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

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THE B, From Back: Pearl Luxton, Greta Morris. MIDDLE: Nellie Burke, Helen Henderson, Madeline Stephens, Mar- tion Virture. FRONT: Reta Cole, Lola Souch, Ruby Jewell, Marion Morris, Kate Warnica. CENTRE: Miss Isabel, K. Smith. THE H: Marjorie Moore, Gertrude Hamley, Nancy Johns, Leta Bragg, Louise Hardy, Olive Mutton, Agnes Haddy. CENTRE: Miss Bessie Pugsley, The Idea Maker. THE S: Belle Courtice, Mabel Wight Ruby Bragg, Lepha Don: caster, Gladys Cousins, Pearl McMullen, Marguerite Ramsay, Melita Hoar. Girls 1908- '11 BACK ROW: Helen Mit- chell, Minnie Trebilcock, Beryl Percy, Olga Tod, Carrie Roenigk. M I D D L E R O W : Florence Roenigk, Lillian Bounsall, Vera Ir- win, Vera Pennington, ? , Dora Percy, Diana Fowler. FIRST ROW, Left to Right: ? , Reta Roenigk, ? , Greta Wickett, Gladys Mun- day. Commencement Dec. 19, 1913 Assembly Stage Group 1911 or '12 BACK ROW: Milton San- derson, Gordon Manning, Reginald Jolliffe, Harold Washington, ? , Andrew Nichols, Roy Warnica, Allin Annis, Milton Tucker, Bob Dickinson. AMONG THE GIRLS ARE: Florence Thompson, Madeline Stephens, Ida Elliott, Marion Van Nest, Helen Johnston, Ruby Jewell, ? , Bessie Walsh. AT FRONT: Herb Fowler, Alan Martin, Ross Stutt, ? . 5' .-.ia

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It is interesting to note that for Oshawa High School, the Motor Age had begun in the Fall of 1917, with mention of a girls' basketball team and a boys' football team motoring down for games with B.H.S. Probably, being from the Motor City, they were ahead of Bowmanville on the number of cars then in use, for Mrs. McLaughlin says our teams always travelled by train at this time. The girls' game referred to here was a dandy with the team play of our girls simply superb . Evelyn Dickinson as defense was in- vincible, and Rena Jewell, Mildred Bentham, Louise Morris and Mary McClellan fairly chain lightninged the ball up to Marian Wor- den and Beatrice Devitt who scored goal after goal, 11 in 15 minutes. Rain stopped the game, and all repaired to the Girls' Patriotic Tea Room, where the Oshawa girls were en- tertained. On the football team in October, 1917, playing a game here with Port Hope boys Cno mention of how they travelled upl B.H.S. won 9 to 0 with this team: Lorne Hastings, goal, Charles Rowe, Raymond Snowden, backsg Percival Muirhead, Sam Mason, Ronald Snowden, half- backsg Lorne Plummer, Morley Burgess, right wing, Herbert Van Nest, centre forward, Wesley Langmaid tcaptainl, Milton Avery, left wing. In the Fall of 1918, the 'flu swept the country, and there were many deaths. In Bowmanville, the Board of Health on Oct. 16 ordered all schools, churches, and other public places of meeting to be closed for two weeks. This must have been extended, for a notice from the Board of Health in the Nov. 14 Statesman directs that churches will re-open Sunday, Nov. 17, and all schools and public buildings on Nov. 18. By order of the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. B.J. Hazlewood, a pupil had to have a doc- tor's certificate to return to school. An inter-school Field Day with Whitby, Oshawa and Bowmanville participating had been arranged in September for Saturday, Oct. 24 19, at Alexandra Park, Oshawa Conly boys were mentionedl. Final arrangements were an- nounced in The Statesman of Oct. 17, but in view of the closing of schools and ban on public gatherings, it probably did not take place. As far as is recollected, there were no deaths among B.H.S. students attending at this time, but many were ill. When word came of the Ar- mistice which ended the War on Nov. 11, 1918, the schools were already closed because of the 'flu, and Mrs. McLaughlin remembers playing a game of tennis on the school court that day. Bells rang and whistles blew to announce the wonderful news that the War was over. The 'flu continued, for the Statesman repor- ted on Dec. 12 that Christmas examinations and Commencement at B.H.S. were postponed until after Christmas because of irregular at- tendance due to Spanish influenza. During the War years, the school donated to the Red Cross proceeds of plays put on by the students in the Opera House, and the girls assisted the war effort in various ways in- cluding helping the tea room run by the Girls' Patriotic Club, a town-wide organization. Miss L.A. Smithson of the staff was director of the school Dramatic Club in 1918 when As You Like It was presented and S201 cleared for the Red Cross. Debates and oratorical contests were promient features of these years, providing good training in marshalling thought and presenting argument orally. A debate by Form III boys at a Literary Society program in March, 1919, had the interesting subject, Resolved that barbarians are happier than civilized people . Affirmative - Gordon Morris, Edward Pethickg negative, and winning, side - Stanley Hardy, Philip Tilley. In an oratorical contest in May, 1919, the participants were all girls: Violet Rowe, Bessie Eastwood, Gertrude Hamley, Jane Grigg, Evelyn Joness. Winners were Jane Grigg, Evelyn Joness, Gertrude Hamley.

