Europe 2001 school trip concerns local farmers: Students from Pontiac High School flew off to England today despite protests from some local farmers that the Europe 2001 trip should be cancelled. Many farmers argue that the highly contagious foot-and-mouth virus epidemic which has led to the slaughter of more than one million animals in England should be reason enough to cancel the trip, which was a year on the planning table. The virus was first detected in a sheep herd in England in February. Since then, the Department of Agriculture has identified more than 1,000 infected sites in England, Scotland and Wales.

“I wish the hell Canada would close our borders,” said Shawville dairy farmer and UPA representative Chris Judd following an information meeting at the high school Thursday evening. The meeting was set up to provide the students, parents and farmers with information on foot-and-mouth disease and the precautions the 47 students and their chaperones will take to ensure they won’t be carrying the disease back home.

Final curtain call for teacher, director Joan Conrod: Pontiac High School teacher and drama festival director Joan Conrod is calling it quits after an illustrious career. Conrod, who began as a judge at the 1972-1973 PHS drama festival, says retiring from teaching after 35 years and the drama festival after 28 is bitter-sweet.

“I’m both sad and glad,” she says. “I really enjoyed it, but it’s a lot of work.” 

Conrod says she will continue her work with the Pontiac Community Players, which she founded. The community players may begin work this fall on a musical to be presented the following February.

Conrod says working with drama can be agonizing, but likens it to a woman giving birth. “There’s all that agony, but when it’s over, it is so rewarding,” she says of all the plays and musicals she directed during her tenure as director of the one-act plays, student and staff musicals, and the drama festivals. “I’ll miss it tremendously, I’ll miss teaching.”

The director/teacher, who had a reputation as a strict taskmaster, had the spotlight turned on her by students and colleagues in a presentation before the final night of the drama festival April 4.

Taking to the stage in front of the drawn curtain, Conrod received a Waterford Crystal vase and a certificate listing her drama highlights from the school and community players, along with accolades from Principal Phil Perry. “Tonight marks not only the end of this year’s drama festival, but also the end of an era,” Perry told the packed auditorium.