Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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Page eight The Branksome Slogan Miss Read, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a very great honour, as well as a very great privilege to be called on, on this glorious occasion, to represent the early years of the school, and the girls who were the first students of Branksome Hall. But although it is an honour and a privilege, I cannot truthfully say that it is a great pleasure, as I find it quite terri- fying, in my declining years, to be con- fronted for the first time in my life with a microphone, and also, to be called upon to speak before such a large and imposing audience, is enough to daunt the bravest spirit. But you all know Miss Read! When she called me up and asked me to do this, she over-ruled all my objections by the simple method of saying Good- Bye and hanging up! Now, to admit that I was in the school in September, 1903, is indeed to put my pride in my pocket. But were I to take the easy way out, and say that I was in the nursery school, there are girls in this room, contemporaries of mine, who would immediately rise to their feet, and publicly denounce me ! So that avenue of escape is definitely closed. To realize that our school has reached its fiftieth year, is a sobering thought. But Miss Read feels that this occasion is not entirely one of gaiety and excitement, but also one of quiet joy and thankfulness. Joy that the vision and ideals of the early years have been reached, and thankful- ness that our school has been permitted not only to continue its existence, but to grow and expand in the most am.azmg way, constantly reaching higher stand- ards of character and education. Now, I would like to take you back to the first school. It was a large handsome residence on Bloor St. East, the former house of the late Sir Frank Smith. It was surrounded by spacious lawns, large trees, an iron fence and gates and a drive- way. The driveway was for carriages. In that era there were no radios, no television sets, no aeroplanes — and I might add, no microphones — and His late Majesty, King Edward VII sat upon the throne of England. But the girls of that day were not aware of any lack of modern invention or luxury. They played tennis and basket ball and had a skating rink, but there was no gymnasium, no swimming pool and no school uniform. The girls wore blouses and skirts, high collars, long sleeves and high buttoned boots. The popular hair- do, a pompadour was topped with large butterfly bows of wide black tafi ' eta ribbon. To those of us who knew Miss Margaret T. Scott, the founder of Branksome Hall, she will be remembered as a remarkable woman of her day and generation. She had a strong personal- ity, force of character and great digriity. As Lady Principal and Teacher, she brought to her pupils, a fine mind, long ex- perience in teaching and a warm human understanding. If once you became her pupil, she never forgot you but was deep- ly interested in your welfare as long as she lived. Associated with Miss Scott as co-prmci- pal was Miss Merrick, a charming person, whom we all remember with pleasure. Among the staff, I knew Miss Mary Mac-

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Jubilee Number, 1953 Page seven In discussing Branksome ' s Jubilee Year, one is inclined to let the phrase roll gUbly off the tongue without stopping to consider what the past fifty years have really meant to the school. First of all, there has been the school ' s tremendous growth — in enrollment, from approximately seventy-five girls to the present over five hundred pupils ; in housing, from a rented building to sixty acres of land and nine buildings. New Classrooms, playing courts and grounds have been added over the years ; radical changes have been made in the uniform ; new courses have been included; old courses have been extended or modified. Two world wars have strengthened Brank some ' s ties with Great Britain and the world — especially during the last war when almost two hundred students from the Old Land spent some time at our school. Yet more than mere physical growth, the fine spirit established by the girls in the early years has grown year by year so that Branksomites to-day have fifty years of fine traditions and achievements they can look back upon with great pride. They too have a sense of unity, and of awareness that Branksome stands not only for schoolwork, but also for whatsoever things are true, honest, just and pure . With these ideals, Branksome, its roots firmly planted in the past, can face the future with faith and confidence. May Branksome girls fifty years from now be able to celebrate their school ' s hundredth anniversary as proudly and joyfully as we in 1953 celebrate this. The Jubilee Year. THE EDITOR

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Jubilee Number, 1953 donald, Miss Mabel McCurdy, Miss Anna McRae and Miss Susan Fotheringham. One of the highlights of the school week was the series of lectures on English Lit- erature by Dr. Alexander MacMillan, and I have in my proud possession a beautiful book of engravings which was presented to me by Dr. MacMillan as a prize for an Essay on Elizabethan Literature. The other prize presented at the same time was won by Jean Ross McKay — now a missionary in Formosa. But although all the staff contributed to the success of the school in more early years, the guiding spirit was always that of Miss Scott herself. As she had always been a serious Bible student and had a strong Christian faith, she built her school upon a foundation of Bible precepts and Bible knowledge. It was not surprising that a school, built upon such a foundation of integrity should quickly win the confidence of the public, and in a few months after Branksome opened its doors, new class-rooms had to be added and the following year, still more. Sometime during Miss Scott ' s regime but a long time after my day, there came to the school as a boarder, a little girl. She had dark curly hair, big brown eyes and was noted for her lovely smile, her vivacity and her friendliness to every- one. But no one guessed then what an important part she was to play in the future of the school. This was no other than Miss Ainslie McMichael. It is impossible for me in a few words to express what a fine contribution I feel Ainslie has made. As a former pupil her- Page nine self and a very active part of the present day life of Branksome she is an invalu- able link, a sort of Liaison Officer between the old pupils and the school as it is now. You will all agree with me I know, that Ainslie ' s vivid personality has added some- thing very vital to the Branksome story. Now we shall go back to 1906. Three years after the school was first opened, a new member was appointed to the staff in the pei ' son of a young girl from Halifax, Nova Scotia, She brought with her, young as she was, a brilliant scholastic record, both from Dalhousie University and Radcliffe College, Cambridge Massa- chusetts. In appointing Miss Edith M. Read, M.A., to her staff. Miss Scott build- ed better than she knew for four vears afterwards, having grown weary and feel- ing the weight of her years, Miss Scott gave up the school and gladly and thank- fully placed it in the hands of Miss Read. It was a matter of supreme satisfaction to the founder that the new Principal of Branksome would carry on the same high standards and ideals which she herself had striven so faithfully to uphold. How well Miss Read has lived up to the sacred trust which was placed upon her shoulders, only those of us can ap- preciate who have watched with affection and loyalty, the progress of the school until its fiftieth year. In closing I would like to pay my tribute, not only to Miss Scott, not only to Branksome Hall in its fiftieth year, but to Dr. Edith Read, whose qualities of mind and heart and whose indomitable spirit, have made this Golden Jubilee possible.