About Chimeras
When we began looking for a name and colours from our students and their families, we were hopeful for something unique.
We definitely have a unique and powerful name, and once you know what a Chimera is, you will understand our fascination with it!
The Chimera (/kᵻˈmɪərə/ or /kaɪˈmɪərə/, also Chimaera (Chimæra); Greek: Χίμαιρα, Chímaira) was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of more than one animal. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat arising from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head.[1] It was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
The term chimera has come to describe any mythical or fictional animal with parts taken from various animals, or to describe anything composed of very disparate parts, or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible or dazzling.
Who Was Dr. Martha Cohen?
Dr. Martha Cohen (b. 1920 – d. 2015) was born and educated in Calgary, Alberta. She was a graduate of the CBE, received a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta and a diploma in Social Work from the University of Toronto. She was a community builder and philanthropist, considered to be one of Calgary’s most prominent citizens and a woman who played a major part in transforming Calgary into a vibrant metropolitan centre. She served as Chair of Mount Royal College, Vice-Chair of Old Sun College in Gleichen, was a driving force for the Calgary Centre for Performing Arts, and she started Jewish Family Services. She was the recipient of many recognitions and awards, including the Order of Canada in 1975, the Alberta Order of Excellence, an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary, and the CBE Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006. The Harry & Martha Cohen Foundation is a private family foundation that provides grants primarily to Calgary-based charities.
