An idea pioneer who is a teacher. A little white church building with flying buttresses. A village of some 1200 people. The teacher is Akesh Gill-Coleman with the Eastern Townships School Board, and yes, you are in Canterbury. Put the three together, and you've got a great idea that needs your vote.
Gill-Coleman and the Bury Historical Society are seeking $100,000 through the Canadian Scholarship Fund's CST Inspired Minds funding competition. The idea? To create a program for children to learn to build things. All kinds of things. Stop-motion films. A flying machine. E-textiles, and more. This educational program, Metropolis, is to be open to children of all languages. It would happen weekends in "Makerspace, The Canterbury Centre." The space? The erstwhile Christ Church of Canterbury.
The goal? "To help inspire the next generation to find original answers to our problems. We need experimenters and critical thinkers," said Gill-Coleman. "We need to create designated creative-spaces available to our young people, furnished with materials that allow exploration of design and building across disciplines."
CST Inspired Minds is a learning project competition that depends on votes from the public. Already, the Metropolis project has been selected as eligible for $100,000 in funding.
Voting by the public is from May 2 to 16. You can vote daily three times - through the idea's webpage, through Facebook and via Twitter. Register to vote at http://learningproject.cst.org/sign-in. Full details are at http://learningproject.cst.org/ideas/1013. The text is mostly in French, but the site as a whole has both English and French versions. Yes, Metropolis is Idea No. 1013, in the Large Prize Group.
The Top 20 ideas by popular vote move on to a Judging Panel for the final selection, and winners are announced on June 2nd. Go, Canterbury, go!
WEBINAR FOR CAREGIVERS Lost and Found: Revelations from a life counseling caregivers is the topic of a webinar offered by The Caregiver Network. It's a webcast by Lucy Barylak, a family caregiver expert, social worker, and counsellor. It's May 5 at 7 to 8:30 p.m., and you can do it from home. Register in advance at http://thecaregivernetwork.ca/
GREEN BURIALS Last I looked, human beings all eventually die, so this affects us all. Stephan Elkas, funeral director, will be speaking about Green Burials and Home & Family-centred Funerals on Thursday, May 5, from 12 noon to 2 p.m., in Cookshire. He will talk and answer questions about ecological burials, and new options that are locally available, such as aquamation vs. cremation. The event is a luncheon-conference at the Manoir de l'Eau vive, organized by the English-speaking caregivers groups of the Centre d'action bénévole du Haut-Saint-François. It's free and open to the public. Suggested donation for lunch is $5. Info: 819-560-8540 x 9.
SCHOOL GARDEN On Friday, May 20, students, families and others are invited to the Pope Memorial School in Bury to help build the boxes that will serve as raised beds in the school garden. Work starts at 8:30 a.m., rain or shine. "Bring a lunch and come be part of the action," says Kim Fessenden, Coordinator of the Eaton Valley CLC. Info: 819-872-3771.
FADOQ SAWYERVILLE SUPPER To help celebrate the ending of the Sawyerville FADOQ's activities for the summer, you are invited to their supper on Saturday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Centre at 6 Church Street. On the menu are vegetable soup, chicken vol-au-vent, potatoes, vegetables, salads, and assorted desserts. Supper is followed by a special Bingo. All are welcome. Reservations: $17. Contact Sylvie 819-889-1501 or Rémi 819-889-2488.
SAINT-LOUIS CHURCH SALE Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. is a great big sale of furniture, books, kitchen accessories, bedding, toys, decorations, books and more. It's for the Saint-Louis Church, and is in the presbytery basement, 166 St-Jean East, and at 185 St-Jacques Street (indoors).
ISLAND BROOK SALE A garage and plant sale is planned for Saturday, June 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you have plants, furniture, arts and crafts, antiques, bicycles, or tools you'd like to sell, you can have a booth in Island Brook along Route 212, at the Newport Municipal Hall or the Multifunctional Pavillion. Info: Francine Rouleau 819-875-3895.
VIACTIVE The four weekly bilingual Viactive exercise groups for seniors have paused for the summer. The last meeting of the Bury and Cookshire groups is on May 4. The Newport and Sawyerville groups wrapped up on April 27.
GOLF FOR HERITAGE Reserve quickly for the Eaton Corner Museum's third annual Heritage Golf Tournament on Sunday, May 22, at the Coaticook Golf Course. A day of golf, use of a cart, lots of prizes, and a really good supper, all for $75 per person. Put together a foursome for $280. Supper only is $25. Info: Steve Lepitre at 819-875-3685 or info@eatoncorner.ca.
VILLAGE MARKET Time is running out to reserve your kiosk at the 2016 Sawyerville Village Market situated at the Sawyerville Community Garden, 90 Randboro Road. It's planned for Saturday mornings, July to September. INFO: chantalbolduc99@bell.net or 819-889-3196.
CHURCHES Messy Church: A joint United and Anglican Messy Church is on Wednesday, May 4, at 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. at the St. Paul's Anglican Church in Bury. Call to register: 819-239-6902.
United: On May 8, all are invited to a 10:30 a.m. service at the Plymouth-Trinity United Church in Sherbrooke to hear the Moderator of the United Church of Canada, the Right Rev. Jordan Cantwell. On May 15, the services are at 9:30 a.m. in Cookshire and 11 a.m. in Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-2838 (listen to message).
Anglican: Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. in Bury and at 11 a.m. at St. Peter's Church in Cookshire. Holy Eucharist is the first and third Sundays of the month, and morning prayers are the second and fourth Sundays. Info: 819-239-6902.
Baptist: In Sawyerville, the worship service is at 9 a.m. in French, and 11 a.m. in English. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. in English and French. Info: 819-239-8818.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-300-2374 or email ra.writes@gmail.com by May 9 for publication May 18, and by May 23 for June 1st.
