Loralie Emslie is a Sydenham resident who works at CFB Kingston. She went to Sydenham High School (SHS) back in the day, and her daughter Gracie is in her graduating year at SHS and is one of the prom organisers

That’s how Loralie learned about the costs that are involved in prom these days.

“Not only are tickets $90, but for the girls the cost of a prom dress, which is most often only worn once, is about $400. That’s a lot of money for the girls or their families to come up with. The boys can just rent a tux, but girls don’t have that option,” she said, in a phone interview this week.

“We thought we could get the price down.”

That’s where the idea being ‘Don’t Stress Over the Dress’ came from. Just as there are families facing a $400 cost, there are other families with dresses from previous years that are sitting around taking up space, a constant reminder of their expensive single use.

Putting the work out on social media, Loralie has been securing donations of dresses from SHS alumnae and others, and has organised an event on April 3, from 4pm-9pm at The Town Loft, a venue at 28 Bath Road in Kingston that is owned by Janet Taite-Springer, another SHS alumnae.

Some Kingston retailers have provided door prizes, and shoes and jewellery available as well, all for free at what will be a fun event.

Donations of dresses, including bridesmaid dresses, in pristine condition, are still be accepted. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have a dress.

Loralie is also encouraging students who are attending prom to rsvp for the “Don’t Stress Over the Dress” even on April 3. The email address for that is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Apart from the costs that are involved and the potential savings if a girl finds a perfect dress for free, there is an environmental concern with all of the resources that go into produces dresses for a single use. It’s part of a greening of the prom initiative that is international in scope,” she said.

Jordan Troyer, a 5th year student at Sydenham High School, signed commitment on December 18 to play varsity football with the University of Ottawa Gee Gees starting next fall. Jordan has been an offensive lineman for the junior and senior Sydenham Golden Eagles for the past five seasons, and a track athlete for SHS as well. He was also a Sydenham Bulldogs for two years before that.

It has been his dream to play at the university level all that time Jordan was a heavily recruited football prospect, and has been pursued by several schools including Ottawa. The signing ceremony was attended by his Eagles line mates, the Eagles coaching staff, and by his new coach Carl Tolmie, the offensive line coach of the Gee Gees.

Perhaps you can go home after all.

When Astrid Tanton was in Grade 5 at Prince Charles Public School in Verona, she covered Taylor Swift’s Mean in a school talent show.

Last Friday, she was back in the same gym, and when the audience asked for her to do a Taylor Swift song for her encore, she happily obliged.

“It’s fun,” she said. “You can go home.”

Now 17, Tanton is a recent graduate (Ontario Scholar at 16) of Rosedale Heights School of the Arts in Toronto. She’s been busily building a musical career in Toronto and came back to the area last week to do shows at Sydenham High School and Prince Charles. She’ll be heading to Ryerson for Arts and Contemporary Studies next year.

“Music is universally inspiring,” she said. “I’ve been singing since I was three years old.

“In high school, I was learning what I want to do — share music.”

She describes her music as a blend of mainstream pop and jazz, with R & B influences.

“I’ve been getting more gigs and I love playing larger stages,” she said. “I want to keep performing.

“Everyone says I light up when I perform.”

That she does. And the kids at PCPS loved it.

For this gig, she recruited a couple of friends, Jay Yoo on guitar and Dennis Lee on keyboards.

“I think it’s important to have live musicians when you perform, especially when it’s for kids,” she said. “It gets them more involved.”

And while the school does have a modest fund to pay for visiting musicians and such, Tanton not only declined a fee, she even made a donation to the school’s arts and music program.

Tanton is very active on Instagram with 1,500+ followers.

You can listen to some of her music at https://linktr.ee/astridtanton

The Sydenham High School Golden Eagles junior football squad was undefeated going into last Thursday’s KASSAA championship final versus Holy Cross (6-0 in the regular season). And it came down to a final drive by the Crusaders to eek out a 32-29 win.

“It was a nail biter,” said Sydenham head coach Karl Hammer. “In our regular season game, we beat them by three points — ironic, eh?”

This was the second year in a row the Golden Eagles fell to Holy Cross in the final, both years Hammer described as “a series of unfortunate events.”

In the 2018 final, Sydenham had a punt blocked in the dying seconds that led to a Holy Cross score for the win.”

This year, we were up 29-25 with two minutes left and we didn’t want to punt because of what happened last year but there was some miscommunication and we ended up giving them the ball on an interception,” Hammer said.

It was almost like the football gods had it in for Sydenham.

“After they intercepted, we stopped them but there was a roughing the passer call on third down,” he said. “And I’ve never seen our defensive backs tip three pass attempts only to have it fall into the hands of a receiver before.”

