Bowmanville High School - Screech Owl Yearbook (Bowmanville, Ontario Canada)

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Bradley - What for? Betty - Because Miss Ogden wants some crazy pictures for the Screech Owl. ATHLETICS Of course, each Screech Owl had pictures of boys' and girls' teams with accounts of the games. Ed. Devitt, P.T. teacher, 1933-'36, send us these memories. MEMORIES-OF GAMES WON AND LOST These memories go back to 1933-36 when, as usual, B.H.S. had outstanding athletes and teams, as a result, most of the games were won, but a few were lost. There were at least four memorable football games. The first two were final league games with Cobourg on the new football field behind the school. B.H.S. won the last scheduled game by plunging for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Cobourg argued that the ball-carrier had been at least temporarily stopped before he crossed the goal-line. The referee had ruled it a touchdown and all the the B.H.S. coach had to do was to agree with the referee, in whom he had full confidence, however, in this one par- ticular case, the coach felt that he could not honestly agree. As a result, Cobourg was able to win a protest - the game was replayed- - and RE-WON BY B.H.S. by a bigger score --- to the great satisfaction of all Bowmanville sup- porters. Following these league games, B.H.S. played off with Lindsay for the district championship. Lindsay was reputed to have a particularly heavy, powerful team - strong enough to in- timate anybody! On the opening kick-off in the first game in Lindsay, the highly-dependable B.H.S. full-back, who had not dropped a kick all season, fumbled behind his own goal-line and Lindsay fell on the ball for a touchdown. Even that bad break did not upset the B.H.S. team that fought Lindsy on even terms without any further scoring until the final play of the game. On that play, quarter-back Boyd Slemon threw a fifty-yard forward pass that was picked off by Tony Mcllveen, in full stride, who ran another fifty yeards for a touchdown. B.H.S. had held the powerful Lindsay team to a tie on Lindsay's home field! Prospects looked good for the return game at Bowmanville - but they did not quite work out - B.H.S. lost the round by one touchdown. To paraphrase a well-known saying So B.H.S. won and tied and lost BUT HOW THEY PLAYED THE GAME! This was a period of highly talented families in sports, 3 Slemons, 5 Mcllveens, 2 Colmers, 3 Colvilles, 2 Bagnells, cousins, 2 Depews, 2 Fagans, as well as many singles like Don Williams, Bob Kent, Hub. Hooper, and many more. These boys were all round fine athletes in the sense that they were track stars., foot- ball team stand outs, basketball heroes -- you name it, they played it. I remember an interschool track meet bet- ween CI think! Bowmanville, Uxbridge, Port Perry and Whitby, held at the Cream of Barley Camp. Things were neck and neck all the way until the outcome was riding on the final event-- the Senior relay race. Depending on the stan- ding in this race, three schools had achance to win the day. Such excitement! When Bowman- ville runners made it, we were the winners by 6 points. The runners were, I think, Don Williams, Bill Bagnall, Boyd Slemon, and Monk Colmerf' Our rugby teams played in various leagues which seemed to change each year. Pat Paterson, local citizen, gave excellent coaching for several years and the teams improved. Don CDuncJ Williams was captain of the Sr. team for 3 years. In 1933 C.O.S.S.A. is first mentioned and in this League we entered both a Jr. and a Sr. team, the seniors winning the cham- pionship, completing the season without the loss of a game-- but the juniors failed to win any. Bill Bagnall, Boyd CCyJ Slemon, Frank CTonyJ Mcllveen, Harold fMonkJ Colmer, and Bob Courtice are mentioned as heavy scorers in the final 52-0 game v.s. port Hope. The cap- tain was injured that year in an early game v.s. Peterboro. 1930 SPECIAL MEMORIES 1939 When the first addition was made Cwas it in 1929J?, the new section was not completed when classes began in September, so the fourth form was lodged in the old third floor assemble hall. When it came time to move to the new section, the boys had to carry the desks down the well worn, creaking stairs, across the

