Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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THE OLD BUILDING miniature cupboard- 1 ike room with poor lighting and inadequate equip- ment which in comparison with our present accommodation would be like the Black Hole of Calcutta compared with a marble palace. Indeed we often had to carry the experiment out of the room in order to complete it. The new lab possesses seven Bun- sen burners instead of two, seven sinks (providing for twelve workers) instead of one, a fume cabinet where before there was an old chim- ney pipe and lots of coughing, fluorescent lighting instead of one yellow bulb, a quantity of cupboard space and separate cupboards for the equipment of each student. There is also a wonderful microscope presented by Mrs. F. W. White. There is a demonstration desk on a raised platform and behind it a very adequate blackboard. The walls are pale green with matching wood-work. Next term we are prom- ised specially constructed lab- oratory chairs a gift from Mrs. Edward Fauquier; and further science equipment is being provided by a generous gift of the Old Qirls. Altogether it is a lab worthy of a young chemist ' s dream, and we great- ly appreciate its inclusion in the new wing. iJrs. Buck had her moment of triumph when she ushered the departmental inspector into a real lab at last. Elmwood is, indeed, most grate- ful to the donors and very proud of this marvellous gift - The Thomas Ahearn Memorial Wing.

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6 SAMARA struggled to survive where Mrs. Buck ' s house now stands, and the whole vicinity was noted for- its mosquitoes. The school survived various mis- chances and handicaps. Two years after it began, a near-by red barn was joined to the house. This served as an Assembly Hall and the upstairs was divided into three class-rooms. People in the class- rooms above were able to see, through various holes in the floor, those in the Hall below; this arrangement, they thought merely unique and they did not complain. In 1919, Mrs. Edward Fauquier and Mrs. Harry Southam purchased the property and presented it as a school; they became its first gov- ernors. When, in 1920, financial difficulties threatened, and Elmwood was in great danger of being closed, Mr. Thomas Ahearn bought all the school furniture and equipment and presented them to the school. Thanks to this generous action, Elnwood was able to continue, and its future was assured. Grateful Elmwoodians realize that our school might not exist today if it were not for the Honourable Thomas Ahearn in whose memory our splendid new wing is named. From 1930 to 1938 he was our helper and friend. A prominent Canadian citizen, Mr. Ahearrt ' s name is widely known as that of the first man in North Arlaerica to say that electric street-cars could be run throughout the winter in Canada, In Ottawa he proved his statement to be t rue . In 1923, a generous gift by the Honourable Cairine Wilson, who be- came a governor that year, enabled the school to make considerable improvements so that the Barn- Assembly Hall became a really fine school building. Further gifts on the part of the governors made poss- ible various extensions and inprove- ments. In 1925, the original build- ing was completely demolished and the present main building erected as a boarding school. In 1929, the Hall was still further improved and en- larged. The climax of this devel- opment came last year when Mrs. Harry Southam and Mr. Frank Ahearn presented tlie school with the Thomas Ahearn Memorial Wing in memory of their father, Elmwood ' s great friend and benefactor. The wing is, indeed, a wonderful gift. Downstairs, the nursery school and kindergarten enjoy many happy hours as the little children work and play busily in the spacious- rooms. These rooms which are attractively coloured and well lighted seem to welcome the children and invite them to be happy. Up- stairs V D is the envied form that has been assigned the cheerful southeast corner room with its wide windows and new freshly-polished desks. Across the hall from this room is the new laboratory. This room, large and airy like the whole new wing, would be a joy to any teacher or pupil, but it can be fully appreciated, perhaps, only by those who in former years have t ried to perform experiments in a

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8 SAMARA Two years ago, unrestrained joy burst forth in all the victorious nations of the world as celebrations marked the end of six years of the most destructive war in history. Even yet, the world is struggling to raise her head above the debris. Now, at last, conditions in most parts of the world are slowly re- turning to normal. Last September as we Elmwoodians again donned our green uniforms and embarked on an- other school year, we were made aware of this trend by the more regular conditions prevailing in school life. For one thing, we found ourselves confronted with many new faces; the intermediate and junior ranks particularly are filled almost to capacity. The boarding school, too, has been crowded this year. However, all the new girls quickly fitted themselves into the Elmwood pattern and now can be called true Elmwood- ians. During the war years, our school uniforms were not always everything that could be desired. With the shortage of materials, we had to be satisfied with whatever we could procure. This year, however, almost all the girls are wearing the regu- lation brown Oxford shoes and fawn- coloured blouses with their green tunics. Although we had to wait several months for them, most girls rial have both house and school pins. We are even hoping to have school bla- zers by next September. Also, a very attractive white uniform for special school functions was intro- duced this year. This takes the place of the famous ' white and yellow x ich has been worn by many generations of Elmwood girls on countless festive occasions. This will be very useful, too, as it can be worn outside school as an after- noon dress. These improvements will, we feel, inspire more of that all- in rtant trait school spirit. If one can be proud of the uniform she wears, she can be more proud of what it stands for. Elmwood has always had a tradi- tional leaning toward Dramatic Art. Until 1945, when our talented drama- tics mistress, Miss Miriam Graham, returned to England, we presented an annual senior play. Now this practice has been changed somewhat. It is becoming a yearly custom and a very good one, too, in our opinion to present a play in co- operation with Ashbury College. Although, in most aspects we are returning to peace-time customs, one war-time tradition has been re- tained. Believing that the proceeds from our Christmas bazaars have done some good in the past, we organized ourselves and held ' tea and enter- tainment ' this year. Parents and (Continued on Page 31)