Page 9 - 1959

From the entire C. D. C. I. Grade IX class of 1954, there remain only about twenty-five students who have decided to stay in school long enough to study for their Grade XIII diplomas, It is granted most of these people will go on to higher education and bring honour both to them- selves and their school while others who left school after Grade XI might never accomplish much in their academic studies. However, it is unfortunate that many who aie entirely capable of com- pleting Grade XIII followed the crowd and left school at a time when they were only beginning to realize the potentialities of their youth and had not yet faced the responsibilities of making a positive contribution to society.
When a child first goes to school, reading, writing, and arithmetic are new wonders to him. He learns to play organized games and co-operate with others. However, when he leaves the safety of Grade Eight and is plunged into the sudden delights of Grade Nine with its strange exciting collegiate ways, the student is compelled to make a sudden decision that can only be made by him alone: to have enough ambition and intelligence to study on his own, or to follow the crowd and "have fun." The student is often not mature enough to make an adult decision - although one is required of him. It is a tragedy that the excellenteducational opportunities available in Canada, and especially in Collingwood, provide so much for the advantage of so few. Why, in a free country such as Canada, does education mean so little?
To Mr. Jones, the Editors, the Advertising and Sales Managers, the Gleaner class represent- atives, and the members of the Camera Club go my sincere thanks for all the hard work, energy, and enthusiasm they have put into this edition of the Gleaner. I deeply appreciate the co-operation and help I have received from everyone involved directly or indirectly with the Gleaner.
Helen Elliot
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