Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

Page 5 text:

A very interesting illustrated Geography lesson was given by Mrs. Buck entitled Canada, Coast to Coast . Slides were obtained from the Natural Resources Intelligence Branch depict- ing the varied scenery, occupations and resources. We all enjoyed the lecture very much and learned much that every- body should know about our own country. On Thursday, February the 19th, the Senior Literature class held a debate with Miss King as Chairman. The resolution was, That Coriolanus, in attacking Rome, proved the Commons had been right in banishing him. Molly Houston and Mabel Dunlop upheld the opposing side against the rest of the Vth form and IVa. It was arranged that IVc should listen to the debate and, by their votes, the resolution was defeated after the summing-up. Mrs. Buck was kind enough to hear our debate and thought that the opposing side had been ably conducted by the only two members of the class who supported Coriolanus. On December 13th, the Upper Forms gave an entertain- ment in the aid of the Junior Humane Society, the School Library and the Dramatic Property Fund. Tea was served afterwards at 25c., and altogether we made $120.00. We wish to thank all the parents for their kind contributions towards the Tea, and the members of the staff who generously helped us in many ways. Julia MacBrien, Vals Gilmour and Marjorie Borden were responsible for most of the costumes, although everyone helped. Marjorie Borden, to everybody ' s regret, was not present to take part in the performance. Betty Fauquier and Letty Wilson arranged the tea. Julia MacBrien, Vals Gilmour and Sylvia Smellie were stage directors. The dances, and one of the songs, were composed by Julia MacBrien, Vals Gilmour, Marjorie Borden and Mabel Dunlop. The following girls took parts in the entertainment: — Betty Carter, Betty Fauquier, Mary Dun- 3

Page 4 text:

In November Mrs. Buck made arrangements for the Seniors to be taken over the Mint. They were making coppers and weighing twenty -five cent pieces while we were there and we found it extremely interesting. MARY DUNLOP An Art class under the direction of Miss Nichol has been arranged for the pupils who show the most promise. We have been to the National Gallery at the Victoria Museum to study the pictures, and we hope to go sketching in the near future. Mr. Yeigh, of the Save the Children Fund, was kind enough to come to Elmwood to give us a lecture on the work of the Fund in Greece. The lecture, which was short but very interest- ing, was illustrated with lantern slides which showed some of the starving children of Greek refugees. We were glad to be able to send a contribution of $28.00 to the Fund. SYLVIA SMELLIE. On March 30th, General MacBrien very kindly came and gave us a most interesting lecture on the trip he had taken to Japan, and the people and things he had seen there. First he explained the importance of the Pacific and its islands to the nations bordering on it, and especially to Japan. He then showed us some slides of places and buildings in Japan. At the same time he explained the different slides, telling where they had been taken and of the strange and interesting customs of the people. General MacBrien told us something about the religions and beliefs of the Japanese. He showed us several of their beautiful old temples and buildings, and spoke about the Japan- ese army, and of the quickness and efficiency of the soldiers. He also told us about a banquet held in Japan, which he attended, and how the guests were allowed to take away any food they could not eat or anything else they fancied, even to the dishes on the table. The lecture proved altogether most interesting and we all thank General MacBrien very much for coming to us. M. HOUSTON. 2

Page 6 text:

lop, Mabel Dunlop, Vals Gilmour, Molly Houston, Julia Mac- Brien, Sylvia Smellie, Letty Wilson and Janet Wilson. All these acted in the first item, Scenes from the Arabian Nights , which was done in pantomime. The scenes were dramatic and the scenery picturesque. Crinoline Days ' and Early One Morning were sung by Sylvia Smellie, Julia MacBrien and Vals Gilmour. The cos- tumes were dainty crinolines and the item was a very pretty one. Columbine and Harlequin came next, a dance in pantomime acted by Mabel Dunlop, Molly Houston and Janet Wilson. There followed a most effective Butterfly Dance by Vals Gilmour and Julia MacBrien, a song Down by the Shimmering Lake (composed by Mabel Dunlop) and a recitation by Letty Wilson. The Minuet which came next was one of the most popular numbers. It was a dance between Betty Fauquier, who looked most gallant in a court costume and powdered hair, and Betty Carter, with her sweeping skirts and low curtsies. One of the most attractive acts on the programme came next, entitled An Egyptian Tomb . In this the mummies of an ancient tomb come to life for one night in the year, and the mummied queen (Vals Gilmour) rises from her coffin to perform a weird and fascinating Egyptian dance. The scene was very cleverly carried out. The last event of the afternoon was the play Mechanical Jane , a screaming farce in which two very prim old ladies are in despair about getting a servant. They see an advertisement in the paper about a Mechanical Jane which will do the work of three people in half the time of one . They buy the Jane, and their adventures with it prove most diverting. Betty Fauquier took the exacting part of Mechanical Jane with great success, while Letty Wilson and Sylvia Smellie acted as Tabitha and Priscilla extremely well. THE AUTUMN BASKET-BALL SEASON This season we have had two principal teams, a first and a second. Our third team is fairly good, but both the third and the fourth need practice. 4