Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 8 text:

Vage 6 THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN THE UNVEILING OF THE LINTEL Monday, November the fourteenth dawned clear and cool — a perfect setting for the impressive and unusual ceremony to take place that day. This ceremony was the unveiling at Branksome Hall, Canada, of the replica of the stone lintel at Branxholme in Scotland. The event was to be a highUght of the school year, for The Earl of Dalkeith was coming to do the unveiling, and was to be accompanied by his wife, the Countess.

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YEAR BOOK, 1956 Page 5 TO THE GIRLS OF BRANKSOME PAST AND PRESENT I am very tappy indeed to send you a message for the year 1955-1956 and it is this: I believe that God has given to each of us some special gifts and some special work that only we can ao. We can neglect the gifts and refuse the worh, hut we must remember that when we come to the end of life all we possess is that part of ourselves which we have given away. These words of another will express more clearly than I can just what I mean. ' ' For any gift God gives to me, I cannot pay; Gifts are most mine when I give them all away God ' s gifts are like his flowers which show their right to stay By giving all their bloom and fragrance all away; Rich es are not in gold, or land, estates, or marts. The only wealth worth having is found in human hearts ' . All through the life of oui School 1903-1956 God has poured out his gifts upon us abundantly and beyond measure. May we who have been so greatly blessed ever s trive to give our lives to the great Giver so that the time may be hastened when the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

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YEAR BOOK, 1956 Page 7 Soon the appointed time arrived, and the whole school assembled before Main House in front of the veiled lintel. The spectacle was a colourful one. Seated in the foreground were the guests and the Junior School, while standing behind them were the Clan Chieftains with their various banners. There were a few moments of excited anticipation, and then the honoured guests arrived. The sound of the pipers indicated the beginning of the procession and a hush fell upon the audience. The pipers in their kilts were followed by the Prefects and the Head Girl, the staff and the special guests, and finally by Miss Read with Lord and Lady Dalkeith. After an impressive introduction by the trumpeter on the balcony above. Miss Read made an address to Lord Dalkeith. In it she mentioned how kind his father, the Duke of Baccleuch, had been in having the replica made for the school. Miss Read deemed it most appropriate that Lord Dalkeith should unveil the lintel and expressed her gratitude to him. The long-awaited moment then arrived; the Earl cut the ribbons, and the sandstone lintel was revealed. He gave a short address afterwards saying how happy he was to visit Branksome Hall and that he hoped to return in the future. A vote of thanks was given to Lord Dalkeith by Linda Steams, the Head Girl. At a signal from Mrs. Coutts, the whole school joined in singing the school song. In conclusion, all also sang ' ' Will ye no come back again? Then the dignified procession filed out, again led by the pipers. Lord Dalkeith and his charming Countess departed amid enthusiastic cheers, leaving behind them a memory not soon to be forgotten. THE INSTALLATION OF PREFECTS Silence! Then majestic music announced the entrance of the guard of honour followed by the old Prefects and new Clan Chieftains, bearing the flags of the school and of the clans. The new Prefects beamed, happy and proud of their hard-won positions. Miss Read and the staff, resplendent in their robes and mortar boards, marched after them down the aisle. After Miss Read ' s speech, explaining the school motto and flags, the Clan Chieftains and Sub-Prefects were called to the platform, officially installed and heartily congratulated. Then, one by one, the Prefects were installed amid the ringing applause of the rest of the school. Miss Read, as each Prefect was congratulated, gave various reasons for her appointment, such as loyalty, integrity and co-operation. When the cheers had finally subsided, the impressive ceremony of the handing over of the school flags by the old Prefects to the new was brought to a climax when Linda Stearns, our new Head Girl, pledging to lead Branksome wisely and ' ' up and on , accepted Branksome ' s flag from Jane Morgan, last year ' s Head Girl. After singing the school song, the whole assemb ly bowed their heads and repeated our school prayer. Thus ended the first ceremony of the year.