Oakwood Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (Toronto Ontario, Canada)

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VALEDICTORY i FLORENCE SILVER Mr. Tovell, members of the staff, honoured guests and fellow graduates: It has become almost trite to say that we today are Uving in an age of progress and rapid change, but it is nevertheless the most important factor about our Ufe today. Everyday scientists aU over the world are making important discoveries, and advances are being made constantly in space travel. Consequently, what was thought impossible only a few years ago has be- come reahty today We need only look around us to see the face of the world changmg; new subdivisions, apartment buildings and factories stand now where only trees and grass grew not too long ago. Coming closer to home, here at Oakwood many things have changed since we came 5, 6 or even 7 years ago The old-fashioned , ill-equipped, and overcrowded O.C.L of old has been transformed into a modern well-equipped, but still overcrowded school. The enrolment has doubled since we came, as have the number, though not the duration of our lunch periods. The dull, navy, velvet auditorium curtains of yore have been replaced by the epitome of brightness and gaiety you see before you. I cannot let this occasion pass without giving credit to Mr. Tovell, ou r illustrious principal, who made the selection of these drapes personally and without feminine assistance. I could go on forever, mentioning the new footbaU field, the stands in the swimming pool, the port- ables which multiply like rabbits and the new stands in the athletic field, which have not as yet been buUt. But, although so many things have changed here at Oakwood, there are some things which wiU never do so, among them the images we take with us of those people who have so greatly affected our Uves — our teachers. For instance, we will long remember Dr. Hill as t he creator of the famed and revered Loom of Time , which has graced the side board in room 317 for as many years as most Oakwoodites can remem- ber, and will probably continue to do so for a good many more, although the warp and the woof wiU continue to grow. . I doubt if time will ever wear away our image of Mr. Young, as the Don Juan of the chemistry lao, always attracted by pretty young female chemists whether they be choking in hydrogen sulfide fumes or merely breaking pyrex test tubes. However, some of us will probably remember Mr. Young even better as the fearsome warden of room 119 in his daily rendezvous at 8:30 a.m. with the criminal element ot Oakwood. If we do not remember Mr. Lobb for his outstanding performance as the judge in iriai oy Jury we will certainly remember him as the dutiful and unfailing custodian of the stretcher, in his self- less efforts to aid macerated football heroes. I think it is only fitting that my final victim be Mr. McDonald, whose talents vary from setting a special 3 hour English exam, which contained, by mere coincidence, an almost exact duplicate of a question which appeared later on the departmental exam, to wnUng bril- hant satire. By this brilliant satire, I am of course referring to the extravaganza performance. The tive Year Stretch, written, produced, and directed by Mr. McDonald, and starring the staff of O.C.I. Because of Mr. McDonald, we saw ourselves as the teachers see us. For this we will always remember, if not for- give, Mr. McDonald. These are but a few of the unchangingimages we will recall of the immortal figures who made up the world of Oakwood. Another thing that hasn ' t changed at Oakwood is the high standard of education which she upholds. I th ink at this point I should give a definition of a good education, this being the disciphmng ot tne 16

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. ' ■-£ ' ' .■»• y«. M«.;rf.f AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS MARY AYLING — The Optima Cup for Scholar- ship, Character, and Sportsmanship, presented by the school. ROSALYN HERMAN — The York University Scholarship — The Jessie B. Reade Latin Prize, presented by Mr. G. A. Dunlevie. OKSANA BLUY — The Ontario Scholarship — St. Michael ' s College Alumni Scholarship for Gen- eral Proficiency. WILLIAM BURRITT — The George Bouck Mem- orial Prize for Grade XEI Music, presented by Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Bouck. CATHERINE FROST — The Ontario Scholarship — The York University Scholarship. THEODORE GOULD — The A. W. Dunkley Cup for Scholarship, Character and Sportsmanship, presented by Major A. W. Dunkley. CARL HARRIETHA — The Patrick Manning Memorial Scholarship, presented by the Tor- onto Board of Education Assistant Caretakers Association. JOHN JEPSON — The Ontario Scholarship — The Wellington Scholarship in Mathematics. VIOLET LANG — The Ontario Scholarship. FRANCES ROBSON — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for General Proficiency in Grade xm. LAWRENCE SAVLOV — The Ontario Scholarship — The Charles W. Robb Memorial Scholarship, presented by Mr. Malcolm Robb, Q.C. FLORENCE SILVER — The Ontario Scholarship. JAMES TRUSLER — The Donald Hamilton Robb Memorial Scholarship, presented by Mrs. C. W. Robb. STUDENT COUNCIL MERIT PIN AWARDS HOWARD SAGINUR FLORENCE SILVER FRANK SOMOGYI IAN MELZER — The Board of Education Cen- tennial Scholarship for General Proficiency in Grade XH. EDWARD MILLER, ROY WISEMAN — The Oak- wood Home and School Prize for General Pro- ficiency in Grade XII. JOSEPH WOHLGELERNTER — The R. A. Gray Memorial Prize for English and History, a be- quest of the late R. A. Gray. WALTER LUKOWSKY — The R. A. Gray Mem- orial Prize for Mathematics and Science. GARY SEGAL — The W. E. Hanna Memorial Prize for History, a bequest of the late W. E. Hanna. LEILA PANZER — The Dorothy Kilpatrick Prize for English, presented by Miss Dorothy Kil- patrick. MARISA CASTELLARIN — The Board of Educa- tion Centennial Scholarship for General Pro- ficiency in Grade XL RONALD NIKAIDO, CHAIM SHUSTIK — The Oakwood Home and School Prizes for General Proficiency in Grade XL DONNA LEWIS, ISADORE HOROWITZ — The Board of Education Centennial Scholarship for General Proficiency in Grade X. SHIRLEY ZUCKER, ROBERT PINKERTON — The Board of Education Centennial Scholarship for General Proficiency in Grade IX. KLARA HECHT, MARKO KATIC, SAM LOM- BARDO — The Oakwood Home and School Prizes for General Proficiency in Grade X. DONNA ZOSIK, HOWARD MICHAELS — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for General Proficiency in Grade IX. HELENA KAMINSKI — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for English and History in Grade X. JOSEF LAUFER — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for Mathematics and Science in Grade X. DAVID FRANK — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for English and History in Grade IX. PETER TIKOVT — The Oakwood Home and School Prize for Mathematics and Science in Grade DC. KLARA HECHT — The Giris ' Club Junior Trophy. A Famous Shop for Books The Finest Selection of Books in All Branches of Literature to be found in any Book Shop in Canada. Come ' Phone or Write to Us. You are more likely to find the books you want at 765 YONGE STREET The Albert Britnell Book Shop 924-3321 15

