Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

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began discussing the prospect of co- education. In 1971 Rogers House was completed and in 1972 we took our first class of girls into the school. There were only 17 that first year. and now there are 80. At this time, too, the student population had grown to well over 350, and what had formerly been Hope House and Ellis House were changed to Alexandra House and the Annex where the girls were accommodated. Brentwood had certainly come a long way in 15 years. D.D. Mackenzie The Brigade

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AWARDS DAY JUNE 21, 1986 HEADMASTER ' S ADDRESS Special guests, parents, faculty, friends and students, it is a pleasure to warmly welcome you to this closing ceremony, one which marks the 25th anniversary of our Mill Bay campus. Before reporting to you and thereafter presenting prizes, may I introduce you to and have you welcome those with whom 1 am honoured to share this platform. To my far right the special guest of our senior class. Just 25 minutes ago, as he has done for the past 25 years, with perhaps in excess of 2500 students, Mr. Bunch ' s work created a very special moment for those of us who were fortunate enough to be in attendance at the graduating class ' s luncheon. His most eloquent and thoughtful message was greatly appreciated by the staff, the senior class, their parents and guests. We salute his quarter century of service to Brentwood. Ladies and Gentlemen, the honoured guest and Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Gil Bunch. To his left we welcome a fine educator in her own right, a person who has just completed 31 number of years of dedicated service to another educational jurisdiction, a friend who has graciously agreed to present our major awards, Mrs. Jean Bunch. Mr Bunch, although most certainly our honoured guest, is not retiring. Nevertheless in recognition of his special status, his role today will be reduced. Happily accepting his customary Speech Day duties is Mr John Garvey. This beautiful campus was secured in 1959 by a most thoughtful and visionary governing board. Since that time this school has always received tremendous leadership from its directors. In particular we think of past chairman Tony Lort, Forrie Rogers, Brian Bramall, Hugh Stephen, Sir Michael Butler, and their dedicated, forceful service. Gil Bunch and others will recall our school of 25 years ago, 90 boys. academic studies, some rugby, and a drama programme. Seemingly we had not heard of dance, drawing, choral music, basketball, soccer, examples of activities which we progressively have added to our schedule. Now they gain a generous, but richly deserved share of our time and resources. To comment comprehensively would be folly, because bluntly stated, we do not have the time, but do allow me to review some highlights. In the Arts, we had over 450 registrations, an average of nearly two art courses per student. This participation rate, and I trust competent instruction, combined to produce some very excellent results. Amongst our good work was our continued domination of the Cowichan Regional Arts Fair, fine concerts by our senior choir, the performance band, and our intermediate level musicians. From these groups I must single out the beautiful presentations given by our senior flautist Miss Wendy Ellner and vocalist Howard Cheung. Appropriately, however, our musical production, the vehicle that involves set design, set construction, dance, music, lighting, and acting, provided the climax. The school ' s search for excellence succeeded because of a fine crew, a talented energetic cast, and superb direction. You will join me to recognise this group, its co- directors, Mr Cooper and Mrs. Judy MacLeod, and director Mr. Bunch. The Boyfriend, in my view, reached an unbelievable standard for a high school presentation and undoubtedly was one of our very best productions. Next year the school plans to maintain its distinctive commitment to the Arts, one which will include increased opportunities for Grades 8 and 9 to take Applied Design and Theatre programmes. We will also review our Dance programme with a view to considering a greater emphasis on specific dance forms. In addition w e will continue planning for a Manual Arts course and an Audio Visual Production programme, courses which we hope to implement when our new building is complete in 1988. I should also say that I will be rearranging Mr. Bunch ' s responsibilities so that he can give greater attention to the administration of our Fine Arts school. I will ask him to take responsibility for programme development, staffing and evaluation. I am sure that he will work closely with Mrs. Arthurs in giving added leadership to this important feature of our curriculum. No Brentwood report would be complete without devoting time to our athletic aims and achievements. Our athletic aims include fitness, the development of athletic competence, the promotion of good sportsmanship, and the encouragement of the personal growth which occurs through the fellowship and challenge that athletics provides. In our programme we attempt to involve every student in the school. In 1986, as has been true in each of the last 24 preceding years, massive participation by staff and students has once again characterized our programme. Our new Sports Complex led to the introduction of Squash and greatly enhanced our Badminton programme. At long last the school was able to better accommodate those who enjoy these particular sports and who may prefer a mix of vigorous non-contact and contact sports as opposed to a steady diet of the latter. The new facility also led directly to improved Volleyball and Basketball programmes, both in terms of numbers participating and achievement. We, for instance, hosted the Western Canadian Volleyball Championships, an event