Evolution Fall 2004Global Fabric – International Ties Spring 2005

These four students [l-r], top to bottom: Ryan Onasick,Nadine and Natasha Qureshi, and Emily Peiffer competedrecently at the Vancouver Island Regional DebatingTournament held on Feb 12 on the SMUS campus. It wasan extraordinary and exciting event with rounds of debatesrunning throughout the day.

Debating is a skill that builds self-confidence and theability to think critically on your feet on any given topicat any time, either defensively or otherwise. The art ofpublic speaking is supported and encouraged in all studentsand all grades. See page 13 for more...

Editor’s note: Yes, Nadine and Natasha are twin sisters in grade 10.

Tongue-tied? No way!

1s c h o o l t i e s – s p r i n g 2 0 0 5

SCHOOL TIES is distributed to nearly 6,000

members of the St. Michaels University School

community, including current families, friends,

and current and past staff and students. The goal

of the publication is to communicate current

activities and initiatives along with articles and

reports on the alumni community. If you have any

comments or suggestions regarding this

publication, please contact Jenus Friesen at

(250) 370-6169 or email: jfriesen@smus.bc.ca

Published by:The Advancement Office at

St. Michaels University School 3400 Richmond Road, Victoria

British Columbia, Canada V8P 4P5 Website: www.smus.bc.ca

Editor:Jenus Friesen

Alumni Editors:Louise Winter;

Cliff Yorath, Director of Alumni Relations

Contributors (in no particular order):Robert Snowden, Peter Bousfield,

Robert Wilson, Ian Hyde-Lay, Brenda Waksel,Janice Iverson, Donna Ray, Jim De Goede,

Lindsay Thierry, Michael and Monica Jackson,Cheryl Murtland, Heidi Davis, David Gauthier,Peter Tongue, Kevin Cook, Lindy van Alstine,

Sean Hayden, Terence Young, Joan Kyle-Jones,Ian Farish, Becky Anderson, Ian Mugridge, Donna Williams, Craig Farish, Jane Effa,

Barbara Duncan, Toshie Thumm, Diane Keighley, Linda Rajotte, Anna Forbes, Tony Keble, Xavier Abrioux, and Christopher Spicer.

We apologize for any omissions.

Photography:Jenus Friesen,

SMUS community members

Production:Reber Creative

Printing:Lithographed in Canada �

by Hillside Printing Ltd., Victoria, BC

If you are interested in attending school events,

call (250) 592-2411 for further details, or visit

the school’s website Calendar of Events: www.smus.bc.ca

On the Cover

International Council members [l-r]:Robert Bell from Canada,

Varinda Wongkulnaparit from Thailand, Asha Benedyczak from Saudia Arabia

and Anna Gawor from Poland ceremoniously raise the new set of international flags over the

Senior School Quad. The flags represent thenations of our student population – about 20 in

all. One of the great strengths of St. MichaelsUniversity School is its continuing belief intolerance, understanding, and community.Students develop a firm set of values and

principles in their connection with the school.Young men and women from around the

globe live and study together here and build friendships that last a lifetime.

See page 4 for story.

XCEPTIONAL THINGS HAPPEN to exceptional schools. This issue of School Tiesproudly announces the initial plans for the school’s upcoming One Hundredth BirthdayCelebration – just around the corner in 2006. Right now, historian Ian Mugridge is

penning the history of the school – he’s eagerly waiting to hear from any alumni who can addpassages, pictures, quips, or quirks of any kind to the manuscript. Please get in touch with him andshare your stories! (See page 19 for details.) Also, make plans to be here for this spectacular historicalevent. It will surely be memorable.

Our students are flourishing in many areas. We’ve included some of the highlights of theiractivities herein, sharing details on the recent regional debate tournament held on campus;international travel opportunities; and athletic and academic achievements.

Proudly, we celebrate the opening of the John and Anne Schaffter Hall for Music. We recognizeits significance to campus life. Fast on the heels of this event is the completion of the WilliamMonkman Athletic Complex extension. The new space has enhanced many aspects of the school’soperations.

Talent and creativity are prevalent in school plays and musicals this spring – rehearsals are wellunder way as this magazine heads into production. Two of the three school plays, Africa at theMiddle School, and La Wrap-olution Française at the Junior School were written and directed bysome of our very own faculty members.

The thread of this magazine, Global Fabric – International Ties, celebrates our community ofcurrent students, alumni graduates, and their families who live on all corners of this place we callhome – our world. With these threads, we weave together the skills, sensibilities, confidence, andvision to create a better world – to create the future.

– Jenus Friesen, Editor

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Come Celebrate 100 years of SMUS!

Black Tie GalaDinner & DanceOctober 28, 2005

William Monkman Athletic Complex

For tickets, contact Louise Winter(250) 370-6176

email: lwinter@smus.bc.ca

The Art of Change– Robert Snowden, Headmaster

AST MAY, Frank Jones (US 34) returned for Alumni Homecoming Weekend. I invited thegraduating class, who were present in chapel when I mentioned this fact, to projectthemselves ahead 70 years, and to imagine returning to the school – to imagine at that

moment what the school would look like decades hence, and to imagine what the graduating classof 2074 would be planning to do with their lives. A daunting thought, perhaps, and certainly onethat requires considerable imagination. No doubt Frank Jones, from his vantage point of 1934, didnot imagine the Second War, television, or the Internet, or dozens of other developments that havechanged the world and our school since he graduated.

Yet he returned to the school where he had been a boarder, played some sport, and studiedduring the very fallow years of the Depression, when at times the school population numbered inthe thirties. He is impressed with the school as it is today, not just by the physical changesrepresented by the buildings that have sprouted up in the past 70 years, but especially by thestudents. Their backgrounds are incredibly rich, their languages are many, their goals are ambitious,and their grasp of the world around them is broad.

As we prepare for the school’s Centennial next year, we have numerous volunteers going throughthe school archives unearthing pertinent information, such as the names of students who played onrugby teams or basketball teams 40 years ago. One of the more interesting items that surfaced was aletter sent by a graduate of 1948. He had been contacted in the 1980s by the school doing its usualdetective work of tracking down lost alumni. This letter, in very good humour, questioned the valueof tracking him down in particular, especially if the aim of such an effort was to solicit a donation.What he remembered of his experience at the school, he said, was a great deal of hardship, somecruelty, and little that was edifying beyond the use of the cane. Others who were at the school at thesame time do remember the hardship and the cane but their memories are fond rather thandisaffected – some of them come to Reynolds House for dinner on Alumni Weekend every year.

These days, the school is a consciously and deliberately international place. We actively seekstudents from a variety of backgrounds, from a variety of countries. In recent years, for instance, wehave successfully developed a plan to recruit students in Europe. The most successful country for ushas been Germany, so that annually we now enrol about ten or twelve students from Germany, mostof whom stay and graduate. Our boarding students annually represent about 20 different countries,and we can expect that figure to expand slowly in coming years.

The art of change is to preserve the things that don’t change. In the 1960s, the school had aCadet Corps that had been in existence for several decades. At the end of the 1960s, a period ofsome turbulence in education and in North American society in general, the students objected so

The art of change is to preservethe things that don’t change.

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Robert Snowden, Headmaster

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After graduating more than 70 years ago, Mr. Frank Jones (US 34) returned to the

school for last year’s alumni weekend.

strenuously to this institution that it was disbanded. Every year, one of our most pleasant and best-attended alumni reunions is in Seattle. The graduates of the 1960s, who tend to populate this event,will tell us that the school they went to was a far cry from the school they now visit. It had a CadetCorps, it had bad food, and it had a few good teachers. Yet they are very attached to the old school.They return, they still feel connected, and they want to preserve their connection.

The school continues to do what it has always done – it pursues academic success in anenvironment where the character and the self also grow. Decades ago, the school – all schools, infact – were rather tribal places, where one had to endure unfairness as part of the routine, andcertainly one had to learn to sink or swim. To do otherwise was to risk being soft. I went to a schoollike ours in the 1960s, and I can tell you that sometimes the balance was tipped in the direction ofbeing too hard. But bruises, hard knocks, and skinned knees – the cane, also – were part of theregimen. Things are different now. Our dorms are much more comfortable and better suited tostudy. Our fields and buildings are much higher in quality. But we still seek to challenge and test thestudents – true, not in as crude a way as “rugby for everyone,” or the ability to stand up to the cane– or simply withstand the cane. We still have sport in significant amounts, and sport is one of ourmain vehicles for teaching students about challenge, courage, determination, and teamwork. We stillhave prefects, although their role, too, has evolved. Another great source of challenge and leadershipwhich didn’t exist decades ago is our Outdoor programme, where students are compelled to discoverthemselves, their fellow students, and a world of nature that does not compromise. What a lessonthat is – that lack of compromise. Right now, the school is engaging in a large Athletic Review,whose goal is to make recommendations to ensure the strength and usefulness of our athleticprogramme from kindergarten to grade 12. This process is a far cry from the process that led to thedisbanding of the Cadet Corps.

The languages that we speak at the school do influence our discussion and the telling of ourstories. The languages are a constant reminder of the need to absorb all views and backgrounds intoour ethos and culture.

Above all, we want to do the best for our school. One of the challenges I issue to the studentseach year – and I also invite parents, alumni, teachers, and friends to take it to heart – is to leave theschool a better place than you found it. If we all do this, then the school we will find 70 years hencewill be one we still feel attached to, one we will feel proud of, and one we will have had a hand in shaping.

In closing, a word that could hardly be more appropriate: Vivat!

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The school continues to do what it hasalways done – it pursues academicsuccess in an environment where thecharacter and the self also grow.

Language is an integral part of study, forstudents from kindergarten to grade 12. Thisphoto was taken in the new ESL classroom.

Languages are a constant reminder of the need to absorb all views andbackgrounds into our ethos and culture.

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School NewsCultural Diversity

photo). The council also held the first BoardingOpen House, inviting any and all day studentsto tour the boarding houses and, from 3:30 to7:00 p.m., to spend time with boarding studentsin their own environment. These open houseswill continue at regular intervals throughoutthe school year.

Planned future events will include aworkshop on cross-cultural communication,where students will learn to understand andidentify communication barriers and have anopportunity to practise cross-cultural andinterpersonal communication skills. Thecouncil will also be sponsoring a self-awarenessand diversity awareness workshop. Studentswill become more aware of how individual andgroup perceptions, values, and assumptionsaffect their behaviour toward others.

The International Council is pleased to beworking toward helping all students feelcomfortable, not only in our multiculturalschool, but, indeed, in the global worldenvironment.

NEW COUNCIL SPRANG TO LIFE earlyin the school year – the InternationalCouncil. The original impetus came

from grade twelve boarding student, AnnaGawor. She came to SMUS from Poland viaSaudi Arabia. She was quickly joined by fellowgrade twelves, Varinda Wongkulnaparit(Thailand) and Evgeny Aleksandrov (Russia).The three worked tirelessly with Mrs. JoanKyle-Jones (Head of ESL) to create thefoundation for a council that has substance andvalue for our diverse population at SMUS. TheInternational Council strives to awaken self-awareness in diverse student cultural groups byproviding opportunities for interchange amongthese cultures through seminars, the fine arts,language, and multi-cultural events.

Students from as many as twelve countriesattended the inaugural meeting held in mid-October. Since then, the council has held aflag-naming competition and has purchased,thanks to Mr. Peter Tongue, and raised, 10 ofthe 24 flags of the countries that representstudents currently attending SMUS (see cover

Students from the newly formed InternationalCouncil raise some of the new flags on theSenior School quad.

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Christo & Jeanne-Claude Inspire!Global Fabric

ITH GENEROUS FUNDING from theParents’ Auxiliary as well as a deepbow to artistic and poetic licence,

Anna Forbes, Senior School Art and HeidiDavis, Junior School French (a.k.a. “DoubleExposure”) have collaborated to create a cross-campus, cross-curricular Art/French productionwhich will showcase “global fabric” quiteliterally. The play, to be presented in late May,will showcase the contemporary Bulgarian-born artist, Christo, and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, who are internationally known fortheir installation art, and whose medium ofchoice is fabric! Some of their most well-known “wrappings” have been the Reichstagbuilding in Berlin, the Pont Neuf in Paris andcurrently, “The Gates” in Central Park, NewYork City.

The play, entitled La Wrap-olution Française(The French Revolution), depicts the longbattle (figuratively and literally!) many artistshave had in gaining acceptance in a worldoften not prepared for change. With Christoand Delacroix’s “Liberte” leading the “Wrap-olution,” Modern Art will find itself in a

While visiting New York, Junior School teacherHeidi Davis reaches up exuberantly to touch thevibrant saffron wrappings in Central Park designed byChristo and Jeanne-Claude. Heidi has incorporatedsome of the concepts from the New York exhibit intoan interdisciplinary play for Junior students.

W pitched battle against Traditional Art and theconservative, malevolent Salon judges, Danton,Robespierre, and Mirabeau, who aresystematically incarcerating the likes ofSargent’s “Madame X,” Jackson Pollock,Robert Rauschenberg, Picasso’s “LesDemoiselles d’Avignon” et al in the Bastille inParis. Will they ever see the light of day again?Will Christo ultimately be given thepermission he was once denied to wrap the“Tour Eiffel”? If you are curious, come see thisunique Art/French take on “The GlobalFabric,” a.k.a. La Wrap-olution Française at theend of May at the Junior School. Visit theschool website for more details.

Teachers Heidi Davis and Anna Forbes gave apresentation at the BC Art Teachers Conferencein Vancouver in February, presenting a mentorworkshop entitled “Beyond the Frame” whichdetailed their work on strategies for teachers touse museum collections in the classroom. Theemphasis for this workshop was Art and Literacy,and they demonstrated the similarities betweenthe metafictive devices used in children's booksand those that can be found in certain artworks.Davis and Forbes used these techniquessuccessfully in their most recent plays.

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Interesting sport memorabilia on display in the Junior School’s SportsMuseum helped to raise funds for the tsunami relief effort. Ella Hayashi tooka first-hand look.

ATHEMATICS CAN BE a spectator sport. On Friday, February 4,we witnessed an exciting, fun-filled mathematical extravaganzaas our Varsity Grade 9 Team of Mathletes placed FIRST in the

Vancouver Island Regional Math Challenger Competition. Using onlytheir minds (no calculators were permitted), our team went through twogrueling first stages played in individual competition, then workedthrough a third stage of team competition. After these scores were tallied,the top 11 students from all of the schools competing were chosen for aface-off one-to-one buzzer round of fast, nail-biting action inmathematical wizardry.

All five of our students were chosen to compete in this round and theydid exceptionally well with Raksit placing second, Joshua placing thirdand Jennifer placing fourth. This talented first-place team will move on tothe Provincials at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver on March 12where they will be facing 18 teams from the Lower Mainland. Wish themgood luck and great mathematical skill!

