Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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S A iVI A R A 11 toward the Elmwood Formal. As you can imagine the gym was jam-packed to see the fun. Miss Robinson and three trusty assistants were on the scene with stretchers and hack- saws in case of any mishap. The teachers put up an admirable game, and even though there were a few rules broken here and there, no one seemed to mind. The final score was 6 to 42, though there seemed to be two schools of thought on which team had scored the 42. To complete things, iVlrs. Bruce led the cheer leaders on the side. It was an excellent game, and eleven dollars were raised toward the formal. House Dances We have had quite a few house dances this year, thanks to the untiring efforts of our head girl. Our square dance this year was a success, as were all the rest, and all present enjoyed themselves. The artists among us made all kinds of decorations from carnivals to St. Patrick ' s Dav leprechauns, with lots more in between. This has been a wonderful year for dances. Let ' s hope next year will be as good! The Gym Display On March 25 each form, from the tiny Primers to the agile(?) Six Uppers displayed the different types of exercises whi ch thev had performed during the year under the un- tiring efforts of Mrs. Markus. The Primers were an instant success: their ballet movements captured the hearts of the audience, and proud parents nodded across at each other as their small daughters did their plies and puppet dance. Mrs. Povey ' s class did a very good dance interpretation. We had marching and pre- cision exercises, and the extra oym class worked on the rings, and skillfully did their gymnastics and tumbling. The audience went through some tense moments (nothing compared to what we went through), and many Oh ' s and Ah ' s were heard. Everything ran smoothly, and when one of the visitors mentioned that the Gym Display had turned out very well, a sigh of relief spread through the school! Thank you Mrs. iVIarkus, because without you, we couldn ' t have done it! Senior Art Each week on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mrs. iVIarriot ' s Aiarvelous Modern Masters meet to create. The art class is held at the Marriots, and we have a very homey atmo- sphere, afternoon tea, music and other extras. This is the Junior .Vlatric art course, and it is not all play. We covered territory from the Renaissance to Japanese, Chinese and seventeenth century art. We were given notes and are responsible for them for the exams. We also covered Cubism, surrealism, baroque, the Impressionist era, collage and many other aspects and techniques. We visited the Art Gallery several times, and on one occasion were taken on a personal guided tour by Mr. David Partridge, a well known abstract painter. The most fun of course was the actual drawing and painting. We experimented in almost all mediums: oils, water colours, ink, charcoal, pastels, poster paints and many others. We turned out quite a few good efforts and are very proud of our showings. Also on the course was an optional project, for which we constructed a model house com- plete with floor plan and grounds. At the beginning of the year there was an exhibition of our art in the Six A4atric class- room for the parents to see. Also a big display is planned for the end of the year when all our work will be shown. During the year we took turns hanging one of our pictures in the dining room to be criticized or admired, as the case may be. On behalf of the five art students (Di Smith, Anne McDowell and Judy A4arriott from 6 Matric, and Martha Wilson and Ellie Costom from 5 A), I would like to thank Airs. A ' larriott, the teacher for all the work she put into our art and for her patience with us. All her efforts were greatly appreciated and all the students benefited greatly from her teach- ing. I hope art will continue next year, and that it will be as pleasant and educational as this year.

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10 SAMARA Public Speaking Early in November the school assembled in the gym for our annual Public Speaking- contest. The contestants were students chosen by their class teachers as the best speakers in their forms. Girls ranging from the seventh grade to Senior Matriculation gave well- delivered speeches that were interesting and made listening a pleasure. We all waited with anticipation for the winners to be announced. The results were as follows: Junior: Dorian EUis first, Cathy Berry second. Intermediate: Audrey Loeb, Elizabeth Knox. Senior: Julie Kingstone, Carolyn Strauss. Honorable mentions were given to Karen Loeb, Gail Fincham and Ursula Shroeder of the Intermediates, and to Wendy Wilson and Judy Ewing of the Seniors. Tlie Formal It was here! The great day had arrived. After weeks spent in counting the hours, minutes and seconds, it was hard to believe that the Elmwood Formal was here at last. It was held on April thirtieth at the Country Club, and began with the traditional receiving line. Ronnie Clark and his band provided the music which we all thoroughly enjoyed. There were three spot dances; J. A. Hair and John Mathers, Sandy iVIcNaughton and Dave Rhodes, and Joan Berry and Jimmy Speo were the lucky and envied(?) winners. Among the casualties, we have to report that there was a 6 Matric Progressive Dinner Party planned, but somebody goofed. How- ever there was an unending supply of deli- cious punch, coke and food throughout the evening. A photographer was at the dance to take our pictures — a job which he must have thoroughly (r ) enjoyed. (We enjoyed it any- way ! ) Another casualty occurred when our dis- tinguished head girl, Di Lawson, and her date, Dave Ross, went for a neat loop across the floor during the Leichensteiner Polka. There were many many other highlights. We