A Voice in the Wilderness Archive
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2024
2024
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November
The Price of Peace and the Fragility of Freedom
Read MoreFollowing a moving ceremony on Wednesday after students returned from November Break, Shawnigan will hold an international remembrance service in Chapel on Saturday. Among those speaking in Chapel is Grade 12 student Oscar Nicoletti, who will be talking about his visit to Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy and how it helped him understand the enormity of the Second World War and why we take time on November 11 to honour those who have served. -
Remembrance Day 2024
Read MoreRemembrance Day is a momentous date across Canada where we honour all those who have fought and died in service of our country. It has special significance at Shawnigan, where we remember members of the School community who made the supreme sacrifice. Here, Head of School Richard D.A. (Larry) Lamont offers his own reflections on Remembrance Day 2024. -
Isivivane stones and the Shawnigan Journey
Read MoreOver the course of the 2024-25 school year, a series of Chapel services will focus on the First Peoples Principles of Learning that are being incorporated into the BC Curriculum. The service on October 19 focused on the principle that learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential and relational. Dr. Alexei du Bois, Shawnigan’s Heimbecker Inspiration Chair for Experiential Learning for 2023-24 spoke during the service about aspects of experiential learning at Shawnigan and at Hilton College in South Africa. -
September
‘He still hasn’t stopped’ – the Indomitable Terry Fox
Read MoreThe Terry Fox Foundation has raised nearly $1 billion for cancer research since the first Terry Fox Run in 1981, and millions of Canadians – and others around the world – find inspiration it its namesake. Among those millions is Shawnigan teacher Mr. Tom Lupton, who gave the following speech in Gathering on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, just before the School conducted its own annual Terry Fox Run. -
A Few of My Favourite Foods
Read MoreAs a boarding school, Shawnigan takes its responsibility for feeding more than 500 hungry students very seriously, and the kitchen staff focuses on providing healthy and delicious meals and snacks. Please join Co-Head of School Desi Shaw on this mouth-watering journey through her favourite selections from the Shawnigan menu and an appreciation of the dedicated Shawnigan kitchen staff. -
A Walk Through Time and Tradition
Read MoreEvery environment has its unique scents, and that is certainly true of Shawnigan. From the many gardens on campus to the natural spaces, and from the dorms to the science labs, the School grounds are an olfactory buffet. Mr. Elliot Logan ’10 (Duxbury), takes us on his personal journey from Copeman’s House, where he is a Residential Advisor, to the Main Building, where he works in the Communications office. -
July
‘Appreciate every fleeting moment’
Read MoreThe 2023-24 Prefects led the last Chapel service of the year, with the theme of “Appreciation.” Anong the speakers was Ella Rush, who reflected on her four years at Shawnigan and encouraged the students following in her footsteps to recognize the value of their time at the School, which will go by quicker than they can imagine. -
May
Asian History Month: Perceptions and Community
Read MoreMay is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and Shawnigan has been celebrating the contributions of people of Asian origin to our country and to the School. Intern Ms. Lyli Chin played a significant role in planning the Chapel Gathering on Wednesday, May 22 that celebrated Asian Heritage Month. The following post comes from her speech to the students in the Gathering. -
'If I Go Missing': A Graphic Novel That Speaks Truth to Indigenous Injustices
Read MoreMay 5 every year is marked in Canada as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. When Shawnigan honoured this sombre occasion in the Chapel gathering on May 1, Alex Nelson, a Grade 12 student and a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, spoke about the graphic novel If I Go Missing, by Brianna Jonnie and Nahanni Shingoose, based on a letter Jonnie wrote to the Chief of Police in Winnipeg when she was just 14, calling out the authorities for neglecting to investigate disappearances of Indigenous people. Here, Alex discusses the personal impact that book has had for her. -
What does my Asian heritage mean to me?
Read MoreMay is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and Shawnigan has been celebrating the contributions of people of Asian origin to our country and to the School. In the Gathering on Wednesday, May, 22, multiple students and staff members took the opportunity to reflect on their own Asian backgrounds, including Grade 11 student Ivana Wu. -
What does it mean to “always do your best?”
