Blumenhof High School - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Blumenort, Manitoba Canada)

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meals of ham, eggs, potatoes and soup. In the af¬ ternoon a couple of hospitable Hutterite boys in their black dress proudly showed us around the farm: their big equipped bams, their goose hatche¬ ry, their machinery and even welcomed us into their private homes. When it was time to leave they ex¬ tended a warm invitation to come again. As I look back I am confident that this year proved to each one of us, as Tennyson puts it in Ulysses that All experience is an arch wheretbro’ Gleams that untr a veil’d world whose margin fades For ever and for ever when I move. As we go forward into this “untravelled world” may we fully commit our lives to the Lord with the faith of the Psalmist that “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy: at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”. Ben Thiessen 1959 The following is a recipe of a favorite cake. Follow directions closely for best results. To Irene Janzen’s friendliness and resourceful¬ ness add one cup of Melvin’s wisdom and serious¬ ness, and Emmeline’s ability and enthusiasm. Stir in gently the warm smile and thoroughness of Agnes, the levelheadedness and popularity of Mun- roe. Cream this with Abie’s spice and spirit. Mix in the quietness of Anne, the thoughtful¬ ness of John and the liveliness of Irene Joyce. To this mixture add Valida’s chatter, Ronnie’s wit and Gordon’s sincerity. Season with Jim’s optimism, Della’s calmness, Wanda’s laughter and Luana’s look of innocence. Fold in carefully the patience and longsuffer- ing of Mr. Dueck. Bake over the red hot flame of Mariana’s per¬ sonality. This is the cake of Blumenhof High, ' 59. Better ingredients you’ll never see. Emmeline Plett PAGE 26

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1961 Once more that awful time for the June exams with the stiff departmental papers had rolled a- round. The Grade XI class had had its laughs and cries over those papers. “What did you write for number 26 on that Biology exam?” “Which topic did you write on in Composition?” “Did you get that last question in Macbeth?” These question filled the corridors for a while. Only one of us seemed glum. “Who was the author of Macbeth?” someone wise-cracked to him. “I don’t know,” he sulked. “I never met him..’ The next day was last examination. All of us were dreading it. Finally the time came for us to sit down and accept our fate. The exam, of course, was Mathematics. The day was extraordinarily hot, and there was no breeze. Windows were pushed wide open, for a little bit of fresh air, but seeming¬ ly to no avail. A few fans in the classroom were howling loudly enough to drive anyone batty under the strain. It was so hot and clammy, clothes clung to bodies. The room was crowded because so many correspondence students came to write their ex¬ ams in school. Outside tractors were humming in the fields, birds were flitting about as free as the air, a cat sauntered across the road in quest of mice. Busy bees paused at sight of the open window and settl¬ ed on the blooming flowers on the window sills. A sprinkler was cooling the flowers in the garden near the school. Robins chirped about under the spray, and flew off refreshed. The whirr of a hand- powered lawn mower could be heard. A hoe was scraping its way through the rows of vegetables. Across the road, chickens squawked noisily. Listen! A meadow lark trills on top of that fence post near the gate. See it? Oh, how longingly we gazed at the free world outside. Suddenly there was a disturbance in the room. One of the Grade XI’s had suffered long enough. But no, he never suffered at all. This was his fa¬ vourite subject! !The rest of us glared at him envi¬ ously, and determined to get done with our papers in a hurry. After another hour or so, there was suddenly a great commotion of papers hastily swept together and scanned over, pencils thrown down on desks, one person signed his name with a flourish, and another made a finel i dot with a loud bang, and off we went. Some of us were pretty gloomy, but after a discussion in the hall, our chins lifted and optimistically we said, “Maybe we’ll do better in August. June was never made for writing examinations.” Della Loewen 1960 Many fond memories return to my mind as I turn my thoughts back to the school term of ’59-’60 at good old Blumenhof High. First of all there was opening day, August 27, 9 a.m. The bell rang out once more after having had two months vacation welcoming the students back to their studies. From the east and from the west, from the home and from the farm students were drawn together at Blumenhof by a great force, a common purpose to further their education. “Some” students came the first day, some the first month and some the first day of the new year but finally we were all there, one big happy family. United we were there in our efforts to conquer new fields, to master the sub¬ jects: German, history, math, science, and literature. But after the periods of difficult, rough, tough men¬ tal strain came the break with relaxation out in the fresh air on the soccer field or on the ball diamond. Adding my personal testimony I feel that these times out on the play ground were of great value to me, not only in relieving mental fatigue and de¬ veloping and strengthening friendships but also in challenging me with the realization that the juni¬ ors were looking up to me as a senior. What kind of an example was I? What was the impression I left of my Saviour and Lord? Was Christ’s indwel¬ ling presence evident in my life? Did my life show that Christ was the answer even for their every need? These were searching questions and I realize that in many cases I fell short but I am thankful that God’s holy hand of mercy is still extended to¬ day to wretched sinners who come to Him in re¬ pentance through Christ. One of the highlights of the year was a visit to Iberville Colony, a Hutterite Colony on the Assi- niboine River north-west of Headingley. The day was cold and blustery and even though our hopes of doing some fishing were disappointed we spent a worthwhile day together. Coming onto the yard of the colony close to noon we were met by four big hungry greyhounds. To our relief they were more interested in a cat that had challenged their dignity than in us. We were made to feel welcome and shown into the dining hall for one of their Continued on page 26 PAGE 25

