The New Boys

John N. Smith,
1974,
27 min 20 s

Synopsis

This short documentary takes us to St. John's Cathedral Boys' School, at Selkirk, Manitoba, one of the most demanding outdoor schools in North America. As the school can’t accommodate every student wishing to enroll, boys of 13 to 15 years old are put through an initiation tougher than they have ever faced. They paddle canoes through some 500 kilometers of wilderness in 2 weeks, portaging and camping all the way, thereby learning vital outdoor lore, cooperation and self-confidence.

Comments

“I hated St. John's. Ran away umpteen times. Glad it's closed. Too bad we can't sue the bastards, parents included.” — vembapet, 8 Dec 2012
“Correction, it was the fall of 1967 not 1968.” — inroughwater, 22 Mar 2012
“I was one of these boys in the fall of 1968. I'm 59 years old now and the film crushed my heart. I don't know how but looking back we should have turned on all of them. Our new boy trip started at Grand Portage, Minnesota and ended in Fort Frances, ON. We had good weather which infuriated Headmaster Frank Weins. I was one of the bigger boys and carried box of pots, pans, and axes on portages. Frank and I made it to the end of first portage (9 miles) together. He sent me back to the start to help the others. I covered 27 miles that day and got to camp helping with the last canoe. I don't remember if I ate but I know it was dark.” — inroughwater, 22 Mar 2012