MMathletes in Action

In the photo [l-r]: Grade 9 students Raksit Pattanapitoon, Joshua Evans,Michael van der Westhuizen, Jennifer Debroni, and Kwang Pithayachariyakulplaced first in the Vancouver Island Regional Math Challenger Competition.

Tsunami ReliefITH A SIGNED WAYNE GRETZKY JERSEY, the baseball bat of LuisGonzales, a Steve Nash singlet, and a football used in the RoseBowl, the Junior School created their own original Sports

Museum Friday, January 14, 2005. An amazing collection of sportsmemorabilia was on display.

In the evening the Junior School hosted a slide show and filmpresentation titled “The Greatest Runners in History.” The day wasdedicated to tsunami disaster relief. The first event featured a SportsMuseum where students loaned items of sports memorabilia and personalachievement. Each student had the opportunity to discuss the significance oftheir achievement in front of their classmates. The price of entry to themuseum was either a toy or some school supplies. These materials have nowbeen sent to an orphanage in Sri Lanka. The second event was a slide showtitled “The Greatest Running Races.” This historical journey started withthe first sub four-minute mile and finished at the Athens Olympic Games.Over 70 people attended this event and $1,400 was raised for disaster relief.

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HE CANADIAN MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION (CMSF)mission can be summarized in one simple idea: “It’s the people whoset out wanting to change the world who ultimately do just that.”

Each year, a number of SMUS students apply for a chance to winCMSF scholarships, which are among the largest offered in Canada. Withover 4000 applicants nationwide, competition is intense, and involvesboth a written submission and one or more in-depth interviews at theprovincial and/or national level. Award recipients must demonstrateoutstanding service to the community, character, leadership potential,entrepreneurial energy, and academic excellence.

Each year for the past several years, SMUS seniors have received CMSFProvincial awards of $1500 or Finalist awards of $2500. This year, for thefirst time, we boast one of the National Award Scholars.

Evan Hesketh will now receive a full scholarship to a Canadianuniversity of choice, in addition to being given access to conferences,mentors, summer internships, and grants that strengthen and encouragehis “demonstrated commitment to leadership and service.” This CMSFNational Award is worth up to $75,000 over four years.

Congratulations, Evan, for the leadership work you have done here atSMUS, for your musical gifts shared selflessly with the community, andfor your determination, which has been unfailing.

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National Award Recipient

Evan Hesketh is recognized for his leadership, musical gifts, and unfailingdetermination.

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School News

IFTY-THREE GRADE 8 STUDENTS and five staff members tookpart in this year’s 10-day language and culture programme.Students spent the last few days of January and the first week of

February in either Japan or Québec, staying with a host family andenjoying the culture of those regions. Students on both trips were able topractise and hone their Japanese and French language skills respectively.

A key component of this programme is the exchange that occursbetween our school and the respective schools in Québec and Japan.Students are matched up and stay with homestay families that only addsto the language and culture experience. Later this school year, ourstudents will be returning the favour by hosting students from Québecand Japan.

While in Japan, students took part in a variety of activities both atSanjo Jogakuen School near Hiroshima and in the surrounding area ofOsaka, Kyoto, Kurashiki, and Hiroshima. Activities included a traditionalJapanese tea ceremony, visiting castles, temples, and shrines, spendingtime at an elementary school, and exploring sites such as the AtomicBomb Memorial Pavilion in Hiroshima. Students travelled on theShinkansen (bullet train) and experienced a variety of Japanese food.Shopping and activities with host families rounded out an extraordinarylanguage and cultural trip.

While in Québec, students were based in Québec City andexperienced the Carnaval and a variety of other winter activities. Whetherit was tubing and rafting on the snow, touring Québec City, dogsledding,or skidooing, there was no shortage of fun to be had. The group alsomade a day trip to Montreal, visiting the Biodome and Science museumas well as going to a French restaurant. No visit to Québec in the winter

Far-away Places

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would be complete without an outing to a Cabane à Sucre, a traditional‘sugar shack’ celebrating the maple sugar industry.

All in all, these language and culture trips were a great experience forthe students and staff who were fortunate to take part in these wonderful‘field trips’ to Japan and Québec.

Thirty-four grade 8s on an exchange trip took to the snow in Québec andfound out how fun dogsledding really is. They stayed with French families inQuébec, so had plenty of opportunity to practise their language skills.

goal: to provide great opportunities for all students on allcampuses, from kindergarten through grade 12.

We have incorporated the notion of the school tie thisyear into our Annual Fund materials. Strengthening our ties

with the different members of our broad SMUS communityis an ongoing goal of the entire school, and the recentreorganization and renaming of the Advancement Officeis linked to this effort. We are a family of past and presentstudents, parents, staff, grandparents, and friends with aview to a great future for our school…and we all sharelifelong ties to SMUS.

We have achieved $332,000 toward our goal of$470,000 for the 2004/2005 Annual Fund

campaign. As we continue to work to reachour goal by June 30, 2005, we invite every

member of our SMUS community tojoin this successful effort. This is a

wonderful time in the history of SMUS –we encourage your commitment to its future.

– Barbara E. Duncan, Director of Annual Fund

HE 2004/2005 ANNUAL FUND FOR EXCELLENCE

campaign is well under way thanks to the generosity ofour worldwide network of supporters. Building on the

momentum of achieving the tremendous milestone of half a milliondollars last year, donors responded early and positively to this year’scampaign initiatives. More current parents, past parents, staff, alumni, andfriends of SMUS are making a conscious decision to participate in theAnnual Fund as they become increasingly aware of the enrichededucational opportunities that the Fund provides to every student atSMUS, every day.

Philanthropy has long been a part of our school’s culture. Each of uswho has ever been affiliated with SMUS is a beneficiary of countless giftsmade throughout its 100-year history. Supporting the Annual Fund notonly reduces the critical shortfall between tuition fees and the fullcost of an SMUS education, it indicates to our major donors anddonors considering making major gifts that those who arebenefiting are also personally involved in financiallysupporting the school. Philanthropy is a sharedresponsibility, and participation at a meaningful level from allof our constituents ensures that the Annual Fund achieves its

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Annual Fund for Excellence – Strengthening Our Ties

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when I next return to Mexico. I also look forward to the opportunity toreturn their hospitality as a good majority of them are also making plansto join us at our 100-year birthday celebration. And for the icing on thecake, five of the alumni approached me to ask about future admission fortheir children!

Having already had the pleasure of travelling with Cliff Yorath on anAdmissions and Alumni trip to Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina, I alreadyhad the experience of the combination of Admissions and Alumni trips asa great formula. Not only was it fascinating to learn about what alumni ofthe school are now doing (e.g., Snowcycle designer for K2 – Luke vonMaldeghem, Grad 90, lead singer of Captain Tractor and now solo artistChris Wynters, SMUS 1980-85), but overlapping the two receptionsallows prospective families to hear about experiences at the schoolfirsthand and also get a feel for the history and tradition of the school.

I am already excited about our next year’s trip to Germany when wehope to get together past students of the school (21 in the last three yearsand ranging back to the 1980s) and combine this gathering with aninformation evening for prospective new families. I certainly foresee asimilar arrangement in Mexico in the years to come.

Mexican Old Boys, from left to right, Alberto Hammeken Perez, Luis JesúsCastilla Zetina, Gregor Klenz (Associate Director of Admissions), CarlosMichel Hernández, José Gerardo García Ordorica, Eduardo Reyes Mora,Luís de León Izquierdo, Rubén Galindo, Rafael Martinez Alcérreca, andCesar Moreno González de Castilla. [Editor’s note: Gregor Klenz is not anOld Boy.]

Admissions Encounters of the Mexican Kind– Gregor Klenz, Associate Director of Admissions

N A RECENT ADMISSIONS TRIP TO MEXICO, I took some timeout of a busy schedule of meetings with prospective families tojoin some alumni of the school and hear their stories. It was

absolutely brilliant to meet these lively characters and witness and feeltheir nostalgia about this wonderful school that I have now known for alittle more than three years.

Most of the alumni who came to the lunch at Petrus – a lovelyrestaurant in Mexico City – were from the 1970s and 1980s, but therewere also two students of 1992 vintage. They came from as near asMexico City and as far away as Tecate, Baja California, and Cancún.They all spoke with similar affection about a lot of the same teachers,although they remembered them with different hair colours. Thecommon thread that bound all of them together was the sentiment thatthey had spent unforgettable days at SMUS. One alumnus credited hisone-year experience as a grade 7 boarder as being one of the single mostdefining experiences in shaping his character; not just the wonderfulteachers and the academic and extra-curricular programmes, but thewhole experience of boarding at SMUS and being away from home.

Rafael Martinez Alcérreca, graduate of 1978, organized the wholeaffair and invited me to come when he heard of my upcoming trip. Inpreparation for the trip, I solicited a number of video greetings from afew of the long-standing teachers and also brought the message of theCentenary Celebration in May 2006 from Mr. Cliff Yorath, Director ofAlumni Relations. Mr. Yorath also provided updates about campusdevelopments and highlighted the benefits of the new Crothall Centre forHumanities and the Arts (2003), the new state-of-the-art John and AnneSchaffter Hall (2004) and the new William Monkman Athletic Complex(2005), each of which elicited shows of impressed wonder.

I thoroughly enjoyed the warmth, sincerity, and hospitality of ourMexican Old Boys and genuinely look forward to meeting them again

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Geography Challenge contestants [l-r]: Benjamin Effa, Matthew Warner,Scott Swinkles, Jake Kislock, and Charley Leitz

HE GREAT CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY CHALLENGE is an annualcompetition run through the Canadian Council for GeographicEducation and sponsored by HSBC. Middle School contestants

have just completed an in-school competition with Matthew Warner,grade 8, as our champion. His fifty-five question multiple-choice test hasbeen sent on to Ottawa to be marked. He may qualify for the BC andpossibly even the National Championships! Good luck, Matthew!

Great Canadian Geography Challenge

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School NewsAfrica on My Mind – A Middle School Musical

OUNDS OF DRUMS AND MARIMBAS, STRINGS AND HORNS fillthe corridors of the Middle School. Choral singing andchanting, with heart-throbbing ostinati and joyous exclamations

have transformed the choir room. Masks are in major production mode inthe art room. Familiar faces take on a surprising look when the paint is dryand the masks are tried on for final measurements. Movement and Dancerehearsals are making visual sense of ensemble sounds that for many of usare new and innovative…but to the African culture are deeply rooted indaily life. Our comfortable, almost sedate community existence on thecircular drive of 3400 Richmond Road has become charged and electric.

There is a fascination for knowledge about Africa that is vivid in manywho live in the Northern Hemisphere. We can only touch upon gainingsome answers to our questions by taking steps to learn of this continentthrough our study, our dancing, our drumming and singing, and our mask-making. The play was conceived and written by teachers Douglas Manson-Blair and Lindy Van Alstine. The play ran at the McPherson Playhouse indowntown Victoria on March 10 and 11, and was an experiential treat forall. Photo images from the production will be posted for viewing on theschool website in the SMUS Review.

Douglas Manson-Blair, a Middle School teacher and one of the play’screators, said that he especially enjoyed the following tidbit of fascinationwhen he was doing his research that led to the writing of the play. ErnestHemingway wrote: “Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,340 feethigh and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summitis called the Masai “Ngaje Ngai,” the House of God. Close to the westernsummit there is a dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has beenable to explain what the leopard was seeking at that altitude. It remains acomplete mystery.”

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Middle School students rehearsing for the musical, “Africa.” Standing [l-r]:Rebecca Griesser, Anna Fretz, Nicole van der Wal, Richard Boness.Kneeling: Alex Zapantis, Simon Witt.

Don’t miss this phenomenalopportunity to explore theGalapagos Islands with SMUSresident expert Michael Jackson.Every day is a new adventure!

Call to All Explorers! Galapagos Tour Offered!

MUS HEAD OF SCIENCE, Michael Jackson, is planning anothermemorable SMUS trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islandsfor March 2006. The last trip in 2004 was detailed in the fall

issue of School Ties. This trip will be primarily for Senior School students,but parents and alumni are welcome to participate as well. If you areinterested, email Mr. Jackson at mjackson@smus.bc.ca.

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Soaking up a rainforest deluge.

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Becky and Eliot Anderson taught school in a rural village in Africa during their summer vacation lastsummer…an unforgettable trip.

Teaching AbroadEliot and Becky Anderson, both current staffmembers, have always dreamt of travelling to theAfrican continent and decided that 2004 wouldbe the year.

WEEK AFTER SCHOOL FINISHED atSMUS in June 2004, we flew fromVictoria to Nairobi, Kenya where we

were met by our organization and whisked offto our homestay. We were placed in a ruralvillage called Kinale, high on the escarpment ofthe African Rift Valley. Our village was verysmall and we were without running water orelectricity. Luckily, our host family was verywelcoming and helped us adjust to the Kenyanway of life as we began our teaching. Wequickly settled in to teaching English, Science,and Athletics, but also taught many classesabout our own North American culture. As webegan to know our Kenyan students better, wewere amazed at how their hopes and dreamswere just like our students at home. Ourstudents in Kenya had so many more obstaclesto overcome to make their dreams come true.HIV/AIDS is an overt crisis that some studentswill have to live with. One in three Kenyanshas the disease. Poverty and lack of accessibleeducation means that most of the kids wetaught will have to help their families makemoney farming and will not be able tocontinue with schooling. Just as we werefeeling so desperate for the kids that we gotclose to, we found ourselves realizing thatacross the board, the Kenyans we got to knowwere full of hope and were some of thehappiest people we have ever known.

August was a different experience. We saidgoodbye to our Kenyan family and studentsand went into Tanzania, ready to travel on ourown. A weeklong safari saw us camping in themiddle of the Serengeti hearing hyenas

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laughing all night and wondering what elsemight be out there. We had a laugh when ourguide reassured us that a ranger would protectus – until he showed up with a bow and arrow!With a day to recover from bouncing alongdirt roads, we got ready for our next adventure,which proved to be one of hardest of our lives.We were excited and ready to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa,which is called the “Roof of Africa.” With twoguides, a cook, and a few porters, we began thesix-day trek. We walked up through therainforest and each day brought a new ecozonewith different plants, climate, and landscape.By day three, we were in the cold tundra.People around us were turning back, gettingaltitude sickness, and not feeling well. Eliot wasmost affected by the altitude and experiencedheadaches. We worried that we wouldn’t beable to make it to the summit. But on thenight of day four, we woke up at midnight andbegan our long, hard, cold hike. We covered

Becky and Eliot, together atop KilimanjaroSummit – the Roof of Africa.

