Vermilion School of Agriculture - Yearbook (Vermilion, Alberta Canada)

Page 29 text:

□ VERMILION SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE □ Ronald Green, British boy, 1926-27, is at present in South America, where he is engaged in work in connection with one of the large oil companies. George Garland is holding down a good position with A. E. Kaiser, wholesale merchant in Vermilion. Miss Jean MacSporran, of Chauvin, and well known to many of our graduates, had a very narrow escape from death, recently, in a fire which destroyed a number of buildings in the town of Chauvin. Paul Syrotuck, graduate of 1928, is now in Detroit, Mich., taking a course in some phase of mechanical engineering. Miss Mabel Flaade, Donna Oxford and Gunda Gunderson were welcomed back to V.S.A. for the winter of 1929-30 when they engaged to assist Miss Storey in caring for the well-being of the student body. Mr. Peter Wyllie, of Ford car vs. locomotive fame, is in British Columbia. M iss Gladys Brockie is married and resides in Grande Pra¬ irie. Having heard so much of the Peace River country, she has decided to learn all about it, first-hand. Messrs. Wm. Suddaby is farming at Lavoy, while the Vanden Dolder boys are proving that big outfits are the best method of farming successfully at Islay, Alberta. Gaylord Taylor and Bill Craig are also engaged in tilling the soil, the former at Unity and the latter at Lone Rock, Sask. Donald Yeabsley was a recent visitor to the School, being on a visit from Winterburn to Clare White at Clandonald. Eric Broadhurst, of the same class, has blossomed into a salesman for one of the larger oil firms and has been over most of the world’s inhabited surface since entering that occupation. Godfrey Gower, another former British class student, is pre¬ paring for the ministry, in Winnipeg. Pearl and Ruby Richardson are living in Vegreville, their father and other members of the family have moved to Vancou¬ ver, B.C., to which metropolis they olan on going in the future. M iss Elsie Plummer, of Lloydminster, was a welcome visitor at the opening of the school in January. Anita Ricker lives at Ryley, Effie Johnson, at Lamont, and Elma Gudlaugson, our only girl-boy student, so far is making her home in the Peace River country, which has lately been described by Mr. Dixon (well-known as a staunch pioneer and supporter of that beauty spot) as “God’s own country, with the D-’s own people.” Mr. Tom Pulton spent last summer on the farm of Mr. Robt. Wilson at Vegreville, later going to New York, where he has been engaged in business with an uncle. He is expected back to Alberta, however, where he plans to purchase and operate a farm of some size. Miss Margaret (Biddie) O’Brien is studying music in Vic¬ toria, B.C., and may be expected to delight radio audiences in the future. Gordon Archer, of Lamont, is attending the University at Edmonton and we will guarantee that he is enjoying himself, even though he may not be taking away more than ' his share of the knowledge which permeates the air around that august place of learning. Jimmy Sharpe is farming near Edmonton and invites all comers to visit him and partake of a good meal, of his own cook¬ ing. He says the porridge pot is always on the stove and all are welcome. RAD ' O AND LITER A RV COMMITTEES—(Standing! C. Johnson. B. Kiernan, P. Howe, H. Hamilton. (Seated) A. Stanton, Miss J. Edgson, Miss E. Pearce, G. Cooper. SOCIAL, ATHLETIC AND GYMNASIUM COMMITTEES Standing—L. Murray, G. Ogston, E. Johnson, R. Bacon, W. Plummer, D. Falkins, S. Watson. Seated—Miss O. Melnyk, F. Mead, Misses K. Mainwaring, A. Walker, A. Anderson, M. Dixon. [ 27 ]

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VERMILION SCHOOL OF A G R I CULTURE INhere Are They Now? We give herewith the present locations of some of our former staff members and students, in the hope that those who have passed through the School may gain considerable interest in those members of the Alumni of the Vermilion School of Agriculture who are making their own place in a larger sphere of life than the classroom. Miss Marjorie Alexander, now Mrs. Max B. Palmer, is living in Hamburg, Germany, where Mr. Palmer is Assistant Trade Commissioner. They are rejoicing over the arrival of a baby daughter, born in November, 1929. Mr. W. G. Malaher is to be found at the London, England, offices of the Canadian National Railways, where he is engaged in colonization work for that organization. He will be remem¬ bered as the Dean of residence during the first year of operation of the Dormitory, and as the genial instructor in English and Mathematics of previous years. Mr. W. R. Brown, former Science instructor, is at present taking post graduate work at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. M iss Feme Edwards is working toward the acquisition of her degree at Manitoba Agricultural College at Winnipeg. M r. Perrie, who taught Third Year during the 1928-29 ses¬ sion, is at present studying Theology at Knox College, Toronto. M iss Beatrice Williams is teaching grade work at King Ed¬ ward School, Edmonton. Miss Mildred Bell, now the wife of Dr. W. W. Bell, resides in Vermilion, where the Doctor is engaged in the practice of his profession. Mr. J. F. Andrew is living in Edmonton, to which city he moved recently on his promotion to the position as Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Alberta. M iss Letitia Reid, matron of the Dormitory last year, is at her home in Swift Current, Sask., and rumor has it that she is shortly to be one of the principals is a most interesting event. M r. Eric Hale, the boy from India, who was Editor of the Yearbook in 1928-29, is now engaged in office work with the C. Gordon Lumber Co., at Vegreville, Alberta. Mr. Donald Rivet, who came to the School with the British Boys a few years ago, is with the Canadian Bank of Commerce at Youngstown, Alta. Mr. E. R. Gibson is engaged in farming at Winterburn, and expresses himself as well satisfied with prospects for the future. He has been back several times to speak to the students about mountain climbing. M iss Ellen Walker and Miss Grace Shandriuk are entered as student nurses at the University Hospital, Edmonton, and are reported as being well fitted for their task. M essrs. Bill Mead, Jack Milligan, Eric Horton, Walter Stone are attending the University of Alberta, Bill Mead having recently made the trip for inter-collegiate hockey into the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. M r. Jack Hopkins, who graduated from V. S. A. in the spring of 1926, secured his degree in Agriculture at Varsity last spring, and is now engaged in work toward the completion of his Master’s degree. He capped a brilliant University course by winning the Governor General’s Gold Medal and the Vallee French prize. ORCHESTRA Standing—R. Daeley, E. Swindlehurst. Seated—G. Clay, Miss V. Anderson, N. Martyn. BRITISH BOYS—(Standing) J. Thom, D. MacDougall, J. Scott, 1. MacLean, I. Hamilton, W. D. Gentleman. (Seated) E. Handley, J. Hacking. E. Prodgers, O. Dumbreck, T. D. Williams. (On Floor) R. Waddell, M. Reid, J. Galbraith. [ 26 ]

