WHOBA - The WHS Alumni Assoc.

WHOBA - the Westmount High School Alumni Association
C/o Westmount High School
4350 St. Catherine Street West
Westmount, QC H3Z 1R1
Canada
steve@whoba.com

Important Messages to WHS Alumni !

Dear fellow Alumni,

A data base list of approximately 1400 graduates of W.H.S. is set up and some of these grads are the potential officers of WHOBA, as well as the Scholarship Fund Committee of the future.

We must generate an interest for W.H.S. as well as WHOBA and these grads are presently the resources we have to do it with. If you are not one of them, we hope you will consider joining us. (NB You can contact one of us directly or use the 'CONTACT US' feature to the right of this notice).

Our years in school generate many fond memories. The activities, sports, experiences, the teachers who made a difference, the friends, are what W.H.S. was and is all about.

The founding trustees of the WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund* are graduates who are motivated to try and give something back to the school – to do something to improve W.H.S.

However, they are aging. Our 1st important fundraising drive will be
in 2012 and for the next 2 or 3 years their work will continue. The groundwork will have been done for others to follow.

What is important to note is that the Administration of the school is currently promoting the " College Board Placement Program", which allows students to either participate in an accelerated stream and/ or take CEGEP or university level courses in grade 11. W.H.S. is the only accredited Montreal English Public School offering this and has a strong academic program.

Of the 1400 grads on the data base list, there are people who can step up to the plate and be part of helping W.H.S. Maybe an officer, an organizer, a resource person of some kind, someone who can contribute ..... a facilitator.

Today's technology allows for instant communication to all corners of the world with the touch of a key. Helping W.H.S. can be done easily.

The trustees of the Fund and your Association require some kind of indication from the grads as to who is out there that find this Scholarship Fund Project worthwhile and have a real interest in taking part.

Every age group has the same kind of individuals, the only difference is the age. We would love to hear from you. (NB Again, please take a moment to contact one of us or use the 'CONTACT US' feature.)

Peter Haldimand snow2owl@hotmail.com

* The Scholarship Fund Trustees are:

Jeremy Lapin (ex officio) - President – WHOBA - Grad 1979- jeremy.lapin@hotmail.com

Steve Brewer - fundraising Comm. Chair- Grad 1955 - stevecbrewer@yahoo.com

Peter Haldimand - Award Committee Chair - Grad 1955 - snow2owl@hotmail.com

Phil Johnson - Investment Committee Chair- Grad 1955 pejci@aol.com

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Dear fellow Alumni,

It would surprise me if many Alumni have escaped the effects of the changing world economy and I’m sure you are not surprised to hear that WHOBA - the WHS Alumni Association, has also been challenged by maintaining it’s customary financial support for the School and its students.

The School is also experiencing financial challenges; increasing costs, language legislation, government cut backs and increased competition from other schools. This results in increased financial dependency on the Alumni and other support groups not to mention the students and their families.

WHOBA is proud that it has consistently provided support to WHS and it’s students, as a major part of its mission, since it was established in 1936. Every October, at the WHS Graduation Ceremonies, we award four scholarships to deserving students in memory of four formidable WHS teachers: Jake Snyder, Douglas Lawley and Angus Bernard and Lindsay Mussells. The truth is, however, the amounts are humble by comparison to the rising cost of post secondary education.

At recent Annual Dinners, the alumni expressed an understanding of the growing need and desire to ‘give back’ to the School and to support the graduating students. They also expressed a wish for a more professional and inclusive Alumni Scholarship and Awards Program. The Alumni Board heard you and is proud to say that we have delivered! You can read more about the Program on our website at www.whoba.com

Suffice to say here, the Association is now incorporated at both the Provincial and Federal levels and as a licensed charity, is able to provide official tax receipts to all its donors. We have established a Trust Fund exclusively for Scholarships with an initial investment of $25,000 and set up a Board of Trustees made up of qualified alumni who work closely with the professional investment firm of Rempart Asset Management. While they remain accountable to the Alumni Association, the Board and the Fund are audited, operate independently and at arm’s length from one another.

Our immediate goal is to double our Scholarship Fund in 2012, to $50,000 in order to provide two new scholarships of $1,000 each, annually, while our long range objective is to further grow the Fund, through donations and endowments, to $500,000. This is needed so that we can afford to maintain and further increase our support, solely, with the interest earned on investments.

To accomplish this, we need help from as many of the WHS Alumni as possible. I hope we can count on your support.

Sincerely,

Steve Brewer – class of ’55

Alumni Past Pres. & Scholarship Board Trustee

PS: Some Alumni may prefer to express their generosity by giving to the Principal’s Discretionary Fund and still others may choose a more tangible School Project like this year’s Memorial Showcase.

Whatever you choose, rest assured you will be sent a receipt for tax purposes so please be sure to identify your preference(s) on your cheque or your Pay Pall donation which you can make by going to www.paypal.com and in the 'To" type in whswhoba@gmail.com . and identify the specifics in the 'comments'.

Thank you for your generosity.

News Flashes !

The 2012 WHS Alumni Annual Reunion Dinner was held on Thursday, May 17th at Westmount High School on St. Catherine Street, West of Clark.

