Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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on ten ts THE HEADJIA,STER'S MESSAGE EDITORIAL TIIE GRADl'ATl.YG CLASS TIIE SCHOOL COJIJIITTEE .. LITERARY THE FALL TERJI TIIE WINTER TERJ1 .. THE SPRING TERJI ..,. INVITATION CLLBS .I . THE PREP OLD BOYS .. PAGE 5 ..6 6 12 15 92 Z2 55 64 72 76 Three

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some thoughts from the headmaster T IS IMPORTANT for every school periodically to examine its traditions and customs. Do they represent the best thinking of the community distilled through years of experience? Or do they, in part at least, represent nothing more than convenient patterns of behaviour into which the group has drifted? Some traditions may very well have such fundamental value that we should hold fast to them over the yearsg others may be only first approximations to the good life. . Twenty-two years ago, hacked by the thinking of our Quaker founders, we set forth the programme and organization of our school. The focus of attention was on the individual, and on his right to grow and develop subject only to the limitations imposed upon him by his group responsibilities. This is a basic concept at Pickeringg it involves the two supplementary ideas of privilege and responsibility. Pickering students have many privileges. Some feel that they have too many. In my opinion, the danger point is reached when the privileges are given rather than won, when they are unaccompanied by commensurate re- sponsibilities. S-o long as the increase in personal freedom goes hand-in-hand with a greater awareness of one 's place in his group and his obligations to it. I contend that the development is wholesome and proper in a society of free men The staff and students of Pickering College this year gave considerable thought to ways and means -of increasing their contributions to the community. XVhen Hugh liyon, former Headmaster of Rugby, visited Pickering Follege in the fall, he told us of the manner in which the older students at Rugby accepted responsibility. A number were impressed to the point of taking action. The customs of over twenty years are hard to break, particularly so when they have undoubtedly had many merits. It is therefore to the credit of the students that they were willing to undertake a new plan of corridor arrangement that promised more opportunities for developing better school tone. Instead of corridors composed entirely of seniors or of intermediates or of juniors, Pickering corridors henceforth were to be real family units with boys of all ages living together and working together. Some of our hopes for the new scheme were realized. But it would be foolish to pretend that we have explored its possibilities in a few monthsg only after twenty years did we feel that the former method had been fully exploited. Early next September a joint committee of staff and students will study the problem anew in the light of our present experiences. I believe that we are on the track of something worthwhile. And so it must always go. As soon as we feel that nothing remains to be improved, we shall have reached the end of our vision. If I interpret the aims of Pickering aright, we must look forward to finding better ways of developing that inner discipline that enables young men to make good decisions, to handle freedom wisely, and to stand ready to accept their full share of responsibility in their group. Thus will Pickering become a beloved com- munity , a true society of friends. Fila