Lion in the grasslands. Zebras pose for the camera – say cheese!

over a thousand feet that night. At differenttimes, we both felt like stopping but theexperience of looking down at the sun risingup over the horizon was incredible. It gave usthe inspiration to continue to the summit andmake 19,340 ft (5895m). We turned aroundafter a few freezing minutes at the top andmade the two-day trek back down. Afterreaching the base and enjoying a shower and agood night’s sleep, we flew to Zanzibar andenjoyed the last week learning about spices,eating fresh seafood, and swimming in thebeautiful Indian Ocean. It was paradise!! It wasan unforgettable trip and we look forward togoing back.

– Becky Anderson

Still in touch with their host family and school inKenya, Becky and Eliot have created a webpage tohelp start a business for the Kenyan family theylived with: www.homeandculture.com

s c h o o l n e w s1010

School News

HIS YEAR HAS SEEN A DOUBLING OF WRITING CLASSES in theschool. There are now, for the first time since Writing 12’s firstappearance in the school in 1999, two sections of writing

students: one taught by this year’s Hinton Chair, Jay Connolly; andanother taught by Terence Young. As they did last year, students arehosting evening readings by visiting writers. So far, they have sponsoredreaders such as Andrea Thompson, Sheri-D Wilson, and Betsy Struthers.In the coming months, Richard Harrison, Brian Brett, Lorri NeilsenGlenn, Nancy Holmes, Catherine Bush, and possibly even the award-winning writer Leon Rooke will be sharing their work, as well as givingour young writers advice on the writing process and publishing.

Alumnus-poet Joelle Hann (SMUS 86) visited us on February 14. Youcan find out what she’s been up to in the Focus on Alumni feature in thisissue (see page 26).

Some of the results of last year’s contests are now in, and once again,students from St. Michaels University School have demonstrated theircapacity for excellence. In last year’s annual province-wide Ripple EffectContest, Meredith Lewis won the senior prize for poetry, an honour thatgarnered her a handsome $500 cash award. In addition, Claire Battershilland Shannon Waters received $100 each for their poems, which won

TSurging and Emerging Writers

Students get together with poet Sheri-D Wilson after a recent reading in theCopeland Lecture Theatre.

My family is a fridge magnet,the do-it-yourself kindthat advertise cheap laundromats,plumbing guys whocan deal with anything stuckdown your pipe:Call Us First.

They cling to soccer schedules,recipes for martini olive sticksthat mum clipped outbecause people sayshe looks like Martha.

Last year's magnetic wordson the freezer and my sister,inspiredwhile unpacking the groceries,gave up aftertoo long spentlooking for “the.”

The way we all give uparound the dinner tableas we try to fill the spacesbetween bites of falafel.Never enoughof the smallwords; but, why,sorry.

The way these words fall off,get swept up withtwist-ties and flower petals,while long words like“fluorescent” and “cabinet”remain, long and lean,next to the promise of clear pipesand clean clothes.

– Meredith Lewis

My Family Is a Fridge Magnet

Les MisérablesSenior School drama students ambitiously embracedthe challenging production of Les Misérables (SchoolEdition). The resulting musical revealed the impressiverange of talent inherent in our student body. The showran at the McPherson Playhouse from March 1-5.Participants worked for months, polishing andperfecting every detail of the production. All of theirefforts were well rewarded – the outcome was anengaging and rich performance.

Below is one of Meredith Lewis’ winning poems that will be published inthe Ripple Effect Anthology some time in March.

Honourable Mentions. This was the third year a student from SMUS wonthe contest. In addition, many of our students received recognition in theBC Teachers of English and Language Arts Student Writing Contest. In thegrade 11 poetry category, Jeremy Hanson-Finger and Alex Lo were winners– their work will be published in this year’s Student Writing Journal – andBrian Inglis, Justin McElroy, and Nick Csomany received HonourableMentions. In the grade 12 poetry category, Claire Battershill, ShannonWaters, Jessica Moll, and Lilian Cheung were winners, and MeredithLewis, Annie Deng, Whitney Shiels, and Claire Hauser receivedHonourable Mentions. We are looking forward to seeing these winningpoems in print.

s c h o o l n e w s 11

Sports ShortsHE SMUS SPORTING SCENE has hadsome exciting items of note in recentmonths.

Rugby on Tour Hard on the heels of a hugely successful andundefeated domestic season, the grade 10Rugby team will tour in London, Englandfrom March 13 to March 24. Captain andflanker Matt Bosworth and centre DanWeidner, both of whom also have been invitedto the upcoming Canada U17 trials, will leadthe squad. Games have been scheduled againstWindsor Boys High School, Reigate GrammarSchool, and Wimbledon College.

Coach Peter Tongue looks forward to thetrip. “We anticipate three difficult matches.These will be good for our development, as wewill be out of our comfort zone and undergreater pressure than usual.”

No doubt many of those travelling willreturn to play a major role in the school FirstXV Centenary celebrations in the spring of2006.

NB: Rugby Tours abroad have been a long-time tradition at the school. For a flash fromthe past, visit Rob Wilson’s archive story, “TheTrip of a Lifetime,” on page 22 of this issue.

T MVP Front-runnerPhenomenal basketball pro Steve Nashcontinues to amaze with his exploits for thePhoenix Suns. The ’92 SMUS grad has beenprimarily responsible for turning around thefortunes of a struggling franchise, and inspectacular style. Leading the NBA in assists,and in the top 20 in many other significantoffensive categories, he was named Player ofthe Month for November ’04 and Player of theWeek on two other separate occasions. As importantly, through his charisma andleadership, he has changed the whole attitudeand culture of the team, and, incredibly, is nowconsidered to be a front-runner for the league’sMost Valuable Player Award.

Monkman Centre - Phase 1First and foremost, there has been a tremendousbenefit from the opening of the WilliamMonkman Athletic Complex, a hugely neededextension to the existing facility. AthleticDirector Ian Hyde-Lay notes “with all of ourteams and PE classes, grades 6-12, we just didnot have sufficient space in which to operateeffectively. Bill (Monkman) recognized that need.We are so grateful for his vision and generosity.”

The new addition incorporates seating forsome 400 spectators, and has already playedhost to multiple events.

Basketball in the new William Monkman gymnasium

HREE SENIOR SCHOOL students spent time in Japan over the course ofthree weeks in January 2005. The programme they followed wasstructured so that they would have two spares each day in order to do

SMUS work while attending Otemon High School in Osaka, Japan.Alex Reid (grade 10), Nicholas Charleton (grade 9), and Maryam Allehbi

(grade 11) gained much insight into Japanese culture and language. They hadthe privilege of attending a ceremonious high school graduation in Japan.

SMUS hosted one student from Otemon High School from January 30 toFebruary 19, 2005. Exchange trips such as this have been offered on a regularbasis in past years.

Fostering international ties in Japan!

Cross-Country in VancouverLate 2004, Junior School teachers GaryBarber, Heather Sandquist, and Dani Everitttook about 40 students to Vancouver toparticipate in the ISEA Cross-CountryChampionships. Many participants didexceptionally well on this eventful day. Thechildren proved to be positive and supportiveambassadors for our school.

Swimming In the pool, Stephanie Pollard’s (grade 10) careermoves along most impressively. She recentlyreturned from a successful three-week stintdown under at the Australian Youth Festival, amajor international junior competition.

Other swimming news of note, in aninvitational meet held at the SaanichCommonwealth Pool, Middle SchoolersJoseph Shan and Jeremy Bagshaw were part ofa 12-and-under 200m Freestyle relay team thatbroke a 17-year National record. Terrific!

TStudents Overseas

s c h o o l n e w s1212

Scholars in ResidenceE ARE FORTUNATE to receive continuedfunding through the Annual Fundfor the Scholars in Residence

programme. Three speakers are confirmed forthis year.

Our first Scholar in Residence for the year,Janie Wray, visited the school on January 18.She is a biologist who has built and now staffsa whale research station in northern BC, onremote Gil Island. Janie studies the local Orcaand Humpback whale populations, inparticular their social interactions and acousticbehaviour – i.e., the sounds they make tocommunicate with each other.

Our second Scholar in Residence, HowardEaton, visited all three campuses on a numberof occasions to coach teachers about learningstyles and to help expand their knowledge andunderstanding with this intriguing focus. Mr.Eaton earned his B.A. in Psychology at UBCand his M.Ed. in Special Education at BostonUniversity. He was a public school teacher

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Flight Reveals New Perspectives

N FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005, two classes of grade 9 Geographystudents took to the air to take a look at our local area from above.The perspective gained can be best summarized with student comments:

“This different perspective has greatly enhanced my knowledge of distance on amap.” – Graham

“It gave me a better understanding of geologic time because down on the groundall you get is the human perspective but in the air you get an idea of the vastnessand size of the Earth, which helps you see that human lifetimes are insignificantcompared to the scale of the Earth.” – Stephen

“It makes me realize that the skills that I’ve learned in geography class are usefulwhen we’ve got a chance to use them. For example, when I was flying, the skywas clear so I knew that we were having high pressure conditions.” – Kwang

“I realized how much we depend on our environment.” – Andrew

“I didn’t know that we had so many man-made structures. We basically tookover the land.” – Rebecca

Kwang at the controls.

prior to starting the Eaton Coull LearningGroup based out of Vancouver, BC. His talksare centred around his research on “A Mind ata Time” which focuses on the eight clusterareas of neurodevelopment.

Final visiting scholar this year will be LouiseRose, a renowned jazz musician and socialjustice activist. Ms. Rose will renew herconnection to the school in a more formal wayby visiting us as a Scholar in Residence in April.

Janie Wray, Marine Biologist and whale expertHoward Eaton – exploring neurodevelopment

Although most students have had the experience of flying in ajet, the smaller Cessna provided them the opportunity to see theland in greater detail. Photos taken by these students are nowbeing used in other Geography classes to point out physical andhuman features in the local area. To see the pictures, visit theSMUS Photo Gallery on the school website.

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A grade 9 student took this aerial photo above the SMUS campus from a small Cessna airplane.

s c h o o l n e w s 13s c h o o l n e w s 13

CCORDING TO A FAMOUS MONTY PYTHON SKIT, an argumentis “not just a contradiction” and “not just the automaticgainsaying of anything the other person says” but, rather, it is “a

connected series of statements to prove a definite proposition.” Asstudents grasp debate protocols, it becomes evident how this definition ofan argument as something that must be ordered and shaped is key tosuccess in major competitions. The students who can put a quick label onan opponent’s argument or sum up their own arguments succinctly andin an orderly sequence are the ones that gain the most points from thejudges. Debate is a valuable skill in that it teaches us to be brief andconcise; it teaches us to avoid the long-windedness and rambling presentso often in things such as throne speeches.

2004-5 has been a busy year for the debate team. In first term, theycompeted at the Ravenhurst Tournament (Nanaimo) where JustinMcElroy and Evan Hesketh placed first overall as a Seniors Pair. In termtwo, the team hosted a Pizza Debate at SMUS that Oak Bay andShawnigan attended. This event was a warm-up for our hosting of theVancouver Island Regional Debating Tournament on February 12. Thiswas an impressive event in which 100 debaters competed in Grade Eight,Junior, and Senior categories. In total, two hundred and fifty people wereinvolved on the day. The support for this event from SMUS faculty andthe community at large was impressive. We had alumni come from as faraway as Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington to help out as judgesthat day. Other groups who showed support include the Lions Clubs inVictoria, Toastmasters, and UVic and Camosun students and faculty.

When you host an event of this magnitude, it is expected things willbe tricky. Teams drop out at the last minute, judges and moderators don’tshow up, and you do the best possible with what you have at the lastminute to make it work. On the day of this event, I saw some of thequalities that best define students at SMUS. Those who came tomoderate, in particular, took charge of their task and made the debatesrun very smoothly. Moreover, I had to ask a number of these students tojump into debates where students from other schools had dropped out onthe morning itself. This was asking a great deal, to ask a student to throwhimself or herself into the mix without preparation and do the bestpossible job. All of the students I asked to do this agreed, and did afantastic job. The event could not have gone as smoothly as it didwithout their incredible willingness to help out in the face of verydifficult circumstances. My respect for these students is immeasurable.

The Regional Tournament defines who will continue on to competeat the Provincial level. In Grade Eight, Amrita Pooni placed sixth, whichlanded her a spot as an alternate. In the Junior category, Emily Peiffer

When Words CountSMUS Hosts Vancouver Island Regional Debating Tournament

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placed first. Stephen Dong and Andrew Johnson placed fourth and fifth.Peggy Hogan placed eighth. All of these students are now eligible tocompete at the Provincial level. Nadine and Natasha Qureshi placed17th and 18th, respectively, landing themselves spots as alternates. In theSenior category, Justin McElroy placed fourth. Roshni Veerapen placedeighth. Stephanie Klak placed 11th. Yan Chen placed 14th. MeyashPrabhu placed 17th.

These students could all potentially head to the Provincials. These areimpressive results for our school. They were obviously prepared anddebated extremely well on the day.

In term three, the debate team has plans to attend two more events.The first is a Mock Trial that has been organized by John Baty atGlenlyon Norfolk School. Students will be given an extensive casescenario and will prepare to argue as Crown and defense lawyers. The casewill be tried in the courthouse in Victoria. Alum Jim Rigos (US 60), alawyer who also owns his own publishing company in Seattle,Washington will help with the trial. There will also be a “lawyerconsultant” from Victoria to aid us.

Two other students will act as witnesses for the case. It is a differentformat for a debate experience, but an interesting one. We are mostcurious to see how our students will fare.

– Sean Hayden, Teacher, Debate Coach, and Tournament Organizer

SMUS teachers Laura Keziere, Greg Marchand, and Sean Hayden(Tournament Organizer) review lists of judges, attendees, schedules, andlogistics at the registration desk outside of the Copeland lecture theatre. Over100 debaters competed at this year’s tournament.

N FEBRUARY 19, SMUS studentsparticipated in the annual StudentCommonwealth Conference,

sponsored by the Royal CommonwealthSociety. Twenty-two students representingfive Vancouver Island schools paired up toenact the role of Heads of State of aCommonwealth country of their choosing,

debating issues of debt forgiveness, childlabour, and greenhouse gas emissions. Thisyear the students were also privileged to learnabout Sierra Leone from a UN Peacekeeper,as well as attend the keynote address deliveredby SMUS students Nader Ahmed andNavraj Chima on Global Youth Leadership.

Commonwealth Conference SHOP 24-7@ www.smus.bc.caA few clicks and you’re in! You can now shop 24-7 at the SMUS Campus Shop through our new secure on-line site. Choose from a huge selection of giftware, uniforms, and school supplies.

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e d u c a t i o n e x t e n s i o n14

Expanded OfferingsEducation ExtensionGeared to Match Needs

S PART OF St. Michaels University School’s on-goingcommitment to offer students, educators, and adults solideducational and developmental opportunities, the Education

Extension and International Student Exchange Programme offernumerous academic, athletic, arts, cultural, and foundational skilldevelopment programmes throughout the year.

This area of the SMUS community has been in operation for the pastfive years. Each year, it has endeavored to expand its programme offeringsto meet the needs and wants of the community, while also extendingopportunities to new students and families to visit and experience theSMUS campus.

