London Normal School - Spectrum Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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Our Closing Festivity f ALL you this prophesying? Possibly. But let me tell you, the evening of May eighth will long be fondly remembered by you. Why? For the simple reason it will be the night of our Annual Banquet. Adequate phraseology fails me when I try to describe the banquet-room as you will see it. The decoration committee will have transformed this ordinarily barren torture-room into a blooming orchard in keeping with the theme of our banquet, Spring . Of course there will be the toasts and responses and — oh! I must not forget the representatives from each of the Toronto, Hamilton and Strat- ford Normal Schools who, in their turn, will rise and extend the heartfelt greetings of their schools Now don ' t become impatient. Certainly we are going to dine, and I am sure that many adjec- tives such as tasty, savoury and delicious, will be used to describe the dinner turned out by the culinary experts with their materials and tools. Now it will be time for the buzzing to stop and then Professor Landon, of Western University, will rise and address us. Oh, you have heard of him? Former newspaper man and city librarian, here in London. Yes, it will be a very pleasing and educational address — one worthy of com- mendation. We must and we will have entertainment. Selections by the girls ' choir and some good old community singing will be part of the programme in the banquet chamber. But let us now look into the music-room. Just as you anticipated. Here you shall dance arm in arm with your Beau Brummel to the lilting melodies of your favourite songs. All this will happen. Wait and see. John Bulcurras. — Editor: Ruth Wray The Critic Teachers ' Party A f ARCH the sixteenth, in order to show our appreciation of their kind deeds, we, student teachers, with the permission of Dr. Mark, our worthy principal, did our utmost to entertain our critic teachers. The programme for the evening opened with a bang from our popular Normal School Or- chestra. The platform was decked in the colours of the Union Jack. Mr. George Robbins, as President of the Literary Society discharged his duties most acceptably. Dr. Mark welcomed the guests of the evening and of course, not without a very amusing story about St. Patrick. Miss Eunice Oestreicher and her brother, Donald, favoured us with a cornet duet, that lovely selection, Birds in the Forest . The most outstanding and impressive part of the literary was the pageant presented by the girls of Form IV. From the auditorium we went to the gymnasium. Here, our guests were given a very friendly welcome to our gymnasium by our master of ceremonies, Mr. C. A. Bardwell. We must submit that Mr. Bardwell was quite nerv- ous at first but, as time went on, he reminded us of our famous French master of ceremonies, Andre Bergeron. Now, do you recall all those folk dances? Yes, certainly; you took part in them with the critic teachers. Don ' t you remember? Our girls really surprised us that night; the majority of them took an active part in the dances and were also often seen hunting for a partner. Three cheers for the London Normal girls. The most popular and enjoyable folk dance of the evening was none other than Cokey-Okey , taught ex- ceedingly well by Miss Rae Hawkins. The folk dances were quite amusing but. as the old slogan goes, All play and no munch makes a very dull bunch . Two by two they entered the lunch room which was ornamented in white and green. No critic teacher was left behind that night. All sat in a large circular formation about the room to receive what we. as student teachers, had prepared for them. In the centre of the room was placed a large table to provide room for the dainty dishes. The centrepiece was an attractive bouquet of daffodils and pussy-willows. The refreshments, under the convenership of Miss Ruth Wray and her assistants, were just another example to show what the Nineteen Forty-two class can do. I could continue chirping about that party for hours but, I ' m sure, everything would tend to show that the soiree-dansante was a real suc- cess Harry B. Tellier. Page Twenty-four

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The First Term Literary Society AS has been the custom for some years past, the students of London Normal School under Miss Gahan ' s capable guidance set about to organize a Literary Society soon after they had entered the pedagogical portals. Once elected, the members of this executive had an important duty to fulfil and, with the friendly co-operation of the Masters and the student body, they set to work. The main purpose or aim of a society of this type is to promote and foster friendly and sociable feelings among the teachers-to-be, as well as to give them an insight into the functioning of an organi- zation such as they might wish to have in their own schools. During the months before Christmas a variety of programmes, with numbers ranging from drama- tizations to musical selections, was presented by the various forms, with the result that Literary Meet- ings became something eagerly aw aited, instead of a boring necessity. At the meetings just previous to Christmas, the portrayal of the various Vuletide scenes struck a peaceful note in the lives of all — troubled though they were in such an upset world. However, the events which seemed to draw the student body more closely together and to evoke the most friendly spirit were the Christmas Party on the night of December seventeen and the Christ- mas Tree the next morning. After the latter gathering, all gifts exchanged were turned in by the students, to be given to the Children ' s Shelter — so bringing a bit of sunshine into the hearts of some poor youngsters. Thus did the first term Literary Society try to