KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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JANUARY 8, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 4
WEATHER Cloudy High 1 C Low -1 C
SUN PEAKS SNOW REPORT Mid-mountain: 131 cm Alpine: 154 cm Snow phone: 250-578-7232
DOZEN KILLED IN ATTACK
HICKETTS HOME OME E WITH WORLD JR JR.. GOLD MEDAL DAL L
A27
A17 7
Terrorists target Paris journalists
Kamloops’ Joe Hicketts reflects eflects on big win over Russiaa
Union pans SD73 response to winter storm
STUDYING
ADVENTURE
DALE BASS
STAFF REPORTER
dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
No one was more surprised at the success of Thompson River University’s adventure-studies program than its founder, Ross Cloutier. Cloutier said he was confident courses like search-and-rescue, avalanche safety, advanced wilderness first-aid — as well as classes in sports from kayaking to skiing to mountaineering to ocean-surfing — would attract students. He just never anticipated the Kamloopsbased course of studies would become a major player internationally. You want to become a certified mountain guide for heli-skiing? The only university in the world that offers that certification is Thompson Rivers. “I’m not sure the campus or the city recognize what we do here,” said Cloutier, the department chairman and a man with some impressive credentials outside the classroom. See TRU, A2
DALE BASS
STAFF REPORTER
dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
want to “You become a certified mountain guide for heli-skiing? The only university in the WORLD that offers that certification is Thompson Rivers. TRU adventure-studies founder Ross Cloutier on Mount Everest.
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With the memory of two teachers killed on an icy road still fresh, the union representing local teachers is taking issue with the school district’s response to the extreme weather this week. David Komljenovic, president of the KamloopsThompson Teachers’ Association (KTTA), said the union asked School District 73 on Dec. 18 about a policy for snow days. “There was no response from the district on this request other than to say snow days have never occurred,” he said. Board of education chairwoman Denise Harper said she was unaware of any December question about a policy, adding she felt the situation, which she called “new and unique,” had been handled well this week. On Sunday, Jan. 4 — the day the storm hit the region — Komljenovic emailed school district Supt. Karl deBruijn, asking for direction. A couple of hours later, the superintendent replied he was reluctant to close schools because “there
are too many people who depend on us and some students will always show up at the school and they will need to be cared for.” DeBruijn said a firm decision would be made early Monday morning and told Kolmjenovic that, if schools were closed and staff members could not make it to school because of road conditions, they should contact the principal, then contact human resources, who could direct employes to an alternative work site. Komljenovic said many of the questions posed to him at the start of the storm referenced the deaths of Sky and Courtney Buck, two Clearwater teachers who were killed in December, 2012, when driving during a storm near the North Thompson community. DeBruijn said he ordered schools closed because he could not assure parents the district could effectively operate its bus system due to the road conditions. DeBruijn said there was no guarantee there would be enough teaching staff to effectively supervise students who made it to school. See SNOW DAY, A6
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