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2017 Year in Review: August

January 5, 2018   ·   0 Comments

August 3

• For the past 40 years the Orangeville Royal Canadian Legion has done its part to help send budding scholars off to pursue a post-secondary education, and this year is no different.

In a special ceremony held at the Legion on Tuesday (August 1), a collection of 24 area students were each presented with cheques for $600 as the organization wrapped up its 2017 bursary program.

In total, the Legion handed out $14,400 – coming close to the $16,000 it had been allocated under the Poppy Trust, for students with a familial connection to a veteran, and Nevada Trust, offered to any student. To be eligible for the bursary, students had to possess a high school diploma and an acceptance letter from a qualifying university or college.

• The Orangeville Junior B Northmen clinched the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League Western Conference title with a 7-6 win over the Six Nations Rebels on Sunday (July 30) night at the Alder Street arena.

The best-of-five final series went four games.

August 10

• 2017 has been a big year for Brittany Marchand.

The Orangeville native has been turning heads on the women’s professional golf circuit ever since her big debut last year. Competing primarily on the Symetra Tour, a qualifying bracket for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Ms. Marchand has her eyes firmly set on breaking into the big time.

Last week she secured her first professional win, taking a three-stroke victory at the PHC Championship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That first-place finish edges her ever closer to a top-10 end-of-season finish on the tour’s money list, which would secure a spot on next year’s LPGA Tour.

• It was a Cinderella Story ending to the season for the Orangeville Outlaws Bantam football team when they claimed the Ontario Provincial Football League championship with a win over the Guelph Gryphons on Monday, August 7, in St. Catharines.

The Outlaws finished the regular season in fourth place with a 5-5 record.

The big turn around came in their semi-final game against the first place Toronto Jets. The Jets had an 8-2 record allowing only 80 points to be scored against them.

After stunning the Toronto team with a 26-22 win to senD the Jets packing on July 29, the Outlaws geared up for the final against the second place Guelph Gryphons. The local team secured the championship with a 25-23 victory.

August 17

• Everything is pointing towards yet another record-breaking year for Dairy Queen in Orangeville with the local store announcing it expects to break the $60,000 mark in what was its 15th annual Miracle Treat Day.

Known in these parts as ‘Dairy Queen Christmas’ the big day came around last Thursday (Aug. 10) and the community did not disappoint. More than 6,600 Blizzards were sold on the day to help raise funds for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The early estimated total of $60,000 raised would take Mr. Lockyer’s total contributions to the medical centre beyond $500,000 since 2003.

August 24

• The Orangeville Junior B Northmen saved their best lacrosse for just the right time this year, winning six straight at last week’s Founders Cup tournament in Saskatchewan to bring home a remarkable second successive national championship.

After what was described at the time as an “almost euphoric” feeling in claiming the Founders Cup on home turf a little over 12 months ago, the boys travelled west hoping to do it all again last week. In typical Northmen fashion, they did not disappoint.

It was definitely shades of a bygone era at the Gordie Howe Kinsmen Arena in Saskatoon as the Northmen completely blew their competition away, putting up 77 goals against the absolute best Junior B outfits the country has to offer. Reflecting on the big win upon his return home to Orangeville, Northmen Head Coach Bruce Codd admitted it was a “special feeling” repeating as Founders Cup champions.

• It’s a crime that shattered a family and shocked a community. To this day, it’s also a crime that, seven years later, remains unsolved.

Questions related to Orangeville nurse Sonia Varaschin’s 2010 murder have been floating around the community for years and, with the seventh anniversary of her untimely death now on the horizon, lead investigators are still working hard to finally crack the case.

A $50,000 reward has been offered up in the hopes of enticing anyone with information that could potentially lead to an arrest to step forward.

August 31

• It’s a dream come true for local resident Kimberly DaPonte, who will be taking part in a major fitness event near Detroit next week, dubbed Operation Rise, where she’ll be pushing her limits, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The first-ever event, Operation Rise, will take place September 6th to 8th, at Top Gun Fitness Facility in Shelby Township, Michigan. Erik Evans, Top Gun’s owner, created the event.

Four contestants have been chosen from across North America, but for Ms. DaPonte, it’s even more special, as she’s the only Canadian to take part, the other three being Americans.

During those three days, the contestants will be taking part in what is described as “intense training with an educational experience that will be second to none,” with five training sessions “that will push each individual to their physical and mental limits.”

• With back to school around the corner, the projected numbers for student enrolment for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) and Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) 2017-2018 year are in. The numbers are just a projection, as the final totals won’t be in until later in the school year.

For the Catholic board, St. Andrew Elementary is to have 323 students, St. Benedict Elementary 456, and St. Peter Elementary 277.

For French Immersion (FI) enrolment, the program offered in Dufferin-Peel schools has enrolment caps at 46 students in Grade 1 French Immersion students per site. Therefore, the program is stable.

For the UGDSB, the projected numbers between elementary and secondary schools in Orangeville is 4,938, which is only full time equivalent (FTP), not nominal head counts.

Here are projections for the elementary schools in the Orangeville area: Credit Meadows Elementary 403, Island Lake Public School 538, Montgomery Village Elementary 481, Parkinson Centennial Public School 332, Princess Elizabeth PS 613, Princess Margaret PS 312, Spencer Avenue Elementary 280, Mono-Amaranth PS 409, Laurelwoods PS 272 and East Garafraxa PS 167.

The projected numbers for Orangeville high schools are 1,136 for Orangeville District Secondary and 843 for Westside Secondary.

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