Media spotlight shines on Westmount High

This season the news show is focusing on education and took an intensive look at life in Westmount High School and how students and staff are overcoming some of the incredible challenges facing the public education system, especially as an inner-city school. The crew interviewed students, staff and principal Claude Dansereau.

The CBC was interested in the school because it recently received the highest ranking in Greater Montreal for a public high school without admissions criteria, as well as the diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds of its students.

But that wasn’t the only attention WHS received lately. Two years ago, Katie McKenna began a project at WHS, following with cameras and microphones four grade 11 boys. Her purpose was to find out why teenage boys are being stereotyped by the media the way they are. She spent two to three days a week at the school and shot 160 hours of footage, which was edited down to 63 minutes.

The finished product of that study, a documentary entitled ‘The Year Before’, premiered at McGill University on Tuesday and was followed by a panel discussion with McKenna.

In addition to looking at the students, McKenna focused on principal Dansereau, who in the six years he has been there has turned the school around both academically and socially, and was determined to demonstrate that teenage boys do in fact have a soul. And they do, and he did.



Westmount Lawn Bowlers throw their final fling



Proving once again that their club is one of the most fun clubs in the City of Westmount, the members of the Westmount Lawn Bowling Club finished the club’s 104th season with its annual ‘final fling’ on Saturday.

The annual event is a last fling of the bowl in the afternoon followed by a celebratory dinner in the club house. Doris Branscombe started the festivities by announcing the winners of the day’s friendly tournament among the members. Richard and Irene Menear took home the cup for the season. The Club also celebrated Rosalie Parsons Brown and Irene Menear for winning the Governor General’s Cup, taking it back from the Ottawa Club, once again. For 76 years the Club has been competing with teams across the province and Ontario for the coveted cup.

The Westmount Lawn Bowling Club plays throughout the week from May to October.



Giving the vest off her back



Kirsty Fleming, a long-time waiter at the Bistro on the Avenue on Greene Avenue is once again literally taking the vest off her back to raise money for the Cedars Cancer Institute gynecology oncology.

In 2003 she raffled a vest she had covered with lapel pins she collects from customers. It had become too heavy to wear. This month, Fleming is again raising money for the cause. “We changed uniforms a year and a half ago and the vest is smaller, so it only took a year to cover it with over 400 pins,� she said.

This year, in addition to the vest, there are eight other prizes that have been donated for the raffle. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at the Bistro. The draw will take place at 5 p.m. Friday Oct. 20





Volunteers needed for St. Margaret tuck shop



St. Margaret’s Senior Residence hosts some very interesting people who at the end of their lives are confined to the residence on Hillside Avenue.

Several years ago, a tuck shop was opened to offer residents everything from seasonal knickknacks and toiletries to snacks and a great cup of coffee. But recently the tuck shop has been forced to close because its volunteers, most of whom are seniors themselves, are no longer able to run the shop. Volunteers are urgently needed to come in even if for just a couple of hours a week to open and run the shop. If you are interested in making a difference in community by volunteering at the tuck shop, you could choose your day and time. Perhaps you would like to come in with a friend or perhaps your spouse and work together preparing coffee and tea with their state of the art coffee machine, helping chose a seasonal decoration or just having a nice conversation with an interesting senior. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to come and spend an afternoon. Training and support will be provided. For more information contact Melanie at 514-932-03630 extension 3018





Interior designer explains the how-tos of decorating



The membership and guests of the Rotary Club of Westmount were given a look into the world of interior design. by Westmount interior designer Aurelien Guillory at a weekly lunch meeting last month.

Guillory gave an interesting illustrated presentation that not only looked at the hows of interior design, but also at how to personalize décor to reflect who we are.

Guillory hails from Louisiana where he completed a double major in clinical psychology and fine arts both of which he puts to use in his business of making living places comfortable and personal. Using well organized examples of decorating projects he has done, Guillory guided his audience through the steps to create a space in the home that reflects personalities, personal colour preferences, and what is good for the client. He says he personalizes each project so much he never uses the same fabric twice; that once he has used a fabric it belongs to his client.

Similarly he also addressed the use of colour which goes beyond likes and favourites and can be used as colour therapy, and the use of lighting that suits the individual personality. He discussed also the use of texture and patterns and how all of who we are and what we like can be combined to create a personal nest.

The Rotary Club of Westmount meets for lunch and an interesting speaker every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at Victoria Hall. For more information call Roberta at 514-935-3344.



The ABC’s of fraud



As we all know all too well, telephone solicitation has become not just a nuisance but a viable venue for scams and other fraudulent schemes.

All too often the victims are seniors who are not informed about how those predators work. Recognizing the vulnerability of its residents and those in the community, Salvina Astorino, program director at the Chateau Westmount organized an innovative consumer fraud education and prevention program, the ABC’s of Fraud, that took place on Tuesday afternoon.

The program was presented by volunteers from CLSC René Cassin. The interactive presentation provided participants with information on the latest frauds and scams, ways to identify potential frauds and scams, prevention tips, and community resources related to consumer fraud.



-- Marilynn Vanderstay