Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 16 text:

14 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN Our Fourth Annual Alumnae Meeting, which we held last June, was very similar to that of the preceding year. As there were about one hundred girls present, the members of the executive were called upon to give much time and thought to the luncheon, which they gladly did. We were honored by the presence of Miss Scott, Miss Read and nearly all the Branksome staff. The graduating class of the school, as well as many out-of-town Alumnas members were also with us. The gymnasium was very prettily decorated in honor of the occasion with the school colors, each table having a centrepiece of ferns, surmounted by a tall basket of flowers tied with red ribbons. After the luncheon the following toasts were proposed : — 1. ' ' Their Majesties, proposed by Jean Morton. 2. The School, proposed by Olive Kinnear, replied to by Miss Scott. 3. The Principals, proposed by Rita Chesnut, replied to by Miss Read. 4. The Absent Members, proposed by Marguerite King, replied to by Marie Thompson. 5. The Branksome Babies, proposed by Hilda Rutherford, replied to by Mrs. Hawkins. 6. The Future Alumnae, proposed by Mrs. Plant, replied to by Marie Parkes. After the toasts to The School and The Principals, Miss Scott and Miss Read were presented with bouquets by the Alumnag. Our Retiring President, Ethel Ames, also received a bouquet given by the members of the Executive as a token of appreciation of her untiring services for the Association. We very much regret Ethel ' s decision to retire from active service, and wish to tell her how much we have enjoyed working under her for the past two years.

Page 15 text:

THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 13 of them were so neat and tidy, others so jolly and happy-go- lucky, with things in riotous confusion — and others just medium I Being a just medium myself, I appreciated them, too. A mysterious excitement seemed to be in the atmosphere, for it was the night of the Annual Hallowe ' en Masquerade, and all sorts of marvellous feminine concoctions peeped from unexpected corners. In one room we found piles of the daintiest and most original hand-painted programmes, and the Editor wished she had been asked to the party, and the Methuselah feeling came back, and she heaved a tiny sigh. In the gymnasium, which is connected with the house by a covered passageway, busy girls were tacking up jack-o ' lanterns, and draping sheets on Judys to give a gruesome ghost-like effect. I looked at the smooth hardwood floor and thought that many, perhaps all, of the dainty little feet that would trip over it so blithely that night, would trip at many a more brilliant social function, but, I venture to say, never at a happier one. We went back to the house, and, on the way out, peeped into the girls ' sitting-room, where needles were flying through mysterious garments, which were — Only pari of what I ' m going to wear, and you ' ve no idea what it ' ll be like! We also peeped into the drawing-room. The part I saw, which was the amount we opened the door (about seven feet by three inches), was very- grand, but we retreated precipitously on finding we had tracked the aspiring vocalist to her lair! When I was once more wending my way across the bridge I had another attack of the Methuselah feeling, but the heartache was not as bad, for I could love the new Branksome almost as well as the old. Let us all wish it, and Miss Read, every success in the fresh endeavors to have the word Branksome stand for all that is best and truest and noblest in the women who will take their places of various degrees of responsibility in all parts of the world — from Formosa to Alaska, from Australia to Paris — and, most of all, right here in our own Canada. Our best wishes go, too, to our beloved Honorary Principal. May she never have cause to be ashamed of one of her Branksome Girls !

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THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN 15 Miss Read very kindly took the chair during the election of officers for the season 1912-13. The results of the elections were as follows : — Editor of the Slogan — Hilda Rutherford. Business Manager — Joan Stewart. Assistant Business Manager — Rita Black. Honorary President of the Alumnae — Miss Scott. President — Rita Chesnut. First Vice-President — Mrs. Plant. Second Vice-President — Grace Morris. Secretary — ' Marguerite King. Assistant Secretary — Margery Kilmer. Treasurer — Jean Morton. After a considerable amount of social intercourse and many good-byes the meeting broke up. It was voted a huge success by all. Hilda Rutherford has since found herself unable to keep her position as Editor of the Slogan, and Jean Morton has very kindly consented to fill the position. For the coming season we are planning a series of talks by well-known speakers. We are hoping to get our members inter- ested in the various present-day movements and we also hope that the Alumnae will be able to take an active part in helping on some one definite work. As this is the year of the Dickens ' Centenary the Committee was very fortunate in securing the services of Mr. F. M. Bell- Smith, who gave us one of his famous Dickens ' talks at our open- ing meeting. It has been decided to make our February meeting an en- tirely social one, at which we will entertain the Branksome girls. We are hoping in this way to interest them in the Alumnae, and make them more anxious to become members of it when they leave the school. RITA K. CHESNUT.