When Holy Cross finally punched the ball into the end zone, there were 11 seconds left on the clock.

“They won by a field goal,” he said. “Earlier in the game, they missed a field goal but an offside call gave them a second chance from five yards closer.

“Take away that field goal, and it’s a tie game.”

Hammer did acknowledge that the game was entertaining for the fans.

“And we did have a great season with a lot of support from the community,” he said.

And, he said, he’s looking forward to seeing his charges move up to senior next year.

“We’ve had two years of kids coming so close, I’m hoping it’ll light a fire in their bellies,” he said.

Hammer said one of the things he’s proudest of this year is the sense of culture and “family” his team showed.

“We also had several exceptional leaders too like lineman Nate Hamilton, two-way player Brennan Finucane, linebacker Sam McLeod and quarterback Keiren McNeely.”

“I think we have a legitimate shot at first or second,” said Karl Hammer Monday at the Stock Sports demonstration in Harrowsmith’s Centennial Park as part of the Canada Day celebrations. “Brazil is a powerhouse but we’ve put in a lot of time.”

Many will know Hammer as coach of Sydenham High School’s football team, but in this particular case, he’s talking about Stock Sports, a curling variant that can be played on tennis courts or any other smooth surface. The granite rocks of curling are replaced by stocks (which can be and are played on ice) with plastic or Teflon bases. The game is very similar to curling with some differences.

“There’s a perfect Venn Diagram of similarities,” Hammer said.

There is a world championship organization for the sport, which will be holding its championship in Asuncion, Paraguay July 9-11 and Hammer, along with teammates Mike Osborne, Tyler McComish and Karl Hammer Sr. will be representing Canada in the four-nation event, which is called the America Cup of Stock Sport. Tammy Lambert will also be going as a member of the women’s team.

Worldwide, South America is a perhaps the most enthusiastic about this sport, Hammer said.

“The origins of the sport are Austrian-Bavarian,” he said. “There was a large emigration to South America from those areas and they brought the sport with them.”

Canada hosted the championship in Angus, ON in 2015 but this will be Hammer’s first championship.

“Our other members were there,” he said. “Including Tyler, who came seventh out of 15 in the target competition.

“He was the first person to ever compete in the world championships who has an exceptionality.”

He said McComish has become something of a celebrity in the sport.

“Some people were worried about him competing but it’s turned out he’s bolstered the sport’s reputation,” Hammer said.

Obviously, Hammer and squad want to do well but there’s also an underlying reason they’d like to put in a good showing.

“We’d like to host the 2021 championships in Sydenham,” he said. “We’re making a push for a playing area specific to the sport.

“It would be nice to have level asphalt without any pressure cracks.”

In 1819, Thomas Wildey founded an Oddfellows Lodge in Baltimore, MD, the first in North America.

In 2019, the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs of Harrowsmith gathered in their Golden Links Hall to commemorate that event.

It was a time to remember and honour those who have served the longest with the presentation of jewels and recognitions, such as June Carruthers, who joined the Rebekahs on Dec. 7, 1943, in Belleville, making her a Rebekah for 75 years. She was the longest-serving member in attendance.

“I’ve enjoyed all of my years,” she told the crowd. “I love you.”

Howard Warner and Howard Fellows are the last remaining Odd Fellows who served in the old hall in Harrowsmith that burned down in 1972. They each have 51 years of service.

“There was a post office, a garage and a hall there,” said Fellows. “It’s been a lot better working in this (Golden Links) hall than the first one.

“The old hall had two floors.

“The lower floor was a bingo hall and we had our meetings upstairs. We had to put posts under the beams so the floor wouldn’t bounce.”

The Athena Lodge #306 (instituted Mar. 4, 1894) and Princess Elizabeth Rebekah Lodge #358 (instituted Mar. 14, 1952) have been involved in many charitable and community functions over the years including eye research and the eye bank, arthritis society, and Odd Fellow and Rebehaka Sniors Home.

They are particularly involved with Camp Trillium, having taken out and paid off a $1 million loan to secure property for the camp.

They give financial and moral support to local families in need, loan out a variety of hospital equipment and participate in local events such as Canada Day in the Park and the Santa Claus Parade.

Each they give a $500 bursary to a Sydenham High School student to assist in furthering their education.

Aurora French (Granite Ridge Education Centre), Rachel Cumming (North Addington Education Centre), and Rebecca Hillis (Sydenham High School) were among the Limestone Achiever Award winners for the 2018/2019 year.

Here are some excerpts from the testimonial letters, written on their behalf, from staff at their respective schools.

