St Johns Ravenscourt School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 45 text:

%moml Smoot On the afternoon of the 6th of March, 1967, a memorial service was held for His Excellency, General, The Right Honorable Georges P. Vanier, Governor- General of Canada. The opening prayer was said by Mr. C.B. Kiddell, and was followed by a hymn. The school captain, Mark Jackman, read the first lesson, which was followed by a hymn. The second lesson was read by Terence Mc- Gaughey, and was followed by the School hymn. Mr. L.D. Murray read the School prayer, which was fol¬ lowed by a talk from Mr. R.L. Gordon, Headmaster. Mr. T.F. Bredin read a prayer, afterwhich O Canada was sung. A closing prayer was said, followed by the singing of God Save The Queen. Mr. Gordon, in his talk, said this of General Vanier: It was this love for his country that was the great motivating force in General Vanier’s life. As a soldier, a diplomat and finally as Governor General, he served Canada for 50 of his 78 years. He was a French Can¬ adian who deplored the lack of understanding between the two races. . . . The qualities of devotion to duty and quiet courage under adversity which General Vanier admired in his fellow soldiers were qualities he himself possessed in full measure. His right leg was shot off in the first World War. He walked with difficulty and knew what it was to live in almost constant pain. Dur¬ ing these last two years of his life, a sick man, a man long past the age of normal retirement, he has shown us the extent of his courage and his sense of purpose. He has set us an example. Hewas, as the Prime Minis¬ ter said of him last night, ' A man for all Canada’. ” %mtd CoimU This season was a very successful one as far as the music department is concerned. A series of chamber music concerts was arranged at the school in order to expose the boys to the type of music that they ordinarily would not have the op¬ portunity to hear, performed live, by various combina¬ tions of instruments. The series started off with a performance of a sonata for violin and piano by Handel, and two pieces by Fritz Kreisler. The second concert was given by a trio consisting of violin, clarinet, and piano. Two works were per¬ formed; one by the contemporary composer Darius Milhand and the other by an old Belgian composer (18th century) J.B. Loillet. The third concert was played by a string quartet, that is, two violins, viola, and cello. The work per¬ formed was the string Quartet op. 77 no. 2 by Franz Joseph Haydn. The final concert of the series was given by a quintet, .e., clarinet, 2 violins, viola, and a cello. The work Derformed was the clarinet quintet in A major by VIozart. The musicians involved in this series were: Eugene Kowalski — violin Arthur Hart — clarinet Frank Simmons — piano and violin Irene McComb — viola Lynn Rudiak — cello Dan Mason — cello All the musicians are members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kowalski and Mr. Hart are on the faculty of the school as well. These concerts were made possible with the co¬ operation of the School and the Winnipeg Musicians Association Local 190 A. F. ofM. We were happy to perform for the students and hope that these concerts were enjoyed by everyone who heard them. 41

Page 44 text:

tml Sew let The fall term of the 1966-67 school year was climaxed by the presentation of the annual Christmas Carol service on Sunday, December 19. The service was very well attended, parents and friends of the school filling the dining hall and even spilling over into the front hall and the second floor landing. Preparations for this year’s ceremony were in the hands of Mr. Shepard, and included two practices on the Fridays immedi¬ ately preceeding the service. Although the practices were long and arduous, and at times progress came slowly, the resulting effort was a true indication of the patienceand direction of Mr. Shepard. As in previous years, a nine lesson service of the Nativity was presented. The program of the service was as follows: Adeste Fideles — sung by the School and Congregation. First Lesson — God promises Abraham that in his seed shall the earth be blessed.” — read by Mark Milne, a Lower School boy. Once in Royal David’s City — sung by School and Congrega¬ tion. Second Lesson — Isaiah foretells the Birth ofthe Messiah who shall give light unto the world.” — read by Jim Lawson, an Upper School boy. As With Gladness Men of Old — sung by School and Con¬ gregation. Third Lesson — Isaiah foretells the springing up of a branch of the stem of Jesse who shall govern the world. ” — read by a Prefect, David Sprague. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming — sung by the School Choir. Fourth Lesson — Micah promises fame to the little town of Bethlehem.” — read by the School Captain, Mark Jackman. O Little Town of Bethlehem — sung by school and Congrega¬ tion. Fifth Lesson — St. Luke tells how the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary.” — read by Mr. Gordon, the Headmaster. O Holy Night — sung by the School Choir. Sixth Lesson — St. Mathew tells the story of the Birth of Jesus. ” — read by Mr. Kiddell, head of the Lower School. Unto Us a Boy is Born — sung by school and congregation. Seventh Lesson — The angels bring tidings of the Birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the fields.” — read by Mr. Bredin, assistant Headmaster. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks — sung by School and Congregation. Eighth Lesson — Wise men from the east came to Bethlehem.” — read by an old boy of the school. We Three Kings — sung by the School and Congregation. Ninth Lesson — St. John unfoldeth the mystery of the In¬ carnation.” — read by Mr. McMurray, chairman of the Board of Governors. The First Nowell — sung by the School and Congregation. The carol service has been apopular and enjoyable school event in the past, and if this year’s service is any indication of those to follow, the Carol Service will continue its popularity with parents and friends of the school. The service was well presented, and was a most fitting and successful closing of the fall term. School GkoU Numerically this was one of the strongest of the school’s many activities, having almost seventy members, and it was arranged to hold weekly rehearsals of ap¬ proximately one hour. It was, nevertheless, disappoint¬ ing to find that many of the more experienced singers did not volunteer this year. Once rehearsals were on the way, the enthusiasm of some of the upper school members unfortunately waned; other activities demanded the boys’ presence and many was the time when we practised with depleted tenor and bass sections. However, the enthusiasm of a few and the strong vocal support of some staff members, who loyally turned up to every practice, enabled the choir to give one of the best performances at the annual carol service. The choir also sang at the Father and Sons’ Weekend and at the Lower School Open Day. The summer term’s venture is Beaumont’s contrary Folk Mass,” with guitar and rhythm accompaniment, which we hope to perform in June. This is the med iaeval form of mass sung with a modern rhythmical backing; most enjoyable. Next year it is hoped that many of the present mem¬ bers will continue in the choir, because it is only by having this nucleus of experienced singers that a musi¬ cal tradition can be built up, and the choir can play its proper role in the life of the school. Our thanks are due to Mr. Shepherd for beating time” and to Mrs. Barrett, our willing and ever patient accompanist. ' hoajd ojf Govami At the January 9th meeting of the Board of Gover¬ nors, Dr. D.C. McEwen of Calgary, Alberta, and Mr. T.W. Meredith of Winnipeg, were elected to the Board, replacing Mr. G.N. Andison and Dr. G.F. Boult, who have retired. Dr. Boult served on the Board of Ravens- court School prior to its merger with St. John’s and has been a member of the S.J.R. Board since its in¬ ception. His understanding of the school and his in¬ terested support over the years has been invaluable. Mr. Andison has served the Board of S.J.R. since January, 1958 and has been an active member of many committees. In 1964 Mr. Andison served as chairman of the Fund Drive which raised the money for the new classroom building. Dr. Boult and Mr. Andison will continue their association with the school as members of the Honorary Council. 40