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VALEDICTORY (CONT ' D) mind and character through study and instruction, in academic subjects, the broadening of cultural knowl- edge and the development of good moral principles. For 53 years, Oakwood has maintained its standard of excellence not only because she has an excellent teaching staff, but because this staff has instilled in the students the will to learn and has helped them to reahze the satisfaction to be gained through the pur- suit of knowledge. We were encouraged to explore and extend the fields of our knowledge by doing extra work on our own time, and not be satisfied to know the bare essentials to pass an examination. This extra interest marks the difference between the average student and the good student. The records of past achievements of Oakwood students prove my point that Oakwood is not satisfied with producing aver- age students, but strives to produce good students who have inquiring minds and the will to learn and broaden their outlooks. An essential part of our education at Oakwood public school and came to Oakwood, we were subject unreasonable demands. But, as the years passed, this ponsibilities and exercise an appreciable amount of regularly by the teachers who threatened us with homework, but by the time we reached grade 13, w our noses in books, even when we would much rather discipline of early years was transformed into trust was discipline. When we left the care-free days of ed to what we felt, at the time, were harsh and even discipline was relaxed and we began to accept res- self -discipline. In grade nine, we were checked on all sorts of dire punishments if we didn ' t do our e were expected to have enough self -discipline to bury have done something less trying. Thus the strict and confidence in the later years. The role of extra-curricular activities at Oakwood was two-fold. First of all, through the various extra activities we were given the opportunity to develop ourselves as well-rounded individuals and as good citizens. This was achieved through activities like the Masquers, the Oracle, Choirs, Orchestras, and Bands. The experience of being in one of these groups, or just watching and listening to them was in- valuable, for the calibre of performance achieved by these organizations resulted in their winning or ranking very high in city-wide and province-wide competitions. In effect, everyone at Oakwood was given the opportunity to enjoy culture by either participating in, or attending Theatre Nights, Simpson ' s Drama Festivals, Music Nights and Kiwanis Festivals. From the activities of Caput, its various committees, the U.N. Model Assembly and the Current Events Club, we learned about government and world affairs, and we developed principles which will undoubtedly affect our future Uves. The interest taken by Oakwood students in trying to help their fellow men is evidenced all over the world. Here, in Toronto numerous organizations are assisted in their beneficial services through don- ations given by Oakwood — more than $2000 collected annually through our weekly Penny Collections. This summer, a thousand pounds of books were shipped to Northern Nigeria to help educate the children there. These books were collected by the students in an Outweigh Mr. Tovell contest, and if you hadn ' t already guessed, Mr. Tovell didn ' t quite match the weight of the books! A few years ago, Oak- wood ' s interest was felt in Japan when we helped build the Hiroshima Peace Library there. Our contri- bution is recognized on the plaque in the library and this is something Oakwoodites are very proud of. Thus we at Oakwood took the first steps in becoming useful citizens in society. The other role extra-curricular activities played in our Lives, was teaching us to accept responsibilities and display good sportsmanship. Membership in any club entailed responsibility, hard work and many long hours of planning and rehearsing. Participation in competitive activities, whether in football or basket- ball games, or music or drama competitions, taught us to be good sportsmen. We were brought to reahze that knowing that we had done our best was far more important than winning. Because these activities are for the most part carried on before and after regular school hours, they are called extra-curricular but in fact, they are an integral part of our education. In the classroom we concentrate on the development of our minds; it was, however, outside the classroom that we developed many other important aspects of our character. Thus our education here was broadly-based, and al- though we are no longer a part of Oakwood, Oakwood is still a part of us. Now, we are gathered here as a group for the last time. Some of us are taking the road to higher learnmg, others of us the path to the business world and still others taking the road to the altar. Which ever path we choose, we are better equipped to achieve real success because of the years spent here at Oakwood. Many years from now, when this evening is just a vague memory, the training we received at Oakwood will still be a working force in our Lives. For in these five years, we have estabhshed friendships, principles and goals and the course of our Lives will follow the patterns we have been forming in these last five years. The debt we owe Oakwood is beyond measure. We can only hope to start repaying it by hving up to the ideals and standards set for us and becoming useful and good citizens. I am greatly honoured that I was given the opportunity to say on behalf of the graduating class of 1963, thank you Oakwood and Farewell. PAGE SPONSORED BY FLOWERDALE FLORISTS-52 VAUGHAN RD. 17