Programmes are offered under eight specific streams:• Workshops• Challenge Day Programmes• ISPY (International Summer Programmes for Youth)• Headstart Programmes• Summer High School Credit / Non-credit Programmes• International Student Exchanges and Travel Programmes• Summer Educators’ Institute• SMUS On-Line Travel

Within these streams, some of the programmes offered are:• Drivers Education• Foodsafe Level 1 Certification• Golf Programmes• Spring Break Day Camps• SAT Preparation Course• Squirrel Point of Sale Certification• Super Host Certification• Christmas Holidays Day Camps• Grade 10 Tutor Programme – Provincial Exam Preparation• Summer High School Credit Programme – Musical Theatre, Business

School Programmes• International Student Exchanges – Japan, Australia, Germany,

New Zealand, or Mexico• Educators’ Geotechnology Programme• SMUS On-line Travel – student, family, and alumni travel booking

and travel specials

This summer we are excited about the launch of the SMUS School ofBusiness, which will offer four high school credit programmes and onenon-credit course for Middle School students. Over the coming year,plans for additional programmes will focus on the Alumni Association,adult education courses, and expanded offerings under the StudentExchange and Challenge programmes.

For further information, please contact Mr. Lindsay Thierry at (250) 370-6117 or edextension@smus.bc.ca or visit the school websiteat www.smus.bc.ca/campus/extension.htm.

BREAK FROM SCHOOL does not have to mean a break fromlearning. In fact, whether students want to tacklesomething new and exciting, gain additional high School

credits, or get a head start on next year, SMUS Education ExtensionProgrammes will again be offering plenty of ways young people cankeep their minds active all summer. The programmes offered arebased on an academic or developmental foundation and arepresented in a fun and relaxed environment.

The Summer High School Credit Programme will offer fournew summer high school credit courses under the SMUS School ofBusiness (Law 12, Business Communications 10, Marketing 10, andEntrepreneurship and Economics 10) to support summer MusicalTheatre 10, now in its fifth year.

The theme for this year’s Summer Challenge Day Programme,for students aged 5-12, is ‘Rise2 the Challenge’. Fifteen NEWsessions are available, from sports programmes, drama camps, Spy Camps, to Weird and Wacky Science. Participants will benefitfrom the academic and developmental overview embedded withineach fun programme.

The Headstart Programmes extend an opportunity to Middle andHigh School students to kick-start their school year in the last twoweeks of August. Numerous half-day programmes are available in theareas of Developmental Writing, Introduction to AP Calculus and APPhysics, Introduction to Grade 12 Mathematics, Study Skills, andSports Conditioning.

These programmes are also a way to introduce local andinternational families to the SMUS campus and community. Allprogrammes offered during the summer and throughout the year areopen to all applicants.

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Our doors are open to anybody

who is looking for fun, exciting, and

challenging programmes.

SUMMERTIME AT SMUS

See you this summer.

15e d u c a t i o n e x t e n s i o n

ACH YEAR, SMUS offers numerous exchange and travelopportunities to students. This is a wonderful chance to learnmore about language and culture through a full immersion

situation. Most of the travel opportunities include a homestay component.In 2005-2006, we will be offering the following programmes to

students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Note that grade restrictions may apply.

Japan• Tokyo - Open to grade 10 and 11 girls wishing to attend Tooyoko

Gakuen Senior High School for four weeks; this exchange programmehas Tooyoko students visiting SMUS in October and SMUS studentsvisiting Japan in November.

• Fukuoka - This full-year programme for grade 10 is offered throughFukuoka Daiichi High School. Students from Canada, the US, andAustralia are invited to attend the school under the TsuzukiInternational Scholarship Programme and as part of the Departmentof International Education. For the past five years, one or two SMUSstudents have been offered full scholarships through this programme.

• Osaka - This is a 3-week co-ed academic programme for grades 9 to 11where students live in homestay and attend classes at Otemon High School.

Australia• Melbourne (Girls) - Students will attend Ruyton Girls School. This

6-week programme for grade 10s runs in conjunction with TrinityGrammar Boys School. Two female students from Melbourne will visitSMUS from September to October. They will stay with the SMUSstudent who will be visiting their school February to March. In order toreduce the time away from school, the SMUS student’s portion isscheduled over the Spring break time period.

• Melbourne (Boys) - Students attend Trinity Grammar Boys School.This 6-week programme for grade 10s runs in conjunction withRuyton Girls School. Two male students from Melbourne will visitSMUS from September to October. They will stay with the SMUSstudent who will be visiting their school February to March. In orderto reduce the time away from school, the SMUS student’s portion isscheduled over the Spring break time period.

New ZealandOpen to girls in grade 10 and 11 for a 6-week reciprocal exchange toCorran School for Girls in Auckland, NZ.

OttawaThree-week reciprocal programme for grade 10 students at Ashbury College.

MexicoThree-week reciprocal programme for grades 9 to 11 at Tec-de-Monterrey inMonterrey, MX.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

SMUS Education ExtensionOpens School of Business

This summer, the Education Extension Department will belaunching the SMUS School of Business. This exciting opportunitywill allow students to obtain high school credits in the areas of Law 12, Business Communication Skills 10, Marketing 10, andEntrepreneurship and Economics 10. All courses are designedaround a theory and experiential component with opportunities forstudents to meet and interact in roundtable discussions withprofessionals from the world of business, law, finance, andgovernment. Classes are limited to 15 students.

These courses are open to both local and international participants. (A residential programme is available.)

Travel OpportunitiesInternational Student Exchange

Please register early!These programmes depend on prompt student registration. Theseare wonderful learning opportunities, geared toward providingenriched and rewarding educational experiences.

Summer in Spain

This 4-week, co-ed Spanish language, culture, and activityprogramme is open to beginner and advanced level students.Located in Costa del Sol in the south of Spain, participants will joinothers from 32 countries in a residential situation. Adult and juniorprogramme also available.

Summer in France

This 4-week, co-ed French language, culture, and activityprogramme is open to beginner and advanced level students.Located in Biarritz, France, participants will join others from 32countries in a residential (or homestay) situation. Adult and juniorprogramme also available.

Cultural Trips

Offered during Spring Break 2006

Exchange Programmes

Galapagos IslandsTwo weeks for grades 10, 11, 12

MexicoTwo weeks for grades 10, 11, 12

FranceTwo weeks for grades 10, 11

JapanTwo weeks for grades 10, 11, 12

The Opening of John & Anne Schaffter HallCertainly something to celebrate

OVEMBER 19, 2004marked the schoolcelebration and official

opening of the John & AnneSchaffter Hall for Music, thenewest building to open oncampus. This building is totallydevoted to the study of music. Along time coming and somehowexceeding the hopes and dreams ofthe members of the musicdepartment, the new facility boastswonderfully spacious teachingclassrooms, individual sound-sensitive practice rooms, instrumentstorage, and two congregationalgallery spaces – full of light, glass,and comfortable furniture. Thisnew facility ushers in the next era ofmusic education at SMUS and anew level of excellence!

High angled beams, natural wood,light, colours and fibres, and an environment that is bothcomfortable and conducive to thecreative art of music-making –certainly something to celebrate! A commemorative video was shotinside Schaffter Hall and is available for viewing on theschool’s website – one quick clickand you’re there! It encapsulates thehistory, trials, and tribulations ofthe building process and gives youan opportunity to view classes insession in this remarkable facility.

Elizabeth Humphries (grade 12)and Ariel Winkelmeyer (grade 11)make music together at theSchaffter Hall opening night festivities.

Past Headmaster John Schaffter (1977–1988) gave a moving address at the opening ceremony – hiswords reflected his passion and vision for the school as well as his many connections with people– both past and present. He spoke eloquently of the rich history of music study at SMUS. Picture atright: Past Headmaster John Schaffter and his wife, Anne.

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Students change classes mid-morning at the Richmond Road campus.The brick building on the left is the Copeland Lecture Theatre; it is part of the CrothallCentre for Humanities and the Arts complex (2003). The building tucked in the centre is thenew John & Anne Schaffter Hall for Music (2004). On the far right is the old ChallonerBuilding, built in 1911 and added to in 1963-64.

b o a r d o f g o v e r n o r s18

N BEHALF OF THE BOARD, I’d like to communicate toalumni, parents, and friends of the school on our work sincethe last instalment of School Ties. In all respects, the school is

thriving. Academically, our graduates had one of the highest averageprovincial exam results the school has ever achieved – the class was awardeda total of $975,000 in scholarships to attend first-year university. On theenrolment front, our admissions numbers remain very strong, both amongday students and boarders, so that we, in fact, have exceeded our budgetnumbers: the school is more than full, with a healthy “wait pool.”

Among the highlights of the past year and a halfhave been the opening of three significantbuildings. The first was the Crothall Centre inSeptember of 2003 – a 55,000 square foot buildingfor Humanities and the Arts, complete withunderground parking – the gift of the family ofGraeme Crothall. The second building we openedin November 2004 was John and Anne SchaffterHall, a music centre with three spacious andacoustically designed rooms for orchestra, band,and choir, with an additional classroom. The thirdbuilding was the new gymnasium extension of the William MonkmanAthletic Complex. In the near future, we intend to address renovations tothe residences and to School House.

Strategic Planning makes up the bulk of the Board’s work and theStrategic Plan sets the direction for the school. The current Strategic Planwas developed in 1999 after the adoption of the School’s Mission in theprevious year. This plan involved analysis of both the school’s internalconditions and external conditions in the marketplace, along withextensive consultation with the school community. Consistent with goodgovernance and planning practices, the Board is focusing its attention onupdating the Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan comprises three main components: the school’sVision, Mission, and Strategic Priorities.

The first component of the Strategic Plan is the Vision of the school.Our Vision has been with us for some time, and represents where theschool would like to arrive at some time in the future. The Vision thathas been guiding us is: To be one of the foremost schools in Canada; to beconsidered among the foremost schools in the world.

This Vision implies that, in order to set the school’s direction for thefuture, we have to look at the practices of the best schools and select thosethat make the best sense for our school. It addresses the place of theschool as it serves local day students who will be pursuing higher learningalong with other students elsewhere in Canada, and it addresses the placeof the school as it serves the families of boarding students who have amore international outlook and who could consider boarding schoolsanywhere in the world. This Vision continues to guide us as we moveinto the future.

The second component of the Strategic Plan, the school’s Mission, is elaborated in a number of places and is a frequent topic of talks by the Head of School. The Mission emerged from discussions andquestionnaires in 1998 and 1999. It contains five key elements:excellence, passion and compassion, community, truth and goodness, and preparation for higher learning and for life. Readers who wish to see a more elaborate explanation of the Mission should visit the school’s website.

Updating Our Plan for the Future– Stephen R. Martin, Chair of the Board of Governors

O The third component of the Strategic Plan consists of the StrategicPriorities. The Strategic Plan of 1999 outlined nine Strategic Priorities,and these priorities have led to the school our students now enjoy. Itplaced high priority on excellent teaching, on the education of the wholestudent, and on an exciting and coherent academic programme. It has ledto the increased soundness of the school’s annual budget and tosignificant progress in the redevelopment of facilities that were seismicallyunsound or structurally inadequate. This includes the construction of theCrothall Centre and the new Schaffter Hall and gymnasium expansion –

Phase I of the Monkman Athletic Complex, allmentioned previously. A summary of the currentStrategic Priorities may be found in the 2004Annual Report.

The Board began updating the school’s StrategicPlan at the Board retreat at the end of October2004. We took stock of the school’s progress overthe past five years, reviewed the school’s strategicpriorities, and began to identify how the strategicpriorities might be modified or shifted to ensurethat they enable the school to fulfill its Mission and

achieve its Vision. At the retreat, the Board charged the StrategicPlanning Committee with defining a process to move the plan forward.

The Strategic Planning Committee developed a process to engage theappropriate standing committees of the Board and the ManagementTeam in working groups to undertake further work on the StrategicPriorities. Work on the Strategic Priorities commenced in December. InMay, all Board members will participate in a planning session to reviewthe draft priorities and plans of each of the working groups. The next stepwill then be to hold a facilitated session in late May to include a group ofparents and alumni to obtain further input to the draft Strategic Plan.The Strategic Planning Committee will then finalize the plan for approvalby the Board at the September Board meeting and the approved StrategicPlan will be presented to Society Members at the AGM in October 2005.

Finally, I must highlight the School’s Centennial, which will becelebrated in the school year 2005-06. A separate committee, under theleadership of Board member and alumnus David Angus (US 62) will beplanning and co-coordinating events, including a Gala Celebration inOctober, a Speakers’ Series, athletic events, and a Centennial Weekend inthe spring of 2006. These events are elaborated elsewhere in School Ties.Please mark the dates on the calendar, and join with us all in celebrating ahundred years of pursuing excellence.

OUR VISION

To be one of the foremostschools in Canada; to be

considered among theforemost schools

in the world.

Alumni Association - Future Plans- Mel Reeves, President SMUS Alumni Association

At the Alumni AGM on Saturday, May 7, 2005, a new Constitutionand By-Laws will be presented for approval. This will update the Association, ensure regulatory compliance, and provide for a 12-person Board with four people elected each year for three-yearterms, subject to a transition period.

Following the election, the Executive will be appointed by the Board.

o n e h u n d r e d y e a r s 19

One Hundred Years on the Horizon– David Angus (US 62), Centenary Chair

EGINNING IN OCTOBER 2004, the Centenary Committeehas been meeting to plan the activities to celebrate the OneHundredth Birthday of SMUS. The activities will celebrate

all aspects of school life for alumni of University School, St. Michael’sSchool and St. Michaels University School, and also for the Junior,Middle, and Senior schools.

St. Michaels University School (since 1971) was created by theamalgamation of University School (since 1906) and St. Michael’sSchool (since 1910), and so in September 2005, we will begin the one-hundredth year of great school history and traditions. Interestingly, thelocal municipalities of Oak Bay (location of the Junior School) andSaanich (location of the Middle and Senior Schools) will also becelebrating their one-hundredth birthdays.

The celebration activities continue to be developed. The followinglist is just a taste of what is to come!

Centenary Black Tie Gala Dinner & Dance – October 28, 2005A fundraising event to be held in the SMUS William MonkmanAthletic Complex

Centenary Lecture SeriesHeld throughout the 2005 – 2006 school year.A series of 4-6 lectures by prominent speakers will be presented to theSMUS community. These will also be open to the public.

SMUS School History ProjectHeld throughout the 2005 – 2006 school year.This programme will teach and reawaken students, parents, andalumni to the basic institutional history and traditions of SMUS.

SMUS Invitational Sports Festival – April 2006A weeklong Athletic Invitational Tournament of Senior Girls FieldHockey and Senior Boys Rugby. SMUS teams will play invitationalteams from public and independent schools in British Columbia andfrom schools in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Regional Alumni Centenary DinnersHeld throughout the 2005 – 2006 school year. Currently planned forToronto, New York, London, England, and Hong Kong.

