Cathedral High School - Orbit Yearbook (Hamilton, Ontario Canada)

Page 10 text:

THE GRATITUDE OF THE STUDENT BODY We, the members of the student body of Bishop Ryan High School, in this small Way wish to express our gratitude to all concerned with the building of this school and the advancement of our education. First of all, We thank Sister M. Vincent, Principal of St. Eugene's School, for giving us permission to hold temporary classes in her school. We also thank her for the way she has put up with us and our many little faults. We thank Rev. J. B. Cox, pastor of St. Eugene's parish, for the interest he has shown in us, our school and its sports program, especially for giving us permission to hold football practices on church property. Our most heartfelt thanks go to the great man whose idea it was to start this project, His Excellency, the Most Reverend J. F. Ryan, Bishop of Hamilton. If it were not for him we would not be here today, and I know his name will live on in this school for all the years to come. We also wish to express our gratitude to the Pigott Construction Company and all their employees for the way that they have forged ahead in order to complete this milestone in Catholic education before the end of this term. Now we come to those to Whom we owe most of our thanks, the faculty. They have done a marvellous job of teaching, considering the late hours they have to put in and the conditions under which they hold classes. We thank all our teachers, the Sisters and Miss Agro and Mr. Ward for the interest they have shown in school sports. They have done an excellent job in setting up sports clinics for the pupils. Mr. Ward has done a magnificent job in organizing foot- ball and hockey teams. Last, but not least, we Wish to thank our beloved Principal, Sister M. Joan, who has per- formed virtual miracles in the operation of our school. To these, also to our school nurse, to our janitors, and to all others who are not mention- ed here but who are also important, we wish to express our most heartfelt gratitude for all they have done for us. - Donald Patrick IX C

Page 9 text:

A MESSAGE OF GRATITUDE from Bishop Ryan High School Sincere and deep gratitude is due to Reverend J.A . Mattice , who although busy Watching his full-grown Goliath, yet had thought of young David and lent a helping hand. to Sister M. Sheila for help and advice in charting the course for our maiden voyage. to ntunerous God-loving benefactors who sacrificed so much so willingly for the Catholic education of Ha.rnilton's promising youth. to the parents of our students for their excellent co-operation. to our boys and girls for their wonderful spirit, their cheer- fulness when faced with an inconvenient horarium, their patience in spite of disappointing delays.. to our teachers, both religious and lay, for conscientious and heroic devotion to work above and beyond the call of duty . to our kind and encouraging Inspector, Mr. F.P. Cunningham. to the Separate School Board for all the courtesy and consid- eration shown to us. to Reverend J.B. Cox and his assistants, always thoughtful, always solicitous for our physical comfort and spiritual welfare . to the Board of Governors, dedicated to a cause which entails much extra work and many added worries. to His Excellency , Most Reverend J.F. Ryan, for his un,- tiring interest and for the inspiration which he is to all of us. to the great and good God whose love moved the hearts of His people to sacrifice much for the betterment of our youthg and whose blessings we share so abundantly. ,Jaan

Page 11 text:

VALUE OF A CATHOLIC EDUCATION Outside of talk, concerning atomics, rockets, missiles, and several other similiarly streamlined subjects, a topic which today quite frequently enters discussions and conversations is that of education. This is not so amazing a phenomena considering the fact that education involves in the truest sense of the word the student, and since it involves the student it must also concern the parent. Perhaps the basic reason for the present limelight on education parti- cularly the different systems of it, is what most people would call our first failure in the space race, Since the first sputnik went into orbit, education has been an ever increasingly popular subject for ctiticism, both constructive and destructive. Having established the point that education is a rather popular subject it would possibly be of interest to examine some of its values. Probably the most evident of these values is to be found in the meaning of the word pro- gress. Progress, so it seems, is a characteristic of man, himself. Progress, the desire for something better, has developed so bewilderingly fast in the last century that today the tech- nology of almost any field cannot be understood except by specialized training generally in a college or university, which is backed up bya sound general education. A century ago we would have found that the majority of jobs demanded little more than common sense and a bit of ex- perience. Today, however, every field generally speaking necessitates mental ability plus an extensive amount of knowledge of the pioneer work done by other men in the specific field in which you are studying. Once you know this work you begin yours on the foundations which they have laid. One might therefore say that a good education fulfills the practical work of enabling you to keep up in the specific field one chooses. A good education also develops our mental powers. It teaches us to think, to rely on our- selves, and to make decisions. So our education involves not just the learning of facts but also more important, the forming of our own attitudes, An education has the goal of making us not passive citizens who sit back and do nothing but watch, but it should make us active citizens, who do not wait for somebody else to do something but rather have the initiative to go forward and do the task themselves. A student going to school learns to accept not always just what he is told but to form his own opinions. We now refer to the fourth word of the title which is Catholic , This is extremely im- portant and it also fulfills the second purpose of the definition of education, which is to train our moral powers. lf a Catholic goes to a public school, he misses the major purpose of a separate school education, which is - to teach the Catholic from grade one up, the doctrines of his faith and also to teach him how to live according to these doctrines. In a public school the Catholic through communication with friends not ofhis faith, islikely to become very weak in the practice and knowledge of his faith and perhaps might abandon it altogether. A Catholic who goes to a Catholic school, is given not only the daily lessons on his faith, but also the example and com- panionship of other Catholics. The habits of self-restraint, personal honor, courtesy, sincerity, honesty, sound morals and a respect for one'sfellow man, all of these virtues along with the other products of a good education, will make the student, the future good citizen of earth and eventually of heaven. Robert Keon IX B