Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR T956-I957 21 PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST The annual Public Speaking Competition was held in the middle of March this year, the preliminaries being iudged by the Headmaster and the finals, which took place at the school, by Mr. Raymond Parsons, a distinguished Montreal lawyer. Those chosen to speak in the finals were: Maxi Ferro, Christopher Hyde, Daniel Javitch, Todd LaFontaine, Patrick Phillips, and Allan Wakefield. Unfortunately Allan Wakefield was prevented by illness from being present at the finals. Christopher Hyde was adjudged the winner, with Daniel Javitch and Patrick Phillips being placed second and third respectively. Brian Saunderson acted as chairman and Michael Stanger was time-keeper. THE FOLLOWING WERE THE FINALISTS' SPEECHES: Maxi Ferro: General Gordon, Christian, Soldier and Hero. Christopher Hyde: Fingerprinting in the F.B.l. Daniel Javitch: The relationship between Man and Cat. Todd LaFontaine: Skin Diving. Patrick Phillips: What you see and how you see. THE CHOIR Congratulations are extended to Rodney Smith and Donald Steven, who were awarded the Senior and Intermediate Singing Prizes last June. The Test Pieces were Linden Lea and 'iEarly One Morning . This year the competition in the Senior Choir promises to be particularly keen, as the number of boys able to sing solos with distinction is unusually large. At the Christmas Entertainment three choirs sang groups of carols. The soloists on that occasion were:-lSenior Choirl Rodney Smith, Donald Steven, Gerald Ross, Ralph Walker, Michael Gwinnell, Timothy Coristine, Nicholas Kairis, Gordon Peters and Harry Bloomfield. llntermediate Choirl Billy Ballantyne, David Malone, Graham Tennant, Teddy Manthorp, Peter Martin, Christopher Roulson and Eric Garland. Uunior Choirl Michael Boulton, Ronnie Graham, Billy Eaton, Duncan Forbes, Jimmy Sedgewick, Bobby Bloomberg, and John Angus. Since September a number of interesting and more difficult hymn tunes has been learned, and the speed with which this has been done has been most encouraging. During the Easter Term a bass section was added to the Choir, which in spite of the very limited time available for practice, nevertheless was soon heard to advantage. As a number of voices are reaching the changing stage, it is probable that this part will be considerably augmented after Easter, and possibly a tenor section inaugurated. We are most grateful for the keen interest and enthusiasm of all concerned. F.G.P.

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20 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 1 , :I-14 4 1 ' T Y Debating The l956-57 debating club of the Selwyn House Oratorical Society was named MU. It was composed of all the boys in the fifth form plus one member from the fourth. At the first meeting the Executive Committee was elected by the members, with Daniel Javitch voted as President, Christopher Hyde as Vice-president and Brian Saunderson as Secretary- Treasurer. The club meetings took place every fortnight, either on Thursdays or Fridays. Several of the meetings were held at the homes of some of the members, who received us with much hospitality, The meetings' programs consisted of set speeches, briefs, and formal debates. The latter covered a large variety of subjects. For example: resolved that i'British products are better than American ones or that Smoking is iniurious to boys , and in a lighter vein, that The modern girl is most unfeminine' or that 'The Barbarian is happier than the Civilized man . The Society has had a most successful year, and it would wish to express its gratitude to Mr. Speirs for having taken some of his precious time in supervising the club throughout the season. INTER-HOUSE DEBATING Enthusiastic and keen competition resulted from the annual inter-house debating contest. The preliminary debates and house teams were as follows : lll Resolved that country life is better than city life. Affirmative. Lucas Team-Maximilian Ferro and Allan Wakefield. Negative: Wanstall Team-Michael Stanger and Todd LaFontaine. l2l Resolved that capital punishment should be abolished . Affirmative: Macaulay Team-Daniel .lavitch and Brian Saunderson. Negative. Speirs Team-Donald Doyle and David Hutcheson. Wanstall defeated Lucas in the first debate and Macaulay emerged victorious in the second. ln the Finals of the inter-house competition, the Wanstall Team defeated the Macaulay Team, upholding the affirmative that Those with most money are not the wealthiest . Similarly the Lucas Team defeated the Speirs in the affirmative resolution that Education overstresses extra-curricular activities . Thus Wanstall was first, Macaulay second, Lucas third, and Speirs fourth. We are very grateful to Mr. Moodey who took the time and trouble in judging and commenting on the debates.

