Blue and Gold - Spring/Summer 2016

BLUEGold
Spring-summerEdition
2016
and
QHS Alumni bid farewell
to long-time Quebec High
School Supporter
Neil Rourke
1945 - 2014
2016 QHS Alumni Golf
Tournament to held in honor
of Mr. Neil Rourke
Inside:
Golf Tournament Info. 2016
QHS Jr. Winter Leadership Camp

QUEBEC HIGH SCHOOL 1941-
BLUE AND GOLD
Your Alumni Newsletter
THE HIGH SCHOOL OF QUEBEC 1804-1941 COMMISSIONERS’ HIGH SCHOOL 1878-1941
Spring / Summer 2016
ALUMNI FOUNDATION
For updates in between editions of the Blue & Gold,
visit the Alumni webpage at
http://quebechighschool.net/Alumni or www.cqsb.qc.ca/qhs
Greetings Alumni and Friends
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
Did I not just sit down and write a word to the Alumni a short time back? Where has the year gone?
As I sit here working on the logistics for this year’s golf tournament, I think back at all the great things
that were accomplished this year. The Spring/Summer edition of the Blue and Gold will highlight some
of these events.
As you may know, governments are tightening their belts which trickles down to the school level. Your
continued support has allowed us to consider many requests from the QHS staff for funding of
projects, clubs, trips, and capital purchases. The staff was overwhelmed when it was announced that we
were able to fund over $30 000 for 2015-16 school year. I have been asked to pass on words of thanks
to all the QHS Alumni.
This year our Community Learning Centre coordinator was asked to speak at a LEARN Quebec
conference in Montreal. A majority of his presentation was about the QHS Alumni implication in
student life at the school. His presentation spurred other school officials to learn more and some have
followed up, hoping to schedule a school visit here at QHS to learn more about our association.
We are happy to announce that we will dedicate the 2016 QHS Alumni Golf Tournament in honor of
Neil Rourke. Neil was a long-time supporter of QHS and was beloved co-worker at the School Board.
Neil was also a member of the original Alumni Board of Directors. We hope that you will be able to
join us this year for our annual golf tournament in his honor. Neil’s family has kindly provided an
article about his life and the many contributions he made; he was truly a special person.
In closing, I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and the other members on the Board. We
tend to the administrative and logistics side of things, but it is your generosity year after year that helps
us provide support to the students and staff.
Have a great summer!
Steven M. Philip
President
QHS Alumni Foundation

QHS Students Experience Canada
through Student Exchanges
written by:
Ms. McDonald
Mission Accomplished : Super Sliding! Super Bonding!
Thanks to the QHS Alumni, a great time was had by all at Village Vacances when twenty-four secondary 2 and 3 students hosted
visiting guests from Victoria, BC in February.
The Alumni generously donated funds for the students to participate in a fun-filled day of sliding to kick off the one week student
cultural exchange with Experience Canada, an educational exchange that permits students to see another part of the country.
“It’s important to do an activity at the outset that will help the students bond, and Village Vacances is the perfect place to do that,”
affirmed Fannie Marsh, one of the teachers involved in the exchange. “After that, the students have a great time together. ”
Our students were proud to take part in the exchange and show off the super slopes at Village Vacances.
“The BC students had never seen snow like that before! It was so fun to see the expression on their faces, and it was a great way to
get to know each other. Otherwise we might have felt a bit shy, ” explained Vincent-Xavier Ouelette, secondary 3 student.
Reciprocally, our students spent one week in sunny Victoria in May where they had a chance to see some of what Victoria has to
offer, including the city’s beautiful inner harbour, the majestic Coastal Mountains, and the vast Pacific Ocean.
“We are grateful to the QHS Alumni because these exchanges, and the activities the students do during them, are an important part
of student learning. It can be a life-changing experience, and it is the kind of learning that students will remember for many years to
come!” said Marsh.