Aurora French

Aurora is extremely intelligent, articulate and talented in multiple subjects, while being humble and an excellent role model for her fellow students. Her diligence, excellent learning skills and perseverance are evident as she sets high standards for herself, and she is committed to seeing them through to fruition.

Aurora has been an integral member of student council and extra-curricular teams. She is also a vital part of our athletic program. As a team member, she is encouraging and extremely positive, but do not let her quiet demeanour mislead you as she is a fierce competitor who pushes herself to her full potential.

Along with these significant in-school contributions, Aurora has been actively involved in her community. She has been involved in fundraising for a number of charities, including the Canadian Cancer Society. She has consistently volunteered for the Blue Skies Kids Arts Camp, encouraging young people to be creative.

Rachel Cumming

Rachel is a hard-working student who is dedicated to her learning. She is continually looking for feedback and for new learning opportunities. Her academic drive has allowed Rachel to experience success in all classes. She has been a leader for the volleyball, badminton, track and field and softball teams. This volleyball season, Rachel broke her foot the first game of the season. She showed commitment to her team and leadership by continuing to come to practices and games, acting as an assistant coach until she was well enough to play again.

She has keen interest in photography and works hard at home, and on her own time, to improve her photography skills. Rachel’s academic drive also extends to her hobbies. Rachel strives to continually improve and deepen her understanding and skill in photography and graphic arts. She rises to challenges and has represented our school, winning back-to-back gold at the Limestone Skills Competition for photography and qualifying to represent our region at the Provincial Skills Competition.

She is the student council president, and is not afraid to take charge and make her opinion known. Rachel shows this commitment to her community while balancing high marks and also maintaining a part-time job.

Rebecca Hillis

Rebecca’s passion is in the arts, music and drama, and her grades in these subjects certainly reflect this. She has used her incredible talent as a vocal musician in numerous ways. She has led sing songs by the campfire on student leadership retreats, sang with the Glee Club, performed solos at Remembrance Day assemblies and toured LDSB schools with the school band. Rebecca has performed at LDSB board meetings, former Director Hunter’s retirement, athletic events and most impressively has performed at three Limestone Learning Foundation Crystal Ball Galas. Rebecca plans to continue her academic pursuits at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Bachelor of Music program where she auditioned in Voice – Soprano.

Athletically, Rebecca is a member of the cross country and track and field teams. She has competed in both sports in each of her years at high school. Not only a competitive athlete, Rebecca is an incredible role model and mentor for younger teammates. In a confident, caring and respectful manner, and as a senior leader, she responds to the complex needs of Para - ID athletes on the school team (many of whom go on to compete at the provincial level). Rebecca is a true role model, providing assistance and leadership to ensure these athletes are on time, warmed up and ready to compete. Her contributions to this program are invaluable. She has an innate ability to recognise the needs of others, then formally and informally lead when necessary.

The staff of Sydenham High School would like to thank Rebecca for her contributions and congratulate her on this accomplishment.

On May 14, several girls and staff from Granite Ridge Education Centre and Sydenham High School tried their hand at blacksmithing. This event was arranged to show the girls that there is no job they cannot do. Stefan Duerst, Artist Blacksmith from Godfrey, Ontario, led the students through a logical sequence of techniques including forging, twisting, scrolling, and bending.

After covering safety and the basic techniques, Mr. Duerst let students work on their own to plan and make items. Mr. Duerst stressed that with the proper techniques and equipment, anyone can work with metal – it is not necessary to be built like Thor.

Students worked hard all day, and came home with several items they had made. A Grade 8 girls’ group will be going to Duerst Artist Blacksmith in June, from Land O’ Lakes Public School, Granite Ridge Education Centre, and Prince Charles Public School.

On May 15 and May 23, David Francey led songwriting workshops at Sydenham High School in the morning, and Granite Ridge Education Centre in the afternoon.

Many students participated in these intensive sessions, working alone or with partners.

David Francey has won three Juno Awards, the SOCAN Folk Music Award, the Grand Prize in the International Acoustic Music Award and the Grand Prize in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Award.

These events are part of the initiative focusing on the Arts, Indigenous Learning, and non-traditional pathways funded by various combinations of AIREE, GREC Parent Council, Live Wire Music, Blue Skies, Gillianne Mundell, and Pez.

23 girls from Sydenham High School and Granite Ridge attended a day-long “Women Write” event at GREC on April 29.

The day started with a journaling presentation and workshop with Carol Pepper, a local artist, writer and educator, and Rosemary Pratt, a teacher at GREC. Students learned about the benefits of journaling, and different ways to journal as a means of expression. They also made journals and took them away.

