Altona Collegiate - Green and Gold Yearbook (Altona, Manitoba Canada)

Page 49 text:

CHRISTMAS BANQUET On December 23, after a gruelling week of examinations, the students attended their annual Christmas banquet. The tables were beautifully decorated and set —thanks to the decoration committee. A Christ¬ mas tree, which was gaily decorated, stood near the tables, with a large assortment of gifts be¬ neath it. After everyone had gathered at the tables, jolly sounds of laughter, talk and the clatter of dishes filled the room. The banquet committee was scurrying about, desperately trying to keep the h owls of fillied salads and potato salads filled. When everyone had had their fill, David Hoepp- ner, president of the student council, gave us an outline of the activities of the council during the first half of the term. Rose Peters, secretary- treasurer of the student council, presented the students with the financial statement of the council. Following this, Rev. Carl Ridd, guest speaker of the evening, gave us a very interesting ad¬ dress. Another highlight of the evening was a trumpet solo and a piano duet by some of the students. The evening was concluded by the distribution of gifts. Each student received a gift through our annual Christmas box. The teachers were also presented with gifts from the student body. Mr. Kroeker, Mr. Siemens and Mr. Warkentin all re¬ ceived records. Mr. Goertzen received a flash attachment for his camera and Mr. Dyck a tripod for his camera. For entertainment Mr. Kroeker played his record which featured the collegiate choir singing the old traditional carols. Exhausted but happy, the students left the halls of learning for a ten-day Christmas holiday. 47

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HALLOWE’EN and INITIATION October is the month of secret preparation, and curious, cautious Freshmen within the walls of the Green and Gold. It is the month in which all newcomers to the high school are initiated. To heighten the fun and’ tension, Hallowe’en was chosen as the official initiation day. Soon after election, the Student Council with the help of the teachers got into a “huddle” and dreamed up initiation stunts. Then preparations began. Now and then strange things were seen being carried into the collegiate. By this time freshmen were lurking around every comer trying to glean a few hints. As a prelude to initiation day this year, a freshie parade was held. The freshmen were paraded up and down Main Street accompanied by a band consisting of tin cans, wash basins, and a big bass drum. The next day the girls were compelled to come to school with half their lips painted. Some wore hats, odd socks and odd shoes, one shoe being a high heel. The boys, who also had to wear odd . ocks and odd shoes, were given a chance to reveal their “pretty” legs by having one of their pant legs rolled up. These peculiar apparels created may laughs and red faces. To top this all off each freshie had to sell two basketball season tickets to win his school colors. After a few days of master and slave activities, the official initiation day arrived. Each freshie was compelled to appear in a costume. Prizes were given to the fanciest costume the most original costume, and the most comical costume. The judging of the costumes was followed by a char¬ ade presented by the students, and a skit pre¬ sented by the teachers. The skit which the teachers presented was hilarious to say the least. It was a satire on the behaviour of “hoods” in a classroom. I don’t think we’ll ever forget the leather jackets; Mr. Goertzen’s big black rubber boots with the noisy metal buckles; Mr. Siemens’ persistent snapping finger; Mr. Dyck’s heavy head; Mr. Warkentin’s remark when he was caught chewing paper, “But Sir, you told us to digest everything we read”; nor Mr. Kroeker’s desperate but futile effort to read one sentence in History. Soon the climax of the evening arrived — the initiation of the freshmen. Unfortunately there were no new teachers to be initiated this year. The freshmen were divided into small groups, each of which had to perform an initiation stunt, which varied from the putting on of nylons while wearing gloves, to the judging of legs. Indeed it was a memorable day for everyone, but especially for the Freshmen.

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SILVER TEA and ART EXHIBIT One of the highlights of Education Week in Altona was the Silver Tea and Art Exhibit held on March 12th at the Collegiate. This event was planned and carried out by the students and staff. The auditorium was very cleverly decorated with a large silver tea service pictured on the south wall and gay red and white lattice work which separated the art exhibit from the area where the tea was being served. The wives of faculty and school board members presided at the tea table during the afternoon. The art exhibit, a collection of thirty paintings by Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald, was loaned to the Collegiate, for the occasion, by the Win¬ nipeg Art Gallery. Dr. Ferdinand Eckhardt, the director 5 of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, was there in person to comment on and describe the tech¬ niques used in the various, paintings. FitzGerald, “Manitoba’s own artist,” was one of the Group of Seven and is considered to be among Canada’s top painters. He painted many prairie scenes such as “Prairie Sky” and still-life pictures such as “Apples on a plate.” The very simplicity of the pictures in many cases made people ask, “What is so wonderful about that?” Dr. Eckhardt explains, “Great artists try to ex¬ press themselves in the simplest way.” FitzGerald also did some modernistic painting in his later years. These intrigued many people who could not understand why the artist would paint a seemingly meaningless abstract landscape. Dr. Eckhart explained that the painting had a symbolic meaning which was not always apparent at the first glance. One must spend time trying to understand paintings just as one spends time on other forms of art such as music and literature. The Art Exhibit certainly proved to be an interesting and colorful addition to our Education Week program. It is to be hoped that in years to come our Collegiate will continue to introduce new and varied projects when observing Educa¬ tion Week — thus preserving the essence of progress in education.