all had a tremendous time, and it was the best formal ever! Junior Hallowe ' en Party On Friday, October thirtieth. Form One held a Hallowe ' en party in their form room. They invited a few staffs members and some girls; however there were quite a few party crashers! Mrs. Bruce judged the costumes, and although they were all extremely good, Carolyn Smart won first prize as an eighteenth century girl, and Vesna Milatovic second prize as a lady. Refre shments provided by Aiiss Robinson were served, games were played, and all, from the staff to the youngest member, enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Senior Hallowe ' en Party The Senior Hallowe ' en party was held on a Friday, a fact which enabled everyone to sleep in the next morning and recuperate. A4rs. Bruce announced the Grand March amidst shouts of laughter as the participants walked, ran or crawled around the gym. The honourable judges, Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Stephen and Mrs. Watson must have had a difficult time choosing the winners, but the decisions were finally made. They were: Heather Letch, Heather Blaine, iVIardie Aldous, Lind- say Smart and a team of Ellie Costom and Kathy Kirk (who, by the way, were A4ona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci.) After the prize-giving, everyone settled back to enjoy the skits. The teachers ' pre- sentation of a typical day at Elmwood had everyone in fits of laughter. A TV pro- gramme, complete with commercials, done by 5A, and a rather revised version of Snow White which was tenderly entitled Shady Sadie and her Swinging Seven done by 6. ' 1, added to the fun. After all the excitement, there was the usual stampede for the dining room. Teachers ' Basketball Game A basketball game was held on Friday, Alarch fourth. It was no ordinary game, how- ever, as one team consisted of teachers. The admission fee was fifteen cents, which went

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12 S A iVI A R A United Nations On February 24, a model United Nations Security Council meeting was held at Carle- ton University. The Council was composed of a delegation from every high school in Ottawa. Each group represented a member country in the Security Council, and Elm- wood took the part of Tunisia in the debates. Our delegates were Sandra A IcNaughton, Judy Ewing and Anne iVIcDowell. The resolutions put forward concerned the admittance of the Peoples ' Republic of China (Red China) to the United Nations, total world disarmament, the Jordan-Israeli crisis, and Egyptian control of the Suez Canal. Anne A ' lcDowell delivered Tunisia ' s first speech stating her country ' s position towards the entrance of Red Chi na into the U.N. She abstained from voting on this issue. Sandy McNaughton spoke on the Jordan-Israeli crisis, and Judy Ewing on world disarma- ment. Ann later delivered Tunisia ' s final speech on Egyptian control of the Suez Canal. The meeting was the first of i:s kind in Ottawa, and was, we feel, a great success. Choir The choir this year was very successful under the patient direction of Mrs. Edelsten. Each morning it held practice before school, demonstrating the enthusiasm the girls must have had for it. Otherwise what normal girl would get up about a half hour earlier than absolutely necessary. These practices were well worth while, for nearly each week the choir sang for us such songs as The Lord ' s Prayer , All in the April Evening , and Eye Hath not Seen , besides providing valuable assistance in the hymn singing. Their enthusi- asm and effort made morning prayers much more enjoyable for us all. A big vote of thanks goes to Airs. Edelsten lor her guidance and the time she spent coaching and instructing the choir. Thanks also to Mrs. Edelsten for the wonderful din- ner party she gave the choir. We hope next year she will continue as choir mistress, and that the choir will be even bigger and better. Philosophy Club Everyone who attended the Philosophy Club this year would agree that it has been one of the best years ever. We had excellent speakers, such as Rev. Preece, Rev. Griffith, Canon Bruce, Father Leo, Rabbi Eckstein, Dr. Uhlir (the new member of our Elm wood community) and many others. As can be seen by their respective titles, there was a variety of ideas, each one as interesting and valuable as the other. Our special thanks goes to A4rs. Bruce and Mrs. Blyth who gave so much of their time and knowledge to us. Every one of us appre- ciates all the evenings A4rs. Bruce opened her home to us. The friendly atmosphere did much to encourage the first few questions of the discussion periods, and to keep more com- ing. I am sure there isn ' t a girl who attended the discussions who will not, at some time in the years to come, remember and use some- thing which she learned from the Philosophy Club of Elmwood, 1960. French Club Cette annee Adadame Betts a organise un club francais pour les jeunes filles qui s ' interes- saient a la conversation franyaise. Une cin- quantaine de membres se rencontraient tous les lundis pour bavarder, chanter, et ecouter des compositions sur des sujets divers. On servait du the et des sandwiches ce qui don- nait a nos rencontres une atmosphere amicale. Cinq ou six fois le club a visite les jeunes filles Canadiennes franyaises de I ' ecole St. Joseph. Pour terminer la saison nous avons invite nos camarades de cette ecole a venir voir quatre films excel lents dont deux fran- yais que Mme. Betts avait choisis. Un diner a ete servi et pendant le repas j ' ai ete surprise de I ' amelioration et de la facilite avec laquelle nos filles s ' exprimaient avec leurs voisines de table. Nous pouvons remercier Adme. Betts pour sa merveilleuse idee, son organisation et sur- tout sa patience avec son French Club et je suis sure que I ' annee prochaine il reprendra avec beaucoup d ' enthousiasme.