Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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Northern Campus

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same thrill twice; each time he felt better. It was this fact that worried him. How long would this go on? Would he not soon become bored? The last year had been spent turning these questions over and over in his mind until he had come to his decision. He would make one last at- tempt at the staircase to quench his thirst. If he made it, he could get to work on all those things he had wanted to do, and if he didn ' t make it, he wouldn ' t have to worry about anything. It took him a month to choose his course through the maze of rocks above and below the water line. He would stick to the left bank for the first hundred yards and from there on, it would be a tangled mass of cuts and turns. If he forgot a single turn, he would be in waters he knew nothing about, and if that happened, he would certainly be battered to death, with no defence against the force of the water .... Jim rose with the sun to prepare for his attempt. After a hearty breakfast and last minute details, he slid his canoe into the water. Laying his pad- dle over the gunnels he skillfully guided himself into a comfortable kneeling position and then pushed himself into the open water. His strokes were smooth and his balance was true. He was ready. When he reached the staircase he was surprised to see only eight people there. He didn ' t talk to anyone as he tightened his life jacket, and secured his spare paddle. It took only one hard stroke to set the canoe into the centre of the current. He stuck to the left bank, expertly weaving in and out of the jagged edges of the rock that lurked below the surface of the water. Before he knew it, he was into the difficult part where every ounce of skill he had was needed. The spray flew up and blocked his vision while he managed to veer to the right or left, ac- cording to where the V ' s led him. Boulders flashed by with a background of green as Jim ' s speed increased. Suddenly his paddle struck an unseen rock which caused a loss of control. The bow of the canoe glanced off a rock and was forced into the air, with half the keel out of the water the stern spun with the current, only to stop suddenly when it smashed into a sunken tree stump. Jim was thrown out of the canoe and into the cold white water without any chance of keeping con- trol. He was dragged down the rapids bouncing from rock to rock trying to grab something. His body was bruised and beaten yet his feet still searched for support while his arms reached for nothing. But the worst was over and he was still alive. He could see the end of the staircase when he hit the rock, then all was black. I think he ' s okay , said Mr. Lafete cradling Jim ' s head. He seems to be coming around. Thank God , murmured the small group kneeling around Jim ' s bat- tered body. Jim ' s eyes slowly opened and the faint twinkle was seen by all. I ' m going to do it again , he muttered with some authority. Sure, sure, Jim , cooed Lafete, just get some sleep, we ' ll carry you back . . . . It is too bad that no one saw the pride in Jim ' s eyes when he looked up the staircase two months later. He had done it! Ross Large

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Director ' s Report With the North ern programme entering its third year it is essen- tial to assess its success to this point. EDUCATION CANADA, in an article entitled Assessing Secondary School Programmes , states: in the past few years curriculum evaluation has received more attention in curriculum journals and text books than any other curriculum activity. One of the central problems facing evaluators derives from the absence of clear statement on what we want students to become. Essentially, the process of arriving at goals involves making value judgments on the basis of a philosophy of education - education is too often based on careless use of value judgments. There is no question that we are in a difficult time period and that young people are having trouble grasping a basic value system. Indeed teachers are having dif- ficulties assessing what norms to inculcate in these troubled times. However, certain basic precepts have not changed in that the nature of young people has not altered. Kurt Hahn, the famed German and British educator and founder of the Outward Bound philosophy has stated: I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an en- terprising curiosity, an un- defeatable spirit, tenacity in pur- suit, readiness for sensible self- denial, and above all com- passion. In the text, THE FORMATIVE YEARS, (Ministry of Education,) the following appeared: If schools are to meet the societal demands of change for living in a society of the future, they must move towards a more innovative and open structure, while at the same time ensuring that the quality of our education will produce graduates who are both literate and numerate. I believe that by following Hahn ' s philosophy through the in- novative establishment of our Northern Campus and by further intelligent experimentation we can accomplish what we want students to become. Our aims are high and consequently we cannot expect to achieve everything overnight. There has been a definite improvement this year over last in regards to the quality of instructors and the positive effects among the Grade 10 students attending the Nor- thern Programme. With E.R. II functioning this year, a more competent instructor with definite ideals and skills will be available for the coming year ' s Northern Programme. A more organized programme for the Grade 9 ' s next year on the main campus should ensure a better qualified boy for the E. R. I programme in the North. It is essential in the future to develop greater co-ordination and un- derstanding between the two campuses. A major factor in the evaluation of the programme naturally has to be in the experiences shared by student and instructor and their ultimate opinion of the worth of these experiences. The Headmaster has assured me in his conversations with returning boys from the North that their reactions are very positive. The programme will continue to thrive only if the boys retain this attitude. Last year ' s article in the Argus stated our goals: Northward Bound is an experience in living, pure and simple. We want the in- dividual to develop inner resour- ces through a programme of physical and mental challenge involving the out-of-doors both as a member of a team and as an individual. The mastery of em- ployable skills is an adjunct to this process of heightened self- confidence. £ducatjon Canada, in an article entitled Human Values Education, dealing with the goals of students in in- creasing their capacity for ef- fective participation in society states two goals: to com- municate more effectively through understanding the value basis of all hu man transactions, and, two, to help students to per- ceive ' connections ' (i.e. values - decisions - actions - con- sequences) and to learn to ac- cept responsibility for their own values, feelings and actions. I believe in the Northern Programme that we are helping out in a major way to carry out the above goals and, at the same time, following a very important and positive trend in modern education. K.N.