would be a new group of
students who would start
hanging out together at his
place, sharing the cama-
taderie and coffee. Many a
student has been saved from
broken homes, drugs, peer
pressures and poor grades
by his unialtering caring for
cach and every student as a
unique person. He always
seemed to know all about
their lives and would find a
way to relate and motivate ”
cach kid. :
In over 30 years of teaching
he has experienced the trag-

ic loss of several young per-
sons duc to suicides, drugs,
drinking and driving. He
has stood with the families
at the funerals and then
without hesitation gone
back and started to pick up
the pieces of young shat-
tered lives walking the hall-
ways at school. In a small
way, to try and stop thesc
tragic losses from continual-
ly repeating, he has for

_Mmany years led the school’s
~ CounterAttack committee,

where a group of students
plan projects that will

Jazz Festival
Weekend

July I-4

Get in the Groove!
July 1, 2--Noon to 2pm

, 4—2pm to 4pm
Start the Jazz Festival w

eekend

* Language

AY A CE

involve the entire student
body in profiling issues
about drinking and driving.
Over the years, this teacher
has taught many subjects to
our North Shore. district
youth: History, — English,
Drama, French and
German. He found his
waching niche in language
arts, and has been president
of the BC Heritage
Language Association and
Department
Head several times. He was
instrumental in starting a
successful German student

NEWS phote Terry Peters

RETIRING high school teacher, Ken Hegter, a teaching hero to Gail Weimer end several
hundred other North Shore students.

exchange program on the
North Shore and had led
teaching exchanges to
Germany on many of his
summer vacations. He is
dedicated to bringing new
languages inty our school
curriculum that reflect the
business challenges to
youth face. Never stuck in
the past, he has always
pushed forward secking the
best educational venues for
his students so they can be
prepared to tackle their
future with the right skills.
For these past thirty plus
years my hero has been my
teacher and my friend. This
past January I attended his
60th birthday party and, as
was expected, there were
many friends present who
were either his teaching col-

leagues or previous stu-
dents. Ar the end of this
month, my teaching hero
retires. He is leaving his
classroom, students, par-
ents, fellow teachers, and
many friends behind. He is
not retiring because he is
tired of teaching or because
he has gone stale or because
over 30 years of dealing
with teenagers has burned
him out — no, nor ar all! In
fact, in all these years I have
never met anyone who has
remained so _— steadfastly
interested in and optimistic
about, his students. They
have inspired him, year after
year with their wit, their
charm, their absurdities and
their zest. It is just time to
move on to new challenges.
He will deeply miss his class-

es and his kids. The North
Shore School District: may
sce just another teacher
retiring; bur the halls at
Sutherland Secondary
school will fecl the loss next
fall when classes start again,
and Mr Ken Hegler isn’t in
his portable out back, teach-
ing German. We are losing a
truly motivational teacher in
North Vancouver. However,
many of us have great high
school memories thanks to
this teaching hero; and I still
have a dear friend to call on
when it’s time for a cup of
espresso and a chat.

To a teaching hero, Mr Ken
Hegler, we wish much suc-
cess, laughter and friendship
along his new chosen path.
Gail Weimer

North Vancouver

and celebrate Canada Day with
the beats of West Africa with

Masabo Culture Company. me
Return Juty 2nd for the sounds
of Vancouver's Blair Lewis and

Out of The Woods. ee

Continue the Jazz Festival
weekend with Los Canasteros
bringing you the unique spirit
and energy of authentic
traditional flamenco. And,

we wrap up the weekend

with the cool, crisp jazz
standards and instrumental
world music of the David
Phyall Trio. For more details

see the Jazz Festival Program
Guide or www. lonsdalequay.com

Open 7 Days a Week
Daily 9:30am-6:30pm
Friday 9:30am-9:00pm

www.lonsdalequay.com
Tel. (604) 985-6261

123 Carrie Cates Court
at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue
in North Vancouver

Festival Sponsors

NEWS photo

MEMBERS of the North Shore Rescue Team pose for the camera in front of their ieadquarters.

Heroes to the rescue

For your North Shore
heroes feature, June 30, |
would suggest the North
Shore Rescue Society, head-
ed by Tim Jones, team
leader.

They are strictly a volunteer
organization, and — go
beyond any call of duty in
their rescue operations.

T gave a member's state-
ment on them ~ enclosed.
Yours truly

Jeremy Dalton, MLA

(West Vancouver-Capilano)

My North Shore heroes are
the man and women of the
life-saving Search and
Rescue Team. They risk
their lives to save people
who have gotten lost on
hikes, gone into our of
bounds areas, had accidents
while skiing, snowboarding
or anyone who is in a dan-
gerous situation. They give

cir time with family
and friends to be part of this
team and never know what
obstacles or dangers they
are facing, some of which

might be injurious to their
life and limb and might
cause their loss of life while
they try to help others.
These people go out in all
sorts of weather, might it be
hard rain, cold winds and
snow or hurricane condi-
tions, They know that a
moment's hesitation might
cause someone their life.
That is worth hero status to
me.

Barbara Gibson

North Vancouver