Alumni Notebook - March 2025

The Advancement & Community Engagement team recently caught up with alumnus Max Chong ’23 (Lake’s), who is currently studying history at the University of Oxford.

Max with James Lamont on the roof of the Headquarters of the Financial Times in London, UK. 

Owain Samuel recently joined the Advancement & Community Engagement Department at Shawnigan Lake School, focusing on Legacy Giving and Alumni Engagement. Owain shares the inspiration behind why he chose to return to Shawnigan in the story below.

As a graduate from the Class of ’09 and someone who grew up on campus with both my parents, Gaynor and Rhodri Samuel, serving as members of staff, returning to Shawnigan feels like coming home. 

I should be honest – I wasn’t actively looking for a new role when this opportunity arose. My wife and I had just welcomed our daughter into the world in July 2024, and we were enjoying life in Vancouver. But when Larry Lamont, our Head of School, encouraged me to meet with Joanna Robinson, Executive Director of Advancement and Community Engagement, for a coffee to learn more about the position, I started to reflect on what Shawnigan has meant to me. At the time, I had never considered coming back to the Island – not because I didn’t want to, but because life had taken us in a different direction.

Then came a moment that changed everything. One evening, as I was looking after my

daughter, I found myself thinking about the opportunities I had growing up here – the

friendships, the lessons, and the experiences that shaped me. I wanted that for her. And in that

moment, I realized that returning to Shawnigan wasn’t just the right decision – it was the natural

one.

Now, stepping back onto campus in a different capacity, I see my journey as one that mirrors the experience of so many alumni. Shawnigan provides a foundation that extends far beyond our time as students. It equips us to navigate the world with confidence, strength, and purpose.

And no matter where life takes us, Shawnigan remains a home we can always return to.

In my role, I have the privilege of connecting with alumni, parents, and supporters,

strengthening the bonds that make this community so special. Legacy, in its truest sense, is

about ensuring future generations have access to the same transformative experience we were so fortunate to receive. It’s not just about giving back – it’s about paying forward the opportunities that shaped us.

Shawnigan’s impact is lifelong, and I’m grateful to be part of that journey – again.

 

Thank you to our sponsors, alumni, parents and friends who joined us in the Goalpost Lounge at the Canada Sevens rugby event in Vancouver in February. It was a fantastic tournament and wonderful to reconnect with past Shawnigan rugby players and alumni. Thank you again to our generous sponsors who supported the Vancouver 7s. All proceeds from the event will support our Rugby Endowment Fund.

 

The Advancement & Community Engagement team hosted community gatherings in Portland, Calgary, Vancouver and Penticton. It was wonderful to see so many alumni, current and past parents, and board members at these events.

Recent graduate and Impact Scholar (and Ukrainian national) Anastasiia Stelmakh ’24 (Groves’) was able to connect with the Ukrainian Invictus Games team in Whistler, BC, this past February.

Emma N. ’27 (Kaye’s) poses for a photo with her brother Cody Milne ’12 (Copeman’s) during Shawnigan’s annual Ski Week trip to Manning Park. Cody drove up for the day to get a few hours of skiing with his sister.

Enyo Edeh ’16 (Strathcona) was recently featured in an Old Navy social media ad campaign.

Mikaela Reuben ’01 (Kaye’s) recently released a cookbook, Eat to Love. 

Mikaela has spent over 15 years working with clients around the world, amassing essential knowledge and hands-on experience with food and nutrition. With all her clients, Mikaela takes a holistic approach to creating healthy and flavourful meals to meet each person’s unique needs and dietary preferences.

 

In Eat to Love, she shares, for the first time, the recipes and insider tips she’s learned. The playful and creative recipes in this book are adaptable to any diet, and each includes nutritional information to help you make intentional and informed decisions that will support your specific health goals. 

Pre-orders are available now and set to arrive on June 3, 2025.

Ben Ritter ’10 (Duxbury) recently performed at the Brit Awards 2025 as a dancer in the Sabrina Carpenter performance. Check out his post here. 

 

Past Shawnigan Chair of the Board  Fiona Macfarlane (pictured with her son, James Morris ’17 (Duxbury) received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for Diversity and Inclusion on February 20, 2025. 

“Fiona Macfarlane, from Vancouver, British Columbia, for promoting inclusive growth as a business issue at the executive level and for encouraging leaders to create a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.” – citation, The Governor General of Canada, King Charles III Coronation Medal Read the full story here

Jenny Zhu '21 (Kaye's) is a fourth-year honours physics student at the University of British Columbia (UBC), currently completing a co-op with BC Cancer as a medical physics researcher. In a recent UBC Science story, she discusses her research on breast cancer treatment and what inspired her to pursue an education and career in physics. Jenny also shares how her personal experiences motivated her to encourage younger girls to consider a career in science. Read the full story here.

