Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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MRS. W. E. GRAHAM Headmistress

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SAMARA JUNE, 1953 SUCCESS IS NAUGHT; ENDEAVOUR ' S ALL — Browning ELMWOOD FROM THE GROUNDS

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Dear Elmwoodians, Past and Present: Last year I promised that we should give you as full an account as possible of Old Girls ' activities; therefore, during this winter my leisure hours, (or should I more truth- fully say minutes?), have been devoted to writing and reading letters from you. As most of you know, we sent out a circular letter to as many of you as we could reach and the response was wonderful. I shall eventually answer everyone who wrote to me. Mean- while there is a fine fat packet of Old Girls ' News as a supplement to the 1953 Samara. We have a fairly complete file of addresses and should be delighted to hand on any. This winter ' s labours have given me a real insight into what Elmwood means to so many of you and has deepened my affection and loyalty for the school. As I sit in my office and look at the elms, just coming into leaf in one of the most beautiful springs I can remember, I think of all the happy memories the Old Girls must have, and the present girls will have, of the lovely grounds and buildings here: your first sight of the gracious friendly front hall, the pretty coloured chintzes of your bedrooms, the crunch of snow under your skis as you made off to the park after school are a few among very many. Our lovely buildings and surroundings, however, although they mean so much to all of us, are only part of Elmwood. Your memories must be mostly of the people you knew here. The girls are the life-blood of the school. What you were at Elmwood, your friendships, ideals, triumphs, the funny things that happened, the mosquitoes that bit you on Sports Day, even your mistakes, made up the school as it is now. In fact, the things that go wrong at school are often the most valuable experiences, since, as the present girls have heard me say so often: we learn most by our mistakes. The girls, past, present and future, are the enduring stuff of a school; and after spending so much of my thought among you, I feel honoured to be a part of it. The best changes and developments are built up on the solid foundations of the past. We have a good past; let us look forward to a splendid future in which we may all have a share. Yours affectionately.