SMUS – One Hundred Years of HistoryThis book is being written by historian Ian Mugridge and will beavailable in September 2006.

SMUS Centenary Homecoming Weekend:May 10-14, 2006The finale to the year of Centennial Celebrations!This expanded weekend will include traditional class reunions,Chapel services, and girls and boys athletic events.

Additional activities will include:• Centenary Golf Tournament• International Food Fair• Art Exhibitions• Music and Drama performances• Fireworks and other dramatic events

A special men’s professional rugby game between the “SMUS Selects”and the “Rugby Canada National Team” is being planned forSaturday afternoon at the school.

It is the hope of the worldwide SMUS community that the CentenaryHomecoming Weekend will attract 1000+ alumni as well as theirfamilies and friends to the school.

May 10 – 14, 2006 is the Date3400 Richmond Road – Victoria, BC is the Place

Start Planning Now!Be Part of this Exciting Picture!

Vivat!

The fall 2004 issue of School Ties contained a short article about theprojected centennial history of the school to be published in the fallof 2006. Ian Mugridge, the author has received some – not enoughfor them to be described as ‘many’! – useful and interestingcommunications from alumni of St. Michael’s and University Schoolas well as SMUS. Much more information is needed to help fill outthe written records of the schools; the reminiscences of alumni,teachers and others will constitute a major part of the book’s contents.

Those who are willing to pass on their recollections, good or bad, oftheir days at one of the schools, comments about the school or aboutindividuals or events that they recall should do so, if possible, beforethe end of April, 2005. Contact Ian Mugridge: 8913 Mowat Street,PO Box 434, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R7. Fax: (604) 888-3719,email: imugridge@shaw.ca.

Your help is needed!

Pass it On! Centennial History of St. Michaels University School

Pssssstt…..

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s c h o o l s u p p o r t20

UR SCHOOL COMMUNITY includes a rich composition ofinternational students and their families, representing manydifferent countries and cultures from around the world. For three

years, the Parents’ Auxiliary has been working toward improving the tiesbetween boarding students and local day students and their familiesthrough the “Boarders without Borders” programme. Once or twice a year,on a specified weekend, day families invite boarding students to theirhomes for an evening meal. The benefits are tremendous. Day families gaininsight into different cultures, customs, and the boarding schoolenvironment, while boarding students experience the joy of having a home-cooked meal in the comfort of a Canadian home. Many lasting friendshipshave developed through this initiative.

To help boarding families ensure that their boarding student feels lovedand remembered during the school year, the Parents’ Auxiliary offersmonthly “Piece of Home” themed gift baskets for boarding students. Inaddition, the Parents’ Auxiliary provides a “Cake Service” so that boardingstudents may celebrate birthdays with their friends while away from home.Seventy-five per cent of the profits from both of these services go back tothe boarding community to be used at the discretion of the Director ofResidence and the house parents.

Communication with boarding families occurs via the Parents’ AuxiliaryNewsletter (published every two months), emails, and occasional articleswritten for the Boarding Newsletter, which are translated into differentlanguages. Boarding families are encouraged to participate in the Auxiliary’sannual Allocations process by completing and returning the AllocationsSurvey form and submitting Funding Request forms if they identify afunding need at SMUS.

“Boarders without Borders,” “Piece of Home,” “Cake Service,”Communications, Allocations – these opportunities and services are a fewof the threads that weave the Parents’ Auxiliary into the larger global fabricof the SMUS community.

– Jane Effa, President, SMUS Parents’ Auxiliary

Opening Our Doors“Parents working together to support excellence in education”

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INCE THE LAUNCH of the SMUS Alumni EmailDirectory in 2000, over 1,500 alumni have registeredon-line. We hope our users have found this service

useful and informative. For those of you who still haven’tregistered, we encourage you to do so.

S

You can submit an Alumni Update and photograph to be includedin School Ties magazine through the email directory. We lookforward to hearing from you!

How to Register or Update Your AlumniEmail AddressPlease visit our website (www.smus.bc.ca) and click onAdvancement/Alumni, and from there click on ‘Alumni EmailDirectory’.

Once your registration is activated, with this free service youcan search for your contemporaries by year, name, orgeographical branch. You can also choose to add your ownbiographical information and even upload a photo of yourself orfamily. In addition, there is a “class notes” option where you canpost interesting tidbits of information regarding you, yourfamily, or other alumni you have seen in your travels.

Are You Connected?www.smus.bc.ca

Boarding students celebrate their birthdays with a special birthday cake,arranged through the Parents’ Auxiliary “Cake Service.”

THE ANDREW MIDDLETON

MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT FUND

We remember Andrew Middleton, a graduate from 1995, who diedin a tragic car accident in August 2000. With what would have beenAndrew’s upcoming Ten-Year Reunion, please consider contributingto The Andrew Middleton Memorial Endowment Fund, establishedto honour the memory of this exceptional young man. Proceedsfrom this named endowment will help make it possible for brightyoung men and women to attend our great school, who otherwisewould be unable to do so. Support for this important fund is greatly appreciated. Please contact Melanie Hadfield atmhadfie2@smus.bc.ca for more information. Among many otherthings, Andrew was a talented photographer. Watch for a display ofhis work at the May Homecoming Weekend.

a d v a n c e m e n t 21

OR CLOSE TO A CENTURY,St. Michael’s School,University School, and St.

Michaels University School have hadenormous influence on the lives ofover 5,000 graduates. Excellentprogrammes in academics, the arts,athletics, and the outdoors havecombined with essential life skills toproduce the well-rounded citizens ofwhom we are exceptionally proud.

Like all truly exemplary schools,SMUS must rely on financial supportover and above tuition fees if it hopesto retain its high standards and itsreputation as one of Canada’s leadingeducational institutions. Whiletuition fees provide the foundation

for excellence by covering the school’s basic operating costs, fees accountfor approximately two-thirds of the total cost of educating a SMUS student.

The Annual Fund for Excellence is a key initiative in making up thecritical shortfall between tuition fees and the full cost of a SMUSeducation. It is the backbone of fundraising at SMUS.

Every gift to the Annual Fund for Excellence has an immediate impacton the educational experience of every SMUS student. There are fourmain areas to which you can designate your donation:

Headmaster’s DiscretionBy making a gift to the Headmaster’s Discretion, you provide the schoolwith the flexibility to meet the areas of greatest need across the Junior,Middle, and Senior campuses each year.

Student BursariesBursary contributions create opportunities for students to receive SMUSeducations that would otherwise be financially unavailable to them. Lastyear, the Annual Fund contributed $111,000 of the $334,000 awarded inbursaries to 66 SMUS students.

EndowmentA donation to the SMUS Endowment contributes to the growth of apermanently invested fund. The interest on this fund finances studentbursaries and awards as well as teacher excellence initiatives.

Opportunities for ExcellenceOur staff has identified items that will significantly enrich the educationalexperiences of all students across the Junior, Middle, and Seniorcampuses. By directing your gift to the items on this list, you areproviding immediate exceptional opportunities for our students to learn,achieve, and grow!

“Your support will have animmediate impact on oureducational experience. We willhave exceptional opportunitiesto learn, achieve, and grow. It’sour future. Thanks to you.”

Every gift to the Annual Fund for Excellence is acknowledged andappreciated. Donations to the SMUS Annual Fund are listed in theAnnual Report according to the following giving levels, except whererequests for anonymity are respectfully honoured:

I am pleased to support the 2004-2005 Annual Fund for Excellence withmy tax-deductible gift of $ __________________.

Donor name: ____________________________________________

Grad year (if applicable) _____ Email: __________________________

Donor address: ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________

City: _____________ Prov.: _____________ Country: ____________

Postal/Zip Code: ______________ Phone: ______________________

I wish to:

❏ make a single donation

❏ make a monthly donation of $ __________ per month

using the following donation method:

❏ Enclosed cheque (payable to SMUS Annual Fund)

❏ Visa or ❏ MasterCard

Credit Card Number: ______________________________________

Expiry Date: ______________________________________________

❏ Wire transfer (email: dray@smus.bc.ca for details)

❏ On-line banking (Canadian banks only)

Please direct my gift to:

❏ Headmaster’s Discretion (area of greatest need)

❏ Student Bursaries

❏ Endowment

❏ General

❏ Named ____________________________________________

❏ Item(s) from the “Opportunities for Excellence” list ______________

❏ Other ________________________________________________

❏ I/we wish to be listed in the Annual Report as: __________________

______________________________________________________

❏ Anonymous

Kindly make my tax receipt to: ________________________________

Please detach this form and return it to:St. Michaels University SchoolAdvancement Office3400 Richmond RoadVictoria, BC V8P 4P5

SMUS is a non-profit organization. Tax receipts are issued for all donations of $25 or more.Charitable Registration No. 1083 2988 RR001. The information you provide will be collected andmaintained by SMUS in order to facilitate communication and assist in our advancement efforts.

2004-2005 Annual Fund for Excellence

Friends up to $499Patrons $500-999Headmaster’s Circle $1,000-4,999Cornerstone $5,000-9,999

Bell Tower $10,000-14,999Founders’ Circle $15,000-19,999Vivat Society $20,000+

Your Opportunity to Support Excellence

25% 50% 75% 100%�

Annual Fund for Excellence 2004/2005� Current Total: $332,000 � Goal: $470,000

We’re at 71%

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by June 30

Secure on-line credit card donations can be made on the school’swebsite at www.smus.bc.ca. Just click on “Annual Fund On-lineGiving” on the SMUS menu.

If you would prefer to give your credit card information to theAdvancement Office personally, call us at (250) 370-6175.

Supporting excellence in education

at March 15

a r c h i v e s22

1964 Rugby Tour - A Trip of a Lifetime– Robert Wilson

ECENTLY, THE ARCHIVES RECEIVED ahandsome gift: three large framedphotographs and memorabilia of the

University School 1964 Rugby Tour to Englandand Wales. The donor, Hugh McGillivray (US1960-64), now a resident of Calgary, was one ofthose boys who enjoyed the amazing experienceof being on that tour. The Headmaster, J.J.Timmis organized the tour. Looking back onboth the rugby and the educational/socialevents, it really was the “trip of alifetime.” As a participant on thetour and someone who has beenin contact with quite a fewtourists over the last 40 years, thememories live on.

We had a good rugby XV in1964 and there was some keencompetition to be chosen for thetouring party of 20 players, asmall group by today’s standards,but in those days there was nosubstitution, and boys wanted toget as much playing time aspossible. Our opponents wereEton College, Stowe School, MillHill (London), Howardian HighSchool (Cardiff ) and HarrowSchool. The first four games werewins, and the final game atHarrow was a 5-0 defeat. At theHarrow game, we were exhausted,and a fixture mixup, whichchanged the date of the game from the finalThursday to Saturday, did not help. Apart froma fairly easy win at Eton, all the other gameswere close and the players acquitted themselvesvery well.

We received extremely good and generouscoverage in the British press who were impressedwith our play, and particularly that of ourCaptain: Gary Simonson of Seattle. Gary wasone of seven American boys in the party, andwith Neil Fraser from Argentina, we had a teamwith an international presence. Furthermore,out-of-province Canadian boys were: GordonTaylor from Whitehorse YT, Mark Drum andPatrick Stephenson from Alberta. The gameagainst Howardian School in Cardiff was playedon a Saturday morning so that the party couldthen go on to Cardiff Arms Park to watch Walesplay France. This in itself was a great rugbyexperience, played at a ground that had a truerugby and Welsh atmosphere. Indeed, our Welshfriends considered it the “Shrine of Rugby”!

The rugby games against the various schoolshad an added social attraction in that at Etonthe team was billeted overnight at what isarguably the most famous school in Britain; andafter the Mill Hill game were guests at a schooldinner and entertainment night. Even a day’straining at the Richmond/London Scottishground in London was yet another new rugbyexperience.

Added personal memories of the rugby tourinclude a wonderful try by Ken Scholefield on avery wet day at Stowe School. Ken raced about80 yards for his score and completed the last 70yards of it wearing only one boot, and later onlyone sock! At Mill Hill, scrum half Robin Barkerscored the game winning try in typical fashionfrom a scrum near our opponents goal line.

Winning four games out of five was a finerecord, and because team selection was made togive all participants at least two games, it is acredit to all 20 tour players rather than to theFirst XV. The so-called extras all gave a goodaccount of themselves. As has been shown onlater school tours to the UK and elsewhere, arugby tour is a golden opportunity for aschoolboy rugby player.

While rugby was our mission in 1964, therewas also the opportunity to “see the countryand enjoy the sights.” We did that in spades!Included on the itinerary was a trip to TilburyDocks where we met Prince Philip, a visit to

R Westminster where, in the House of Commons,we saw the legendary Sir Winston Churchill. InLondon’s West End we saw a fairly new musicalcalled “Oliver.” The Port of London Authoritytook us on a tour of the River Thames. Some ofus went to an Easter Service at St. Paul’sCathedral and we watched the OxfordCambridge Boat Race from the Brewery atMortlake. After the Eton game we enjoyed a tourof nearby Windsor Castle, and en route to Stowe

we were guests for lunch at BalliolCollege, Oxford, Mr. Timmis’s oldcollege. Perhaps the fullest day wasthe final Saturday, for after the BoatRace and the Harrow game. Theevening was spent in London’s FleetStreet to watch preparation of thefollowing day’s edition of “TheSunday Times.”

We were guests in London at BCHouse, Canada House, the UnitedStates Embassy, and at the MansionHouse, where we met the LordMayor of the City of London. Withthe rugby tour of England and Walescompleted, it was time to return toVictoria, but a two-day stopover hadbeen arranged in New York City,where we toured the city, visited theUnited Nations and were guests atthe Fifth Avenue home of EnglishSpeaking Union Director, Mrs. H.O.Milliken.

Since 1964, the UK Rugby Tour has been afavourite topic of conversation wherever two ormore participants meet. It was only on laterreflection that I personally realized how muchwe had seen and done in so short a time. Itreally was the trip of a lifetime and this articlecannot be complete without specific mention ofHeadmaster J.J. Timmis, who arranged it alland lived it all to the full. He was an energeticand enterprising man who liked to do things instyle. The success of the 1964 University SchoolRugby Tour is a tribute to him; and as the FirstXV coach and a member of the party, I alsosalute those young men who were fortunateenough to enjoy the experience.

NB: Sadly, three members of the team havepassed away: Gordon Taylor, Tom Seeger, andTooey Meyer. J.J. Timmis died in 1970, a shortthree months into retirement after 22 years asHeadmaster of University School.