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1958 What in paticular do we remember about the school year 1957-1958? In the first place, this was the year that Blumenhof High School had twenty- four students, sixteen of them being graduates. Never before and never after has this school had such a large Grade Eleven class. Where are you young people who should be in high school? Another reason why we remember this year is the fact that there were four students from Land¬ mark in our midst. One student came all the way from Washow Bay. The rest of us were “Ridge- wooders”, “Twin Creekers”, “Blumenorters”, and, of course “Blumenhofers”. It is good to get toge¬ ther from different districts, for it helps us to get new ideas, gain more friends, and remove some of the rough edges that might ruin our characters. Then, too, there are certain days of this school year that linger in our memories. There was the day that Mr. Dueck gave us a very serious lecture on speaking Low German on campus. English must be a difficult language, for after five years it is still hard to speak. Moreover, there was the bitter cold day we planned to go tobogganing and tried to find Suicide Hill. We found some kind of suicide hill alright. In contrast, we are reminded of a lovely spring day we spent in. Kenora Finally, another important day arrived. On the 11th of June Mr. Dueck presented the graduates with the Blumen¬ hof High School diplomas. This was not the end, however. Well do I remember, Friday, July 25th, the day we received our transcripts. Then were revealed to us the consequences of the year 1957-58. Myrtle Doerksen 1957 Since I have been approached to write (I don’t know what to call it) j something that is supposed to represent the 1956-1957 graduates, I must say first of all, that I feel rather unworthy to do this, in comparison to my fellow graduate, Henry Koop, who is my senior by a certain number of years, and second, that I do feel honoured in spite of the fact that Henry was our valedictorian. As the preceding paragraph has already let “the cat out of the bag’’, in conjunction with the title, I shall proceed directly with the reminiscing. I shall endeavour to be quite impartial. During the ’56-’57 school term at Blumenhof, there was a total enrolment of 96 students, only 16 of those attended the High School Department, headed by the principal Mr. B. B. Dueck. This brings us to room two, which was taught by Mr. J. Kor- nelson. In room one, Miss S. Friesen had her little ups and downs, even after her six years of teaching experience. These reminiscings bring to mind many ex¬ periences, events, and periods good as well as bad, which have stuck with me these seven years since I left Blumenhof High. I distinctly remember the time when Henry offered me some goat’s milk (which my taste buds found to be good) which I drank with not an ex¬ cess amount of relish. This is rather personal, but remember, I’m reminiscing. I have a sort of overall happy feeling to think of the way our school friends thought of us at that time, by voting us into the different committees. Henry had the responsibility of acting as the pho¬ tographer for the Yearbook Committee, helping out the Disciplinary Committee, besides being the vale¬ dictorian at the graduation, while my humble self was employed as vice-president of the Student Council, the Circulation Manager of the active Yearbook Committee, and as a member of the Liter¬ ary Committee. The meetings held by the mentioned committees were adventures that seem everlasting memories now. Other recollections crowd my mind. I cannot help but think that poor Henry was missed so much on the material called frozen water. My position as left wing on the school team will also never be for¬ gotten. In soccer, Henry, however, was the best net- tender around, which he did very amiably for his size. I could go on and on. Let it suffice to say that I really did enjoy my last year at that noble in¬ stitution. Before I close, let me congratulate all the graduates of 1962-1963. May you enjoy health and happiness in abundance in future years. Joseph G. Plett PAGE 27