Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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SAMARA 11 Bishop of Guildford The arrival of the Bishop of Guildford at Elmwood on November 1, 1961, was met vi ith great excitement. He wore a bright purple robe and about his neck was a gold cross. On his finger he wore a ring symbolizing his position as Bishop. He carried with him his mitre which had been hand-embroidered by a friend and in which ere precious jewels. During his talk he taught us his own per- sonal method of prayer, using the fingers of the right hand as a guide. The thumb, which is the nearest finger to the individual, symbolizes those who are dearest and closest to us. The index finger symbohzes those who point, such as teachers and clergy. The middle finger is the tallest of all five fingers. It symbolizes those who iiold important posts, such as the Queen and Prime Minister and those in authority. The fourth finger symbolizes all those who are suf- fering in hospitals and prisons. Last, but not least, comes the little finger, the least in im- portance, oneself. In this way, prayer has meaning and we forget no-one. The impression left by the Bishop was of deep devotion to God, but at the same time he radiated joy to all. His understanding manner and wonderful sense of humour, made his visit a memorable occasion, one that will not soon be forgotten. Karen Loeb. Public Speaking On November 6, 1961, the annual Public Speaking Contest was held. The judges, after a long deliberation, came to these decisions. The winner of the Junior school was Robin Ogilvie, and honourable mention went to Fiona MacDonald. In the Intermediate school, Ingrid Gluzman walked off with a winner ' s smile while Honour- able Mention was given to Dorian Ellis. Judith Carter well deserved and won the highest honour in the Senior school with her speech on Treedom ' . Honourable mention was shared by two talented speakers, Katy Partridge and Reesa Greenberg. It is a shame that each girl who participated could not have been chosen, as all the speeches were so good. Many thanks to those unmen- tioned girls, and to the winners for entertaining us that day; we enjoyed it very much. Wendy Foote. House Collections House Collections were held on November 21st. Each House took over a corner of the gym and displayed the hand-knit baby clothes and second-hand clothes that they had col- lected during the year. Fry used a winter theme; Keller used blue and pink unmbrellas to highlight their collection, and Nightingale cleverly displayed their baby items. Fry was awarded first prize, with Keller placing second and Nightingale third. The items collected were given to needy families for Christmas. Reesa Greenberg. Christmas Party On December 19th we held the annual Christmas Party before going home for the holidays. Under the direction of Mrs. Wilson, the Juniors put on the play ' Angel in the Looking Glass ' . A4adame Betts directed a French play called ' Les Trois Nez Longs ' . Judy Carter danced for us and several girls played the piano. We were visited by some of the girls from the convent, and they sang some lovely French carols. After the concert and a singsong led by Ellie Sanders and her guitar, everyone ate a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

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10 SAMARA The Dances WE had four dances this year. The first one was in November. Since all the new girls did not know any boys, Sheila arranged blind dates from Ash- bury. There was a good attendance, and everyone seemed to have a very enjoyable time. The second dance was in January. It was supposed to be cancelled because it was so close to the date when Elmwood was to appear on T.V. and all the seniors were too busy to have any time to organize a dance. But the grade lO ' s had set their hearts on this dance D and could not bear to have it cancelled. On Monday morning a small committee knocked on Mrs. Bruce ' s door and begged to be al- lowed to proceed with the dance. They volun- teered to organize the dance and take all responsibility so that the seniors could be free for the T.V. The theme of the dance was ' An Evening in Paris ' . The gym was decorated in French style with a large ' Eiffel Tower ' on the stage, and French signs on all the walls. It was a very successful dance and everyone went home very happy. The third dance was in February and the theme was ' Skiing ' . A large picture window of a skiing scene was placed on the stage, and we were all allowed to come in slacks and sweaters. Everyone enjoyed themselves very much and had much more fun because it was so informal. This dance was sponsored by all the boarders. The last dance was in March, just before the Easter exams. The theme was ' Crying in the Rain ' . The whole gym was decorated with blue teardrops hanging from the ceiling and there was a giant teardrop in the center. This dance was a semi-formal and all the girls looked very nice. The entrance fee to each dance was one dollar and all the money went towards the senior formal. We would like to thank all the girls who brought food for the dances, and we would also like to thank the Mothers ' Guild for supplying all the soft drinks. Especial thanks to all who attended the dances and to all those who were in any of the decorating and organizing committees. Thank you. Patricia Watson. The Formal Although Friday 13th is meant to be an unlucky day, and it was as far as weather was concerned, it turned out t o be, for many of us, a night to remember. For 6 Matric the April evening started off with a dinner party given by Sheila and Brigid at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Then at the Formal which was held at the Country Club, Wilf Stebner provided us with a variety of enjoyable music. We were delighted to have with us three old girls: Cathy Bratton, Wendy Wilson and Margot Spry, and also several members of the staff. The evening ended with various breakfast parties which lasted till the early morning. Thanks to all those who made the Formal such a success. Debbie Simmons. House Days During the second week in October, mem- bers of Fry, Keller and Nightingale decorated the gym on their respective House Days. Clever arrangements of leaves and flowers en- hanced the gym while the leaders of each House spoke on their patrons. Fry placed first; Keller second; Nightingale third. After listening to these speeches, it was a simple matter to comprehend just what the Houses in Elmwood were meant to uphold— a way of life similar to that of the great women for which the Houses were named. Reesa Greenberg.