The team, as seen (l-r) on the accompanying photo: Neil Fraser, Matt Kelly, EricKjekstad, Tom “Mack” Inglis, Tooey Meyer, Hugh McGillivray, Mark Drum, CamCrofton, Don Macdonald, Lin Bell, Chuck Lenfesty, Tom Seeger, Gordon Taylor,Gary Simonson, Patrick Stephenson, Ken Scholefield, Chuck Holm, RobinBarker, Sandy Hunter, Peter Wilde, Mr. J.J.Timmis, Mr. Rob Wilson.

23a r c h i v e s

1962 Annual Cadet Inspection by Major-General J.M. Rockingham (SM circa1920s), Commander of the Western Division of the Canadian Army, who ismaking a presentation to Cadet Lieut. David Angus. David is now a memberof the SMUS Board. Boy Scout to the right is Tim Roberts (US 57-65), andthe old Harvey House is in the background. (Archive photo)

Archives: Project CadetROM 1908-1970, #170University School CadetCorps was an integral

part of school life, and between1920-23 the school operatedunder the title of “UniversityMilitary School.”

The SMUS Archives has in itscollection approximately 450photographs of Cadet Corpsactivities. These photographs have recently been researched,accessioned, cleaned, and housedby current parent and Archivesvolunteer, Diane Keighley. Thephotos are accessible should youwish to view them. Subjectsinclude Annual Inspections,Sunset Ceremonies, Drills, andPrize Days as well as photos ofsmaller groups such as officersand shooting teams.

OLD CODGERS UniteN 2001, five formerfaculty members of St.Michaels University

School got together at whatproved to be the inauguralmeeting of a group that came tobe known as the ‘Old Codgers’.Every couple of months, the groupmeets at one of the member’shomes for lunch and some happyreminiscing. Over the past fewyears the group has grown to overthirty and now their lunchtimegatherings are held on the schoolcampus in the Wenman Pavilion.

The Old Codgers at a Recent GatheringBack Row: Bob Richards, Rick Johnson, Stewart Dunlop, Chris Pollard, Rob Wilson, Jean Ives, Keith Murdoch Middle Row:Bill Greenwell, Penny Richards, David Peach, Lois Dimoff, Barbara Leonard, Sylvia Greenwell, Sunny Pollard, and LynfordSmith Front Row: Mel Jones, Gary Laidlaw, Jeremy Goodwin, Lynne Laidlaw, Joan Ruskowski and Mary Humphreys

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Talk of the “old days” is alwayson the agenda, but more oftenthan not, conversation leads tograndchildren, new projects, and most often, travels. Betweenthem, the hundreds of years that were contributed to the schoolby the ‘Old Codgers’ areundoubtedly the primary reasonthat St. Michaels University Schoolis now one of Canada’s pre-eminenteducational establishments. Thesefine educators have had significantinfluence on many hundreds ofthe alumni of St. Michaels

University School and theirsupport for the school remainsstrong.

All alumni will get the chanceto meet the ‘Old Codgers’ in May,2006 at the Centenary WeekendCelebrations. Start making yourplans with your former classmatesto be at the school for its 100thBirthday. A part of your visit willinclude the chance to ‘hello’ andgive a big ‘thank you’ to the ‘OldCodgers’.

Rugby Tours RememberedWhile the 1964 tour was the firstoverseas tour taken by a UniversitySchool team, there was a UK Tourin 1958, also arranged by J.J. Timmis. It was a combinedBritish Columbia IndependentSchool tour, which included anequal representation fromUniversity School, ShawniganLake School, and St. George’sSchool, Vancouver. Since 1964,University School and later SMUShave sent 15 tours overseas, mostof them to the British Isles, and in1981, a tour to Ontario.

A study of the schoolmagazines since 1964 have reportson the following rugby tours:1970 – England, Wales, Holland1973 – Colts (Senior and Junior)

tour: England and Wales1975 – England and Wales1978 – England and Wales1981 – Ontario1982 – England and Wales1984 – First XV and Under 15s

to Australia, New Zealand,and Fiji

1986 – England, Scotland, Wales1988 – First and Second teams –

Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan1990 – Ireland and Scotland1992 – England, Scotland, and

Wales1994 – First XV and Colts: UK

and Ireland1996 – England and Scotland1998 – Celtic Tour to Wales,

Ireland, and Scotland2000 – Wales and Scotland2003 – Ireland and Scotland

Memorabilia from the trip of a lifetime!

a l u m n i n e w s24

Alumni Receptions in Vancouver and Seattle

Two alumni who both make their living in show business had time to comparenotes. On the left is Chris Molineux (who left in SMUS 80 to live in England).He is a stand-up comedian who also teaches the art of comedy. ChrisMavrikos (SMUS 97) is an actor and singer based in Vancouver.

Stephen Barrett (SMUS 86) chats with Rob Wilson at the very successfulVancouver Reception, which was attended by about sixty Alumni.

Marcus Bell, Judith Swan (both SMUS 85), Valdine (Swan) Flores (SMUS86), Warren Pears, Michael Bell, and Blair King (all SMUS 85) enjoyed thepleasant company at the reception held on January 27, 2005.

Dan Duke (SMUS 88) and Tom Rigos (US 61) at the WAC. Tom is a currentmember of the SMUS Board of Governors and he and Dan are both formerFirst XV Rugby captains.

Jim Rigos (US 60) and Dr. John Finch (US 63) shared many old memoriesof University School at a reception at the Washington Athletic Club.

John Locke (SMUS 85) and his wife, Jill, at the Seattle Alumni Reception inNovember 2004.

Headmaster Bob Snowden and his wife, Joan, enjoy a visit with ChrisMavrikos (SMUS 97) at the Vancouver Reception in late January 2005.

Bion Dolman (SMUS 87), Melanie Hadfield (SMUS 87), Blair King (SMUS85), and Warren Pears (SMUS 85) were part of the strong 1980’s presenceat the Vancouver Reception.

Alumni Studying in JapanT’S GREAT WHEN former students return to St. MichaelsUniversity School to visit. This year, Tristan Spearing (SMUS 02)returned and met with his former Japanese instructor, Toshie

Thumm. Tristan is studying at Asian Pacific University in Beppu, Japan.In addition, graduates Alex Miller (SMUS 00) and Shawn Tucknott(SMUS 01) are studying at APU. 2004 graduate Robyn Plaster justfinished her one-year study there.

Tristan, Alex, Shawn, and Robyn began their Japanese language studiesat SMUS; it’s great to see them continue after graduation. Hopefully, theirstudy of the Japanese language will help them personally and professionallyin their futures. Knowledge of other languages and cultures has becomeincreasingly relevant, given the current global trend toward internationalexchange. We wish these students every success in the future and thankthem for staying in touch. Good luck Tristan, Alex, Shawn, and Robyn!

a l u m n i n e w s 25

Alumni Homecoming 2005Schedule of Events

SMUS staff and student alumni met at a Twickenham Clubhouse luncheonbefore the England vs Canada International Game in November 2004. In thisphoto (l-r): Mike Walsh, long-serving teacher, coach, housemaster, and rolemodel; David Clarke (past SMUS Faculty); Barnabas Clarke (SMUS 88);Tye Spicer (SMUS 98); Gareth Rees (SMUS 85); Past Director of SMUSDevelopment Christopher Spicer (US 70). A superb time was had by all!

FRIDAY, MAY 6, 20054:30 - 6:00 pm – Headmaster hosts Wine and Cheese Welcome in

the new Schaffter Hall for Music. Facility tours. All Alumni welcome

6:00 pm onwards – ‘Special Years’ gatherings at various locationsClasses of ’65 and earlier at Reynolds House (Headmaster’sResidence)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 200510:30 am to 2:30 pm – Homecoming Registration in the Quad

Archives Display in School House. Come take a walk downmemory lane.

10:30 - 11:30 am – Alumni Brunch with SMUS Grad Class of2005 in Brown Hall

11:30 am – Alumni/Grads Chapel Service (Guest speaker - Mel Reeves ’70, President of the SMUS Alumni Association)Presentation of “Grad Bears” as Grads 2005 leave Chapel

12:15 pm – Alumni Association Annual General Meeting inCopeland Lecture Theatre

1:00 pm – Billy G. Basketball Classic in the new Monkman Gym(All Alumni welcome to play or watch)

1:45 pm – Girls’ Soccer vs. Brentwood2:30 pm – First XV vs. Oak Bay High School4:00 pm – Social Hour5:00 pm – Barbeque, marquee on the field

SUNDAY, MAY 8, 200510:30 am – Alumni vs. School Cricket Match. For information,

contact Jim Wenman at jim_wenman@canaccord.com.

Tristan Spearing (SMUS 02), here visiting with Senior School Japaneseteacher Toshie Thumm, dropped by the school in early February. He’scurrently studying Business and Japanese at the Asia Pacific University inOita, Japan. One of his classmates there is Robyn Plasterer (SMUS 04).

Ticket information for the Saturday morning brunch and BBQwill be available on the school’s website www.smus.bc.ca.

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Alumni

Homecoming 2005

Saturday, May 7th

Social Hour 4:00 pm

BBQ dinner 5:00 pm

(Steak, Salmon, Chicken)

Entertainment by:

SMUS Jazz Trio - Mosaic

Excerpts from Les Misérables

$25 per person

Dress: Casual

Location: Marquee on field

Alumni Homecoming 2005

Saturday, May 7th

Alumni Brunch(with Class of 2005)

Time: 10:30 - 11:30 am

$10 per personLocation: Brown Hall

Contact Donna Ray for tickets (250) 370-6175 or dray@smus.bc.ca

England vs. Canada at Twickenham

f o c u s o n a l u m n i26

N SEPTEMBER 1958, my first year at University School, I was formmaster of a Grade 10 class, and one of the students was a cheerfuland popular young man from Seattle: Herb Watson (US 61).

During that year, Herb made some good academic progress, and aftersuccessful completion of his grade 12 university entrance requirements in1961, he stayed on to take a grade 13 year. Herb had a good career atUniversity School: House Prefect, President of Debating, Librarian, and amember of the Chapel Committee during the building years. He became aLieutenant in the Cadet Corps and made the Indoor Shooting Team. Whilehe did not possess a “rugby football physique,” he was captain of the FourthXV. In 1962, he was well-poised forhis college career in the UnitedStates, and went on to earn a BAfrom the University of Puget Sound,an MEd from Eastern WashingtonUniversity, and his Doctorate, aPhD in Psychology, from OregonState University.

The PhD “dissertation year” wasa watershed in Herb’s life – he hadcompleted his education, but alsoreceived the chilling news that hewas suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Faced with this daunting healthchallenge at the age of 27, Herb, in his own words, “hunkered down and gotprepared for the future.” For the next seven years he worked in Portland,Oregon, at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. During theseyears the physical challenge also hampered his golf game. Herb loved golf andhad worked his way down to an impressive 4 handicap; but, eventually andsadly, he had to give up the game.

Herb’s next venture was in Spokane, Washington, where he went intoprivate practice as a counsellor. He built a home, took up sailing on LakeCoeur d’Alene, but gradually the MS was such that he was physically unableto work at what had become a very good practice. He became a student atRHEMA Bible Training Centre and continued with a little counselling beforemoving to his present home at Lake Chapala, Mexico, where the climate isequable and pleasant for his needs. Herb’s Christian faith holds him in goodstead and he still endeavours to integrate religion and psychology to help thosein need of counsel. He is also willing to impart a little golf counsel too! He getsas much out of life as his infirmity will allow.

Herb’s life is a constant struggle, and he writes that: “the MultipleSclerosis will not let me alone. I cannot afford to embrace it. It would engulfme and I don’t know what would happen. I have to keep going, keepfighting, and keep struggling. Who knows, that maybe it will get tired ofharassing me and go away?” These are moving words from a positive andcourageous man.

A couple of phone calls with Herb have been an amazing experience as wetalked of the “palmy” days of the late 50s and early 60s. There was mentionof good times, enquiries about old school friends, and of Herb’s appreciationof his five years here. He holds a lot of fine memories of University School.

Herb Watson has exactly the right temperament for his chosen field as anEducational Psychologist and Counsellor, and it is ironic that health hasprevented him from developing his professional career to the full. Thosewho have benefited from his counsel must have been impressed by hischeerful and positive approach to life. And by his remarkable courage!

For old friends who would like to re-connect with Herb, he can bereached at watson@laguna.com.mx.

N HER OWN WORDS: “My ancient history is that I graduatedfrom McGill in 1990, travelled in Europe for a while, lived inVancouver till 1996, then came to New York to get a graduate

creative writing degree at New York University. While writing andpublishing poetry, I've worked at every job imaginable: I've been a waitress,a tree planter, a letter carrier, an artist’s assistant, an editorial assistant, awomen’s shelter coordinator, the publicity director for an art gallery, thedirector of English language arts for an online test preparation company, awriting instructor, a freelance editor, and a writer. At the moment, I teach

yoga in Brooklyn and work as an editor atBedford/St. Martins Press in Manhattan.

Creatively, I've been published a lotover the last ten years. Most notably, mywork was included in Breathing Fire:Canada’s New Poets (Harbour Publishing),1995; I was a semi-finalist in TheNation/Discovery Awards, NYC, 2000,and a finalist for ARC Magazine’s Poem ofthe Year award, Toronto, 2002.

In 1994 and 1998 I was awardedCanada Council grants for poetryprojects. My work has been published inCanadian and American poetry journalssuch as Painted Bride Quarterly, The

Brooklyn Rail, McSweeneys.net, CortlandReview.com, Ducts.com,LaPetiteZine.com, Drunkenboat.com, Matrix, Fireweed, Grain, Dandelion,Fiddlehead, Antigonish Review, Contemporary Verse 2, SubTerrain, and GeistMagazine (nonfiction).

From 2001-2004, I ran a poetry reading series in Brooklyn calledWaxpoetic (www.waxpoetic.org) which featured well-known and beginningpoets, and capitalized on the community of writers and artists in myneighbourhood (Williamsburg). I discovered that I was good at bringingpeople together, so I organized a panel for the 2004 Associated WritingProgrammes (AWP) conference in Chicago about poetry communitiesoutside of academia. I asked poets and organizers from Brooklyn,Manhattan, Toronto, and Montreal to talk about their various poetryendeavours – it’s impressive to hear what events people create out of love forpoetry and a desire to see it out in the world. I’ll be at AWP again this year(in Vancouver – first time in Canada) with the educational publisher I workfor, Bedford/St. Martin’s, as they are expanding into creative writing, andbecause I’m working on a poetry anthology for community college teachers.

When I'm not working, practising yoga, or teaching yoga, I do whateveryone else in New York does: run around to films, readings, openings,museums, and dinner parties (sometimes my own), trying to stay in touchwith friends and what’s going on in this exciting and exhausting city.However, my latest obsession is with Brazil, where I travelled in the fall of2004, after taking a month of Portuguese classes and samba classes. I fell inlove with Salvador de Bahia – all the dancing, socializing, love of good talkand poetry, and joie de vivre inspired me to interview a local poet there. Iam translating some of his poetry into English and plan to go back to Brazilin 2005.”

