Fort High clean-up cancelled this year

Those waiting to put that old couch out on the curb after spring cleaning may have to take it to the dump themselves as Fort Frances High School students won’t be doing their annual town clean-up this year.
“It’s a big disappointment for a lot of people,” said retired teacher Walter Horban, who’s organized the clean-up since its inception in 1971.
And Horban blamed the lack of teacher interest, coupled with an increased concern for supervision and safety, as the problem.
“They never got the ball rolling there,” he said. “I offered my assistance to any teachers that would be willing to help out. But there weren’t any teachers interested.”
Someone had stepped up at one point but then backed down, he noted.
“It takes a fair amount of time to get this together, and that’s a big commitment,” Horban admitted. “They also wanted to get more adults involved for supervision.
“They didn’t have to drive the trucks, just drive around in cars and check up on the kids. But it didn’t come together,” he said.
But Fort High principal Terry Ellwood stressed the need to restructure the pick-up format as the overriding factor.
“The reason we decided to hold off is we’re going to sit back and take a look at things,” he noted Tuesday.
“We want to take a look at what works and what doesn’t, with issues of safety and supervision considered foremost,” remarked Ellwood, adding student input may play a part if a new committee is formed to plan next year’s clean-up.
“Our major concern is changing it for the students’ and communities’ sake,” said Ellwood. “There’s been a few incidents in the past year that may have been seen as practical jokes but we have to consider them if this is to be seen as a community service.”
Still, Horban lamented the cancellation of this year’s town clean-up, and is not willing to give up on it permanently.
“I think it is a tremendous opportunity for the high school to strengthen relations between students and the community,” he said. “If some teachers want to organize it next year, I’ll show them how to do it.”
Any possible changes made to the clean-up’s format are yet to be determined but Ellwood noted it may be more like “an environmental project” in the future, and that it may factor into the mandate to have students do volunteer work as a condition to graduate.
The cancellation was announced to town council during its regular meeting Monday night. No comments were made following the announcement.