We do make a difference

WE DO Make a DIFFERENCE by Ernie Lambert

Ken Dang

Our industry is like no other. We do not manufacture widgets, nor do we generate a profit. Our end result is not always readily apparent. Some think it might be possible to determine our effectiveness by the number of students who successfully graduate at the end of the year, I'm not sure.

Providing a support role to education through maintenance and operations often times we may wonder about our role in the education of students. Do we have an impact? Do we affect the learning outcomes of students? Well think of the school bus driver who meets the child every morning with a smile, the role model provided by the professional attitude of the maintenance worker, the dignity provided for the students to learn in a sanitary environment provided by the custodians. You might say that is all well and good to pat ourselves on the back for the wonderful job we do, but does anyone really notice? Well I have seen the most classic example that says they do.

The graduating classes at Golden Secondary School, in Golden, B.C. traditionally have a keynote speaker at their ceremonies. They will invite local politicians, respected teachers or administrators or some other dignitary they feel have inspired them to meet the challenges in their life. In June 2004 the graduating class of Golden Secondary School invited Mr. Ken Dang to speak to them at their ceremony. Ken has worked as a day custodian at this school for some time. He has interacted with students, provided moral support, cheering, understanding and probably most important, respect. This in turn obviously earned the respect of the students so they wanted him to be part this special time in their life. Ken did not take this honour lightly. He spent countless hours of his own time preparing his thoughts and words to share with the students. Not only that, as Ken is also an artist outside of work he created a caricature of each of the graduating students.

Personally I believe Ken has set the standard for all of us. We need to remember why we are here, and that we can have a significant impact of the lives of our students. To read Ken's speech and to view his drawings, log on to: http://www.sd6.bc.ca/gss/ and follow the links.

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The School Building Association

PREMIER GPS INC.

Taking the worryof parents' lives OUT

Most children are adaptable and more likely than their parents to function athletically in the harshest cold. But this does not stop their parents from worrying about where they are, especially when it comes to waiting for school buses. In Calgary, a company with a quarter-century of experience in high-tech sensors is taking the anxiety out of parents' minds with a new family of products.

These products include one that tracks school buses in real time, using a global positioning system (GPS). The kids in the morning can go on a website, keying in their user names and password, and see in real time where their school bus is, before they go out and wait in the cold. The system is smart enough to tell not only where their bus is, but also how long it will

take to get to their stop. No more waiting in the cold for a bus that is late (or maybe not even coming). And no more scrambling if the bus happens to be early. The system event provides the current weather conditions at the school itself. It is being installed at the Webber academy, a private school in Calgary.

“One benefit obviously is, they don't have to freeze to death out there,” says Premier GPS founder Adel Tabsh. For access to the internet/GPS product, the public pays $5 per month, per family, “just about the price of two cups of coffee at Tim Horton's.”

Adel came up with the original concept for the GPS-based products and he fleshed out its details with his firm's technical team.

Gerard Robidoux, Premier GPS' technical representative, said the internet/GPS product originated in discussions with school transportation officials and with parents, who had concerns about knowing the whereabouts of the buses and their children. “It's quite cost-efficient,” he said, “because you don't have to install expensive equipment on the bus. It's at least as reliable as the bus driver in determining the bus location and it eliminates the time-consuming task of talking constantly with bus drivers from a dispatcher's office.”

The benefits of this product include: ✦ Increasing school bus transportation efficiency ✦ Adding to passenger safety and comfort by decreasing the wait time at the bus stop, especially in harsh weather environments ✦ Providing the parents with an accurate clock, synchronized with that

on board the buses, at the transportation supervisor's offices and at the schools ✦ Providing a text messaging system from the transportation supervisor to the buses ✦ Providing a high level of assurance to the parents that their children did actually get on the bus ✦ Providing current weather conditions to both the students and parents prior to the children going out to wait for the school bus ✦ Providing real time and accurate information on the bus' arrival time on a specific day

A second product offered by Pre mier GPS is an in-bus, instant video capture system that records video that is synchronized with GPS, so that when it is played back, you can see where the bus was, how fast it was go ing, where students got on, and more.

The video capture system provides school administrators with the ability to go back in time and view in ci dents that occurred on the bus. They no longer have to rely on the kids or the bus driver's account of events. Of ten, parents won't believe that their child would do what they are accused of. But, if the video shows that little Billy started the fight, the fact is that much harder to discount.

Not all buses are equipped with a video recorder. Installed in each bus is a box in which a video recorder can be placed. School bus supervisors rotate the video capture units between the buses. Although not all buses will have a video recorder on a given day, just the fact they might be recorded is enough to make most kids behave. The end result is a dramatic decrease in assaults, vandalism, and just plain bad behaviour.

The Premier GPS School bus video capture system, now in use by a school district in Prince George, B.C., consists of the following items: ✦ Hornet Mark IV units installed in school buses. ✦ A transporter device used to transfer video clips from the Hornet Units to a laptop or desktop computer. ✦ A laptop or desktop computer running Windows 2000 or XP, on which the Premier GPS Video

Player and Transporter Utility are installed.