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22 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE Dramatic Entertainment The French play, Pages Perdues , offered a merry picture of a harassed author striving to work lsuperfluously, as it provedl under difficulties, and driven to frenzy by a series of interruptions. ln the main role, David Walker displayed an unsuspected talent, and his performance deserves every praise. As the author's wife, Vincent Prager provided a delightful study of a somewhat formidable mistress of the house, Michael Gwinnell carried the part of the author's daughter well. The other players, making only brief appearances at the door to provoke the harassed author, provided a splendidly varied series of vignettes- Keith Murfin as the postman, Michael Bastian as a persistent old-clothes man, Gerald Ross as a quite tuneful street-singer, Timothy Stewart as a vociferous and undaunted vacuum-cleaner salesman, Stephan Paquet as a somewhat dull-witted milkmang and Donald Steven as a dapper gendarme selling charity tickets. The interlude, which supplies light relief between the earlier part of the programme and the more serious play which ends it, was this year another very free adaptation- this time of O. Henry's story, A'The Cop and the Anthem . It proved one of the most effective which the school has offered. Michael Stanger, briefly glimpsed a year ago as a delightful hobo, now revealed himself, in a somewhat similar character, as an actor with a marked gift for comedy and a talent for serious acting. His portrayal of Soapy, bent on getting into iail for the winter, and moved to contemplate reformation when he was frustrated, only to find himself at last on the way to jail after all, was an admirable tour de force, and one long to be remembered. The contrast between his attempt to sing Home on the Range and his wistful recollections of his youth, compressed in so short a time, was a remarkable achievement. Pandy Embiricos, as Dusty, Soapy's derelict companion, proved precisely the foil the part needed, and he rose to great heights as he followed Soapy's lead. David Hutcheson, as a iolly rubicund and dull-witted Cop, added precisely the touch that the story demanded. Of the minor characters, Alex Miller as the dignified old gentleman achieved a minor triumph of his own. John Nickson was an alarmingly formidable chucker-out , Gordon Peters proved himself something of an enfant terrible, Peter Terroux, the urrvzrella-thief whose umbrella Soapy stole, offered a brief but entertaining study in embarrasi guilt, and Nicolas Kairis was a suave and elegant man-about-town. Between them they managed to offer something new in sound-effects, from the crash of a breaking window to the impressive music of the Anthem. Brothers in Arms , by Merrill Denison, was the fare provided by the senior boys. Moxie Ferro was well cast as the efficiency-minded Major J. Altrus Browne, whose explosive temper and impatience, as well as his air of self-importance and authority, provided a great deal of comic effect. Patrick Phillips proved a very successful Mrs. Browne- sentimental, wide-eyed and naive, enthralled by the great Canadian out-of-doors. The slow-moving, slow-speaking backwoodsmen of the play were acted by Daniel Javitch, Christopher Hyde and Peter Nobbs. Daniel bore the brunt admirably with his rendering of Syd White-deliberate, exasperating, at times mildly remonstrative and indignant at Browne's attack on his philosophy of life, but always convincing and sure- footed. Christopher Hyde, friendly and down-to-earth, made an admirable hunting com- panion to Daniel and Peter Nobbs, as Charlie Henderson, enlivened the closing scene of the play with a very effective account of a deer-hunting which drove Browne into uncontrollable frenzy. Michael Barry was an efficient stage manager. As usual, Mrs. Howis and Mrs. Tester looked after the technical details of make-up to perfection, and Mr. Moodey had all things behind the curtain under rigorous control.