Kelvin High School - Kelvin Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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A TEACHER LOOKS BACK W E DID 1 not stop to think, on that morning twenty-five years ago, that some of us who brought our classes from the four corners of Winnipeg to Kelvin, might still be in our places to receive them on the twenty-fifth anni¬ versary of the opening of the school on Friday, the twelfth of March, 1937. Yet such is the case. Nine of that first year’s staff still remain in Kelvin. One of us was absent for a number of years doing excellent pioneer work in Junior High School organization. He returned to us some five years ago to direct the des¬ tiny of his old School. They were a bonny crowd of boys and girls, those youngsters of twenty-five years ago, of twenty years ago, of ten years ago, of last year and they are a bonny crowd of men and women today; men and women of whom any teacher would be more than proud to say, “I helped a little in forming their minds and characters”; men and women who have taken their places in our community, city and provincial life, and who are ready, willing and able to carry on successfully and courageously the work begun by their fathers and mothers; men and women who are giving excellent account of them¬ selves in home-building, in the professions, in the musical and artistic life of the city, and in the business world. But of Friday night’s reunion itself. The former students came in shoals and dozens and hundreds. Some, little changed, others squarer and rounder, still others minus their crowning glory, but all anxious to see whether teacher was smart enough to recognize them in their new guise. What an uproar! Much worse than the first few hectic months when we were trying to organize the school into a unified whole from the various units that had come to us from LaVerendrye, Alexandria, Greenway, Lord Roberts and many other schools. On all sides, greetings between old friends, eager questionings about absentees: Do you re¬ member? Can you tell me who I am? The shouts of joy when one could name a person not seen for twenty years. Where is Miss B . . . ? I want to tell her . . . Has Miss C . . . gone? She told me I could write, I want to thank her. And Mr. L . . . ? “There’s a man that taught true courtesy,” . . . and Miss McB ... or Miss Macd . . . Endless inquiries about past and present teachers, about old school chums lost sight of in the rush of life, about the younger generation, whether it was as good or bad as the older? Bewildering, but fun. “Come on, I want you to meet my wife or my husband,” as the case may be—“My children are learning “Frere Jacques” or “Latin Veils” or “Hi SCh.” “All that any one has to do to know what the passing years have done is to look out of the window and see the twinkling lights of the parked cars—five streets lined with them—they are no longer dad’s cars but our very own,” said the first student of Kelvin. How delighted these old boys and girls were with the efforts made by present- day pupils to give them a warm welcome home! They loved the mottoes, the decorations on the board and tried their best to rival them. The gym in cherry and grey revived old memories of happy hours spent there, the auditorium, of old time lit’s, the walks around the school, of famous exploits and deeds of derring-do.

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hKs The formal opening was a “grand affair.” For two full evenings every depart¬ ment was in full operation simultaneously. In the class-rooms, the household arts, and in the shops students demonstrated all the equipment, while thousands of the public passed in long lines. And what pride we felt in our new K. T. H. S. those nights. Those two first years were times of planning and laying of foundations. The selection of the cherry and grey; the composing of the K-T-H-S yell; the first school journal, the “Kelvin Kalends,” in a Trial Number; an outdoor rink built and operated by the students; the first P.T. classes in which definite time was given for team games under “Jimmy” West; all kinds of experimenting in Shops courses and practice; the first operetta, “Sylvia”; the hockey team’s visits to Por¬ tage and Brandon to see the world—these were some of our student activities as we made early Kelvin history. Through it all, what fun we enjoyed! I suppose it was the spirit of the adventurer, of the explorer, of the experimenter that moved us. We could see oursekes first of a long line of successors in a Kelvin tradition—a tradition yet but one that must be worthily begun. To be vital every generation in ai Mpmust have some motivating spirit—ours was that of the explorer. Certainly, we had to work, too. Can you imagine a school under women and men like the following where work was not pursued and caught up to: Miss Brunsterman, Miss Macdougall, Miss Clark, Miss Coldwell, Miss Moore, Dr. Duncan (later superintendent), Mr. Little (now principal), Mr. Huggins, Mr. Loucks, Mr. S. A. Campbell, and the others? And what of the friendships? Space and time forbid the enumerating of even some—and to name some must mean to omit others. Some of our closest friend¬ ships today date from those lively days of the LaVerendrye and the Kelvin; some of the most dearly cherished memories are those recalled by the School Honor Roll, a great many of whose names are among our classmates—some engraved deeply and not lightly to be erased from mind. We worked together, played to¬ gether, indeed occasionally quarrelled together, and as a school we pulled to¬ gether—some grew up even to marry their schoolday sweethearts and so to con¬ tinue through all life together. Yes, indeed, it would be real fun to see a gatherin-in of all the “riginals” who entered Kelvin halls on that historic January day in 1912. Ewart H. Morgan, Kelvin, ’13. 16

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hKs— Flash-light pictures of various groups gave added hilarity to the scene as old- time rivals or friends or enemies were snapped together regardless. Finally the hubbub was stilled for a few minutes when one of the 1912 graduates presided at a more formal meeting in the auditorium with our present principal on his left and our former principal on his right. Unfortunately our first two principals could not be present, but they sent messages of greeting and regret. The school, the graduates and the present-day pupils were greatly hon¬ ored by the presence of our former superintendent of schools, Dr. Daniel McIntyre, and also of Dr. J. C. Pincock, superintendent at the present time. What a spon¬ taneous burst of enthusiasm when announcement was made that a library would be started in honor of R. T. Hodgson—to be called “The R. T. Hodgson Library” in recognition of his many fine qualities of heart and mind and of his great work in Kelvin, and such heart-warming applause when Mr. Hodgson rose and in his gentle way thanked every one for the honor done him. At the end came that old battle-cry of Kelvinites old and new, that battle-cry which show that Kelvinites are not mere onlookers in the game of life, but are whole-heMi participants, that they are eager and anxious to get into the game to do t mtmost for the honor of the school and never to give up till the final count is taken; to meet emergencies with courage; to play the game fairly as true sportsmen; to accept failure without whining, and to gain success with true pride. Live up to your old battle-cry: K. T. H. S., K. T. H. S., Are we in it? Well I guess! Race ’em, chase ’em, Eat ’em up raw, Kelvin, Kelvin, rah! rah! rah! K - E - L - V - I - N ! ! S. C. M. EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR ALL E DUCATION in its broadest sense is the gradual unfolding or developing of our personalities so that we may react adequately to real situations. Ex¬ pressed in simpler terms the definition really means that education consists of two main functions: firstly, that of training the intellect to think clearly, logically and concisely; and secondly, the ability to work or play harmoniously with others. All our actions, thoughts and speech deal with ourselves in relation to other people and therefore it is of vital importance that we should understand thoroughly our fellow men and women. Perhaps the ability to think clearly is the more important, but both functions are extremely necessary for the leading of a well-balanced life. The greatest student in the world if he cannot influence others will find much of his work futile, but conversely anyone who has the ability to influence people strongly, yet who does not think logically, may constitute a serious menac e. It is obvious that unity of personality is the main aim of education, and to lead a happy life it is necessary that we have all our instincts and faculties working in unison. In the high school of today the training of the mind is in the control of our teachers, and rightly so. The personality is left to be developed by means of extra-curricular activities such as Athletics, Dramatics and Socials. Athletics are probably the most valuable as a personality builder for those who are physically fit. Through sports we are able to build up a healthy, sound body, an invaluable 18