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Japanese students settle in for Alberta winter

Three Japanese exchange students arrived at the Edmonton airport last Saturday to spend a year in the Gus Wetter School system in Castor.
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SONG FOR A WINTER’S NIGHT — The new Halkirk wind turbines dot the snow-covered landscape between Halkirk and Castor.

Three Japanese exchange students arrived at the Edmonton airport last Saturday to spend a year in the Gus Wetter School system in Castor.

Kurumi Kobori, 16, comes from Jyoyo City, near Kyoto, and is the guest of Debby and Kassidy Hronek.

Honoka Okada, 16, of Fukuoka City, near Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is the guest of Connie and Bill Turre.

Ayane Shimokuni , 15, is from Miyagi, near Sendei. She is staying with her host family, Lennard and Laurie Hewitt, in Castor.

All three of the exchange students speak English fairly well and will be immersed in Grade 10 or Grade 11 studies at Gus Wetter.

Congratulations to Aaron and Tasha Cordel on the arrival of a seven-pound, 15-ounce baby girl, Jules Tasha, on Jan. 15 in Ponoka.

Jules has two big brothers, Clyde and Mac, at home. She is the sixth grandchild for Gordon Cordel and Evelyn and Rick Hamilton and their first granddaughter. Her other grandparents are Stan and Gloria Diegel of Gadsby.

Congratulations to Mike and Jen Creasey on the safe arrival of an eight-pound, two-ounce baby boy, Tyler Daniel, born on Jan. 24 in Red Deer hospital.

The Creaseys also have a five-year-old son, Dylan.

Proud grandparents include Jim Creasey, Mary Jane and Jim Hoover and Wayne and Dianne Seth. Great-grandmoms are Irene Seth and Doreen Wilson.

Congratulations to Kirk and Suzanne Sorensen, whose daughter, Brielle Renee, arrived on Jan. 25, weighing seven pounds and 15 ounces. Brielle has three siblings — Alerie, Kae-lynn and Jared. Proud grandma is Marjorie Sorensen from Hanna.

Sympathy goes out to Allen and Laura Gamroth and girls on the passing of Allen’s nephew, Kyle Lohr of Rosalind. Funeral services were held last Friday.

Sympathy is extended to the family of Phyllis (Brown) Wallace, who passed away last Wednesday in Edmonton. Phyllis is a sister to Albert, Tom and Richard Brown. The family story is on Page 593 of Home Fires, the Halkirk history book.

Our sympathy to Abbi and Keith Muncy and family on the loss of Abbi’s mom. The Muncy family attended the services in Medicine Hat last Saturday.

Chuck and Jean Shilling returned home last Saturday from a wonderful holiday at an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They had won the trip through a Clive community fundraiser.

You can’t go too far from home without running into someone you know. Jean’s niece was on the same plane, as were couples from Stettler and Castor.

Cal and Helen Waterston from Camrose visited with Dwight and Lina Kent on Sunday. Dale and Melody also joined them for lunch.

COMING UP: Today — School semester break; Thursday — Halkirk grades 1 through 6 travel to the Valley Ski Hill near Alliance; Feb. 9 — Elks annual Alaskan seafood supper and comedy night; Feb. 14 — Seniors’ 12-team floor-curling bonspiel: team roster is full, but spectators are invited to stop by for coffee or lunch.

— HALKIRK HERALD