Balmoral Hall School - Optima Anni Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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li-- B-.-A-..-. - . The Smorgasbord W The sign at the door read All Aboard for the Time of Your Life! And certainly, young Bal- moral Hall has never spent such a night as she spent the night of February fifth, when the Moth- er's Auxiliary launched the Building-Development- Fund. Sea cadets, to whom we are greatly indebted, greeted our guests as they boarded the ship and capped each visitor with a G, S Balmoral Hall hat. The white knotted railing and netted stairway led the guests up to the mess on the upper deck. To the right of the captain's cabin the head girl, Carol MacAulay, announced the guests who were received by Mrs. Sellers, Miss Murrell-Wright, Captain for the evening, and Mrs. Nixon. Draped with flags and nautical symbols the warmly-lighted gymnasium was a real marine din- ing-room. Fish net curtains covered the windows, and flags, buoys, life-preservers, and anchors col- oured the walls and heightened the rafters. Above the bridge with its brass deck rails and the ship's wheel was a large coloured portrait of our Queen. The smorgasbord, festively arrayed with turkeys, spiced hams, planked salmon and tempting salads, was presided over by chef-capped fathers, B.H.S. sailors escorted guests to their tables on the port or starboard sides of the room. Each table was nautically set in red, white, and blue, with life- saver menus and sail serviettesf' The desserts and beverages were served by the waitresses wearing dainty aprons over uniforms. Photograph- ers and Hower girls and pirates wandered among the tables taking pictures and selling souvenirs to the guests. Our Hoor shows at seven and eight o'clock won approval from each audience. The middle-school, from the flag-bordered gallery, opened each pro- gramme with the singing of grace. The Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Leach, welcomed the visitors and announced the numbers as the programme proceeded. The navy chorus line, ably trained by Mrs. Pennock and accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Flood, added zip and colour to the enter- tainment. At the sound of the whistle the middied deck-swabbers began the traditional sailor's horn- pipe and we thank Miss Macgregor and Mrs. Urban for making our performance traditional.'I Another whistle signal was the cue for the Ship, In an instant Balmoral Hall became the G.S Bal- moral Hall, complete with funnels, flags, and lights. Captain MacAulay gave her orders and every porthole, sailor and wave from grade one to grade twelve, added her music to the medley which followed- A Capital Ship , All the nice girls love a Sailor , We sail the Ocean Blue, and our own school song, made ship-shape for the occasion. Games on the lower deck provided after-din- ner entertainment for the shuffleboard athletes and dart throwers. Davy jones' locker was opened that evening where fishermen could catch their trea- sures. Movies were shown in the ward-room. At nine o'clock, when the Smorgasbord excur- sion was completed, the G.S. Balmoral docked. Our passengers landed with memories of good food, good entertainment, good fun and good- will. We, the crew, from the galleys, the ward- room, the cabins, and the decks, and our Captain from the bridge, watched our guests depart and were silently proud of our Good Ship Balmoral Hall. Dawna Duncan, Grade XI. Try This The Cruiser G. S. Balmoral leaves Winnipeg Harbour for Vancouver, at zero hour, Friday, mid- night Q2400j, for three ports of call, anchoring as first port of call in Regina. The mileage be- tween Winnipeg and Regina is 355 miles C31150 knotsj. The ship travels at economical cruising speed of 10 knots. The ship stops for engine defects 100 miles on course, estimated time of engine repairs 2 hours and 10 minutes. Guess estimated time of arrival in Regina. N.B. 2,000 yards to one knot. See Answer on Page 40. A Wave I am a little wave And I must behave Istand by a ship And send it on a trip. Arroll Miller. Grade II. Song from the Ship Tune: Anchors Aweigh Stand Up! Shout out! Sing all! Qf happy trips On board Balmoral Hall Where work and play fill up each day. Onward to Better Things! House to the fore! Proudly our motto rings It's MELIORA PETENS evermore.

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WI7 I tl' lil: ff 0 a , S 7 S akin S i nl I C '- r' was The Christmas Carol Service The spirit of Bethlehem was felt very clearly at our fourth annual Carol Service held on Decem- ber 18th. We shared this beautiful service with a host of parents and friends and came away enriched with the feeling of 'good will towards men. The School entered the tree-lighted Assembly Hall singing Once in Royal David's City and after the opening prayer by Rev. Wm. C. Graham, the junior Dramatic Class presented Why the Chimes Rang , a short play so truly in keeping with the spirit of the Service. An interlude of traditional Carols in which the voices of School, choir and congregation joined, was followed by the Nativity readings and tableaux by the Senior Dramatic Class, accompanied by the School Choir. We were indeed in another age as we listened to the angels' song of peace on earth, as the humble shepherds knelt to adore the tiny Babe and as the Wise Men came again to Bethlehem from the East. After the Benediction, pronounced by the Very Reverend J. O. Anderson, the School recessed singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing and as this well-known Carol came to an end it was evident that the Spirit of Christmas remained. Recitals: With an increased enrollment, and more music- ians, the music staff has been kept quite busy this year. All talent was displayed by both junior and seniors in the fall and spring recitals. With june close at hand, all of the pupils are concentrating on their choicest compositions, which will be heard at the final recital. Symphony for the Juniors One day about the middle of December Mrs. Price said we were to have some fun. There was to be a Symphony Concert for grades four to six. It was on Wednesday at one o'clock, We were going! The second number was jonathan and His Gingery Snare. jonathan goes into the woods to look for a pet. He finds different instruments and takes them home for pets. There were several more pieces performed. One was the Pizzicato Polka. In this number the violinists plucked their violins with their fingers. Then there was Sleigh Ride. You could hear bells jingling, a whip cracking and at the end a horse neighed. To close the con- cert were Christmas Carols and when Mr. Kauf' mann invited us, we sang with all our might. Patricia McMahon. Grade IV. Concerts: Winnipegs celebrity concerts were exceedingly outstanding this year. The boarders have attended several concerts. We specially enjoyed Brailowskys recital and in the spring term, two famous artists, Heifitz and Dame Myra Hess, greatly inspired all listeners. Their mastery of the violin and piano was the topic of numerous conversations, The students of grades seven, eight, and nine are now looking forward to attending the Minneapolis Symphony. Music Appreciation: S All music appreciation classes are made more interesting by the use of our extensive library of records. Many enjoyable hours are spent in the drawing-room listening to good music. A three speed attachment has proved most useful, and has permitted us to increase our record library. Diana Dlincan, Grade Xl.

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N 11, aural? df' The 5M ORGHS V Z BORD 1 955 QQ ,I The Smorgasbord- Backstage Remember when . . . the chorus girls missed the boat . . . the ships rail disappeared . . . a pipe burst in Grade VIII and flooded the games deck . . . the knives and forks disappeared . . . Sonja's ducks just wouldn't stay up in the hornpipe . . . the fuses blew out at the crucial moment . . . fifty juniors arranged themselves so quietly in the tiny balcony, for so long . . , and one well known guest and his Lincoln got stuck in the driveway, and required a Dodge and a Plymouth to pull him out . . . the junior cadet's only remark when the chorus appeared, Hold me up! . . . the planked salmon tipped over on delivery but were soon streamlined by capable artists . . . the M,C. triumphed over science with the human voice . . . the case of the missing fur coat was solved . . . the kind fathers who helped dismantle the ship ended up in the attic . . . and finally, when you add all these together, the thoroughly enjoyable time we had on February 5, 1954? However, we still plan to auction the gentle- man's hat and three pairs of gentleman's rubbers that do not seem to fit anyone here. Susan Carnegie, Grade X.