Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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SAMARA 7 Cbttortal ELMWOOD, in welcoming back her own this fall, is embarking on what cannot help but be one of the most completely different years in all her history. For six years now autumn has meant not only the mental pushing up of sleeves that school-day autumns have entailed since time immemorial, but also a sharing in the strength- ening of the determination, They shall not pass , felt by freedom-loving nations the world over. Some may say — Of course war touched us. We think of the times we worked fever- ishly for bazaars and plays and put our saved-up allowances into War Savings Stamps or Red Cross funds. But these examples of sharing were only a fraction of war ' s mark. Sometimes we may not have realized its presence — the cheers of a basketball game are quick to dispel war ' s horrors and our weighty school problems were often deceiv- ingly all-important — but war ' s shadows never left us in all those six years, I nearly said those six long years, for viewed in the light of history they were six of the longest years the world has ever kn own or, we hope, will ever know — but school years even in wartime cannot be long ones. Looking back on them there is justifiable satisfaction in knowing that our contributions in different fields have always been worth while and often conspicuous. This year the $800 made at our fourth annual Christmas Bazaar was sent to the hospital ship Letitia to be used for books. We have since had several letters from her Captain thanking us and telling us how much the books are appreciated. He has also sent us a framed picture of the Letitia and a complete list of the books purchased with our funds, and each one of us feels a very personal attachment for this Canadian Ship of Mercy. Philippa McLaren was kept busy through- out this year at her job of selling War Savings Stamps and in addition a substantial contri- bution was collected for the Red Cross. Many of us also served the war effort in a new and quite different way. Two days a week found four St. John Cadets busy at the Blood Donor Clinic performing small but necessary duties. During what has been a year of vast changes the world over, school life too has suffered a change. Our old honour-week system was abolished at the beginning of the year as being at times unjust and after lengthy discussions and, we may be assured a great deal of midnight oil burning on Mrs. Buck ' s part, a new system was devised. It did not meet with immediate success, proving that conservatism and distrust of change are inbred human traits belonging to old and young alike. However, before long the new recommendation system was hailed by all as a good one and we hope it will be con- tinued. One more outstanding innovation must be touched on before we close. We sampled co- education and found it very much to our liking. The occasion was the staging of Shall We Join The Ladies with Ashbury under Mr. Archdale ' s very able direction. The play was put on before a large audience whose praise marked the experiment as successful far more clearly than anything that could be said here on the subject. We hope we have started a tradition of an annual Elmwood- Ashbury play. And now September 1945 has dawned fair and clear and we are laying the foundations for what we hope will be the ever-ascending building of peace. School days can again be the completely happy days they should be, but if this peace structure is to be all we dream of, every one of us must see to it that we never forget our responsibilities to each other as builders, and strive for nothing short of Summa Summarum — Highest of the High.

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6 SAMARA courtesy is not one of the outstanding quali- ties of Canadian young people. I have a horrid feeling that lack of courtesy, that is being thoughtful and civil, is due to selfishness and disregard for what other people feel, or like, or mind. When I meet three school girls linked arm in arm on the pavement who push me off into the road, it is of no great consequence but it is very discourteous to push an old lady who might be their grandmother into the gutter. They don ' t mean to be rude; they just don ' t think. I may tell you though, I don ' t let myself be pushed. I stand quite still till one or another makes room for me to pass or else we should knock each other down. But that is just a crude example. Courtesy in the home means much more; it means thinking of others before self, having what is best expressed in French des 6gards pour les autres, pretty little courtesies which make all the difference between people saying what a charming THE VISITOR I found a young bee in my mug, And I said to him, You silly bug. Your stinger is bent And it ' s time that you went And stopped sitting there looking smug. Shelagh Nolan, V B Nightingale Peggy Edwards, V B Keller LIMERICK There was a fat lady called Tore Who at times w as really a bore. She talked on and on While our faces looked wan On the same thing she talked of before. Diana Ramsay, V C Keller child that is, or saying she is quite a good child but so rough. Everything we can do in these days where we have to restore inter- national life to the ways of peace and happiness after the bitter years of war is a help in our relations with one another. Even beginning by smoothing the ways of life in your own home is a step in the right direction. Courtesy is important amongst nations as amongst individuals. It is the little things that count often so much more than the big ones, because they require effort on our part all the time. You remember what St. Paul so eloquently tells us, Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are of good report, think on these things . I would go even further and add, act these things. In conclusion I wish you all that is best in life and may you find your greatest happiness in being good Canadian citizens through service and love. A POEM Pat and Pip Went for a dip In a lake Trying to make A lazy bloke Take a poke At a dive Instead of jive; But when the dope Began to mope Pat and Pip Cut his lip With a strike; Him no like. He ran home, So ends poem. Pat Ballantyne, VI M Nightingale. PippA McLaren, VI M Keller.

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8 SAMARA FRY HOUSE NOTES IN September, Fry House was glad to wel- come into the House, Mrs. Campbell, Miss MacAskill, and several girls both senior and junior, but we were sorry when the first term ended and took with it Margaret Hardy, Head of Fry, who returned to England. Miss Dickie left us at the same time to be married. We wish them both happiness. At Christmas we put on The Rehearsal by Maurice Baring and tied with Nightingale for second place. In the House Collections we did better and managed to come first. After a close race throughout the year, Fry finally managed to come out first in stars. Under the able leadership of Gretchen Mathers, Fry juniors have been successful in beating both other houses in badminton, but the seniors have not been so successful. Head of House Head Boarder Monitors HOUSE MEMBERS Margaret Hardy Betsy Allan Janet Caldwell - Barbara Christmas Gretchen Mathers M argot Peters Elisabeth Rowlatt Martha Bate, Persis Brunet, Ann Edwards, Marianna Greene, Timmie Hamilton, Peggy Huestis, Jane Johnstone, Carol MacLaren, Judy McCulloch, Mary Patteson, Cynthia Powell, Elizabeth Ramsay, Patricia Stevens, Luella Wills. Staff: Miss Chappell, Miss Dixon, Mrs. Campbell, Miss MacAskill. The teams this year are as follows: SENIOR BASKET-BALL Centre forward - - - Gretchen Mathers Centre guard - - - Betsy Allen Elisabeth Rowlatt 1 Janet Caldwell jM argot Peters Margaret Hardy Forwards Guards JUNIOR BASKET-BALL Centre forward - Centre guard Forwards Guards - - - Carol MacLaren - Luella Wills Martha Bate Ijudy McCulloch Mary Patteson jane Johnstone SENIOR BADMINTON First singles - - - - Gretchen Mathers Second singles - - - Margot Peters janet Caldwell Carol MacLaren Doubles JUNIOR BADMINTON First singles - - - - Judy McCulloch Second singles - - - Marianna Greene Ann Edwards Luella Wills Doubles TENNIS First singles - Second singles Doubles - - Cynthia Powell Peggy Huestis Gretchen Mathers Timmie Hamilton Fry congratulates its prize winners of 1944 and of 1945. PRIZE WINNERS OF 1943-1944 School proficiency - - Margaret Hardy T ] Persis Brunet Improvement - - - St-i- u i r ( Elizabeth Ramsay Proficiency - - - - Ann Edwards Art Gretchen Mathers PRIZE WINNERS OF 1944-1945 Summa Summarum - Janet Caldwell Philpot Token - - - Marianna Greene r . J Gretchen Mathers Proficiency - -- - « t-j j I Ann Edwards Poetry - - - - - Elisabeth Rowlatt Public Speaking - - Elisabeth Rowlatt Margot Peters Special I Elizabeth Ramsay commendation - - - Ijudy McCulloch Patricia Stevens