Westdale Secondary School - Le Raconteur Yearbook (Hamilton, Ontario Canada)

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TRIUNE ADVISERS MR. J. C. COOPER Principal MRS. I. DRYSDALE MR. K. HODD MR. R. McVEAN MR. T. McCORD TRIUNE PRESIDENT ' S MESSAGE A school is only as good as its students and here at Westdale we are accustomed to being the best at anything and everything we try. This year ' s Le Raconteur is a fine example of our endeavours and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the editors of thie yearbook on a job well done. However the merit of a school can not be decided on one activity of a school cannot be decided on one activity alone but on many and once again Westdale is as well represented as any school in the city. For many of us this is our last year at West- dale and as we split up and go our separate ways I am sure we will not soon forget this grand old building. As for myself I ' ve had a great time this year, working closely with many fellow students and teachers on many projects and I also found for the first time what school spirit really means. As a final parting word I would like to wish you luck in any endeavour you may undertake and to encourage you to always reach for a higher goal because as a famous man once said: ' . ' What is tomorrow if you can achieve it todav? MR. A. MILDON MR. D. FERGUSON

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TRIUNE STUDENT COUNCIL MARY-JOYCE MAIN Chairman Music and Drama -•w • ' ■ LIBBY STEPHENS Chairman Dance and Entertainment ELIZABETH COLCOUGH NAZIO MURACA KATHY McAllister LINDA HUNT Secretary ANNE GREGORY 10

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ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT 1966 Two commencement programmes were held on Friday, November 4th, 1966. The afternoon one was arranged for those students who left Westdale at the end of Grade 12 to take Grade 13 at the Hamilton Collegiate Institute. Laing Brown gaTe the valedictory address. The evening programme was carried on as usual for the presentation of the secondary school graduation diplomas and the secondary school honour graduation diplomas. Carol Ofield was the valedictorian. Awards were presented at both programmes. A graduation dance and buffet luncheon organized by the dance and entertainment com- mittee of the Triune Student Council marked the climax of the happy occasion. VALEDICTORY ADDRESSES Four or five years ago, we who are now graduates, gathered in this same auditorium. Most of us felt timid, perhaps afraid, not knowing what was lying ahead for us in our high school years. We came from different homes and different backgrounds but we all had one thing in common which bound us to- gether — we were beginning our life at West- dale Secondary School. And through the years this bond grew stronger. We shared the joys, the small triumphs, the feelings of satisfaction but we also shared the sorrows, the defeats and the feelings of frustration. We recall with fondness and sometimes sadness the events of our past years at Westdale — our first dance, our first formal, the bitterness of defeat when our juniors lost the 1964 football championship to Cathedral but the thrill of victory when they retaliated the next year and defeated the long-time champions. We remember the solemn times when we gathered in this auditorium — the Annual Christmas Pageants and in par- ticular the memorial service for Mr. George Chapman who passed away March 28, 1966 having made his contribution to humanity in his role as a devoted teacher. We remember too, the more lighthearted gatherings — the successful production of GOOD NEWS and the witty wisdom of Ann Landers. What an assembly that was! But I am sure that I speak for all the gradu- ates when I say that all our experiences at Westdale, whether they were pleasant or other- wise, and our associations with teachers and friends have helped us emerge from high school as stronger, more confident, more mature in- dividuals than the timid souls who first en- tered these halls. Throughout all our experiences, our teachers were patiently guiding us. We realize that often their task was difficult and that many times they must have felt frustrated. But they were always there to help us with our prob- lems — both academic and personal — and to give us the encouragement we needed. And That which I am about to say this afternoon is not said because formality necessitates, but in true sincerity. I know not whether this is a day of happi- ness, or a day of sorrow. As I stand before you today, I feel both. I feel the joys of success and the sorrows of nostalgia. The calendar assures us that it has been four years since first we entered upon the threshold of this high school. At that time, THIS afternoon was but a date in the dim, distant future. Graduation was a long way off; right at hand were new friends, new surround- ings and a challenge that would have to be met. Westdale was opened in 1930, a pioneer school which combined Commercial, Technical and Academic Education. Its challenge was to prove the benefits of a tri-programme school and to prepare its pupils for adulthood; men- tally, physically and emotionally. This requires more than just teachers. It requires inter- ested, dedicated, self-sacrificing teachers. We, the students, have been fortunate to have had such teachers. Everyone ' s memory contains at least one teacher who has unselfishly given his or her time to such things as the Triune, Le Raconteur, the athletic teams, drama club, the dances, the choir, or the other activities which were offered at our school. It has been said — A teacher affects eter- nity; he can never tell where his influence stops — The influence of our former principal will, I am sure, remain with all of us. Over the years, Mr. Bell has been an inspiration, a help and a greatly respected friend of us all. His interest encompassed all activities of the school. On numerous occasions during the past four years, we have seen our former Principal in the stands watching his teams. Often it was raining! Mr. Bell ' s recent retirement, after 36 years of association with this school, ends his official duties; however, his interest in the school continues. Just last week he was seen in the stands giving his support to the Green and Gold. 12