From Sea to Sky When donations allow students to experience new adventures…
written by: Fannie Marsh / Derek Chan
The generous donation from the QHS Alumni allowed teachers Fannie
Marsh and Derek Chan to develop a new and dynamic program at Quebec
High School. The first year of the program allowed 12 lucky students to
participate in the first edition of QHS's Outdoor Ed Program, which is a
unique initiative introducing our students to experience-based learning.
The goal of the Outdoor Ed Program is to allow students to interact with
the nature in a way that allows them to discover themselves and to gain an
appreciation for the natural world.
Thanks to the QHS Alumni Foundation, 12 backpacks were purchased to
allow students to take part in a variety of enriching outings, such as a three
day hiking trip in Charlevoix, a cross-country expedition, and a four day
trip in the Parc de la Gaspésie where students got to experience sea
kayaking and hiking in winter conditions all on the same day!
Derek Chan and Fannie Marsh hope to form a new group of 12 keen
students for the 2016-2017 school year with whom they will experience 5
new outings from canoe-camping to cyclo-tourism. These students will be
introduced to various outdoor activities throughout the school year that
will challenge them mentally, emotionally and physically. The objective of
these activities is to support the development of essential life skills, such as
physical health, team work, communication, independence, leadership,
self-confidence and social awareness.
The donations from the QHS Alumni permit the teachers to purchase
good quality equipment to lend to students, allowing them to enjoy the
outdoors all year round!
We invite all our generous donors to follow our adventures via our new
Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/qhsoutdoored

QHS Musical Beauty and the Beast
performs before two sold out shows!
Each year as spring rolls around the staff at QHS look at colleague, David Rompré and ask,
“why does he do it”! The running around, last minute costume and set building, and the
stress that the final practices for the the annual QHS musical makes us all shake our head in
bewilderment. Then the curtain comes up and it is all made clear to us. The smiles, the
singing, the coming together of the one year class, and of course the applause from an audience
filled with parents, staff and friends.
This year’s musical saw a full house for two of the matinee shows. Elementary students from
the CQSB filled the gym with smiles and giggles as they sang along with some of the well
known songs from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
This year’s cast was overflowing with talent and allowed Mr. Rompré the opportunity to have
two students for some of the roles. This allowed more students to perform in some of the
more major parts of the musical.
Three local professional musicians joined piano playing Mr. Rompré to provide the live music
for the show. It was fun to watch Mr. Rompré looking at the students and directing them as
well as his live band. I didn’t know that there was so much hand waving and head bopping to
pull off a musical!
One of the happiest people behind the scenes of the musical was Mr. Marc Miville. Marc is in charge
of the Quebec High School Tech. Crew. These would be the “worker ants” in the performance world.
This year thanks to a donation by the QHS Alumni the school was able to purchase a powerfulshort-throw
projector. This allowed for backdrops to be created electronically on the computer and
projected onto a canvass. This eliminated the need to physically make the backdrops in the woodshop.
“the new projector saved so much time and allowed some of our art students the opportunity to
electronically create the backdrops”, said Mr. Miville. The projector will also be used for other events
throughout the school year.
Emma Perreault - Alumni Class of 2008
A big thank you goes out to Emma Perrault (Class of 2008) For the last 5 years Emma has been
lending a hand as a volunteer with the costumes and make-up for the QHS musical. During the
performance you can see her sneaking backstage to make sure things are running smoothly.
Ever so humble, it took the proding of one of our staff members to get her to go up on stage at the
end to receive recognition from Mr. Rompré and the students.

