Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE ilitiiiiElRT A. SPEIRS, M.A., LL.D. .-'xtt-.-i' Ll long and distinguished career. Dr. Robert A. Speirs is retiring from the position of Headmaster of Selwyn House School. Born in Melrose. Scotland. Dr, Speirs was educated at a neighbouring academy and at Edinburgh University. where he earned his MA. in classics. After a period of post-graduate study there, he gained a fellowship at Col- umbia University. New York. where he received another Masters degree. He taught in Scotland for four years. and then returned to Canada as head of the English department at Lower Canada Collegez he later became assistant headmaster there. In I9-15. after the unexpected death of Mr. Wanstall, the newly formed Board of Gov- crnors of Selwyn House School offered him the position of headmaster, which he has filled with great success for the past twenty-six years. His contribution to education in the city earned for him an honorary doctorate at Sir George Williams University in l968. and his career reached a climax in 1970. when he presided over the annual conference of the Headmasters' Association of Canada in the school last November. During his twenty-six years at the school. Dr. Speirs has been the moving spirit in many and varied changes. It has been a time of steady expansion in every way. from a school of 99 boys to one almost five times the size. from the comfortably compact quarters in Redpath Street to the present commodious building. from a school whose chief concern was academic excellence to one whose interests are more widly diversified. That progress may be seen in the development of what Dr. Speirs sometimes referred to as the plant : in the creation of locker-rooms. the addition of a gymnasium. followed by the laboratory and then the elegant library with the new wing of class- rooms above. which transformed the Redpath site. When, in 1961. the school outgrew even these extended premises and moved to its present site in Westmount. the steady growth continued. until in 1968 the expansion fund. gen- erously raised by friends. Old Boys and parents. enabled the new gymnasium. laboratories. library. locker-rooms and class-rooms to be added. These material achievements are the outward evidence of the corporate development of the school. Under Dr. Speirs' guidance. the limited athletic side of the school has expanded enormously. with teams participating in the Montreal leagues and meets. as well as maintaining the ancient and traditional rivalries. and the number of dif- ferent sports and games available to the boys has greatly increased. Intra-mural activities introduced by Dr. Speirs have become accepted features of school life which. though often overshadowed by class-work and games, are still real. In its primary function. the work of the school has extended itself in many directions. until now the number of boys writing at least a part of their matric- ulation examinations is fast approaching the total number in the school when Dr. Speirs assumed command, and the results in public examinations at all levels maintain the high standard which was a tradition at that time. Be- hind all this is an Old Boys' Association. founded in 1953. whose strength and interest in the school are, in them- selves. a testimonial to the headmaster's work: and Dr. Speirs has seen some of his former students return in the role of parents. Dr. Speirs has always considered community work an important part of his life. He has been president of the Notre Dame de Grace Community Council: for many years he was active as a governor of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. and of the Fraser-Hickson Institute: he is still a senior elder at the Knox Crescent Kensington Presby- terian Church. For long he was widely sought as a speaker. addressing societies throughout Montreal and elsewhere in Canada. For the next year at least. Dr. Speirs plans to take a sabbatical year to continue his advanced studies in French. Whether he will be persuaded to return to teach- ing remains to be determined. Whatever field his future endeavours lead him into. Selwyn House wishes him every success. We assure him of our gratitude for his achieve- ments in the past. and of our hope that our ties with him are not broken. but merely relaxed. ill i '+af'fe'Us'A ' 'fi-' ' n 'g . ff

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1970-1971 Canadian Headmasters' Association Cont erence Selwyn House was greatly honoured by being host of the Canadian Headmasters' Association for the annual meeting of November 1970. Dr. Speirs acted as Chairman. as President of the Association for the year and guests were housed at the Windsor Hotel but most of the meetings took place in the school itself. In addition to the regular business meetings the special events included the following: A visit to the Canadian Forces Languages School. St. John. Quebec with lunch with Commander Douglas J. Williams and his staff. A colloque on the 1970 trends in Independent School education in the schools of the U.K. and the LYS. led by Mr. T. E. B. Howarth. High Master of St. Paul's School. London and Mr. John Chandler. Vice-President of the National Association of Independent Schools of The United States. and supported by Mr. Fdw ard Isast. President of the Country Day School Association in the U.S.A.. and Mr. John Kemper. President of the Ameri- can I-Ieadmasters' Association. A discussion on the CEGEP's of Quebec addressed by Dr. Patil Gallagher. Director General of Dawson College. Montreal. 13 A luncheon at Nlcliill tendered by the Nlctiill Graduates' Society. A number ot Xlctnll Utlicials. Deans and Admission Officers were pit-sent at the various tables and the new Prmcipal ol Nlctilll. Dr. Robert li. Bell. addressed the conference A reception in The University Club Iolloyyed by a formal dinner at which the Chairman and other Members of various Boards of Governors of the Independent Schools were present and the principal spealser was Dr. D. M. Healy. recently appointed Principal of Bishops University. lcnnoxville. Quebec. We were greatly indebted to Nlr. S Nlrs, Robert Paterson. who invited the conferees and other guests including the Principals of the local Independent Schools for Girls to a coclstail hour at their home. The Headmasters also looked around the school and gave interviews to the school Examiner Staff and met a number of the senior boys. They were present officially at a school assembly. All in all it was a very enriching experience for everyone and we were very glad to have the opportunity and privilege. REAR - J. S. Derrick IKing'sl, W. B. MacMurray IU.T.S.l, J. E. Matthews ILakefieldl, E. R. Kast IGermantownl, E. C. Caley IHoldernessl, W. A. Joyce IAshburyl, P. T. Johnson IUpper Canadal, F. S. Large IB.C.S.l, M. B. Wansbrough IHillfield-Strathallanl, G. H. Merril IL.C.C.l, Rev. T. Davies IRothesayl. CENTER - J. L. Wright IST. George's, Tor.l, L. P. MacLachlan IShawingan Lakel, J. R. Coulter ISt, Andre-w'sl, EV. B. Pilgrim IRidleyl, E. R. Larsen IApplebyl, Canon J. A. M. Bell, H. M. Beer IPickeringl, L. Shewfelt IAlbertl, R. T. Leicester ISI. George's Mtl.l. FRONT- T. J. Wood ISedberghl, E. S. Jarvis lBishop Strachanl, R. H. Perry IRosseau Lakel, J. M. Kemper IPhiIlips, Andoverl, A. C. Scott IT.C.S.l, R. A. Speirs IS.H.S.l, R. Lester IStansteadl, T. E. B. Howarth ISL Paul'sl, D. D. Mackenzie IBrentwoodl, D. Harker ISt. George's, Van.l H. J, P. SchaFIter ISI. John's-Ravenscourtl.

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