Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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And for us, now, is the opportunity the building represents, and the challenge of using it properly and with respect. The omens are better than they were a couple of years ago; as the school facilities have been improved steadily, thanks mainly to the persistence of our bursar, Mr. Robert Hopkins, the boys ' treatment and care of them has improved too. Not perfect yet, but better. The over-fifteens have had a good year in sport, reaching the finals of the Schools Soccer Cup and winning every cricket match. Strangely enough. Senior year is not re- sponsible for this; almost all the players were fifth formers. It is good to see Saltus boys doing so well in ' ' extra-curricular sports such as golf, tennis and the Junior School swimming; we also completely dominated the first Ber- muda Schools badminton tournament. Another ' ' first must be the selection of Alan Richardson for the St. George ' s trial team for Cup Match, whether he makes it or not this year. Two school trips in a year must be another record. Senior school groups hove been abroad before, but it is a first for the Junior School. Europe is so far away, but so necessary. I don ' t know how parents manage the finance, but we are grateful to Messrs. Bestford and Galea, and Mr. Stones and the Walkers, for organising them so well. We are very anxious to hear of any old boy news and to increase old boy con- nections generally — you will hear of practical steps for this next year. Meanwhile, there is a short old boys and university news section in this Yearbook. If you have any news at all, or just want to let us know where you are and what you are doing, please fill in the blank at the end of the book and let us have it. Also, tell us of oth- er old boys who are either too modest to write, or do not realise we want news. This section should be one of the major features of next year ' s book. Standard is a term one hears a great deal of these days; rightly so, of course, but people who use the word most are often being very vague and just hiding behind one of those slogans and battle cries which act so comfortably as a substitute for thought. Certainly, it is difficult to be entirely fair and objective about this; some aspects are measurable, ond have been measured, the reading ages in the Prep, school, the achievement tests last year in the Junior School, the transfer examinations to secon- dary, both our own and the Government ' s, the ' 0 ' level results in terms of the I.Q ' s of boys sitting, and, just recently, the very encouraging scores of a few boys in the advanced placement examinations at the end of Senior year. In all these, Saltus has no need to be apologetic; in fact, a study of the results shows just how good a job the teachers are doing. But they are all comparative, and they are all averages; like any other school, we have individual results very much better and some worse, if not very much worse. Comparisons can be healthy, but as soon as they moke us seem to be achieving our goals too easily, they are invalid, and we must seek others. Absolute standards are difficult, even impossible to find, especially on an island as isolated as this. Also, of course, we have a very wide range of ability at Saltus. Entry is virtually open at age 5, and half of the boys in the Senior School would not have been in the old-fashioned British grammar school in the U.K. We have responded to this by mov- ing boys at different speeds (had we not done this, no boy, however clever, would have sat 0 levels until the year in which he was 17, an appropriate age for some, but farcical for a gifted boy.) But, having done this, how do we convince a boy, or 4

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Mrs. M. Pettit, Dip. Mus. Ed. R.S.A.M., L.R.S.M. Mrs. K.Walker K. Ackland; Esq. R. Stones, Esq., B.Sc. (Bradford) Mrs. J. Holdone Mrs. K. Latter PREPARATORY Mrs. R. M. Hopkins (Head of Department) Miss W. Thompson R. Meredith, Esq. Mrs. E. Hyland Mrs. J. Northcott Miss E. Riches Mrs. H. Small Mrs. M. Draycott Bursar: R. M. Hopkins, Esq., M.R.T.P.I., M.C.P.I., Assoc. A.I.P. Secretary: Mrs. S. Swift Treasurer: Mrs. Lines YEAR BOOK Editorial: K. Dill, T. Smith, W. Duncan. Typing: E. Smith, S. Swift. Photography: H. Zeigler, J. Cabral Cover: A. Poole Printer: Sprint Speedprinting Services HEADMASTER .S NOTES Far too much happens in the Saltus year for me to be able to attempt a summary. I am very pleased that it should be so, and offer, instead, just a few random thoughts ... Many thanks to Mrs. Barbara McAnuff and Mr. Ted Crawford for all their efforts in managing the art and metal work teaching so competently and at such short notice after the sudden and truly tragic death of Adrian Poole in December. It was wonder- ful to hav« two such professionals to make sure that the teaching did not suffer; it was good too, to have two such characters on the teaching staff. Mr. C of course, is staying with us to make the metalwork his part-time empire. Ertough has already probably been said of the new Library building, but we must thank Mr. R. D. Butterfield for organising the fund raising after that first wonderful and encouraging $100,000. His job continues, of course, but we are nearer the target than we expected to be in the first nine months. The boys, incidentally, hove raised $6,000 and now need ideas for the further $2,000 to hit their target. 3

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his parents, that he is in fact achieving very well in terms of his own individuality when he sees others apparently managing so much more? We must keep common syl- labuses, even if boys move at different speeds. To set an obviously different range of targets for some boys is inconceivable in terms of motivation. Anyway, it would be nonsense; there are always some disappointments at ' 0 ' level from the cleverer boys who just give up, and just as many only average boys do better than they ' ' should . So they must all do the same courses, and we must continue to respond sensitively to such problems as setting and form placements, late developers, and their opposites, and, above all — and this is the challenge — to insist with each boy and his par- ents, that he has his own standards, an individual ceiling, to attain. It is not easy, but it is foremost in our minds. NEW TEACHERS Next September, we welcome to the Saltus community: Senior School — Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Harris. Mr. Harris holds a B.A. from the University of Wales and has taught at King Edward VI Grammar School and Cowbridge Grammar School in Glamorgan. He comes to take charge of ' the Latin. Mr. and Mrs. Steven Masters. Mr. Masters comes from Williams College to take charge of the art. He will also run the photographic club and his prowess as an ath- lete should be very useful on the games field. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Payne. Mr. Payne holds a B.A. from St. John ' s College, Oxford, and comes to teach geography with some English. Mr. James Smith also comes from St. John ' s College, Oxford and has spent a year at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, reading for an M.A. in education. He will take charge of the history teaching. Mr. Brian Toms represents an addition to the teaching strength in that our growing numbers allow us to have two full time mathematics teachers now. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Wales and his love and efficiency at rugby should be a great help with our Sevens teams. Junior School — Mr. Mark Beasley, an experienced teacher who trained at the Madeley College of Education, comes to take charge of a fourth form and the art. Mr. John McEwon is an old friend whom we are very happy to have back to take charge of a third form. Prep School — Mrs. Shirley Bacon is well known to many people on the island, and we are very lucky to be welcoming her to Saltuss as a reception class teacher. The other reception class will be taught by Miss Penelope Crosse, who has taught for four years since qualifying at the Eaton Hall College of Education. 5