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Ending this period on a happy note, at Com- mencement in January, 1919, held in the Assembly Room, Capt. G.C. Bonnycastle, longtime member of the High School Board, recently returned from overseas, distributed the prizes. Upon the death of Mr. W.B. Couch in April, 1931, Dr. Bonnycastle succeeded him as chairman. . Mr. Morrison, writing some recollections of the school in 1958 at the time of Bowmanville's Centennial, spoke of the disruptive effects of the war, with some students granted cer- tificates without final examinations in return for farm work, and a number of failures among those whodid write June, 1918 examinations Cbefore his term began.J The conclusion of the war brought a return to normal conditions, reflected it would seem in the fine record reported in results of 1919 Departmental examinations of Lower, Middle and Upper School, which all students were required to write. The Statesman called it a record of which to be proud and praised Mr. Morrison and the teaching staff. VALEDICTORIANS 1912 - 1920 1912 N.W. Reynolds 1913 Ross Lang 1914 Not known 1915 Alan G. Gale 1916-' Allin F. Annis 1917 Robert Parker 1913 Evelyn Joness 1920 Jane Grigg Names of valedictorians before 1912 are not known. GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL in these years was a privilege, not always possible for all. It was not compulsory until 1920 to attend school to age 16, and for some, school days ended with Entrance Class. Others went to high school for two or three years, comparatively few proceeded to the higher form and on to univer- sity. 26 GETTING TO SCHOOL, that is, tran- sportation, was the student's or parents' responsibility, not the taxpayers'. Shank's mare was the method, or if from the country, bicycle, horse and buggy or cutter. When the roads got too bad, the student boarded in town. WHAT THEY WORE. The girls wore blouses and skirts, to the ankle in pre-War days, and boots. A big ribbon bow adorned their hair, sometimes braided, at the back. Hair bows con- tinued in fashion through the War years, when middieswith black ties and pleated or gored skirts now a few inches above the ankle, still with boots, were worn by most of the girls. Younger boys wore short pants, coming just below the knee, with matching jackets or sweater coats, and older boys wore suits with long trousers, all with shirt and tie. Hair was short and neat, topped by a cloth cap. MEMORIES When I see the girls to-day in their cute little gym suits, I wonder what they'd think of how we played basketball in our regular dresses . . . . . A new ruling by a teacher who followed Mr. Cameron was that anyone caught talking must stay an hour after school and write the lesson on the board. Who was the first one? Reta Roenigk, and poor Clarence Sharpe was also penalized. I tried to get him out of it by ex- plaining I had asked him a question, but was told he shouldn't have answered me. Poor Shar- pie! ..... I remember so many names - Marj King, Lil Bounsall, Di Fowler, Mary Galbraith, the Wight twins, Ella and Effie, and their hand- some brother Harve, Ross Stutt, Reg. Jolliffe, Hardy Nichols fboth lost in First World Warl . . . . . When I went back for a reunion, I found the old second form and the desk I used, but the room seemed so much smaller. CReta Roenigk 1908-'11 Mrs. H.T. Humby, Burlingtom, Ont.l Other recollections of Reta Roenigk's are in- corporated in the text preceding.