Elmwood School - Samara Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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CONTINUITY KEPT FLOWING AT ELMWOOD GIRLS SCHOOL MRS. JOHN WHITWILL and MRS. DAVID BLYTH Continuity is the traditional aim of educational institu- tions and the Elmwood Girls School is no exception. When the reins of command pass from headmistress, Mrs. David Blyth to senior academic teacher, Mrs. Jolin Whitwill in early July, they will pass between school chums, war buddies and teaching associates. The two women agree their careers have been remarka- bly similar, right from their student days together at Ox- ford University, England. They read English in the same faculty at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and graduated in the same year with honours masters ' degrees. She was smarter than I, Mrs. Blyth smilingly adds, - remarking that Mrs. Whitwill was the senior scholar for her year at Lady Margaret Hall. The two young women then became involved in the Second World War. Living together, they worked in a Med- ical Capacity - Mrs. Whitwill as an ambulance driver, Mrs. Blyth as a nurse. Mrs. Blyth had by this time met a Canadian soldier who would become her husband, David. She recalls with glee asking Mrs. Whitwill to accompany David, herself and another Canadian soldier on a date. The soldier, John, soon married Mrs. Whitwill. At the war ' s end, the two friends parted. The Whitwills came to Brantford in 1945 and raised a family of seven children. The Blyths returned to Canada in 1946. They have six children. During the family stage of their careers, the two women kept in touch through letters and visits. They are mutual godparents to a number of each other ' s children. However, when you have children by the half dozen, you don ' t get to travel much, says Mrs. Whitwill. Mrs. Blyth began her teaching career nine years ago at Elmwood. Two years later she became headmistress. Mrs. Whitwill, following in her friend ' s footsteps, took iip teaching six years ago and came to Elmwood after a year ' s experience. We both waited until our families grew up before be- ginning teaching, commented Mrs. Whitwill. Now, following the years they have been together at th e same school, the two women will part company. Mrs. Blyth ' s husband is to become the Canadian Immi- gration Officer in the Midlands of England and they expect to be there at least three years. With them will be a son and two daughters. Mrs. Blyth intends to take it easy in England and not work. This will be quite a change from her normal routine, she says. In addition to the administrative duties she has had, she teaches 20 class periods a week plus confirmation classes. Deliberately, though, she stresses. It is my philoso- phy that one must teach to know one ' s students. Mrs. Whitwill, whose husband is also a private school teacher, will carry on her teaching duties in her capacity as headmistress. Because of her teaching load and the increased enrol- ment at Elmwood, Mrs. Whitwill will have a deputy head- mistress, Mrs. George Aldous, to handle administrative details. 8

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Mrs. Blyth, our headmistress for seven years, will be leaving this year with Col. Blyth for Birmingham, England. We are proud of our school, we are proud of its scholastic standing, we are proud of its graduates and we will be proud when, we too, become the old-girls of Elmwood. The scholastic standing of Elmwood has risen tremen- dously each year because of Mrs. Blyth ' s ability to choose and direct a competent staff. Together, they have intro- duced a pattern of discipline, which although, perhaps, difficult to accept at the time, has helped many of us to discipline ourselves. As graduation day approaches, we, the graduating stu- dents, realize how we have been inspired by Mrs. Blyth. This day will be the end only of one phase of our education. It will also be the beginning of another. The graduates be- fore us, obviously, had the same feelings, since a large per- centage of them went on to further study. The day Mrs. Blyth leaves for England, she will be missed by many. Only with the shock of her departure, do we really stop and think about the contributions she has made to our school. On behalf of all the students, 1 would like to thank Mrs. Blyth for her enthusiasm, spontenaity, and concern for each and everyone of us. All of our love and good wishes will be with you while you are away Mrs. Blyth. by Margaret Armitage 7

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GRADUATES JANE BLYTH HEAD PREFECT In Beauty it is begun, Beauty above, Beauty beneath, Beauty all around me. In Beauty it is unfinished. Leisure time for Jane was either spent with her nose in a book or communicating with the Doc during after hours . Jane has been very fortunate throughout her years at Elm- wood to have the ability to comprehend her studies imme- diately and have a great deal of extra time for outside activities. Although reading was her favourite pastime, time was also spent sewing her wardrobe, cooking gourmet foods, performing in Ruddigore , being a star in Reach for the Top etc, etc, etc. In the fall, Jane is off to Trinity in Toronto for Arts with a little science-zoology? . . . Intelligent, sensitive, poetic, versatile and outstanding are words that are Jane. She never sought to intrude upon other people ' s provacy nor would she force a friendship, but to know Jane is to know a beautiful and real person. JANET HUGHSON HEAD GIRL have tried to be an intellectual; but, I don ' t know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in. A leader, a figurehead, a prime example - all these things a head girl must be - and Jan was even more. She was an exceptional girl in every way - loyal, fair, patient, and wise; she gave her fellow prefects the inspiration and guidance to run the school and proved utterly dependable and strong. Being head girl is an extremely demanding and nerve wracking job but Janet managed to keep her cool throughout, remain strong and determined, even in the de- pression of the mid-winter slump, and yet let none of it interfere with her school work, and still pulled off an Ontario Scholarship. Euologies tend to become tiresome, and epi- thets verbose, so not much more can be said in praise of this remarkable girl. It can only be hoped, or rather, fervently believed, that wherever Janet goes people will recognize all these qualities in her and feel the same love and admiration Elmwood has for her. Next year she will be at McGill studying science and will no doubt do very well there. And perhaps one day she will make it to Caracas . . . 9