Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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The Rag Concert There was an air of greater excitement than usual as November ' s second week-end drew near. To all of us it means a pleasant break in school rou- tine, while most of us have additional reasons for the welcome we so gladly give it. As usual, the holiday atmosphere first made itself felt on Friday afternoon when the absence of school combined with the happy hammering of amateur stage-hands, under the expert guidance of Mr. Twite, added the magic touch of unreality to the dying moments of another week. On Friday night final re- hearsals were held after which we went happily to bed in eager anticipation of the morrow. On Saturday morning we were kept busy until eleven o ' clock when parents and Old Boys began to arrive. At last it was seven-thirty, zero hour for the concert. The scene in the dining-room — which seemed to be fulfilling every function except that for which it was built — was one of indescribable, but apparently controlled, chaos. Mrs. Morres and her cohorts were busy adding the last touches of make-up. There was the usual panic and the usual last-minute search for garments that would fit and for spears that had been mislaid. However, an air of magnificent and all-pervasive optimism made it quite apparent that nothing could go really wrong. The Rag Concert of 1947 will long be remembered for the excellence of the entertainment provided. There was considerable variety, the jokes were intelligible, and the actors, by and large, were obviously enjoying themselves instead of suffering heroically, and therefore making the audience suf- fer too. While it would be invidious to make detailed comparisons of the fare pro- vided, special mention should perhaps be made of three items. The Upper Fifth play struck just the right note. The scene was laid in a milieu that must have been faintly familiar to both boys and parents, the humour was topical, and the sight of Mainguy furtively issuing by a rope from the Trojan Horse is one that will long be remembered. Mr. Twite laid about him with evident zest playing no favourites and making us all in turn cry, Touche, at the shrewdness of his barbed thrusts. Even the Old Boys were not spared, but the Old Boys had their revenge the next day. Mr. Holms, too, went to the Classics for his inspira- tion, but, while Mr. Twite had used them merely as a convenient peg on which to hang some Shawnigan clothing, the Lower Fifth proceeded to burlesque them. Johnson excelled as did Tuttle, the latter showing a side of himself that we had long suspected but never actually seen. The third item was the closing number on the programme. It was a ballet produced by the Matrons in which Mr. Brown played the role of ballerina with a delicate grace and wistful old- worldliness. The manner in which he maintained his seventeenth-|Century ex- pression, thus not dislodging a carefully-planted dimple, would have made any poker player envious. Kingscote, who presented the traditional bouquet at the end of the performance, was gratefully thanked by the ballerina, also in the tra- ditional way, an unrehearsed item which the audience was quick to appreciate. School Magazine Page 1 1

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Music Notes This year, for three days each week, Mr. Jenkins, the Choir Master and Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, has come from Victoria to teach Music and to train the Choir. The Choir, although it shows gradual improve- ment, could use more support from the boys. It is hoped that more of them will realize the pleasure which can be obtained from singing and will offer to join us for we urgently need more strength in the boxes. Musical Appreciation classes are held in the Big School each Sunday even- ing for the Junior School. It is gratifying to find a number of Seniors also attend these Concerts voluntarily. From time to time we have been fortunate to have the musical life of the School enriched by visits to musical recitals in Victoria or by the appearance at the School of well-known artists. This year a number of boys attended the performance of Handel ' s Messiah at Christ Church Cathedral on December 14th. For the second year in succession Harry Adaskin has come to the School to give us a violin recital. The first part of this year ' s Programme consisted of a short lecture on the construction of a Sonata which was illustrated by various passages from Beethoven ' s Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 30. The complete Programme is shown below: VIOLIN RECITAL Harry Adaskin, Violin Frances Marr, Piano Held at Shawnigan Lake School on Thursday afternoon, November 20th, 1947. Sonata in A, Op. 30, No. 1 Beethoven Romanza Andaluza •- Sarasate La Chasse Kr eider Sea Murmurs Castelwuovo-T edesco Danse Champetre u Sibelius Christmas Cradle Song Reger Obertass Mazurka Wieniowski Ca plus que lente Debussy RAG CONCERT Page 10 ShawniganLake

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Hobby Shop 194 6 Although the Hobby Shop last year was more or less an each-man-for- himself affair, much fine work was turned out. As head of the Printing Club, Berry must receive credit for the very attractive school stationery which has been used by many boys. Gowman and Hagar spent much time in the Photography Club setting up a portrait system with a complete lighting ar- rangement. Perhaps the most interesting section of the Shop was the Model Club. If one had taken the trouble to push aside the oily rags and wood chips, one would have seen fine examples of workmanship by Ranken and Billings to name but two. Although nothing of great note was turned out of the Machine Shop, this part of the building is concerned mainly with training the younger mem- bers of the School to use elementary hand tools in preparation for the more specialized clubs. 1947 Although it is a bit early in the year to review the accomplishments of the Hobby Shop, one can see that the work done shows a definite improvement over that of last year. No longer is there disorder, but at present, each club has its own fag list and bank account. The Stamp Club has been revived with great enthusiasm and this hobby provides great joy to the members. The Machine Shop is running at full tilt. One of the most interesting pro- jects is under the able supervision of Mr. Nutter and is that of building a rail for the flag-pole. The members of the Taxidermy and Natural History Club have been mastering the elements of taxidermy and trying their skill on such specimens as they have been able to obtain. They hope that next Term they will be able to add to these indoor activities the study of animals in their natural haunts. Page 12 Shawnigan Lake