This was followed by two successful women entrepreneurs and performers, Emily Fennell Taylor and Ky-Lee Hanson, two highly successful women working in the local arts communities.

Emily Fennell Taylor (also known as Miss Emily) led a session on songwriting, and shared her own experiences working in the music industry. She also offered advice to girls wanting to pursue songwriting and/or music as a hobby or profession.

Ky-Lee Hanson, is an award-winning non-fiction writer and the owner of Golden Brick Road Publishing House. Golden Brick Road Publishing House publishes work by women only. Ms. Hanson offered tips for writing successful non-fiction books and encouraged girls to pursue a variety of diverse careers in the publishing field (including graphic art, editing and distribution, for example). She also handed out and signed copies of one of her recent books, “Dear Time, Are You on My Side?”.

Emily Fennell Taylor and Ky-Lee Hanson wanted to inspire young women to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as music and publishing. Due to the challenges they faced, they want to show young women that achieving their dreams is possible, while giving back to the community.

Emily Fennell Taylor is from Prince Edward County, and has had a 20-year musical career, including opening for, and collaborating with, The Tragically Hip.

Ms. Hanson founded her publishing company after having difficulty finding a publisher for her own work. Golden Brick Road Publishing House’s mission is “to focus on women’s leadership and empowerment” and “develop content that effects positive social change.”

This event was part of an on-going Artist in Residence program in local schools, coordinated by Kristin Stevens and funded in part by the Limestone District School Board (currently funded by AIREE Grants from the Ministry) with additional support from Live Wire, Blue Skies, and GREC Parent Council. The purpose is to promote The Arts and Indigenous culture to students in both Elementary and Secondary schools in Limestone District School Board, and overcome gender bias in career paths.

One thing about the Sydenham High School senior girls volleyball team is that they think of themselves as a team. Just ask them, they’ll tell you.

“We all work so well together,” said left-side striker Robin Melnick. “We have a positive atmosphere here and all our parts work together.

“If somebody gets down, we’re all supportive.”

“We have a lot of individual strengths but we work together as a team,” said setter Jocelyn Farmer. “At the beginning we weren’t as much but at the end, our biggest strength is when we’re combined.”

“We always have each other’s backs,” said middle striker Tess Fraser. “Under (coach Bryan) English’s leadership. “He knows every decision to be made.”

In fact, they’re all only too happy to give the coach credit for the team’s success.

“He’s never super high or super low,” said Fraser.

“Like a rock,” said Melnick. “English always stresses ‘play like you can.’”

“Great guy,” said Farmer.

But they also see the strengths in each other.

Melnick on Fraser: “Tess is super calm. She’s really a team player and a big blocker.”

Fraser on Farmer: “She involves everyone and . . . she knows when we really have to get a point.”

Farmer on Melnick: “I don’t know where to start. She’s an amazing player, a leader, and what athleticism.

“She has an amazing vertical.”

And, they have fun with each other, such as Melnick’s little idiosyncrasies and superstitions.

“I am superstitious,” Melnick admitted. “Little things like changing my hair, tying my shoelaces.”

And her service routine, the others remind her.

“Well, I have to walk across the line left foot first,” she said, demonstrating. “Then it’s spin, bounce, deep breath and serve.

“We all have them (but) our biggest success is that everybody puts in the effort so we don’t have to rely on one person.”

Fraser, Farmer and Melnick are three of seven seniors on this squad so they know this is the time if they’re going to be successful in Streetsville.

“This is the last big hurrah for the seniors,” said Melnick.

“We’re a unit,” said Fraser.

“Just better the ball in front of you,” said Farmer.

It has all worked very well for the Golden Eagles all year. They were 10-0 in league play at the Kingston Area Secondary School Association (KASSAA) play and won the playoffs to take the League Championship 3-2 over Regiopolis. They moved on the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools Association AA tournament, which they also won.

But they have been in tough this week at the Ontario Federation of Secondary Schools Association AA finals in Streetsville.

Sydenham is the 16th seed of 20 schools in the tournament. They lost their first two games in straight sets on March 5 to Lockerby SS and Nelson , before winning their first game on March 6 over Westgate and then losing to the tournament host, Streetsville in their final pool game. This relegated them to the consolation tier, but they rallied after losing the first set bya score of 25-20 in a best of five contest with 9th seeded Mclaughlin, taking the next three sets, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-9. The Golden Eagles went on to play the consolation semi-final against 10th seeded St. David on Wednesday morning, which they lost in straight sets. St, David then went on to win the Consolation final. St.Mary, the 2nd seed, won the gold medal final.