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12 SAMARA At 8 o ' clock the boarders attended the ' Candlelight Service ' , but this year something- was different. We were being televised for the program ' Hi-Time ' . The lights were dimmed and we filed down the front stairs in pyjamas, holding candles. Naturally we were all a little nervous because the cameras were on us. During the service we sang carols and read passages from the Bible. The ceremony ended with the exchange of gifts. Sue Cruikshank. Hi-Time Elmwood made its T.V. debut this year with an appearance on the Channel 4 quiz- show ' Hi-Time ' , on January 16, 1962. On this program, the host school shows the viewers through the school building. The opening scenes of Elmwood were extracts taken from the boarders ' Christmas Pyjama Party, and some close-ups of the Choir. Quiz-time came next, our opposition being the University of Ottawa High School, to whom we lost 70-40. On the Elmwood panel were Georgia Gale, Judy Gordon, Reesa Greenberg, and Katy Partridge. Interviews of some of our girls fol- lowed. Margie Anne Watson explained her reason for coming to school here in Ottawa, so far away from her home in Mexico City. Sheila McTavish and Brigid Martland, our headgirls, explained their responsibilities and the prefect system of running the school. Then Roberta Hayes, on Billboard, read the current and near future events linked with the School. To end the program we saw Judy Carter dance; Mrs. Martindale conduct an experiment in science with girls from 5A and 6A4 dissecting a cow ' s eye; a close-up of the French club meetings, and finally a group of 5 A and 6M doing rhythmical exercises. This was not only an interesting experience for us all but also made our school better known throughout Ottawa. Diane Nancekivell. H ouse Plays The annual House Plays were held this year on the afternoon of Freeday, Friday, January 30th. Mrs. D. Hicks was the adjudicator and she thought very highly of the efforts of the three houses. Fry ' s play was titled The Last Duchess . The Keller play was The Bracelet of Doom , and Nightingale ' s play was The Fatal Gazo- gene or Passion, Poison and Petrefaction . Mrs. Hicks gave the best actress award to Reesa Greenberg. The runner-up was Brigid Martland and the best supporting actress was Lois Mulkins. Nightingale House placed first. Fry came second and Keller came third. The best Sound Effects went to Nightingale. Susan Arnold. Gym Display The Gym Display this year was a great suc- cess. We had a large, and we hope appreciative, audience. The Display began at 8 o ' clock on the evening of Friday, March 30, with 4B and 4A square-dancing. 6M then displayed their prowess on the horse and parallel bars, and following them, 5 A did rhythmical exercises. Selected athletes from 5B and 5C proved their talent for tumbling and to end the evening the remaining students from these two forms marched to the tune of ' Land of Hope and Glory ' , ending in the formation of a big ' E ' . Parents and friends were served refresh- ments by the prefects in the library, while the girls had doughnuts and soft drinks in the classrooms, after a strenuous evening. Thanks to Miss Driscoll for organizing the Display, and to Mrs. Edelsten for supplying most of the music. MiCHELE BeTTS.