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CHRISTMAS PARTIES Another tradition which began in the 1930's was the annual Christmas Party. On the last day of the fall term, classes met in the morning determined not to work, so teachers came prepared with contests, games, and sometimes even treats. Jesse Knox CMrs. J. Slemon? remembers Mr. Wagar bringing sweets to V form, and Miss Wagar CMrs. H. Jeffery? remembers supplying her Art classes with gumdrops, jelly beans, and toothpicks for the creation of animals, etc. which could be taken home or eaten if unsuccessful. The Senior students spent the morning decorating the assembly hall, trimming the tree, and rehear- sing their skits. The afternoon activities began at two, usually with the V form literary program. In 1930, a Debate was staged: 'Resolved that Santa Claus is real'. Bob Corbett produced this memorable line about department store figures in red suits -- 'they are only subordinate clauses'. The 'real' Santa appeared at the close of the main program with a bag of gags, ap- propriate or otherwise for staff members and other fall guys. Sometimes a treasure hunt followed before supper in the gym and an evening of dancing. THE SCREECH OWL The Screech Owl, begun with such elan in 1922, celebrated its 10th anniversary in the 1931 copy by publishing a dedication to, and picture of the original staff and a guest editorial by one of the'original editors. The staff had grown from 18 to 31. Of course, the school had grown in numbers and classes 6Jr. and Sr. Com- mercia1?. The two plate, 3 colour cover was continued this year in gold and black on red but hard times were beginning to close in. 104 pages shrank to 90 in '32, to 88 in '33. By 1934 the expensive and beautiful M. Lunney cover was replaced, using only the owl from it. There were 100 great pages that year but unhappily these were the last printed until 1949, publication interrupted by hard times and war. The early Screech Owls, including of course the issues in the 20's, are a marvelous store of school history as well as showcases for the talent of the time. With Jr. and Sr. prizes of- fered for poetry and stories, competitors flooded the editors who printed anywhere from 15 to 22 pages of student literature . In 1934 they persuaded Mazo de la Roche Cof Jalma fame? to judge the stories, E.J. Pratt, M.A., Ph. D., Prof. of English, Victoria College, U. of T., to judge the poetry, and C.J. Klinck, M.A., Ph. D. - Professor of English at Waterloo College, U. of Western Ontario to judge the dramas. The latter in a message to the students, said in part -- My message to these young people is simply this: Canada's best must find expression in her literature ...... Nothing can be a substitute for masterful ex- pression and high thinking. These come only by incessant practice and by deep consecration to the noblest of arts -- the art of noble living. The winners picked were, for short stories: Sr. Robert Clark and Clifford Hall Jr. Ruth Ives and Betty Knox for poetry: Sr. Evelyn Mackinnon Ceditor of the Literary section? Sr. Selma Bartlett Jr. Beryl Thompson and Ruth Logan fOr dfamai Sr. E. Mackinnon Jr. B. Knox The Literary Society that year provided special prizes for a school song CBetty Rowe?, Cartoons CLouise Cole and M. Smith? and for linoleum cuts KC. Wright and I. Ha1lman?. Each issue included a French page, a Latin page, pictures and lists of prize winners, and a page of Exchange notes on 18 or more other school yearbooks. The pictures, though few, improved in quantity and quality but of course can't match today's output. Advertisers were mainly lumped together at the back Cwith one or two at the front? sometimes interspersed with bits of student humour-such as Cfrom 1932? Miss Smith Ccommenting on a Comp. paper? - Elford, how do you spell 'noticeably'? Elford Cox - Did I get it wrong? Miss Smith - Yes. Elford - I don't know how to spell it then. or Betty Morris - Bradley may I take your pic- ture?

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highly polished NEW hardwood hallways to the new form. One skinny, sixteen year old boy carried one desk down, and began to go back for another. He did not hurry back because he had an overpowering premonition that he would fall down the stairs if he had to carry another desk. Naturally he didn't voice his fears to anyone for fear of being laughed out of the lodge, so he trudged up the thousands of steps - praying there would be no more desks. There were .... so he picked up a desk, gritted his teeth, and headed for the stairway .... when he looked down, there were Miss Smith and Miss Stedman standing at the bottom, engrossed in conversation. Determined not to make a fool of himself, he carefully went down one step and reached for the second step - and caught his heel .... He only used three more steps to reach the bottom where he arrived on his feet and still clutching the desk. In the two seconds it took, he saw Miss Stedman zip into the classroom and Miss Smith stand spellbound with her only movement being her mouth opening in amazement. The boy was so thank- ful at having landed at the bottom still alive and with the desk, that he staggered on his way, not knowing that three jolting steps had caused the contents of the inkwell to seek an exit. The next day, when a very irate Mr. Dip- pell used some well chosen, caustic comments about the sloppiness of someone who had splat- tered ink along the new hallway - did that boy confess his guilt? You know the answer. Perhaps after forty odd years it isksafe to tell who put the first scars on a spic and span new addition. Yes I was the one. Nelson Osborne 4' lk lk lk lk ak Important visitors often came to the school and addressed the students. Sir Arthur Currie spoke on one occasion and on another, Wilson MacDonald lectured and read his poems. I remember Miss Smith loaning me 10c for ad- mission. Ada Annis CMrs. G. Pickelll '29-'33. She also remembers having lunch, in good weather, down by the creek. In winter, we ate in the lunch room. Sometimes we put potatoes in the oven and one person cooked meat, etc. At 12 o'c1ock - a mad rush and you were lucky if you got your own potato. Pk ik Sli Ik if Pl' THE PATCHED CEILING! There will be some who will remember this escapade. It was too hush hush to reach the Screech Owl. The time was 1930 or thereabouts. We girls from outside town used to find it rather hard to know how to put in our noon hours. We ate our lunches in the dark little room to the right of the basement stairs. We could hear the boys in their lunch room, east of ours, having fun tossing pennies, not a girl's sport. A number of us decided to go exploring, namely Bernice CRundleD Magee, Elizabeth CHendersonJ Bates, Ethel CHendersonJ Kent, Helen CMacDonald7 Piper, Elinor CSykesD Brent, Ada CYellowleesJ Allin, maybe there were several more: We knew the old attic assembly hall was out of bounds, but that didn't phase us. Up three flights of squeaky old wooden stairs we crept. There it was, the old assembly hall, the high stage, the storage rooms filled with old! costumes and scenery, the gun cases filled with rifles and most tantalizing of all, that small door on the left hand wall. What was behind it? We knew the boys used to go through it to shoot in target practice, but what else was in there? We found out! A few boards had been thrown across the floor joists to make a walk to the target and ..... a five foot brick wall to our ! left! Well! Bernice looked over the wall and discovered an old bed, actually a door covered with an old patchwork quilt - someone's hideaway for skipping classes no doubt. There was a pile of old magazines. True Story? She decided to find out. We lifted her up to the top of the wall and she was supposed to ease herself down on to a board on the other side, only she didn't. She slipped and disappeared between the joists into the room below. We were terrified. Was she killed? There was no sound. We knew the Science Lab. was below. Had she impaled herself on a water faucet? Down the stairs we rushed only to find the lab door locked. Still no sound from inside. Down two more flights of stairs to find Herbie Moyse. Good old Herbie the friend of the country kids. Herbie unlocked the door and there was Bernice sitting on the floor in a dazed condition and there to our surprise was Ruth Tuerk, who had been in the lab studying CI think she had been just as surprised at Bernice's entry as Bernice herself J. The only damage done was two badly