Page 46 text:

Oftim This year a new options program was introduced. In previous years, options have been compulsory and therefore many boys were participating because they were compelled too, not because they wanted too. This year, a new outlook has been taken on options. Every Friday, the Upper School meets in the dining room. The purpose of these weekly meetings are to give the boys a chance to ask questions inquiring how various school projects are progressing, to learn what has been planned for the school, or to be entertained by having several masters talk about their own personal, true, and very interesting personal experiences. Gradually, these meetings are to be taken over by the boys who will play various musical in¬ struments, sing, and also relate a few of their own personal experiences. After this meeting, the boys go to their option which they chose at the beginning of this year. These options are not compulsory, but it is hoped that a great majority of the boys will participate in an option because of the vast number of choices offered them; from drama and electronics, to gym and slot car racing. Although this system is in the experimental stage, it is hoped that the participation of the boys will be sufficient enough to allow it to continue next year. Ibwm After a successful year of drama option last year, it was somewhat disappointing to have a very small group turn out this year for the option; however, as a result of the interest of last year, during the fall term three plays were enjoyed by groups of boys. On Wednesday, November 9th., 21 boarders and 2 day boys accompanied Mr. McLeod to a production of The Rainmaker at the M.T.C. On Friday, November 15th., The Manitoba Theatre Centre brought their production of The Dock Brief to the school with Paxton Whitehead and Eric Donkin. On Wednesday, December 14th., 56 boys attended the excellent production of Galileo at the M.T.C. and most of them went to Chan’s after for Chinese food with Mr. McLeod and Mr. Sheperd. When options started in the winter term, the drama option started a fairly ambitious program of theatre skills. Mrs. Maurer conducted a make-up workshop, Mrs. Stewart conducted a costume workshop and Mr. Bevis talked about set design with some practical applications with regard to A Theatre Happening. It was hoped that the membership would grow to a size which would have warrented bringing in guest speakers but this has not happened. There is some maxim about a horse and water but at S.J.R. a horse is one of the animals which cannot be mentioned. tlutmia This year’s electronics option, under Mr. Olsen, was small in number, but it promises to be a greater attraction next year. The only prerequisits to joining the group are; sincere interests in electronics, and a purpose for joining, be it to learn, build, experiment, or to use equipment. For the person who knows nothing about electricity or electronic equipment, instruction is available. This includes numerous tests and experiments, which prove basic laws of electricity. A person who joins the club can learn, build kits, or test and repair equipment. For the person whose interests lie elsewhere, there is sufficient equipment to explore the field of radio communications. Some of the future goals of the club are; to set up a licensed radio station, to have a working lab for building and repair of lab equipment, and to build a variety of displays for the school and science fairs. It is also hoped that, as the group expands and more equipment is acquired, a permanent location can be found for the club. The club now consists of: Mr. Olsen, John Bredin, Paul Lewis, and Helmut Verges, but as the student body be¬ comes aware of the activities of the electronics group, interest will rise, and membership will undoubtedly increase. ' JLud Same It is only natural that our Plant Science Option takes place through most of the year. One of our Science Fair projects, which is being entered by George Wright, has demanded his careful attention for almost two years. He worked on this project throughout his Summer holidays. Our Plant Science entries are almost ready for the Science Fair which begins at the end of March. The first project is an experiment in hybridizing African violets. Several different varieties have been crossed to produce hybrid seed. From this seed, we are hoping to get a new flower type of good quality. Our second project, which is being entered by Gerald Morris, is a demonstration of the various methods by which plants may be propagated by cuttings. Gerald has just about completed this project, and will be showing it at the fair. We would like to take this opportunity to mention what we believe to be a very useful Centennial project. We are going to start work on the preservation of many species of Manitoba’s wild flowers. We feel that many of our species are in danger of becoming extinct. An area behind Thompson House is being allocated to this study. Here we will be growing and propagating many of our most exotic flower species. This is a long term project which will probably take many years and a lot of research to complete. Any help with this project will be certainly appreciated.