The Kent 'AA-AAAA' senior girls basketball second-team all-stars are, front row, from left: Erica McFadden of the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks, Brenna Youlton of the McGregor Panthers, Karlie Handsor of the Wallaceburg Tartans and Marisa Sloan of the Ursuline Lancers. The junior second-team all-stars in the back row are, left: Elizabeth Vandenborn and Shannon Dodman of Chatham-Kent, Lauren Scafe of McGregor, Lindsey Tucker of Wallaceburg and Lindsey Schinkel of Ursuline. Absent is senior second-team all-star Lindsay Lozon of Chatham-Kent. The junior honourable-mention choices are Hope Olexa of Chatham-Kent, Kaylene Hagen of Wallaceburg, Jayme Muir and Emma-Tyme Mayrand of Ursuline, and Rachel Varga of McGregor.

Water bottles become boat Two dozen members of a science class at Ursuline College Chatham discovered a new use for throwaway plastic bottles. 

Ursuline College Chatham Grade 10 science students, counter clockwise, from bottom left: Porsche Taylor, Amelia Morris, Sammie Doolittle, Sean Pottier and Ryan Faubert demonstrate the recycling possibilities of plastic bottles as floatation devices during an early morning test yesterday at the Chatham-Kent YMCA on King Street. The students, members of Kathy Kovacs' Grade 10 class, used the empty bottles to create two rafts. And, thanks to the Chatham-Kent Family YMCA, the students then got a chance to float on two handmade rafts in the 'Y' swimming pool. Students used sticks of wood and strapping to hold the plastic bottle rafts together in the water. According to class member Nick Postma, students have been working on the recycling project for the past two months. "Today we were able to put it all together and use the empty bottles as floats for our two rafts,'' he said. Student Amelia Morris said the recycling project was a huge success. "It was great,'' she said. "We were able to get in some free swimming while testing out our project.'' Students donated nonperishable food items to the YMCA for the needy in exchange for the free use of the pool.

The Kent County Secondary Schools Athletic Association 'AA-AAAA' senior girls basketball first-team all-stars are, from left: Brooke Lee and Ashley Howell of the Wallaceburg Tartans, Carly Green of the McGregor Panthers, and Brittany Scott and Deanna Kerkhof of the Ursuline Lancers.

Several Ursuline College Chatham students are gearing up to show their support for the United Way of Chatham-Kent. The local high school is planning a rally Friday to have students march, en masse with signs, from the school on Grand Avenue West to Downtown Chatham Centre to raise awareness for the current campaign. Steven Whyte, a sociology and psychology teacher at UCC and an organizer of the event, said he expects 150 or more students will be participating. Along with raising awareness for the United Way, Whyte said students wants to "let people know we are a school that is doing things in the community."

UCC student Johnathon Callaghan 14 tries to find room for another box of toys to go to Chatham Goodfellows. The entire school spent three weeks collecting new and gently used toys for children of all ages. Two thousand toys will help fill the need when the Goodfellows deliver toys to the 1,400 girls and boys locally in need.

Hannah Kennedy scored two goals for the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks in a 3-1 win over the Ursuline Lancers yesterday in the Kent high school girls hockey league. The win gave the Golden Hawks (3-0-0) a one-point lead over the Lancers (2-1-1) for first place. The Blenheim Bobcats tied the McGregor Panthers 2-2 in the other game. In the boys league, the Bobcats beat the Ridgetown Royals 4-3. 

GIRLS Golden Hawks 3, Lancers 1 At Erickson Arena, the Golden Hawks led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Margarita Newton and Kennedy. Jessalyn Martin of the Lancers ended Kate Montgomery's shutout bid midway through the third. Kennedy added an insurance goal for the Golden Hawks in the final minute.

Dalton Mugridge, left, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student from UCC, signs a poster Sunday night before the premiere of the movie he stars in, Billy Owens and the Secret of the Runes. 