perform its task and it is sincerely hoped that it was, to some extent, successful. Alex. McPhedran. Second Term Literary Society CT HE executive of the Second Term Literary Society took office in January We would like to recall to you what we consider to be two of our most outstanding programmes. Do you remember the tableau presented by Form II on February 6, for which Miss Jay Deir wrote the script? This made a fine dramatic culmination for our pioneer project. All amusements from apple-paring bees to courtships were portrayed. The excellent costumes and stage settings added greatly to the effect. Then you remember the excellent patriotic programme presented by Form IV under the direction of Miss Jeannette Moss. The entire theme, including costumes and decorations, was patriotic. The air-raid shelter skit, conducted by Miss Kay Pettypiece and Miss Dorothy Taylor (156), was amusing, to say the least. The sale of War Savings Stamps conducted by Miss Dorothy Thorpe proved very successful. Perhaps it was the patriotic influence of the meeting. One hundred and forty-five stamps were sold. The climax to the programme was a patriotic pageant. The various countries of the Allied Forces were represented. Miss Dorothy I. Taylor ' s (157) inspiring reading opened the pageant. Britannia was played by Miss Dorothy Thorpe. The solo Let Us Have Peace , sung by Miss Marion Taylor, closed the pageant. Our term of office has not yet expired and we hope our future meetings will continue to be interest- ing and helpful. Marion Taylor. Page Twenty-three

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The Hallowe ' en Party VX HAT does the date October 31, 1941, bring to mind? Ah, that ' s it — the Hallowe ' en Party. One would naturally have expected my- steries, deep and dark, but this was our first real get-together and we were strange enough to one another without adding a strange atmo- sphere. Shall we ever forget the costumes present? For economy and ingenuity, could anything have surpassed the three soldiers with their tin horns! Their martial airs provided music for the Grand March. Many and varied were the costumes — from walking boxes to gypsies, from farmer Taylor to Indian Ireland. The ladies ' prize w as carried off by Violet Thompson, as a kippy Kiltie, while the men ' s prize was taken by Max Johnson, as a man in a box. We then enjoyed games dir- ected by Dorothy Irene Taylor. The Lunch Committee served us a truly Hal- lowe ' en feast — cider, doughnuts, apples, and candy. It seems that the cider had been waiting for that party for some time. Dancing was later enjoyed in the music room. That night we students, one and all, decided that the Normal masters and students are friendly, kindly and full of fun. Phyllis Dunlop. The Christmas Party T IGHTS! Action! — such a pity to have neg- lected the cameras! The gaily decorated music-room, the laughing crowds, the Christmas-tree proudly presiding from the centre stairway — not one could have produced a mere record shot . No, it wasn ' t for nothing that we became known as the socially-minded class of forty-two. It all began on the evening of December the seventeenth, promptly at eight o ' clock. Stu- dents and guests alike, enjoyed an exceptional presentation of a Christmas Eve pantomime, beautifully and reverently portrayed, under the direction of Miss Cora Berdan. Effective light- ing greatly enhanced the performance. The Grand March led by Dr. and Mrs. Mark completed a satisfying programme. Down the stairs, through the science-room, around the library and into the music-room poured the seem- ingly endless line of frollicking joy-makers. Miss Inez Mowers was convener of the deco- ration committee. Their contribution added greatly to the evening ' s entertainment. Make- you - want - to - dance music melted the throng into one good-natured mass. High-lighting the dancing was a waltz contest under the direc- tion of a capable master of ceremonies, Mr. Sydney North. Mr. Ray Bankes and Miss Ella Cruickshank were victorious. Delicious refreshments were served in the gymnasium by a committee under the super- vision of Miss Edith Hoag. Cakes had been baked and decorated by Miss Davidson and her willing helpers. The spirit of the crowd is characterized by the zeal with which they entered into All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor . An unforgetable evening! A tremendous stride! The first step on the lad- der of social success! D. Thorpe. First Term Athletic Party pRIDAY, February 13, the school was dressed in its best with novel decorations of red and white in both the music-room and the lower rotunda. At six o ' clock, all was in a hush of expectancy with only a dozen or so official-look- ing people wandering about, putting final touches here and there. At six-thirty, the school came to life with the clanging of a bell and our visitors from Ridgetown Collegiate trooped in. Soon, the gymnasium was packed to the walls. Good sportsmanship was the order of the eve- ning. Our girls ' team defeated Ridgetown with a score of 10 to 2. Our boys won by 12 points. After the games, everyone repaired to the music-room to dance. For the first time, the school ' s new sound system was put to use, very effectively. A system of numbered heart favours was used by the decoration committee to pair off the lunch partners. Lunch was served in relays in the serving-room by an efficient committee under the direction of Miss Davidson and Miss Ann Tufford. Meanwhile, a series of prize dances were being held in the music room under the direction of co-conveners Miss Dorothy Taylor and Mr. Sydney North, presidents of the Athletic Soci- eties. Dancing continued until shortly after twelve and a genuine feeling of goodfellowship was established before Ridgetown had to leave, closing the page of a truly memorable party. D. Taylor. Page Twenty-five