Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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n i deuf cUuctie The Present Programme by Fraser McKenzie Thursday afternoon at the College is a time when the boys participate in activities not normally available in the busy schedule. The clubs that have been started range from physics to baseball. Any activity which is seen as being worthwhile and beneficial to the would-be par- ticipants, is given the ' O.K. . The program as a whole started out with good support from the students, but gradually dwindled as people found that Thursdays are an excellent chance to catch up on work or just veg . The process was very gradual, so it would be fair to say that it has been indeed successful throughout most of the year. When the weather is agreeable, baseball is one of the best at- tended activities, enjoyed by over forty boys and several masters. Mr. Richardson ' s feared fastball always has many a batter timidly Archery and baseboU vieie two o i e more popuJar activities.

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One Master felt that because of the competition of nnore relaxing and subsequently more popular ac- tivities, such as Film Club, his ac- tivity, one of a more academic and worthwhile nature was losing ground. He advo- cated that all acti- vities should be roughly equiva- lent in appeal, and therefore fun ac- tivities should be ruled out. 4 first teams, should be allowed practice times when they had a game the following day. Perhaps the best fudges of the program ' s level of participation were the masters who were on duty in the houses on Thursday evenings. These gentlemen seemed to think that very few people actually attended ac- tivities, even though on paper, everyone appeared to be involved in at least two activities. It was suggested, not only by these masters in fact, that a tighter control over the boys writh regards to attending their chosen ac- tivities should be instilled. They realized the probable effect of a negative attitude if a defaulter system were enforced for ab- senteeism, but thought it preferable to the night-off at- titude they were convinced that the boys were adopting. One master felt that because of the competition of more relaxing and subsequently more popular activities, such as the Film Club, his activity, one of a more academic and worthwhile nature was losing ground. He advocated that all activities should be roughly equivalent in appeal, and therefore fun activities should be ruled out. The masters felt that the time slots were also too small for the objectives which they were trying to reach. Longer time periods were mentioned as desirable goals for next year, which could of course entail the lowering of the number of activities that each boy coulld participate in. On the whole, however, the masters agreed that the program was well worth keeping, and although change was necessary in some areas, the afternoon activities program was worthy of this development. They thought it allowed important groups such as the choir, the prenorth boys, and the band a time period that would be othervrise unavailable, and for the rest of the school it was an opportunity for the boys and the masters to meet one another on a different plane than usual.

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approaching the plate. Altogether it is a most enjoyable part of the afternoon. On a more intellectual side, bridge is taught by Mr. Revill to several keen students. The level of play attained was good enough for some of the boys to enter a tournament in which they fared well. Cadets and pre-north training take up most of the afternoon for the younger boys, who are taught by capable seniors. The Cadets, who throughout the term gave the appearance of being a little disorganized, proved the cynics wrong by putting on an excellent show on inspection day. Pre-north training is invaluable for the boys in grade 9, since they will need it for the following year at Nor- thward Bound. For those so in- clined, the weight room club is a main source of entertairmaent on these afternoons. This is one club which has a constant attendance and, overall, has been a success. Activities on Thursdays that have been the most successful have tended to be the more recreational variety. The baseball, weight room and dancing clubs are examples that the boys enjoy a break in the week which does not involve anything remotely resembling school work. The organizational side of Thursdays afternoon leaves something to be desired. At- tendance at activities has declined because the boys soon realized they would not be missed even if they didn ' t go to their The program as a whole started out with good support from the students, but gradually dwindled as people found that Thur- sdays are an excellent chance to catch up on work or just veg . Three activities wliich have a constant attendance but which have a fairly low profile are music practice, debating, and the yearboolc.