The AGM was from 5:30 to 6:00 pm followed by a cash bar then Dinner at 7:00pm.

Our Honoured Guest was Britain's Lord Gordon Wasserman, WHS class of '55.

2012 has been a truly pivotal year for WHOBA the Westmount High School Alumni. Through the hard work of your board, we have successfully established a separate Scholarship Trust Fund for WHOBA and transferred all funds to it under the professional management of Rempart Asset Management.

I cannot underscore the importance of this development as it achieves two critical objectives of strategic importance necessary to the ongoing functioning of the Association. Firstly, it enables us to segregate monies donated for the purpose of Scholarship funding. Secondly, it provides greater oversight for management of funds both acquired and through the appreciation of assets under professional management.

The move to establishing an official trust fund is key to our objective of growing our fund from approximately $25,000 today to $50,000 this year and $250,000 by May 2016. Certainly an ambitious goal, but one that we feel is achievable – so long as the right structure is in place and the right people are on the board. I view this as setting thefoundation.

What we now need to focus on is building our board to capture the “Lost Grads” – those from the mid-1970s – 2010. We have a gap of 35 years and this gap is likely the result of WHOBA being stuck in a time capsule. For WHOBA to be relevant and of interest to the younger grads necessary to its future and the school’s, we need to change the way we operate. In essence, we need a new brand and a new identity to resonate with today’s grads and those of the last 35 years.

The key to building the leadership team for WHOBA is engagement with the broadest cross-section of the Westmount High School community. This means attracting the involvement of those grads from the “lost” years; it means strengthening the partnership we have with the grads from the earlier years who have put us in the enviable position we find ourselves in today.

Finally, it means that our Association must bring on board, as full partners, our most recently minted members. The grads from the classes of the last few years have boundless energy and ideas that must be made integral to our plans in the coming years.

It is imperative to remember that though our membership is made up of past grads, the real focus is the life of today’s and tomorrow’s students: the future grads of WHS, the leaders of our world tomorrow and onward.

This ability to give back is a responsibility we all have, and a responsibility that tomorrow’s grads will have as well. The message of the Association is one of continuity and partnership. Let’s embrace this message; let’s work toward an ever- improving future, and further develop a community whose history is one of strength and vision. I am looking forward to seeing you, as WHOBA members, at our AGM and annual dinner on the 17th of May, so we can celebrate our past and welcome our future together.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Lapin – class of ‘81

President WHOBA - the WHS Alumni Association.

Remembrance Day at Westmount High November 11, 2011

is a tradition that never loses its significance or impact and the 2011 proceedings were no exception.

Opening remarks and introductions were made by WHS Principal, Michael Cristofaro, followed by WHOBA President, Jeremy Lapin who reflected on the life of WHS student Fred Fisher, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in the second World War.

Special guests included EMSB Commissioner, Ginette Sauve-Frankel and Lieutenant (NAVY) Robert Taylor, Executive Officer, HMCS Donnacona who listened as the grade 11 students recited the names of the 58 WHS students killed in WWI and the 141 killed in WWII.

At 11 o’clock a moment of silence was observed. This was followed by the reciting of In Flanders Fields led by President Emeritus, Richard Lord. The students were then led into the auditorium for some refreshments and a chance to speak with the WHOBA board members in attendance.

A copy of the names of those who gave their lives in both Wars is posted in the files section on the WHOBA web site www.whoba.com along with a copy of the program for this year’s ceremony.

We will never forget !

Principal’s Report – by Michael Cristofaro

Just a few minutes before writing this report I completed the school’s annual Enrolment Report, which is basically a forecast of the number of students expected for next year and the associated resources that are requested for them.

I am happy to report that our projected enrolment for next year is 840 students. Westmount High is alive and well and continues to grow not only in population but in its reputation as one of the finest public schools in the city.

Our academic success is a respectable one with over 80% of students achieving a High School Diploma by the end of their 5 years spent with us. Of that 80% the great majority of them move on to CEGEP or other university bound paths. The generous donations made by the Alumni through scholarships allow a number of them to better cope with the rising cost of attending post-secondary institutions. Given the average price of a text book these days is well over $100.00 those scholarships truly help each deserving student tremendously. Your past and future generosity is well appreciated.

I would like to share with you the types of activities that our students participate in both within and outside the walls of the school that are not only important to the social development of adolescents but also provide important lessons in good citizenship and caring for our global environment. Athletics are very much a significant component in extracurricular activities with dozens of teams in different sports with 100s of students participating. Basketball, softball, badminton, volleyball, soccer (indoor and outdoor), rugby, swimming, and curling are to name a few. A highlight of our athletics program was the creation or more accurately the complete renovation of a fitness center, which had been neglected for many years. Students, teachers and even the principal participated in cleaning, plastering and painting, as well as acquiring donations of sports equipment and using Alumni donation funds to purchase other needed equipment. Both staff and students now use the room to improve their fitness levels. For students looking for something outside of athletics the school offers, afterschool activities in fine arts, music, drama and woodwork to again name but a few.

