Shawnigan in 110 Objects
A Message from the Head of School
List of 1 items.
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A Message from the Head of School
Read MoreMy wife Kathini and I recently bought a house on a bend in the Chemainus River and have found ourselves eager to learn the local history – from the first occupants in the late 19th century to a local landmark on the old highway, the Westholme Tree/“The Old Guardsman” (a giant Douglas fir that crashed down in a storm in 1913).The garden at our new house neighbours All Saints Cemetery, and, when exploring on Remembrance Day, the Lamonts discovered that Cedric J G Lonsdale is buried there – a former teacher at Shawnigan and the nephew of our Founder.Shawnigan Lake School was carved out of the Canadian wilderness in 1916 by CW Lonsdale, and modelled on his alma mater, Westminster School in London, England. It has gone from one class of eight students to 550 students and is now perhaps Canada’s pre-eminent boarding school.Character & Courage, a visual history of Shawnigan, was published in 2016 to mark the School’s centenary, and we are hugely fortunate to have the most wonderful museum on campus which captures the journey of the School.
List of 20 news stories.
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Study Bedroom
When the School began in 1916, the boys slept in large dormitories with approximately 10 beds in each. After fire levelled the School and a new School (the Main Building) was built, the large dormitory format continued. Initially, boys did prep in the dining room; later they did prep in their house common rooms, and later still in the Classroom Block.Read More -
Answer Buzzer
The Quiz Master asks the trivia contestants: Name a country that starts with the letter ‘Q.’ One overly-eager contestant slams his hand on the answer buzzer too soon and spits out Cuba! This was the scene at a recent round of “Reach for the Top.” Instantly realizing the folly of his answer, the respondent’s face grimaced in embarrassment and regret for pressing the answer buzzer too soon. He knew better, but the excitement of the competition got the better of him.Read More -
School Constitution
February 1928 was a major turning point for the School. Since its founding in 1916, the School had been a private enterprise, owned by the Founder and first Headmaster, C. W. Lonsdale. After a fire destroyed the campus in 1926, he raised an astonishing $150,000 to rebuild, and the new facilities were finished by September 1927.Read More -
Head's Office
The above 1927 photo depicts the Founder, C.W. Lonsdale, sitting at his desk in the headmaster's office in the newly built school building, occupying the south end of the east wing. This office has remained in the same location over the years, the seat of eleven Heads since Lonsdale. It is remarkable to realize that Headmasters (now called Heads) have shared the same view out of these office windows for nearly 100 years.Read More -
Salt Water Gargle
Many early student stories include memories of the salt water gargle – a strong association with ANY visit to the School nurse, whether it was for a sore throat, tummy ache, stitches, or broken arm. Everyone was given this treatment as long as they were within arm’s reach of the “surgery” (health clinic), “just in case.”Read More -
Sportsplex
The Sportsplex consists of two gymnasiums and bleachers, three weight rooms and six squash courts. The original gym (1927), along with the lockers and changing rooms, located on the ground floor of the west wing of the Main Building, was replaced in 1966 by a new gym built near the old Classroom Block, which has since been removed and replaced elsewhere on campus. In 2009 a second gym was added to the existing gym structure, along with additional squash and tennis courts and a weight room to make up today’s Sportsplex.Read More -
Armorial Bearings
The above photo depicts the Grant of Arms made to Shawnigan Lake School in 1981 by the College of Arms in London. Key parts of the armorial bearings are described below, paraphrased from the words of Graham Anderson as cited from the 1982 Yearbook.Read More
The “coat of arms” refers to the shield and all that is displayed on it. The overall design follows very closely the one which C.W. Lonsdale adopted and used for many years for the School. The maple leaves are a reference to Canada, and the wavy diagonal “bend” is a nod to Shawnigan Lake. The shield’s quadrants and the mantling (the ribbon-like forms to the sides) are in the School colours, black and gold. -
Concert Program
Mabel Lonsdale, the Founder’s sister, was enlisted from the start to teach French, mathematics and music. She was an accomplished violinist, having trained under famous Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. Former students remember that she could teach every instrument in a philharmonic orchestra. Under her direction, the School had at one time the only orchestra on Vancouver Island. The Founder himself played the flute and the oboe, and surely would have joined the ensemble, along with any other willing teachers as they were added to the staff.Read More -
Marion Hall
What better way for a community to gather and share an experience than through the ritual of breaking bread. Marion MacMillan Hawley believed so firmly in the power of this practice that she gifted Shawnigan with a building that would promote exactly that: a shared community experience.Read More -
Rugby Ball
From 1916-1928, the main School sport was soccer. The founder, Christopher W. Lonsdale, had been a semi-professional soccer player in England, who loved playing and coaching the sport. In 1927, E.D.W. (“Tiny”) Levien joined the Shawnigan teaching staff and brought with him his passion for rugby. He had played for England and was determined to change the main sport at Shawnigan from soccer to rugby. By September 1928, Levien convinced Lonsdale to make this shift. From then until the early 1990s every boy played rugby. In the 1990s, rugby became mandatory for boys Grades 8-10, and in 2008, for Grades 8 and 9 only, allowing the older boys to choose to play rugby, or a different sport. In the spring of 1993, the first girls' rugby team was formed and is still going strong.Read More -
Samuel House
House Colours: yellow and redRead More
House Emblem: dragon
House Motto: Cartref – “A Loving Home”
House Hymn: Calon Lan -
Duxbury House
House Colours: royal blue and goldRead More
House Emblem: wolf and crown
House Motto: Cave Lupum – “Beware of the Wolfpack”
House Hymn: I Vow to Thee My Country -
Renfrew House
House Colours: orange and whiteRead More
House Emblem: cougar centred inside a sun
House Motto: Solae paulum uniter tantum – “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”
House Hymn: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee -
Kaye's House
House Colours: purple and whiteRead More
House Emblem: dove
House Motto: Alis volamus propriis – “With wings we fly”
House Hymn: And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time -
Strathcona Lodge School House/School House
House Colours: sky blue and whiteRead More
House Emblem: dogwood blossom with swan in centre
House Motto: Cherchons – “Let us seek”
House Hymn: Be Thou My Vision -
Lonsdale's House
House Colours: forest green, gold and blackRead More
House Emblem: phoenix
House Motto: Ex Fumo Dare Lucem – “To give light from smoke”
House Hymn: "How Great Thou Art" -
Copeman's House
House Colours: crimson and whiteRead More
House Emblem: cross-crosslet
House Motto: Ubi Crux Ibi Lux – "Where there is a cross, there is light"
House Hymn: Lift High the Cross -
Groves' House
House Colours: maroon and whiteRead More
House Emblem: eagle
House Motto: Ex Unitate Vires – "From unity, strength"
House Hymn: I Feel the Winds of God Today -
Lake's House
House Colours: emerald green and light blueRead More
House Emblem: griffin
House Motto: Non Sibi Sed Aliis – "Not for ourselves, but for others"
House Hymn: Amazing Grace -
Ripley's House
House Colours: navy and light blueRead More
House Emblem: lion
House Motto: Acta non verba – "Actions, not words"
House Hymn: I Hear Thy Welcome Voice
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.