The benefits of this product include: ✦ Better behaviour on the part of the kids riding the bus. ✦ There is no question about the specifics of an incident, since it is captured on video.

Because of GPS, the bus company knows exactly where there buses have been, and when they have been there. ✦ They can prove if the bus stopped or didn't stop at a particular location. ✦ Also because of GPS, you see exactly who embarked or disembarked at a particular time and location. ✦ Potentially reduced liability on the part of the bus company. ✦ Potentially reduced insurance rates.

Premier GPS is a manufacturer and distributor of global positioning systems base/reference stations, real time positioning systems (RTP's), GPS-based survey systems, GPS software, navigation and vehicle tracking systems and geographical information systems (GIS). Premier's specific field of expertise is in extracting real time accuracies of better than two centimeters from GPS signals received by nonclassified, commercial GPS sensors, making it one of only a few world wide that can accomplish such results. Further, Premier is the only company currently marketing such systems based on low cost GPS sensors.

INDEX TO Advertisers

Accurate Tree Works.....................................22 Air-Vac Services Canada Ltd........................33 Allmar International......................................24 Ameresco Canada.....................................OBC B.C. Hardwood.............................................25 B.C. Hydro Power Smart..............................12 B.C. Learning Connection............................21 B.C. Roofing Association (RCABC)............47 B.C. Tree Service..........................................47 Bevanda Architecture......................................5 B.G.E. Service & Supply Ltd..........................9 Bio Family (Canada).....................................28 Blue Imp.......................................................34 C.E.F.P.I........................................................46 Clean Source ~ Johnson Diversey.............IBC Cloverdale Paint............................................39 Comac Corporation Inc...................................7 C.P. Distributors Ltd.....................................28 Crown Publications Inc.................................22 Erv Parent Group..........................................33 Fame..............................................................23 Fieldturf.........................................................18 Flexible Eutectic (De Dietrich).....................38 Four Seasons Insulation Ltd.........................22 Habitat Systems Inc......................................20 House of Flags & Banners............................44 HPF Engineering Ltd......................................8 I.D.N. Canada...............................................28 Janitors’ Warehouse......................................38 Lennox Indoor Comfort Systems...................4 Lynch Bus Lines...........................................15 Mac Station...................................................46 Matrix Planning Associates............................9 McGregor & Thompson Hardware Ltd........26 Nace Care Solutions.....................................33 Norspec Filtration.........................................40 Old Dutch......................................................32 Pacific Controls Ltd......................................14 Panorama Technologies Ltd..........................14 Parkland Plastics...........................................36 Physical Planning Technologies...................50 Pomeroy Engineering Limited........................7 Power Suction Services Co. Ltd.....................7 Primco...........................................................34 Primex Wireless............................................38 Quality Stage Draperies Ltd.........................15 Reliable Controls..........................................40 Siemens.........................................................45 Simplex Grinnell.............................................8 Shanahan’s Manufacturing Ltd.....................40 Skate Spots....................................................30 Spartacus Fitness Equipment........................22 Spider Safety Systems.................................. 44 Talius Security Rollshutters........................IFC Tandus...........................................................35 Terasen Gas...................................................27 Trane (Change Air).......................................28 Viessman Manufacturing Co........................21 Wesclean.....................................................5, 7 West Coast Introductions..............................47 West Wind Hardwood Inc.............................35 Wishbone Industries......................................43

Better Schools Partnership®

Converting Energy Waste into School Renewal

Ameresco Canada is the nation’s leader in developing energy-efficiency and facility-renewal programs for school districts. Our Better Schools Partnership® (BSP) program is a powerful and proven strategy that allows school districts to turn energy waste into much-needed facility renewal capital. We have completed more than $250 million in comprehensive infrastructure projects in more than 2,300 schools nation-wide.

In our experience, for every dollar a school district spends on energy, up to five dollars’ worth of school renewal can be created. The key differences in our approach include: • Independent Vendors: We are “vendor neutral”, which means we do not manufacture our own products or control systems. This prevents any conflict of interest in selecting equipment, and ensures that we provide optimum value and investment retention for our clients. • Open Book Policy: Our open and forthright approach is the hallmark of our success. Our communications and customer involvement strategies eliminate the problems that have plagued a number of previous competitive projects in B.C. • Track Record and Experience: We have over 30 years of experience in school-facility energy engineering in Canada; turnkey efficiency/renewal projects remain our core business. Some of our recent school district clients include:

Central Okanagan School District (BC) Elk Island Public Schools (AB) Regina Public Schools (SK) Ottawa Carleton District School Board (ON) Greater Essex District School Board (ON) Peel District School Board (ON)

Why not take a closer look at how the BSP can help schools in your area? To find out more about Ameresco Canada and the BSP, contact Doug Wall, VP Western Region at 604-684-4984 (toll-free: 1-888-883-7267), or email dwall@ameresco.com.

®Better Schools Partnership, Better Schools Partnership logo, Smarter Schools for Better Learning are trademarks and property of Ameresco Canada.