Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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g,, THE ASHBURIAN PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST It is to be regretted that this year's Public Speaking Contest did not create more interest. XVih Gerry Haslam winning everything within reach around the district, perhaps the Seniors feared the compe- tition would be too severe. However, Haslam was not participating, being content to rest on his previous successes, and the field was more open, which made the adjudicators, Mr. Carver and Mr. Spencer, hope for many more than the two contestants. Iain Ewing, giving an impressive rendering of a previously used speech on Optimism, an Ingredient for True Leadership , was well applauded by the audience. Duncan .NlacLaurin, speaking extemporaneously on 'fVVomen and Destruction , found a ready response to his views. It is not an easy task to compare these two types of forensics, and after considerable dis- cussion, it was decided to share the award between the two contestants. The Intermediate section gave Doug Chalke an opportunity to amuse his audience with an account of his family's trip through Europe the previous summer. His subject, Touring with a One-year-old , was insuflieiently prepared, and this detracted from the effectiveness of his speech. Hugh Campbell, speaking on Hypnotism , on the other hand, had prepared his speech, and he delivered it with an air of real authority. Colin Browne, choosing the topical subject, America's Klan Into Spacen, was handicapped by his own nervousness. The experience should help him on future occasions, and he, as well as the other two contestants, deserve commendation for their efforts. An account of the junior section appears in the 'fjunior Ashburiann. The awards were: Senior: lain Ewing and Duncan NlacLaurin CEqualD. lvlrermediate: Hugh Campbell. Imlior: Tom Fuller. POETRY READING CONTEST The school was most fortunate this year in having Professor George B. johnston, acting head of the English Department of Carleton Uni- versity, as adiudicator of the annual Poetry Reading which was held on Sunday. Nlay 14th in the Chapel. Prof. Johnston verv generously agreed to iudge the readings despite a crowded weekend schedule. The passages read were: 'Set' pieces - Izmiorsz The Singer Grows Old - Brown I11rc'r111cdii1res: The Destruction of Sennacheribn - Byron

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THE ASHBURIAN 29 upholding the negative side of 'Neutralist Nations, won all three debates. and the team of Renny Howith and Dune Mael.aurin won one debate and lost two. The final debate of the year was against Lower Canada College in Montreal. Gerry Haslam and lain lfwing teamed for .Xshburv and were beaten by LCC in an extremely close contest. MEMBERS OF THE Tlf.-XM HASLANI, GERALD CCapt.J - The tireless talker lost only one debate out of six this year, and will be the mainstay of next year's team. He hopes to have many more debates and debators in 61-62, so that Ashbury can again live up to the name made by Chamard-Brodhead- Gale etc. EWING, IAIN - The boy with the big vocabulary was a great asset to the team, and we are sure that his mighty words will do him a world of good in the future. STEVEN, DONALD- Being shoved into a debate with only several days notice isn't the easiest thing in the world to cope with, but Don did it, and well. AJACLAURIN, DUNCAN - What these Americans can't do! A necessary and helpful member. HOWITH, RENNY -The old wit proved to be a great arguer and a Hne debator. It may be added that Haslam won the district 28 Optimist oratorical contest at Plattsburg, N.Y., representing the Optimist Club of Carleton, in competition with 14 students from oher centres in Untario, Quebec. and New York State. From there he went on to compete in the regional finals in Milwaukee, Mis. Although he failed to carry off top honours in this event, we are proud to say that he acquitted himself with dis- tinction, and we feel that he brought great credit, not only to himself. but to the School, in progressing so far against such formidable com- petition.

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THE ASHBURIAN 31 Seniors: Ulysses Clines 1-173 -Tennyson 'Sight' Izmiors: The Cloths of Heaven - Yeats l c Irltermediatesz 'Tewkesbury Road - .Nlaseheld Seniors: I Think Continually of Those - Spender Of special interest was the extremely high quality of the voluntary selections read by contestants in each division. The winners in each category were: juniors: Burritt Intermediates: Campbell I Seniors: Farrugia I In a good-humoured and valuable summation, Prof. Johnston remarked on the great interest with which he had listened to the readings. It almost seemed unfair, he said, that one should dictate a right and a wrong way of reading poetry, that a boy should show sufli- cient interest in reading a poem made it his own personal poem, and no judge should really be called upon to criticize the particular rendition. However, he went on, there were certain standards which one could set, and after a short discussion 0'f these standards he named the winners. Participation in the contest was of a high calibre, and one can only hope that this event will always Hnd a place in the school calendar. C 0 N F E R E N C E S THE HEADMASTERS' CONFERENCE A most successful annual Conference of the Headmasters was held on January 3rd, 4th and Sth at Hillfield School in Hamilton. with Lt. Col. john Page, President and Host. Representatives attended from nearly all Canadian Independent Boys' Schools. As Hilllield is a Day School delegates were accommodated at the Tamahaac Club in Ancaster and at the Town Manor Motel. Attending the Conference as Special Guests were: Rev. Canon Charles Martin. Headmaster, St. Albans School. Hash- ington, D.C. President Fulmer of the American Headmasters' Association. Dr. VVayne McFarland, Principal of jefferson and XYilson Schools. New jersey. Dr. C. A. Brown, Registrar of the Department of Education of Ontario.