Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

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Principal ' s Message EDUCATION FOR LIFE As I meet many students in the office and discuss their plans for the future, I am more and more convinced that young people fail to realize some of the basic ideas in obtaining an adequate education. Indeed what was adequate twenty years ago is totally inadequate today . Less than two generations ago, a crisis was something which came infrequently, but now we live with numerous crises at home and abroad which have affected all of us. We simply cannot face these changes with intelligence and security with- out the discipline of a thorough education. Some students feel that a year or two in high school will be sufficient for them, for they are going to be educated from life , by continuing to learn while they work. It is quite true that many people have made good in life without extensive formal education. They have succeeded in spite of handicaps, not because of them. We feel that it is wrong to suggest that this condition is true today, and to prove the point, quote the fact that over eighty per cent of the unemployed are those with less than a grade ten standing. Moreover, as com- puters are made to run computers, there will be fewer and fewer opportunities for those who do not have a secondary school diploma or better . Instead of being educated from life , it is a much better plan to be educated for living . The main purpose of O.L.C. is to give students a living fund of knowledge from which ideas may be gen- erated. Do not expect that these ideas will be poured into you, but rather grapple for them with a searching mind and penetrating insight. It has been said that a person who can bring relevant back- ground to bear on a problem, can assemble pertinent data, grasp relationships, appraise the values in- volved, and then make a sound judgement, is a truly educated person. Are you acquiring the back- ground in your daily programme of studies in the school and in the home? Some students acquire this background by memorizing textbooks without projecting them on the screen of the mind. Facts are important, but they must be put together so that the whole picture is coherent and meaningful in a life situation. What we desire is the kind of education that will teach you to think and to reason and to develop sound judgement. Education should prepare you to face difficulties courageously by tackling difficult assignments with zest and an attitude of careful deliberation. It should help you to acquire an inner fortitude to persevere steadfastly, and of course to work conscientiously. Education provides you with the standards by which you will be able to judge values and to seek the beautiful, the true and the worthwhile. The less you have, the less you will be able to discern what is best for you. Let us not lose sight of the fact that education is not a goal but a never-ending road. How you travel this road is up to you. You may pursue many devious and varied paths in the quest for learning, but you may be sure that in the Ontario Ladies ' College the education provided by our faculty of teachers is intended to lead you onward and upward, along the road to a better and more abundant life. ?.C SUw 2

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We dedicate our yearbook to Trudi Carr with both affection and admiration. During her two years at O.L. C. she served as a prefect and was honoured as a Princess in our May Court. Trudi will be remembered for the happiness she radiared through her warmth and kindness. Who i che wind. Neither you nor I; ut when the trees bow down their eads, passing by. Christine Rossetti

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Dean ' s Message Dear Students, At this time of year we think especially of you who are leaving the school, either to continue with higher education or to find a job. A complex life is ahead, and you may well feel bewildered as you face innumerable choices, and have to make decisions that will have far-reaching effects. The same sense of bewilderment must have been experi- enced in ancient crete by those who had to enter the labyrinth at Knossos, where the minotaur lived. There was always the HOPE that one might find the right path to reach the minotaur, destroy it, then successfully return to the outside world. But this was never fulfilled. All who entered the labyrinth were lost! Then Theseus appeared, and before he faced the maze of passages he was given a golden thread by Ariadne. This delicate thread enabled him to succeed where others had failed. He killed the minotaur, then walked confidently out of the labyrinth. It seems to me that FAITH is like Ariadne ' s golden thread. It helps us to find a meaning and purpose in life, even when our circumstances are confusing; it does not remove our difficulties, but it will provide us with the resources to deal with them. In a world where machines - like the minotaur of old - seem to be proving superior to man, faith reminds us that man IS important and that he has a special place in God ' s scheme of things. A nineteenth century poet wrote: - My faith it is an oaken staff, The traveller ' s well -loved aid: My faith it is a weapon stout, The soldier ' s trusty blade. Sword, staff or guiding thread - they are all necessities of life. So too is faith! May you all find the faith you need for the years ahead. Sincerely, uftby ivy . Dorothy Perry 3