Westmount High School not only provides the required academic courses to all of its students but innovative and unique courses as well. A few examples are Mandarin Chinese, Art Expression through Wood, Community Leadership and a new course called ECHO (Ecological Choice, Health and Outdoors) that will focus on a healthy lifestyle through exploration of human impact on the environment, healthy cooking and outdoor physical activities. Add our College Board Advanced Placement Program in numerous subject areas and Westmount High school continues to provide challenges for all its students. Student Government, Leadership and the Prefect Board all contribute to student life and school spirit with high student participation in all the activities they organize and assist in.

This year our high light events included a Graduation Ceremony in October where over 140 students graduated with an impressive number of awards and scholarships thanks to generous benefactors such as WHOBA. In November we remembered our fallen alumni of two World Wars in a moving and dignified ceremony where the Alumni again took an active role for which we are grateful. In December our annual Family Holiday Breakfast served to over 1200 people from all walks of our school community. In January we focused on our mid-year exams with teachers and students all giving their utmost to see that success in the course of study was first and foremost. February allowed us to enjoy Carnival with our first “Snowtastic” Event where the day was filled with wacky outdoor and indoor activities. March saw winter camp for grade seven and in April both a New York and Europe trip have been planned. So as you can see Westmount High is a busy place on many levels.

In closing I wish to thank the Alumni for their new initiatives in supporting the School’s Scholarships for generations to come as well as to all who generously give to the Principal’s Discretionary Fund. This fund, in recent years, has allowed students who would be hard pressed to participate in school trips to do so. It is always a moving moment when I contact a parent and offer to subsidize a Europe trip for example and there is a long silence at the other end of the line followed by “You have no idea how happy you have made my daughter or son”. When they ask how this is possible I always take great pride in saying that the Alumni, graduates of the school have made it possible. The greatest thrill of course is telling the student. I have had them scream for joy as well as cry as they realize what they only dreamed of doing will be reality. On there behalf I say thank you.

Being part of Westmount High Schools continues to be the highlight of my career in education and I look forward to many more years as its principal.

Thank you all for your continued support of our school, its heritage and most importantly our students. Sincerely,

Michael Cristofaro

Principal, Westmount High School

We are currently seeking volunteer Class Reps:

We are looking for volunteer class reps to become members of a Committee to explore ways of boosting participation among grads of the last 20 years - who are key to the future of the association.

So please contact a member of the WHOBA executive for more information on joining us in this regard.

Just go to the "contact Us' page on the web site and leave us a message to let us know you are interested in being your class representative and what year you graduated.

2011/12 WHOBA Officers and Directors:

President – Jeremy Lapin, jeremy.lapin@hotmail.com

Past Pres. – Steve Brewer, stevecbrewer@yahoo.com, 416-949-7501

Past Pres. Emeritus – Richard Lord, rlmlord@hotmail.com, 514-938-5349

Vice Pres. –

Treasurer -

secretary – Joseph Pleet, joepp1979@hotmail.com, 514-690-4082

Director – Jim Liddell, jimliddell@sympatico.ca, 514-626-2424

Director – Peter Haldimand, snow2owl@hotmail.com, 450-562-8049

Director - Debbie Macdonald deadites1@hotmail.com

Director – Sebastian Macdougall, smacdoug@sympatico.ca, 514-956-1850

Director - Ed Kalil

Director - John Bishop

WHOBA -the Westmount High School Alumni Assoc. goes back a long way !

We were established in 1936 for the benefit of all male alumni of Westmount High School and were known as The Westmount High Old Boys Association or WHOBA, for most of the 20th century.

At it's 2002 Annual General Meeting, WHOBA made a 'sea change' in it's name to WHOBA - the Westmount High School Alumni Association and at the same time officially declare it's activities, benefits and membership to be free of charge and available to ALL male and ALL female WHS past students, teachers and staff.

In addition to this web site, you can also contact us on Facebook AND be sure to drop in on our YAHOO ! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westmounthighmontreal/

OUR MISSION:

- to assure that Westmount High School retains its respected physical presence, its name, its spirit and its high level of scholarship, sportsmanship and service.

-to perpetuate the remembrance of all Westmount High School alumni who made the supreme sacrifice in their military service to our country, Canada.

- to always support the objectives and principles of Westmount High School.

- to encourage and facilitate the ongoing enjoyment and other benefits of high school friendship that we had while we were at Westmount High School.

CONTACT US !

We always like to hearing from alumni and to find out what is new in your life !

Make sure that your contact information is up to date so you don't miss out on any Alumni news and activities !

Have you ever had the feeling that you would like to 'give back' to your School ?

Both the School and the Alumni Association are looking for volunteers to help us with our goals.

Just click on the "Contact Us" button on the right, let us know you are ready to help and we'll get in touch with you.

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Board of Directors - 2011/12:

Feel free to contact any one of us c/o the address on the right.

Pres.- Jeremy Lapin

Past Pres. - Steve Brewer

Past Pres. Emeritus- Richie Lord

Sect.- Joseph Pleet

Treas.- John Bishop

Directors - Deborah MacDonald, Peter Haldimand, Ed Kalil,

Jim Liddell, Sebatsian MacDougall

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whs circ 2010