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Blazers open Western Conference final against Portland Page A19
THURSDAY
Thursday, April 18, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 31
THIS WEEK
Never Shoot a Stampede Queen takes to the stage Page B1 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
‘Devastating’ attack takes its toll on kin By Dale Bass STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
Brock middle school teacher Teresa Atkinson engages students in a daily-math class, designed to to replace student anxiety with a sense of accomplishment, pride, self-worth and confidence. Go online to kamloopsthisweek.com to view more photos. Dave Eagles/KTW
C is for celebrate By Dale Bass
STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
Cam Taylor was that kid who always sat at the back of the class. The one who didn’t want the teacher to notice him, to ask him a question, to expect an answer. Today, he’s still sitting at the back of his Grade 8 math class — but that’s because it’s where he ended up, not where he chose to retreat in his desire to hide. And he’s not shy about answering a question posed by teacher Katie McCormack. None of the students are all that reluctant to take part in class, even though they are studying math — a subject that, until now, has confounded them and made them think they couldn’t succeed. They are involved in what McCormack and fellow teacher Teresa Atkinson at Brock middle school call daily math — instead of
having a class every second day, these kids have given up an elective option in order to take math every day. Cam’s story isn’t unique. Chaz Peterhans has always had anxiety from having to leaarn math. Kennedie Slack transferred into the program because, in regular math class, lessons were conducted too fast for her to process. Brooke Haukeness was held back a year because, she said, “there were gaps in my understanding that I couldn’t fill in properly.” Jake Cormer had what McCormack calls “attendance issues” last year, especially for his Grade 7 math class — but that attitude is a thing of the past. McCormack said the daily-math idea came from ongoing frustration she was experiencing with students who were just being pushed through the system. “These kids were passing math because
there was nowhere else to put them,” she said. “It was beyond embarrassing. And I just won’t pass a kid who doesn’t get it.” She and Atkinson talked about it with principal Tom Dindsale and daily math was the result. There is no homework assigned because experience has shown the kids won’t do it. It’s better to have students do the work in class with the supports posted on the board — all kinds of equations and mathematical realities that remain there even during tests — so students can do math in a supportive environment with a teacher who is going to help them figure it out. “But, let’s be clear, this is not a panacea,” McCormack said. “The best, the absolute best we can expect is for some of them to get a B. “Most will get a C or a C-minus, a C-plus, but they’ll have earned that mark.” X See STUDENTS A12
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Mike Forry has always been a skateboarder. Even as an adult, his sister Ann said, he loves the sport. That makes the anger all the more deeper, knowing it was a board that led to her big brother lying in the intensivecare unit at Royal Inland Hospital, not showing any indication he knows Ann, their parents or his daughter are there, while a tracheotomy tube helps him breathe. “He seems to be following us around the room with his eyes,” Ann said from her office in Vancouver, where she runs a casting company. “It’s brutal. It’s devastating for us. He’s making some progress, but we have no idea. There could be years or rehabilitation ahead. Nobody knows.” Mike, a representative of the United Steelworkers Union who lives in Mackenzie, was hit in the back of the head with a longboard — a type of skateboard — on March 24 outside the 7-Eleven store in Brocklehurst. Kamloops RCMP said at the time the incident began when a group of teens jaywalked across
Mike Forry remains in serious condition in Royal Inland Hospital, while his daughter (middle photo) is with Mike’s sister.
Tranquille Road and a motorist honked at the group. Someone or something hit the Ford Expedition, in which Forry was a passenger. The driver parked his truck at the store and got out to confront the teens and Forry, 46, was struck. Compounding the stress is the fact the elder Forrys were in accidents one week apart. X See VICTIM A17
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