Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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Dances A dance at the school is one of the most fascinating spectacles. The obvious observation is about the loudness of the music, but other sensations present them- selves- a stirring, mainly, of feelings experienced some years ago when I was in the same situation as the boys here, a sympathetic recollection of how one anticipates the evening ahead and of the incredible lack of assurance demonstrated in so many faces by too brazen a show of confidence. Inevitably, a semi-relaxed group, mainly of grade 9 ' s and lO ' s, has congregated outside the door of the gym, gathering moral support from each other in the shadows before facing the ten- sions of the dance floor. On en- tering, the music becomes markedly louder, although one doesn ' t notice it as much as one might because of the thick lines of young people who are leaning against the walls of the entrance, still imcomfortable about going in. The floor, the solid gym floor, vibrates with the music; if a loose chair were arornid you would expect to see it hopping about simply because of the trembling of the music. And it would be the most hvely thing in sight. The place is dead, except for haphazard groups of students obediently facing the stage as if in fact they were at a school assembly. On one side are the nervous, expectant girls, and on the other side are the boys. The anticipation and ap- prehensiveness are apparent beneath the unsuccessful masks of boredom. Everyone ' s face says God, when is something going to happen at these dances? But nobody does anything. So far, there is not even anyone necking behind the plastic sheeting that encloses the dancing area. The only people who look like they aren ' t lost for something to do are the boys handing out soft drinks at the table near the back. Finally, a group of senior boys begins to dance. We are about one hour into the thing, and the half-hearted shuffling is the first sign of any energy. From here, the night progresses to its peak a couple of hours later, when at least half the people in the gym are dancing. At midnight everyone trickles out, looking just as nervous as when the dance started. The exceptions to this routine -.J very enjoyable- dances, or moments during dances, when everyone suddenly is caught in the spirit of the thing and gyrates madly around the floor. There is the odd command performance: the jivers, the bus-stoppers , the relics from the 50 ' s who crashed one dance- these variations from the normal decor provide a focal point that these events seem to need. After all, one doesn ' t go to a dance to stand around. Mr. Snowden

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Students Council The first Student Activities Committee meeting was convened early in September. The first order of business of that meeting was to elect officers. By a close margin. John McCarter emerged as our worthy President and Martin Baggaley was elected secretary. It was also decided that Steve Hall would chair the Dance Committee. He was later assisted by George Stott. Thanks must be extended once more to Herb for the magnificent job he did in this regard. He did everything from auditioning bands to overseeing the technical aspects of the dances and record- hops I don ' t know what we will do without him next year. Among our accomplishments was the re-instituting of that enjoyable occasion known as Slave Day . Besides being very profitable, Slave Day was a tremendous amount of fun for all involved. The prefects proved to one and all that they are indeed human, and took everything in an excellent manner. The year also saw some first- rate dances. Perhaps the most notable was the one featuring Major Hoople ' s Boarding House. I think that everyone in attendance enjoyed himself very much, as was evinced by the cries of encore! encore! at the end of the evening. That evening proved to many sceptics that Appleby is capable of hosting good dances. All in all, the men of the Ac- tivities Committee worked hard and conscientiously, earning the confidence of their con- stituents . Congratulations go to John for his admirable leadership and thanks to Mr. Larsen for his time and patient guidance. Martin BaggaJey 130

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Father and Son Night What a tremendous evening! Once again the annual Old Boys Night 1978, at Appleby, proved to be an astounding success. In previous years we have told you all about the scores in the games, and everything concerning the sports aspect of this very fruitful occasion. In this issue of the Argus, we will discuss that aspect, which is not tangible and is thus not really understood. Have you ever thought about that sub-conscious feeling, called school love , and alma mater love , which brings those great members to come to Appleby, and rekindles those old feelings, which were once the everyday life of the school? No matter how far away they go, no matter to which country, there is something like a magnet on Appleby ' s grounds every January, that attracts the old boys back, and the fathers of the present day boys. It is an evening expressly filled with joy, because of old friend- ships which are lit once again - the same old jokes between buddies. The old talks, and conquests about past girlfriends. On the other hand there are the fathers who want to find out exactly what their sons are in. Oh! if they only knew about the dinner, the real dinner? That ' s the fun about school life here at Appleby, everyone wants to get to know each other, and to be friends again. Bravo Appleby. David Astwood