Mudridge's father Bob, right, helped organize the event at the UCC Theatre which raised $1,420 for the Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village. The red carpet was laid out for Dalton Mugridge and his fellow cast members yesterday evening. The 14-year-old Grade 9 student from Ursuline College Chatham even got chauffeured in a limo to the UCC Theatre for the premiere of the film he stars in "Billy Owens and the Secret of Runes." Mugridge said he hoped yesterdays event was as exciting as the world premiere the previous weekend in Sarnia. "I'm really excited," Mugridge said minutes before the screening. "The premiere the weekend before this was really fun and really exciting. I hope this one is just as exciting and I know it's going to be." Mugridge said a few of his friends came in the limo with him to the show. "They said they were excited and they all said congratulations," he said. Mugridge said the film falls under the same genre as the Harry Potter series. "If people enjoy adventure movies and everything . . . then they are in for a treat," said the actor. Mugridge said he has been involved with acting singe he was five. Bob Mugridge, Dalton's father, said yesterday screening was very meaningful to his son. "Now that he goes to the school it's a little more special for him because his friends will be here," Bob Mugridge said before the show. 

Raising $1,420 to go towards the Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village through ticket sales and water bottle sales, Bob Mugridge said "it's good for the community. "It's just a fun night out for families to come out and watch a good family oriented movie and at the same time raise some money for a good local charity." Gary Patterson, safety village board president, was happy with the turn out yesterday and the donation. "It's another community partnership," Patterson said. "This is a wonderful event. It's great to promote a young local actor who has already embarked on a tremendous career." Patterson said yesterdays event was another "boost in the arm" for Chatham-Kent to help showcase the talent in the area. The film was a sequel to "Mystical Adventures of Billy Owens." Dalton Mugridge, who plays the lead role, was joined by cast members from Sarnia, Christopher Fazio, playing Devon Turner, Ciara O'Hanlon as Mindy Finch, and newcomer Mikayla Ottonello playing Danny Finch yesterday at the premiere.

Ursuline Lancers guard Deanna Kerkhof will play basketball next season for Northeastern University after accepting a scholarship from the Boston school. Knowing when to shoot and when to pass helped make Deanna Kerkhof a standout guard for the Ursuline Lancers. She used the same decision-making skills when it came time to pick a school. Kerkhof passed on playing at Western Ontario in order to take a shot at Northeastern University, an NCAA Division I school in Boston. "Ever since I was little, it was a goal or a dream to go to the States on a scholarship," said Kerkhof, 16. "Growing up, you think it's not going to happen to me. If the opportunity's there and I didn't take it, when I'm older I might regret it. And if I don't like it, I can always come back." The five-foot-10 Wallaceburg native won three Kent senior basketball titles at Ursuline and led the Lancers to the OFSAA ' AAAA' quarter-finals last month. 

She's a three-time senior first-team all-star. Northeastern head coach Daynia La-Force Mann likes her versatility. She plans to use Kerkhof primarily as a shooting guard, but could also employ her as a point guard or even a small forward. "Deanna can play multiple positions for us," La-Force Mann said. "She has the ability to push the ball in transition and go one-on-one and also spot up and shoot the three." Northeastern coaches spotted her in the summer playing at two U.S. tournaments with the Ontario-based Canada Drive team. They were impressed with her athleticism, quickness, skills and aggressive defence. "Deanna is just made to play the up-tempo style we play," La-Force Mann said. Kerkhof often played point guard for the Lancers, but she was a shooting guard on her club teams. She prefers the latter position. "I just feel like I have better skills at that position," she said. "It's easier to penetrate from the wings. I feel more comfortable at that position. I seem to be able to create better from the wings." Kerkhof averaged 17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.8 steals this season. She sees the whole floor and has a great understanding of the game, Ursuline coach Ed Freeburn said. "There's been many occasions she'd look over at me and say, 'What do you want me to run?'" he said. "And I'd say, ' Whatever you want to run.'" Freeburn coached her with Basketball Wallaceburg when she was in elementary school. Even then, she had not only great talent but also a great desire to improve. "She's always looking and finding ways to get that extra shooting time and practice time in," Freeburn said. Kerkhof scrimmaged in the summer with the Western Mustangs. She still travels to London for workouts with head coach Stephan Barrie. Breaking the news about her school decision was probably harder on her than on Barrie. "When I called him, I cried," Kerkhof said. She's considering education or medicine at Northeastern, which has a highly regarded co-op program. "I always hoped that it (basketball) would get me somewhere, and I was one of the lucky ones," said Kerkhof, who won a gold medal with Ontario at the 2006 Canadian midget championship.