Royal St Georges College - Georgian Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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FROM THE HEADlVlASTER'S STUDY My fellow Georgians, As I review the events of the year just completed, I cannot help but conclude that it has been one of the most active and rewarding in our nineteen-year history. Early in the fall term the Choir launched the sale of its new recording of the Festival of Lessons and Carols, and within the brief span of a few weeks had sold two thousand copies. Shortly thereafter came an invitation from the CBC to televise our annual carol service at St. James' Cathedral. It was broad- cast coast to coast on Christmas Eve, and again on Christmas Day - an event, I am sure, which was immensely gratifying to us all. During Advent the Choir sang at a number of special events in the city, in February at the funeral of the former Primate, the Most Reverend Howard Clark, while in the Spring Term the boys of the choir polished up their repertoire for their June trip to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris. I am deeply grateful for the honour our chapel choir has brought to the school over these many years. This year St. George's College inaugurated and sponsored an Independent Schools' Music Festival. The brain-child of Dr. Barlow, our Junior School Prin- cipal, it was organized and directed by Mr. Derek Demierre, of our Instrumental Music Department. On April 7th some 570 boys and girls from fifteen schools across the province gathered at Massey Hall, and before a full house, performed a concert of choral and instrumental tnusic which delighted everyone who heard it. Such enthusiasm was expressed by the participants that it has been decided that this event is to become an annual one - a pleasant change, I think, from the usual rivalries of thc playing fields, the hockey rinks, and the basketball courts. The latter are, of course, good and welcome parts of the life of any school, for they sharpen wits and add another dimension to self- realization. In our team sports this year we have accomplished a good deal: What was probably the best basketball team the School so far has produced came within ten points of winning the ISAA championship and our Senior track team put in champion performances at the Quaker Relays this spring. Our under-fourteen soccer team won all ten games they played, and our under-thirteen hockey team won the independent schools Cross-Canada championship, while our under- sixteen soccer lost only two games in a twelve-game schedule, and the under-thirteen basketball missed the ISAA championship by only two points. A fine record indeed. Anyone who attended any of the total of ten dramatic productions put on by the School during the course of the year knows that dramatic art is on the upswing at St. George's. They involved directly more than a quarter of the student body! Much of the credit for this must go to our untiring and ever- enthusiastic chaplain, Fr. Michael Burgess, whose theatrical pro- fessionalism inspired the finest productions I have seen in the school. Especially memorable, I think, were The Lion in Winter and the dual production in the final term of Fr. Pegler's The Summit , directed by Jeff Latimer, and Trial By Jury , but on with the girls from I-Iavergal, with the dramatic aspects coached by Father Michael, and the musical end of things coached and accompanied by Mr. Demierre. As the director of the first play our school ever staged - a little one-actor called The Reluctant Dragon tlt seemed appropriate at the time.l - I ... x l 'Ir t fx am deeply grateful for this new interest and enthusiasm. But all this is just part of the extra-curricular life of the School, albeit a very important and educative one - one that nourishes and enriches. The curricular part, I rather think, we take for granted, what with its nearly six hours of class work per day, hours of home- work lfor some, at leastlj at night, and what might seem an endless number of term papers to be researched, written, and handed in at their appointed time. All of it, however, is a most necessary part of laying the foundations of our lives, and those who have given them- selves over to the work at hand know that it has its own satis- factions and rewards. To all of you who have entered enthusiastically and without stint into the widely varied life that the School has to offer, both inside the classroom and out, my con- gratulations and thanks, for it is you who make St. George's great! In closing let me say, on your behalf a word of farewell to those who are leaving us - Fr. Arthur Pegler, Mr. Victor Clayton, and as fine a body of graduates as I have known. To all of them I say, Thank you for a job well done. Sincerely yours, J.D. Allen

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'REPORT OF THE JUNIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL T Over the past four years that l have been Principal, l have tried a number of approaches to this report. My first attempt was a description of the life cycle of a white termite living in Ethiopia. l compared its nest behaviour to that of the College. Basically, the reaction was non-existent, but those who did comment on it did so with an implication that they thought it very strange. Consequently, l then decided that I would use this annual presentation to report events from the school year. Two years of doing that constituted a distinct embarrassment. Since the report is written early in the year, many events l announced never took place. This led to some brutal editing that left sentences truncated in the middle and meanings jumbled. I have, therefore, come to the conclusion that, in view of a reaction to my annual report that is non-existent or disquieting, I will in future write to enjoy and indulge myself, choosing whatever topic interests me that year. This year, l have selected the exciting life history of the sea anemone Anthopleura elegan- tissima. This creature lives in a group of genetically identical members and yet seems capable of wg qt 'f' .' 1 la., Needs Anemones? distinguishing itself from an enemy or other groups with different genetic make-ups. This ability has great significance toward the understanding of the human immune system. lts ability to tell self from non-self parallels the human system that recognizes and defends itself against invading bacteria and viruses and causes rejection of organ transplants because they are different from self . Sea anemones are animals that look like flowers. They live underwater fixed to rocks, and sprout tentacles. Some of the tentacles on an Anthopleura elegantissirna are highly specialized. ln the presence of other ancmones, these tentacles inflate. When one of them touches an inanimate object or fellow anemone of the same genetic type nothing happens. But. if it touches an unrelated arietnone, numerous stinging cells in the tentacle fire micro-harpoons that inject toxins into the stranger. It has been discovered that this attack occurs immediately after electrical actixity in the tetitacle. lt appears that substances on the inxading anemone react with receptor regions on the tlefentling anernone's tentacle. This excites the receptors, and ati electrical message triggers the discharge ol poisons. These toxins can cause the foreign anemone to lose its grip on its rock and to be swept away by the tide. Iiltis has lcd to the specttlation that similar mechanisms may be actixe in the auto-immune system ot human beings and thus xaltiable in' formation may be learned about those diseases which inxolxe a break-down ol' the atito-irnrnune system. There are, I beliexe, three lessons to be learned from this research into the lowly anemone: First, it is an example of the continuing application of pure science to practical solutions of problems. Second. it is a demonstration of the sheer joy of accumulation of knowledge which motivates scientists in the drudgerx of research. Finally, it is the glorification of the triumph of reason So tnuch of modern society seems dedicated to emotional argument in decision-making. and so often do we see the success of books and television shows dedicated to the occult. astrology, Bermuda Triangle. and a belief in UFO's, that we need a constant reminder that we really haxe progressed otit of the dark ages. We have come to an age which sU worships the instinetual that it has become anti-rational. lt is no wonder we have seen reason and lucidity sink to their lowest lex el of esteem since man came down from the trees. We haxe seen how readily the same society that has witnessed the greatest scientific advances in history grasps at halt! truths to justify concepts of .in- cient astronauts rather than to accept the rational .tc- cotnplishments of ancient man. l am not suggesting that there is no place for passion and etiiotion tntotixation comes from the same rootl but rather that it is it platornc horse to be controlled by the charioteer of reason. Kierkegaard best expresses rnx coticcrn that St. Cieorge's Lollege offer an education based on the trittriipli ol reason. NN hen truth conquers xxith the help ot ren tltottsand yelling men. exert sup, posing that that which is it tori.-us is truthg with the lorni .intl riiaiiricr ol' the xtctorx. .t lar greater tin trtttli is xictoriousf'