Neil Rourke - The King of Little River
Neil Edward Rourke (1945 -2014) aka The King of Little
River
Born on December 21st in 1945 in Quebec City, Neil was
raised by his parents Violet and Russell alongside four brothers.
They grew up in Duberger or what he always referred to
as Little River. He attended St. Georges and Quebec High
Schools before studying at Ryerson College in Toronto.
From the early days of keeping several ponies at his Grandfather’s
farm in, yes, Little River, Neil developed a love for
horses. He enjoyed horse-back riding, playing the guitar, and
entertaining his friends with his repertoire of the tradtional
western music - Hank Williams Sr was a favourite.
He always seemed to be surrounded by family and friends
and enjoyed the many gatherings, whether at home, Lac St
Joseph, and Valcartier.
His entire family viewed him as a rock of steadiness who
always offered sound advice. Neil was always available to
listen to people and help them work through their problems
or challenges.
Neil developed a passion for travel after a scooter trip though
Europe after graduating from Ryerson. He then pursued a
successful career in the offshore oil exploration industry,
working for a number of international drilling companies.
He lived in no less than ten countries including, such exotic
ones as Gabon, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore, Canary Islands,
Angola and Holland. Many of these were with his wife Lina
and their daughter Nataly. Because of his vast travels, Lina
said Neil was their greatest travel agent.
Quebec City remained Neil’s favourite place to living. Upon
returning to Canada, he was employed by the Eastern
Quebec School Board (later CQSB) where he worked until
he retired in 2011.
It was during these years that Neil contributed to community
life in and around Quebec. Every year he volunteered withthe
Jeffery Hale Community Centre and faithfully distributed
Christmas hampers to the needy alongside his grandson Gabriel.
He was also a volunteer with the Frazer Recovery
Program where he helped many youth with substance
abuse problems.
Once firmly settled back in Quebec, he showed his strength
as a self-effacing counsellor who was there for those who
needed him. He also organized five Rourke Family reunions in
Stoneham and Eastman Quebec, and he spent much time
with his immediate family, especially Lina, Nataly and Andy,
and his grandchildren Gabriel, Zachary and Romy. He also
enjoyed the company of his extended family and friends. Everyone
who knew him will remember him as a kind and giving
man. This was the true essence of the outstanding person he
was.
A man with many interests, Neil loved to play games of
chance and was an accomplished poker player (seven card
stud was his game). He claimed to have done quite well over
the years, but…! He also figured he could master the myriad
of lotteries, so he and Lina made sure to purchase the same
lottery tickets every week, hoping luck would be on their side,
but…!
Neil had a wry sense of humour and one never knew when he
would ‘slide one across the plate’ without the slightest hint of
a smile. Nowhere was this more evident than when he was
playing his all-time favourite passtime - golf.

Always upbeat, despite sometimes being seriously over par, he
would always be happy to move onto the next hole, especially if
he had sunk a three-foot putt. He also prided himself in being
amongst the first and last to play at Le Castor Golf Club in Valcartier
every year. Even throughout his courageous battle with
cancer, his thoughts were often on his next golf game.
Once retired, Neil liked to travel to play golf. He went south to
Florida and around Quebec where he played in Montreal,
Lennoxville, Stanstead, among other places. But it was playing
with his friends and family at Le Castor where he had the most
fun
While overseas, Neil and one of his colleagues, L.D. rigged up
three holes in the middle of the desert so they could practice
golf. He also set up a small business in Quebec built around
automated golf ball machines for driving ranges and the practice
facilities. Such was his love for ‘the greatest game of all’.
Different people are remembered for different things. In Neil’s
case, he will be remembered as strong person who gave so
much to so many and as a caring family man and someone who
loved life. He rarely had anything negative to say, and no one
had anything less than positive to say about him. He had many
friends and was loved and respected by all. Neil’s family provided
loving care and support throughout his battle with cancer.
We are happy to submit this article to the QHS Alumni Association
magazine and we are grateful for Neil to be recognized
by having the 2016 golf tournament held in his honour. He
was an avid supporter of QHS and its Alumni Association. He
loved the game and he would be proud knowing his memory
will be honored in this way.
Thank you.
The Neil Rourke Family
We are pleased to announce that the 2016 edition of the
QHS Alumni Golf tournament will be held in honor of
Mr. Neil Rourke.
Steve Philip
Alumni President