Joelle visited the school on February 14, 2005 and shared some of her workswith the Writing 12 students. She also presented a reading in the evening in theCopeland Lecture Theatre.

Focus on AlumniJoelle Hann – writing in New York

Dr. Herb Watson: Courage Personified– by Robert Wilson

II

Dr. Herb Watson (US 57-62)Writer and SMUS alumnusJoelle Hann (SMUS 86) gavean inspiring address to writingstudents on Valentines Day.

a l u m n i u p d a t e s 27

GEOFFREY CRAVEN (US 49)has retired and returned toVictoria after 30 years in theCanadian Forces, eight years in theFederal Public Service, and tenyears consulting. Geoff is marriedto Margaret (Peggy) and they havefour children. Among Geoff ’smemorable moments at UniversitySchool: Rugby, boxing, track...andReg Wenman!

TIM YARYAN (US 63) emailedthis note: “To update my currentstatus and whereabouts, my wifeMary of 36 years and I (and ourtwo dogs) currently reside in GoldRiver, California. Among otherthings, Mary and I are avidSacramento Kings fans, and wealways enjoy it when SMUS alumand now Phoenix Sun Steve Nashcomes to town.

I opened my Law Office inSacramento in 1988 and specializein Legislative Advocacy andGovernment Relations. I spendmost of my time walking the hallsof the State Capitol, cajoling andtwisting the arms of electedofficials, from the “Governator” ondown. My clients include over25,000 peace officers, includingthe Los Angeles Police Department,the Los Angeles SheriffsDepartment, and several other lawenforcement groups. I alsorepresent a number of tradeassociations, including the WesternPropane Gas Association, theCalifornia Public ParkingAssociation, and the CaliforniaAutomotive Dismantlers.

Alumni Updates

It’s been far too long since I’vevisited SMUS. Over the years, I’vestayed in loose contact with alumsChris Collins (US 63) and BobKelley (US 65), as well asdistinguished former UniversitySchool staff Rob Wilson and NickProwse. My rugby days are longsince over, but recently I competedin the California Senior Gamesand won a Silver Medal in thediscus. (I limped to the victorystand with a pulled hamstring,however, a reminder that my ‘saladdays’ are long since past!) Withretirement now coming soonerthan later, Mary and I hope torevisit the Old School soon andenjoy an Alumni Weekend.”

CHRIS MOLINEUX (SMUS 84)attended the Vancouver alumnireception in January and providedan update. After leaving SMUS,Chris attended Carres GrammarSchool in the UK and obtained aBA in Soviet History at UVic.While attending university, Chrisbegan working as a stand-upcomedian, and after graduation, hecontinued to pursue this as a

career. His comedy career has seenhim perform on Just for Laughsand share the stage with performerssuch as Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld,and Ellen deGeneres. Chris hasalso worked as a writer forElectronic Arts, has done voicework for cartoons such as InspectorGadget and Madeline, andtogether with his wife, Colleen,runs a cross-Canada comedyentertainment booking agency (seewww.happyfaceproductions.com)

In 1999, Chris began, also, towork as a teacher and a professionalspeaker. He does one-on-onecoaching in public speaking,conducts classes in stand-upcomedy at William Davis ActingCentre in Vancouver and has awide range of team-buildingworkshops that he conducts forcorporations, associations, etc. (seewww.laughlearnlead.com). He ismarried, has three children, andlives (extremely quietly) on BowenIsland, B.C.

J.R. JUSTESEN (SMUS 84) is aphysiotherapist and has recentlyreturned to Victoria after anexciting and unusual adventure. Afriend living in Libya hadsuggested that J.R. apply tobecome a physiotherapist to aprofessional soccer team playing in

the Libyan league. The team isowned by Saadi Khadaffi, son ofthe infamous Libyan leader. Saadi,addressed as “Engineer” by all whohave contact with him, also playsfor the team and was strugglingwith a foot injury.

During his stay with the Al-Ittihad Club, J.R. treated the“Engineer’s” injury and in doingso, travelled to a couple of world-famous soccer teams – Lazio inItaly and Bayern Munich inGermany. Although the experiencewas an unforgettable one, J.R. is happy to be back in hishometown to resume hisphysiotherapy career.

J.R. Justesen (SMUS 84) picturedhere with his younger son, Isaac.They are both looking very happybecause Isaac had just scored thewinning goal in his team’s LowerIsland Soccer Cup Final.

We receive email, snail mail, telephone calls, and visits – welove to hear from you! This is what gives us the stories to buildthis important section of School Ties. Please take a momentand tell us what you are doing. Keep in touch, and if you havea question about something at your old school, ask us. Themore we hear, the more we can pass on in this section.

We want your email address, so why not send us an email update right now! [lwinter@smus.bc.ca] or[cyorath@smus.bc.ca]

FROM THE ’60s

FROM THE ’80s

FROM THE ’40s

Chris Molineux (SMUS 84)

Dr. Andre Tan (SMUS 82) (R) in the photo with his former Senior Schoolmath instructor and current Old Codger, Bill Greenwell, outside theCopeland Lecture Theatre in January 2005. Dr. Tan is Head and AssociateProfessor in the Department of Otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) in theFaculty of Health Sciences at Queens University. With his vast knowledge ofthe university’s undergraduate curriculum, Dr. Tan was able to present aninspiring address that included a wide range of study options available tostudents wishing to pursue a career in medicine.

a l u m n i u p d a t e s28

ALFONSO CELIS (SMUS 85)visited the school last fall. He ismarried to Lilia and they have ason and a daughter: Alfonso (aged8) and Estele (aged 5). Alfonsoworks as a Director and BusinessAdministrator for a companycalled La Vega de Pas which isbased in Tehuacan, Mexico. Oneof his fondest memories of beingat SMUS (1979-81) was campingand outdoor trips with Ted Piete.

KENNETH OPPEL (SMUS 85),won a 2004 Governor General’sLiterary Award for his children’sbook Airborn. The judges in thisyear’s literary awards describedAirborn as “masterfully crafted” anda “feat of powerful imagination.”

“From cover to cover,” thejudges continued, “the reader is inthe hands of a superb writer.”Congratulations!

This is Kenneth’s twentiethbook and was published inCanada, the US, Great Britain,Australia, New Zealand, andGermany. For more information,visit the Airborn website:www.airborn.ca.

LARA DICKINSON (SMUS 87)writes: “My husband Greg and Iare celebrating the birth of ourgorgeous daughter Sage Aurora.We recently returned to beautifulBC to attend the distributedMedical programme (UBC) inVictoria. Yes, more school after agreat career in Speech-LanguagePathology. Can’t wait to explore

the trails, shores, and underwaterjungles of this great province!”

KURT VOLLMERHAUSE (SMUS87) sent us an update fromAustralia: “Our second son,Callum, was born on 2 July 2004in Brisbane, Queensland, so infact, he was born on Canada Day,North American time! The wholefamily is doing well. I am workingas a librarian at QueenslandUniversity of Technology, and havebeen involved in several interestingtechnical projects for the LibrarySystems group over the past yearor so.

My wife, Laura Hahn(originally from Toronto), is anenvironmental consultant and runs her own company, LoraxEnvironmental Services, from ourbase here in Toowong. Oscar, oureldest son, is almost 5 and isenjoying starting preschool,solving puzzles, drawing, andscreaming around the house likethat “fast boy” from TheIncredibles. Hello to all the alumnifrom ’87 as well...and hopefully wewill visit BC again in the not-too-distant future.”

COREY LARGE (SMUS 88-91)announces the release of his newfilm Window Theory, which willopen at the Cineplex OdeonTheatre in Victoria, on March 25.Corey’s former classmate (JeffGordon (SMUS 93) acted as

Associate Producer. Both Coreyand Jeff will be in Victoria for theopening. Corey was on the SMUSSenior Campus two summers agoto shoot scenes for Window Theory.He was written up in the Fall 2003issue of School Ties. Check out thetrailer for Window Theory atwww.windowtheory.com.

CHRIS HUTCHINSON (SMUS90) will be launching his first bookthis spring, a collection of poetry,Unfamiliar Weather. He will be inVictoria in May doing readings ofhis work. Chris won the 2003Earle Birney Prize for poetry. Hiswork has appeared in numerousjournals and anthologies acrossCanada, including Breathing Fire 2. Chris lives in Vancouver.

ANDREW KHOO (SMUS 90)earned his BA from UVic, followedby an MBA from Seattle PacificUniversity, and most recently alaw degree from CambridgeUniversity. He was called to theBar in the UK and worked asCorporate Affairs Director forLaura Ashley PLC. He is backliving in Victoria and is married toJennifer. They have one daughter,Kezia, born in 2002. Andrew isPresident of his own propertydevelopment company, CambridgeAlliance Developments Ltd.

CLAIRE (OSTICK) ABBOTT

(SMUS 91) earned her BFAdegree in Theatre in 1999 andfollowed that with her law degreefrom UVic in 2003. She iscurrently an Administrator in theFaculty of Law at UVic. Claire ismarried to Gary, and she has astepdaughter, Kelsey. Claire hasbeen selected to play for Canada’snational women’s cricket team – ashave eight other Victoria women –for a tournament in Jamaica thissummer.

MATTHEW PERCY (SMUS 92)has been living in Chicago since1997, where he originally moved topursue graduate studies in English

at the University of Chicago.However, after completing his MAin 1998, he decided that academiawasn’t for him, and he venturedforth into the business world. Mattworked as a strategy consultantand strategic planner for five years.In the summer of 2003, hemarried Jennifer and later that yearbegan the MBA programme at theKellogg School of Management atNorthwestern University. He willbe graduating in June, and willreturn to consulting (having justaccepted a position with DiamondCluster International, a technologystrategy firm based in Chicago).

If any SMUS alums areinterested in pursuing an MBA at a US school (or Kellogg inparticular), Matt would be morethan happy to share his experienceswith them. His email address:mpercy2005@kellogg.northwestern.edu

GARGEE GHOSH (SMUS 93)wrote to us in January: “In theSpring of 2003, I left London andMcKinsey and moved back to theUS. I have been living inWashington, DC working for theBill and Melinda Gates Foundationon financing vaccines andimmunization in the developingworld. I love working ininternational development again,and have had the opportunity todo some interesting travel(including meeting Sharon Janzen(SMUS 93) for a safari in Kenyalast year!). And most important ofall – I just got engaged! AndyChasin (from Phoenix, AZ andnot a SMUS alum – but still agreat guy!) and I are planning thewedding for August 2005 andhope to celebrate the day alongwith a few familiar SMUS faces.”

BILL HANN (SMUS 93) sentthis update: “After completing myBBA at Bishop’s University in1997, I began flight training inVancouver, earning my CommercialPilot’s license in 2000. My flyingcareer began with Kenn Borek Airwhere I spent the summer of 2000

Alumni Updates - continued

FROM THE ’90s

2003 Archive photo of Corey Large (SMUS 88-91) and Luke Flynn,grandson of Errol Flynn. Corey and fellow alumnus Jeff Gordon (SMUS 93)release their new movie Window Theory in March of this year.

a l u m n i u p d a t e s 29

flying a Twin Otter on floats in theQueen Charlotte Islands and thefollowing six months flying in theMaldives in the Indian Ocean. In2001, I joined Harbour AirSeaplanes based out of Vancouverwhere I’ve been flying for the pastthree-and-a-half years and often seeSMUS alums on my flightsbetween Vancouver and Victoria.Flying, especially seaplanes, hasallowed me to go some spectacularplaces and see some spectacularsights. I do, however, have theintention of flying for a majorairline in the future and haveconsequently taken a job withCentral Mountain Air in order toget the specific experience theairlines require. I recently movedfrom downtown Vancouver to thesuburbs of South Surrey and I stillkeep in close contact with many ofmy fellow SMUS graduates of1993.”

ERIN CRISTALL (SMUS 95)emailed us an update in January:“I’m still recovering from myexciting Xmas vacation in Brazil(see photo of me with Amazonwildlife), and back to the grindthat is the reality televisionbusiness. I’m still working as an alternative programmingdevelopment executive at NewLine Television, a relatively newdivision of the studio that broughtyou such mega hits as The Lord ofthe Rings trilogy. Our most notableseries of late has been Amish in theCity, which scored record ratingsfor the network it aired on in theUS (UPN). We are also doing a

series with CBS called Nightmareon Elm Street: Real Nightmares inwhich Robert Englund (akaFreddy Krueger) challenges regularpeople to confront their scariestdreams in real life. Other thanthose, we have several projects invarious stages of developmentincluding a show profiling peoplewho want their bad tattoosremoved, a series about a celebritywho decides to quit the businessand work in a grocery store, and adocumentary series that profilescrime victims confronting thecriminal that did them wrong. Myjob is basically to come up withideas, or when someone comes inhere and pitches us a vague idea, Ifigure out exactly how it will turninto a show (i.e., is it a game? howmany players? what do we seethem do in each episode?).Anyway, tons of fun. A typical day,like today, involves lots of writingpresentations, a lunch meetingwith an agent, an afternoon pitchmeeting with David Hasselhoffand I’ll probably go home wellafter dark to do “homework”(watching reality TV). Other thanthat, life in LA is great – traffic istolerable, it’s record-breaking heatright now, I manage to get in adaily workout, and I have not beencaught in the mudslides. I’mplanning on being there for thisMay’s Alumni HomecomingWeekend.”

EMMA BATEY (SMUS 95)Twice a year, a copy of School Tiesarrives at the post office in thesmall African town of Vilanculoson the coast of Mozambique,where Emma Batey (class of ’95)catches up with news of SMUS.

After graduating from theschool, Jenn Scott (SMUS 95)and Emma travelled in Europe,then, less conventionally, throughAfrica, often by truck convoy andliving in tents. In one remotecamp, one of them was hummingan African tune taught them bySMUS music teacher MaryHumphreys. The group of village

children who had gathered to stareat the foreigners took up the tunein an impromptu sing-song.Christmas ’95 was in Zanzibar.

Jenn came home to Canada.Emma stayed in Africa. Her firstjob was a partnership in running abeach camp for young internationaltravellers in Vilanculos. In thissmall town with its idyllic settingon white sandy beaches, Emmawas 10% of the white population.

Young adventurers came fromSouth Africa, Zimbabwe, andEurope to stay at “The LastResort,” and the business expanded.Three African dhows took visitorsto the off-shore Bazaruto andBenguera archipelagos. To giveemployment, Emma encouragedlocal wood carvers and showedwomen how to use local cloth tomake fashions that Westernerswould buy.

