‘The best way to learn is through experience’
Experiential learning is a big part of a Shawnigan education, but Zak Rush took it to a new level when he spent his Grade 11 year with Class Afloat, getting hands-on knowledge and taking traditional academic classes while traversing the Atlantic in a tall ship. While that particular experience might not be for everyone, Zak encouraged his fellow students to pursue the opportunities presented to them when he spoke in Chapel earlier this fall.
I’ve been attending Shawnigan since Grade 8, but I’ve only been at the School for four years because, last year, I took a risk.
Instead of returning for Grade 11, I decided to do Class Afloat, a program that took me – and 47 other students – out of the classroom and onto a sailboat and around the world. And let me tell you, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I could tell you about my late-night endeavours in Morocco or swimming with turtles in Cape Verde, but today, I want to talk about the smaller moments – the ones that really shaped me. They weren’t in a classroom or at an historical site; they were on the deck of our ship.
I spent countless hours on that deck with my friends – fishing, playing guitar, or sitting on lookout at 4 a.m. It was in those moments of simplicity, surrounded by nothing but the open ocean and sky, that I learned some of the most valuable lessons of my life.
During these moments, I often reflected on the freedoms I experienced on the boat compared to my life here at Shawnigan. While Shawnigan continues to offer structure and support, the freedom on the boat was different – it pushed me to be independent and find my own way. My time abroad allowed me to gain insight into the importance of a holistic education, and I now believe that the best way to learn is through experience.
So, if you can take one thing away from my speech today, I encourage you all to get involved in as much as you can, in everything you can, wherever you can, because as Albert Einstein once said, "Experience is knowledge, everything else is just information."
Zak Rush is a Grade 12 student at Shawnigan Lake School.
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.