Defi Pierre Lavoie 2016
This year Quebec High School participated in the Défi Pierre
Lavoie relay run for the first time. One hundred and twenty
five teams from high schools, CEGEPs and universities
across the province ran without stopping for thirty consecutive
hours on May 14th – 15th.
This year, the race left from the Olympic Stadium in Montreal
and finished at the Sainte Louise Basin in Quebec City.
The Défi Pierre Lavoie Relay is an annual event that aims to promote healthy
habits and lifestyles in our youth. This movement for change was started by Pierre
Lavoie, and he continues to play a role in maintaining it each year.
Quebec High School’s team consisted of 40 students and 6 staff members. They
travelled by bus to Montreal on the Friday before the event and slept overnight at
the Olympic Stadium. That night, they were treated to an outdoor performance
and a welcome by Pierre Lavoie and Guillaume Lemay –Thivierge. They then participated
in a 5km night time fun-run to kick off the event. The next morning, a
huge convoy of buses left the stadium to start the race. Thirty-four hours later, the
entire team crossed the finish line as a group. The sense of accomplishment was
huge!
Student participants ranged from secondary one to five and cooperation and perseverence
were essential to finish the race. “The amount of teamwork, collaboration
and encouragement demonstrated by our students was truly inspiring,” declared
Julie Bown, one of the six teacher coaches.
The students were equally enthusiastic. Harrison Smith, a secondary 5 team
member, stated, “Before signing up to do the Défi, I coulsn’t run for five consecutive
minutes, and now I ran this whole relay! I’m going to keep it up. Running has
become a passion of mine.”
Once an institution has participated in the race, their teams have priority for participating
in following years, and QHS hopes that this event will become an annual
event for them. “There were definitely some challenges, but I would do it again in a
heartbeat. The bonds of friendship that were formed on that bus will continue far
into the future,” exclaimed Tommy Boutin, a secondary four participant.
In all, the relay race served to get students active physically and to promote healthy
living. This movement has started a ripple effect and more and more youth are
signing up for next year!

Attention QHS Alumni
If you are looking to plan a reunion for your
graduation year why not contact us like the Class of
1990 (see photos left) did and we will open up the
school for you to have a walk around and see some
of the new additions since you left.
A
At QHS we are taking care of all the A’s
Academics, Arts, Athletics, Active Citizenship
and of course our Alumni!

Quebec High School Alumni Foundation
2016 Neil Rourke Memorial Golf Tournament
When: Thursday June 30th, 2016
Format: “Continuous Mulligan Play”
Cost:
$130 (per person golf & cart included)
Tee times are from 12:30 - 1:30
Other info: Winning foursome declared and prizes given during a “5 À 7”
immediately following the golf.
RSVP before Friday June 3rd, 2016 or by contacting one of the following organizers.
Steven Philip: 418-683-9164 (home) Bruce Laurie: 418-657-3720 (work)
418-683-1953 (work)
To register complete the form and mail it with your check payable to
“Quebec High School Alumni Foundation”
c/o: Steven Philip
2013 avenue Chapdelaine
Quebec Québec G1V 1M4
2016 QHS Alumni Foundation
Neil Rourke Memorial
Golf Tournament
REGISTRATION FORM
NAME: _______________________________________________
ADDRESS: _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TEL:
_______________________________________________
Enter your foursome today!!!
1. ________________________ 2. ____________________________
3. ________________________ 4. ____________________________

CONTACTS
Many thanks go to all the Regional Directors for their valuable time. Please
continue to submit names and addresses of former students to the Directors so
that they may increase awareness of the Alumni Foundation and its goals.
THE HIGH SCHOOL OF QUEBEC 1804-1941 COMMISSIONERS’ HIGH SCHOOL 1878-1941
Joe Trudel
1260 Lake Sundance Cr.
SE Calgary, AB
T2J 2S8
403.278.2759
joetrudeau@shaw.ca
Richard Somenzi
203-987 Clarkson Rd. South
Mississauga, ON
L5J 2V8
905.823.0400
richard.somenzi@gmail.com
ALUMNI FOUNDATION
Tony Soulis
149 Springwater Drive
Kanata, ON
K2M 1Z3
613.592.0572
tonysoulis@gmail.com
Sheila Wright Neufeld
3245-137 A Street
S. Surrey, BC
V4P 2B5
604.538.4773
sheneuf@aol.com
QUEBEC HIGH SCHOOL 1941-
Joan Guay
7 Halene Court
St. Catharines, ON
L2M 6M3
905.938.1482
jbdlmg@gmail.com
Alumni Online
Visit the Alumni webpage -
part of the QHS website:
www.quebechighschool.net
or
www.cqsb.qc.ca/qhs
THE BLUE AND GOLD
Your Alumni Newsletter
We would love to print your news, pictures, stories, memories etc.
Please send them to:
The Blue and Gold
945 Belvedere Ave.
Quebec City, Quebec
G1S 3G2
or email us at qhalumni@videotron.ca
The Blue and Gold is a publication of Quebec High School Alumni Foundation addressed to all its members.
Any text may be reproduced without identification of the source or permission.
Document layout: Ed Sweeney
Printint: Imprimerie Irving Enr.