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□ VERMILION SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE □ SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Miss Kathleen Mainwaring, Mr. Osc ar Simpson, Mr. Percy Howe. The School Fair P ERHAPS there is no form of extension work carried on in connection with the School of Agriculture that has the same bond-forming facility with the people of the rural sections of the province as the conduct of School Fairs throughout the Ver¬ milion, Edmonton, and Peace River districts, under the direction of members of the staff of the Vermilion School. At the present time there are some forty such fairs in operation and others are in prospect of organization. On this page appears a cut of three scholarship winners in the persons of Miss Kathleen Mainwaring, Mr. Oscar Simpson and Mr. Percy Howe, all of whom are first year students and the first named two having won their year by virtue of having been the outstanding students in the Scholarship Short Course group during the holding of the School Fair Short Course at the School two years ago. Percy Howe won his scholarship at the annual Young People’s Week at the University last summer. Briefly, School Fairs are carried on as a co-operative effort between the Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Educa¬ tion and the local bodies formed by the association of a number of schools in the project. The government, through these two De¬ partments, provides, free of cost to the children of the schools taking part, seeds for the planting of a good-sized garden, school fair bulletins, which are used as a guide in the preparation of exhibits, supervision in the form of visits to the schools, from time to time, of members of the School of Agriculture staff. In addition to these things, the judges for the fair are provided without charge to the association, entry tags, prize cards and the necessary forms are distributed and the judges take advantage of the opportunity to address the school fair children immediately after the exhibits have been judged, pointing out where errors have occurred and generally offering information and assistance wherever possible. In each school fair, the girl and boy who stand highest in the number of points won, are granted a free short cou.se of oi. weeks duration and in the summer following the fair the win¬ ning children are gathered at the School of Agriculture and the girls take classes in cooking and sewing and physical training, while the boys are engaged in carpentry work, live stock judging, weed seed identification, etc. Last summer, thpre were some seventy-five children in at¬ tendance at the Vermilion School and on the ringing of the rising bell at 6.30 a.m., the busy day started. After breakfast an hour was allowed for organized play, then class work was carried on for an hour and during the entire day play and work alternated, with occasional periods given for letter writing, etc. In the evening, games were enjoyed until darkness forbade further outdoor activity and the group adjourned to the assembly hall where motion pictures, public speaking, games and stunts were enjoyed until bedtime at 10.00 o’clock. The nightly race between the girls and boys on their turning into bed provided consider¬ able in the way of competition and solved the problem of quieting things down for the night without any more than necessary delay. On completion of the week’s course, short examinations were set and the girls and boys who proved to be the most outstanding in their class work were then considered from the angle of their deportment, the manner in which they entered into sports, etc., and all points being considered, the selection of the yearly Scholarship winners was made by the staff. In their respective years of attendance at the Short Course, Kathleen Mainwaring and Oscar Simpson were adjudged the winners and hence we find them enjoying the winter’s work with this present student body. We hope to welcome Miss Katie Laskiwiski, of Legal, and James Williams, of Bruderheim, in the class entering the School in October, 1930, as they were adjudged the winners of their group when they were present at the 1929 Short Course. The benefits that are to be derived from the School Fair are many and varied; little stress is laid on the possibility of earning money in the form of prizes; rather, the training and the experi¬ ence in fitting and showing live stock, preparing and showing exhibits of grains and vegetables, in cooking and in sewing, is made the paramount idea with the children. Besides all these classes, the regular school work, as laid down in the course of studies, receives the major place in the School Fair, hundreds of exhibits of writing, drawing, modelling, etc., being su ' -nYPed at the fairs each year. The School Inspectors carry on the judging of the school work and assist very materially in this way. As the students of this School return to their own commu¬ nities we look to them to interest themselves in the S-’hool Fair, in the formation and conduct of Swine Clubs, Demonstration Groups, etc., and to lend what assistance they can to the vounger members of the community in the acquiring of knowledge that will stand them in good stead, later in life. Mitchell: “What is your idea of Heaven, Ed?” Swindlehurst: “Methusalah’s age and Solomon’s wives.” Platt (standing on steps without a hat) : “I must go and get my hat, I am chilled to the bone.” [ 28 1