Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 17 text:

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.

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.

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16 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN One of the most interesting: trips to tourists travelling throngh Holland is that to Yolendam and Marken, the former a small town, and the latter an island in the Zuyder Zee. In both these places the native ccstumes are worn; and very few fail to take this trip as it gives a splendid idea of Dutch peasant life. Early one beautiful morning we left Amsterdam for Volen- dam. Our first stopping-place was Brock, which is said to be the cleanest town in the world, and, as one looks down at the flagstones and at the pretty green and white cottages with their well-kept lawns, one can well believe this. Not long ago the good people of Brock washed their streets with milk, but now all their milk is used for making cheese, which is the chief industry of the town. We visited a farm where we were initiated into the mysteries of its manufacture. We found the church in this quaint little place very inter- esting, too. It is about one hundred and fifty years old, is white- washed on the inside, and, instead of pews, has rush-bottomed, straight-backed chairs, which seem very uncomfortable, and would certainly not tempt one to go to sleep during the service. Thej have a very unique way of taking up the collections — bags, adorned with bells, are passed on long sticks. Under the floor of the church, which is of cement, many people have been buried, and on the grave -of a tailor a huge pair of saissors has been carved.