Looking for a new challengeEmma sold the “Last Resort” andbecame manager of “Aguila Negra,”one of the luxury lodges. By 2000,tourism to Mozambique hadgrown considerably. Immigrantswere coming from neighbouringZimbabwe to escape RobertMugabe’s policies against whites inthat country and natural gas fieldswere found under the sea nearby.By now Emma spoke Portuguese(the language of the country) andthe local native dialect Chitswa. Asa local resident who knew thelanguages, the lore and, byexperience, the laws of the region,Emma found herself used as acontact by foreigners planning tostart businesses. As development of

the region increased, she becameinvolved with local politics, first bystarting a tourist association toprotect the environment, thenthrough related contact withgovernment ministries in Maputo.She became the local sales andmarket manager for TTA, the firstinternational airline to fly toVilanculos. In 2002, she set up aconsulting business, CuidaConsultants, which now handlesinsurance, oversees the developmentof courier service in Mozambique,and represents the World Bank ina project to encourage developmentin the region.

The joy of Emma’s life has beenher 6-year-old son Tai; but therewas no school in Vilanculos. Thiswas not her problem alone. By2004, there were three hundredwhite foreigners living there whoneeded education in English atinternational standards. She andsome other families built aschoolhouse and brought in ateacher from South Africa. In2004, there were eight students. In2005, there are twenty-eight in agrowing school open toMozambicans and foreigners alike.To fund development of theschool, Emma organized a “black-tie in the bush” extravaganza lastyear, to which 200 people flew infrom South Africa, Zimbabwe,and other parts of Mozambique.At 28, Emma finds herself –improbably to those whoremember her – a school governor.

Emma, Tai, and her partner Rodlive in a house overlooking theIndian Ocean. Tai has two tortoisesand a meter and a half long babypython (whose future as ahousehold pet is in doubt). Heremail address is cuida@teledata.mz.Any of her old friends who happento be down that way are welcome.Don’t worry about the snake;Emma’s not keen on it either.

ROBERT LYDON (SMUS 95)After pursuing interests in theautomotive industry and racingFormula 2000 cars in Ontario,Erin Cristall (SMUS 95) Emma Batey (SMUS 95)

a l u m n i u p d a t e s30

Robert returned to university andcompleted his business degree atSimon Fraser. He is currentlyworking toward his CharteredAccountancy designation, and willbe joining Grant Thornton as anarticling student in theirVancouver office.

TANYA BOTEJU (SMUS 96)wrote to us in December: “I’vebeen reading School Ties loyallysince I graduated and always enjoyhearing about what my peers areup to. I decided it was my turn!Since graduating from UBC inEnglish and Education, I havebeen working as a long-termsubstitute at York House School,an all-girls private school inVancouver. In December of 2004,I received my continuing contractat York House. I am now a full-time, permanent teacher in theSenior English Department andloving every minute of it. I amcurrently teaching grades 8-11 – a large load, but very exciting!Being back in a private schoolcommunity as an adult andteacher is more rewarding than Icould have ever foreseen – mycolleagues remind me very muchof the dedicated, enthusiastic, andinspiring teachers at SMUS, andthe students are an absolutepleasure to be with and teach. I amheavily involved in every aspect ofYork House’s activities and owemuch of my interests and skills inthese activities to my experiencesat SMUS. I am now the PublicSpeaking and Debating Coach,skills I honed with the help ofKathy Roth and GrenfellFeatherstone. I stage-manage theschool plays whenever I get thechance and owe much of my lovefor theatre and acting to ColinSkinner. Soccer and basketballhave stayed with me – I have co-coached both of these sports andam so thankful for the expertisemy coaches at SMUS passed on tome in these areas. I have enjoyedevery moment of teaching so far(though I could do without the

marking!), and am absolutelycertain that this is the mostrewarding profession in the world!Thanks to all those who supportedand inspired me at SMUS – I’ll domy best to pass it all on to my ownstudents!”

LUIS CASTILLA (SMUS 97)sent this note from Mexico: “I finished university in 2003 (Bachelor’s degree inCommunications, plus a diplomain radio production) and havebeen working even before that inthe media broadcasting industry inMexico City, creating andproducing audio content for anumber of radio stations. Thisyear, I’m starting off in a newcompany doing sound design forcinema, TV, and radio content,and even manage to have the timeto be a part-time universityprofessor. I am planning to moveto Canada this year if the timing isright. Greetings to all of myfriends in the class of 97!”

MICHAEL KWAN (SMUS 97)earned his BComm from UVicand is now working as a SeniorInventory Analyst for Best BuyCanada. He and his wife, JeannieHo, live in Burnaby.

BORDEN TSENG (SMUS 97)recently brought us up to date withhis life after SMUS: “Sincegraduating 1997, I enteredCarnegie Mellon University tostudy for my first professionaldegree in Architecture. During mytime there, I attended a few studyabroad programmes that broughtme to London, the UnitedKingdom, as well as Barcelona,Spain. In 2001, I graduated onesemester early and earned aBachelor of Architecture degreefrom Carnegie Mellon University.Immediately after that, I began myarchitectural career at SenseArchitecture Studio in Taiwanwhere I worked and spent timewith family. In the summer of2002, I was accepted by Columbia

University’s Master Programme formy second professional degree inArchitecture. During my stay atColumbia University, I was givenan award for “Design Excellence”for the International 921 MemorialDesign Competition. In May2003, my design studio was chosento represent United States for theInternational Architecture BiennialRotterdam Exhibition, whichshowcases the best architecturalprojects from around the globe.Soon after, the Garden CityPublisher published my first booktitled Computer Aided ArchitecturalDesign featuring projects exhibitedin Rotterdam. In June 2003, I graduated and earned my Masterof Science in AdvancedArchitectural Design degree fromColumbia University.

Now I am working at Pei CobbFreed and Partners (www. pcf-p.com), a firm known for projectssuch as the Louvre Museum inParis, France and the NationalGallery of Art in Washington, DC,USA.

Currently, aside from working asan architect at Pei Cobb Freed andPartners, I am also a part-timeeditor for the architectural magazineEgg (www. eggmagazine.com) aswell as a guest critic for DesignStudios at Columbia University.”

ESBEN SHOEN (SMUS 01)was the winner of our “incentive”draw for adding himself to theSMUS alumni email directory lastfall. He received a travel mug fromthe SMUS Campus Shop. Esben is

currently studying at The Collegeof the Holy Cross, in Worcester,MA.

NICK FARYNA (SMUS 03)was awarded the GeneralCampaign Star by Her Excellencythe Right Honourable AdrienneClarkson, Governor General ofCanada during her recent visit toKabul. He is the youngestmember of the Task Force Kabuland is a C9 Gunner with the FirstBattalion Princess Patricia’sCanadian Light Infantry. He hasbeen stationed in Afghanistansince early August 2004 and hasrecently returned to Victoria to enjoy his well-deserveddisembarkation leave.

MEGAN VOLK (SMUS 98) wasmarried last summer on August21, 2004 to Michael Taylor (alawyer for the Department ofJustice). They were married inKelowna with Kim Emsley-Leik(SMUS 98) and Kate Saunders(SMUS 98) as two of thebridesmaids. Megan is completingher law degree and has accepted aposition to article starting in May2005 with Alexander HolburnBeaudin and Lang, a Vancouverlaw firm.

Alumni Updates - continued

...there were bells!

Megan Volk (SMUS 98) andMichael Taylor

Esben Shoen (SMUS 01) is studyingin Massachusetts (Archive photo)

SINCE 2000

a l u m n i u p d a t e s 31

PAULA SANGLAP (SMUS 96)and Gary Bono of Courtenay, BCwere married on July 10, 2004 atSt. Andrew’s Cathedral inVictoria, BC. Many SMUSalumni were in attendance: AdamMolineux, Seb Bonet, JohnThomson, Meggan Hunt, SteveLobb, Catherine Loiacono, JakeDowhy, Olivier Gervais-Harreman, Alex Austin, AlexHenri-Bhargava, Chris Robb,Bernie White, Ben White, andTanya Boteju.

Paula and Gary are living inVictoria where Paula is in herthird year of UVic’s Bachelor ofScience nursing programme.Bridal Party included Rachel(Sanglap) Madden (SMUS 92),Zareen Charania (SMUS 96),Jennine Downie (SMUS 96) andKim Beulah (former SMUShouse parent).

PETA TIBBETTS (SMUS 81)and husband, Ron Turner,announce the arrival of theirdaughter, Regan, in 2004.

BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELD

(SMUS 82) and his wife, AnneGrimm, welcomed their seconddaughter, Marijn Elizabeth Joy,born on October 25, 2004, inToronto.

RUSSELL MARTIN (SMUS 83)and his wife, Linda, announce thearrival of their second son, Keiran,born February 24, 2004.

JANE (EDGAR) THOMAS

(SMUS 85) and husband, Don,welcomed their son on December8, 2004. Simon Edgar Thomasweighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and bigsister Annabel is excited and proud.

LARA DICKINSON (SMUS 87)and Greg announce the birth oftheir baby girl, Sage Aurora.

GREG DAY (SMUS 87) andhis wife, Alison, welcomed thearrival of their daughter, MarleyRegan, born February 26, 2004.

KURT VOLLMERHAUSE (SMUS87) and his wife, Laura Hahn,welcome their second son, Callum.

DAN DUKE (SMUS 88) andhis wife, Sheila Delaney, arepleased to announce the arrival oftheir first child, Meghan, bornJanuary 29, 2004.

PAMELA GRIST (SMUS 88) andher husband, Alistair MacKenzie,welcomed their son, Kanyon, onApril 27, 2004 in Dubai.

CATHY (JURICIC) BORASTON

(SMUS 89) and ALISDAIR

BORASTON (SMUS 89) announcethe birth of their twin girls – JuliaKate and Amanda Claire – bornSeptember 3, 2004. (Big sister inphoto is Natalie).

GEORGE CROTHALL (SMUS89) and his wife, Amber, welcomedthe arrival of their daughter Evelyn– born September 2004.

TYLER HADFIELD (SMUS 89)and his wife, Cheryl, welcometheir daughter Ashlynn Sara, born September 27, 2004.

ELIZABETH MIDDLETON-JONES (SMUS 89) and husband,Justin Jones, welcome their firstchild, Ella Teresa Taylor Jones,born October 10, 2004, in Toronto.

This photo was taken at the wedding of Peter Robb (SMUS 92) to LuciaCristina Sultano, September 11, 2004, at St. Patrick’s Church in Victoria.Back row, l to r: Jim Anderson (SMUS 92), Nick Grant (SMUS 84), JeremyCummings (SMUS 87-90), Jeremy Petzing (SMUS 85-89), Damian Grant(SMUS 93), Brent McLay (SMUS 92), and Chris May (SMUS 92). Front andcentre is Simon Ibell (SMUS 96).

Paula Sanglap (SMUS 96) and Gary Bono married July, 2004

...new on the scene!

Simon (Edgar) Thomas

Callum VollmerhauseRegan Turner

Marley Regan Day

of their daughter, Lauren, who wasborn March 9, 2004.

GEOFFREY “GEOFF” CORRY

(US 1938-42) died 2 January2005. He enjoyed a highlysuccessful four years at UniversitySchool and won the Ker Cup in1942. He left the school duringthe War years and immediatelyenlisted in the Army, and was latercommissioned in the CanadianScottish Regiment. In 1944, hetook part in the NormandyLandings. After World War II,Geoff completed a BA degree atUBC and then re-joined theCanadian Army. He served in theKorean War and retired from the

Military in 1973 with the rank ofLieutenant Colonel.

After nine years with MannixCorporation, his retirement yearswere spent in Qualicum Beach,and finally in Victoria. Hemaintained his interest in theMilitary and served as HonoraryColonel of the Canadian ScottishRegiment, and as recently as 10 November 2004, laid one ofthe wreaths at the School’sRemembrance Day service.

ERNEST HUDSON, Past Parent,University School, major benefactorto SMUS, passed away 27 October2004 at the age of 90. His sons,Lorne (US 1950-59) and Roy (US1958-62) predeceased him, as didhis wife Frances. Ernie wassuccessful both as a businessman inVictoria, and later as aninvestment dealer. He and Francesalways showed a strong interest inthe school, and over many yearswere generous contributors to theEndowment Fund. They also gavemany donations for students toattend the school. Their maininterest was in music and severaloutstanding alumni have enjoyedfine careers here thanks to Hudsonmunificence. Furthermore, futurescholar-musicians will benefit froman endowed award in the names ofErnest, Frances, Lorne, and RoyHudson. The school has lost agreat friend.

MRS. MOLLY DOROTHY DRUM

died January 2005, in Calgary,Alberta at the age of 91. Herschool connection was through herhusband, Ian, who attended bothSt. Michael’s School and UniversitySchool (Grad 1931), and her son,Mark, a 1964 Graduate ofUniversity School. Molly was amajor donor to the EndowmentFund. She took a great interest inevents at the school and mostrecently attended the 2002 and2003 Remembrance Day services.

a l u m n i u p d a t e s32

Alumni Updates - continued

NATHAN LAMPARD (SMUS90) and Michele welcomed theirson, Noah, in 2004.

HEATHER (LYALL) CROSSLEY

(SMUS 91) and Byron are proudto announce the birth of theirdaughter, Olivia, born on June 2,2004.

JEAN MCPHERSON (SMUS91) and her husband, MichaelNewland, welcome their firstchild: Henry Muir was bornAugust 7, 2004.

ERICA (KJEKSTAD) (SMUS92) CUDDIHY and husband, Kevin,welcome their first child, a girl.Eva Cuddihy was born January 3,2005, in Basil, Switzerland.

STEVE NASH (SMUS 92) andAlejandra Amarilla announce thearrival of their twin daughters:Lourdes and Isabella, bornOctober 14, 2004.

SUZANNA (JONES) SHAVER

(SMUS 93) and her husband,John, have a baby boy: Jack Charleswas born on August 21, 2004.

ANNA (LEONG) NAZIF

(SMUS 93) and husband, Omar,announce the arrival of their firstchild, Benjamin William Nazif,born: December 5, 2004; weight:6 lb 14 oz.

SARA (RECALMA) SWANSON

(SMUS 94) and her husband,Jason, welcome their little girl,Symone Maria, born July 16, 2004.

MARK YU (SMUS 94) and hiswife, Michelle, announce the birth

PASSAGES

Benjamin William Nazif

Lauren Yu

Symone Maria Swanson

Ella Teresa Taylor Jones

Henry Muir Newland

Eva Cuddihy

Meghan Duke

Julia Kate and Amanda ClaireBoraston and big sister Natalie

Up! Up! And Away!

Twenty-nine grade 8 boys and girls took to the skies on

a sunny morning in January... flying across the Pacific

Ocean for a week-long exchange trip to Japan.

The excursion gave them some insight into the

language and culture of the Japanese people.

In this photo, students gathered for a

photo with chaperones Xavier Abrioux

(Head of Middle School) and Yoko

Guthrie (Japanese Instructor) at

the edge of the Victoria Airport

tarmac. See page 6 for details.

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toSMUS Middle School MusicalMarch 10-11, 2005

African music, marimbas,drums, dancing and more!

See page 8 for details.