School magazines

I was looking again recently at my pile of school magazines. It was prompted by notices in my email about planning for the 125th anniversary of Trafalgar.


For some reason I have a copy of the Trafalgar Echoes for 1963 - the 75th anniversary of the school. I did not start attending until the fall of 1964.

I also have a copy of the 1968 Lampada - the last issue for Lachute High School. That was my class but I graduated from Traf.

It is interesting to look at the ads in the magazines. In the Lampada the ad for Ayers where my dad worked always had a prominent place. It was a prominent employer in the town.

Names of students and teachers come back to me as I read the magazines.

Fun with songs

I was recently watching “Little House on the Prairie.” The children in the school yard were playing and singing some songs.

One of them was this one:

Ring around the rosie; A pocket full of posies; Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!

The other one that was mentioned was “Brother John”. I did not know it by this name but I did know:

Frere Jacques; Frere Jacques; Dormez vous?

Did I learn some of these at elementary school or even in kindergarten?

I know I learned many familiar hymns at the morning school assembly at Traf. That is another kind of singing.　
　
　

Competitions of all kinds

Astronauts have to compete for their jobs. Not everyone is suited to the rigorous training, etc. Not too long ago the Canadian Space Agency announced a couple of new candidates.

It is always good to hear about the Canadian astronauts. Julie Payette finally got up in the shuttle.

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TV Ontario had some interesting programs recently on schools and how one gets in and the pressures to do so and what is expected when one gets there.

Britain and 4 year olds just starting off on their education.

Britain and pre-teens looking towards secondary school. They do not want to study at their local comprehensive school.

China and primary schools and secondary schools and going onto university. There is very fierce competition for spaces.

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Quite different experiences than mine. It was much more relaxed when I was studying. I presume that my parents had to pay for my 2 years of kindergarten in the 1950s. It was a private kindergarten. They paid for private school and for my university education as well. Fees were very much different than they are now.

The only one that they did not have to pay for was for the 7 years of elementary school. They did pay school taxes as I do now. My grandfather wondered why he was paying school taxes with no children in school. It is to support the next generation.

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Did I compete for jobs? Certainly not as one has to today. The one I particularly remember is my 2nd government job. I did not get the job at first but got a phone call 6 months later saying it was mine.

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Did I compete in athletics or horse shows? I was not too athletic. There is a picture of me and Kathi returning from a horse show - so I did compete. I think it was not too serious a competition.

Places: Traf pt.2

So I promised you the music from the gym dem at the school. I do think it sounded quite like this but this is fun.