alternative for the funds.  Trish continues to work hard on this file.
 
 
Speaker:   Bill introduced Susan Lafford, Principal, Tantramar Regional High School who gave a presentation on “Fostering Future Leaders.” Susan grew up in Sackville, and graduated from TRHS in 1997 (B.Sc.) and from St Thomas in 1999 (B.Ed.).  She taught at Marshview before moving to TRHS where she was Vice-Principal for 4 years before becoming Principal.  She finds the high school a great place to work with its 33 teachers, 10 Educational Assistants plus support staff.
 
Susan thinks the school does not toot its own horn enough so with the help of three students – Lena Gallant, Zachary Boudreau and Carly Phinney – she gave an overview of some of the many activities designed to enable students to reach their fullest potential and to foster leadership abilities, active citizenship and an entrepreneurial mindset.
 
 
Carly spoke about the “Titan Mentors” program.  22 students are involved in mentoring newcomers to the school, offering support, friendship and academic help.  Our Gold Mine donation helps fund this program.
 
Lena participates in the “Wetheads” program.  Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the Tantramar Wetlands Centre which sees 4000 to 5000 visiting students each year.  Student volunteers help run the program and train others to take over when they leave. This is a great example of an “outdoor classroom.”
 
Zach spoke on “Youth in Action” which focuses on mental health issues in association with the Bell “Let’s Talk” campaign. A Mental Health Day features speakers and a variety of activities.
 
Other programs touched on included the Student Representative Council, Graduation Council, the Terry Fox Run, Cultures of Tantramar, Free the Children and Dragon Boat Racing.
 
 
Tim expressed thanks to the four speakers and members showed their appreciation with hearty applause.
 
The meeting closed with the Four-Way Test.
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