Read More“Always do your best” seems like a simple phrase, but do we really know what it means and how to live up to it? School Chaplain Rev. Jim “The Rev” Holland breaks down the four little words in that sentence to get to the heart of it. -
March
The Samuel Heritage
Read MoreIn mid-February, Shawnigan opened Samuel House, a co-ed Grade 8 boarding house that is the first of its kind in Canada, with separate wings for boys and girls, and common areas they all share. While the House was carefully designed to nurture our youngest students, the name of the House was selected to pay tribute to two beloved staff members, and everything from the colours to the House hymn incorporates their Welsh heritage, as Admissions Assistant Ms. Kieran Ward explains. -
February
What Black History Month means to me
Read MoreThroughout February, Shawnigan has been marking Black History Month in a number of ways, including a special Chapel service on February 3. Grade 12 student Khanya Mangena-Jellema delivered the following address in that Chapel service, speaking to her fellow students about her experience as a biracial student at Shawnigan. -
January
How to experience the world more fully
Read MoreWhen you take a photograph, do you just take a quick snapshot to capture proof of the moment, or do you experience the moment and take it all in? Rev. Jim Holland (“The Rev”) considers how focusing, looking and listening can help us experience the incredible world around us. -
How does Shawnigan mark Remembrance Day?
Read MoreRemembrance Day is a momentous date across Canada where we honour all those who have fought and died in service of our country. It has special significance at Shawnigan, where we remember members of the School community who made the supreme sacrifice. Here, Head of School Richard D A (Larry) Lamont offers his own reflections on Remembrance Day.What is Remembrance Day, and what is its significance here in Canada – and at Shawnigan? -
How does Shawnigan preserve its history?
Read MoreMost students at Shawnigan Lake School have heard the tale of Billy Brooks.As a first-year student at Shawnigan in the mid-1920s — when the School served students even younger than the Grade 8s of today — Billy penned a letter to his parents, lamenting his homesickness. A copy of that letter has survived until today, giving students an insight into how their predecessors felt a century ago. Doubtlessly, many of them can relate to Billy’s feelings of loneliness.Each year, Grade 8 students are reminded of young Billy when they are given the opportunity to tour the Shawnigan Lake School Museum, where his letter is among the first exhibits that visitors get to see. The tour with curator Ms. Rosemary Dolman is part of a larger introduction to the School’s history that every Grade 8 gets to experience. -
Step by Step: The Power of Perseverance
Read MoreEarlier this year, Rev. Jim Holland (known affectionately at Shawnigan as “The Rev”) took a pilgrimage on a portion of the Via Francigena, an ancient route from Canterbury in England through France and Switzerland to Apulia in Italy. The journey had him reflecting on persistence and breaking down what seems like an insurmountable task into smaller steps. -
The ABCs of Shawnigan: B is for "Benedictus, benedicat"
Read MoreIn this ongoing series for A Voice in the Wilderness, longtime English teacher Mrs. Cari Bell is exploring several facets of Shawnigan Lake School by going through the alphabet, letter by letter.B is for “Benedictus, benedicat” -
What does a coach look for in a high school athlete?
Read MoreSports are a core aspect of the Shawnigan Lake School experience, and our coaches work to encourage students to pursue personal excellence while at the same time instilling values such as courage, integrity, loyalty, respect, honesty and commitment. While coaches are always glad to find athletes with skill and a drive to improve, they also look for character, hard work and competitiveness balanced with respect and sportsmanship. Director of Sport and longtime coach Tim Murdy elaborates on the attributes that make for an outstanding high school athlete. -
What is the value of inter-House competition?
Read MoreWoven into the fabric of student life at Shawnigan Lake School is the tradition of inter-House competition, which brings students together within their Houses to compete in friendly battle against other Houses in a series of spirited events over the course of the school year.Inter-House competition helps build community and camaraderie within the Houses, and is an excellent representation of what makes boarding life and the Shawnigan Journey special. The focus is on the competition between houses, but the deeper value comes from the spirit kindled within the Houses as students dress up in their House colours and paint their faces to match before heading out to take part in the day’s events. Spirit Captains are tasked with leading the charge at inter-House events.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
