Scholars and Explorers - Trafalgar School for Girls

A r t sAileen (Ronne) Heming 1960Attended Trafalgar: 1953-1960Education: BA, McGill UniversityWriter/PublisherIf you’re planning a trip toCanada’s North and researchingwhat places to visit, chancesare you’ve come across Ronne’swork. After a decade at Alcan’shead office in the Public Relationsand Communications Department,Ronne ventured north, where sheco-founded Outcrop Ltd. in 1975.Ronne has put her writing, editing,web and video production, as wellas her interactive media skills, towork, making Outcrop Canada’slargest integrated communicationsagency providing services across theNorth. One of her most enrichingprojects was the opening of theAkimalik Visitor Centre in BakerLake (now Nunavut), which bringsto life the rich history of the regionand its people. Residents in the areawere enchanted with old photos,being able to identify everyone inthem, and telling their children andgrandchildren stories of the old days.Ronne has won numerous awardsduring her career, including the NWTWoman Entrepreneur of the Yearand the 2010 Publisher of the Yearfor her magazine Up Here. Ronnerecalls her Trafalgar years: “It was aformative period of my life – I wasat first a boarder, at age 10 – andI think the staff encouraged in meindependence, a will to succeed, anda fairly strong sense of competition.I was encouraged to explore writingand photography. I rememberfondly Dr. Foster, Miss Box andMiss Stansfield. I also recall withaffection Mlle LaMothe and MmeBrouillette who struggled so hardto teach me French.” Ronne advisesyoung women to “complete youreducation – however far you wish togo, be open to any adventures andexperiences that offer themselves,“a pioneer in publishing and communications in Canada’s North”push the boundaries in your workor career, be positive and try tocontribute to society.” As a pioneerin publishing and communicationsin Canada’s North, Ronne has beenselected as one of our 125 Women ofTrafalgar.Yoko Narahashi 1964Attended Trafalgar: 1958-1963Education: BA (Linguistics), International Christian University, TokyoDirector/ProducerYoko is a successful film producerin Tokyo. After Trafalgar, shereturned to her native Japan,where she founded an Englishconversation school in Tokyo,Model Language Studio, which isstill going strong after 35 years. Shealso founded the United PerformersStudio in Tokyo to help people of allproducer, lyricist, film producerand film director. Her involvementwith films includes Snow Falling onCedars, The Last Samurai and TheWinds of God. She has won manyawards, including Best New Directorpresented by the Japan Film Critics’Association, and the DistinguishedAlumni Award from Internationalmoments was when the MontrealFilm Festival invited her to presentThe Winds of God, which she directed.She says that the seeds of her hardwork were planted during thejoyous life she experienced as a girlin Canada. She advises students to“believe in yourself and in what youwant to achieve. If a door closes on“the Montreal Film Festival invited her to present The Winds of God, which she directed”ages to act in Japanese and English.Her career in film has involved manyroles, including casting director,acting coach, stage director, stageChristian University. Her latestproduction, Emporer, was presentedat the 2012 Toronto InternationalFilm Festival. One of Yoko’s proudestyou, another door will open.” For herbelief in herself and for her creativetalents, Yoko is named one of our 125Women of Trafalgar.Hilary Chalmers MacLeod 1966Attended Trafalgar: 1963-1966Education: BA, McGill UniversityAuthor/Educator/Broadcasterwinner of “the CBC Book Club‘Bookie’ for Best Mystery 2011”Hilary never stops reinventingherself. It took her twocareers and 50 years,first as a broadcaster and then asa teacher, before she could realizeher ambition to be a novelist. UntilJune 2012, Hilary was a professorof Media Studies at Loyalist Collegein Belleville, Ontario. She is knownas a mystery writer who lives inPEI. Her first novel, Revenge of theLobster Lover, won the CBC BookClub “Bookie” for Best Mysteryin 2011. She is the author of theShores Mystery Series and is currentlyworking on her fourth novel. Herproudest moment was when shefinished her first novel and took thepackage to the same post officewhere Lucy Maud Montgomeryworked and mailed her ownmanuscripts. Her advice to younggraduates is: “Don’t wait as long asI did to do what you want to do.Don’t be afraid. Make a first step withcommitment and luck will roll out infront of you. Things fall into place.If they don’t then your commitmentisn’t strong enough. Mine wasn’tuntil it became clear to me that Iwould regret never having publisheda novel. So I began, and it all rolledout.” For taking that first step andrealizing her dream, Hilary has beennamed one of our 125 Women ofTrafalgar.125 Women of Trafalgar | 7