The Class of 1966 organized a reunion lunch on February 20, 2025 at the Cowichan Bay Pub. 

Photo left to right: Tom Davis ’66 (Ripley’s), Dennis Flynn ’66 (Groves’), Brian ‘Bugs’ Johnson ’66 (Copeman’s), Steve Housser ’67 (Groves’), Tim Rendell ’66 (Groves’), Victor Horton ’66 (Groves’), Laurence Fisher ’66 (Groves’), Pete Quinn ’66 (Groves’), Brett Sine ’66 (Lake’s), and Phil Head ’66 (Groves’)

Members of the Class 1987 came together for a gathering in Whistler, BC in February 2025. 

Photo left to right: Ian Kennedy ’87 (Ripley’s), Mike Vopni ’87 (Ripley’s), Garth Friesen ’87 (Ripley’s), Ken O'Kennedy ’87 (Lake’s), Todds Sigfstead ’87 (Ripley’s), Mark Maier ’87 (Copeman’s), and Paul Robinson ’87 (Groves’)

Dylan Chaudhry ’20 (Copeman’s) recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

 

Keely Ralf ’21 (Strathcona) was featured in Academic X’cellence, St. Francis Xavier University’s series which spotlights members of its educational community to find out more about their unique experiences. In the feature, Keely shares her perspective as a fourth-year student majoring in physics and minoring in computer science while being involved in student research. Read the full story here.

 

Mackenzie Duncan ’01 (Lake’s) published his first-ever book, an 84-page hardcover visual poem, A Run North, a poetic exploration of the sea, captured during a boat trip up the Inside Passage. Through evocative imagery, it weaves a psychogeographical journey that distills a singular moment in time, immersing the viewer in the raw beauty and mystery of the coast.

Mackenzie is a distinguished visual artist, who invites you to join the conversation of colour and composition, transcending the boundaries of time and space. While spending the majority of his career in the urban landscapes of Toronto, Montreal, New York City, and Los Angeles, Mackenzie is now based in the enchanting surroundings of Vancouver Island where he brings his West Coast inspiration into his art and compositions.

Peter Gordon ’69 (Ripley’s) shares his reflections from 20 years ago when he helped to create the Squamish Humanity Village Project which provided aid following the 2004 tsunami that killed over 225,000 people from Indonesia to Thailand and Sri Lanka. Read the full story here.

Sophie Miranda ’20 (Groves’) recently re-signed with the professional soccer team Peamount United in Ireland’s Women's National League. See the post here.

Sergio Pereira ’19 (Copeman’s) was named Canada West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on February 18, 2025 after he put up back-to-back double-double performances. On March 7, the UVic Vikes men’s basketball team won the bronze medal in the Canada West championship tournament to qualify for the U Sports Final 8.

Congratulations to Jonty Nicholas ’24 (Lonsdale’s) and Simroy J. ’26 (Ripley’s) on being named to the Rugby Canada U20 Men’s Rugby Team. Click here for the full story.

Congratulations to Henri Gave ’23 (Ripley's), representing Duke University RFC, and Finn Gargan ’24 (Copeman's), representing Babson College RFC, for their achievements in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) XV's Small College National Championship playoffs. 

Additional congratulations to Finn for being selected to the NCR All-Star team to play for the New England Free Jacks Independents. The Independents competed in the NCR All-Star weekend January 18-19 at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, GA. 

Guiseppe Du Toit ’13 (Duxbury), Jack Shaw ’18 (Duxbury), Seth Purdey ’17 (Copeman’s), and  Djustice Sears-Duru ’12 (Duxbury) have been selected to play with various squads in the 2025 Major League Rugby season. To see the squad list, click here. 

Congratulations to Ted Champion ’21 (Ripley’s) for being named 8x8 Sports D1-A Men’s Rugby National Player of the Week in January 2025. Ted plays with the University of Arizona men’s rugby team. 

 

Congratulations to Ava Ference '23 (Renfrew) for being selected to represent Canada's U20 Women's Rugby Team. Canada will play against Ireland in May at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Read the full story here.

Wyatt Taron ’23 (Copeman’s) was selected to play in the 2024-25 Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League All-Star and Prospect games, January 17-18, 2025 in Salmon Arm. Conall Hill ’24 (Ripley’s) also played in the all-star game. Wyatt currently plays with the Westshore Wolves and Conall plays with the Saanich Predators.

 

Eli M. ’26 (Lonsdale’s) and Josh Polak ’24 (Lonsdale’s) also were part of the All-Star Weekend in Salmon Arm. Both played in the BCHL 2025 Top Prospects Game. Eli is a member of the Penticton Vees and Josh is a member of the Spruce Grove Saints. 

 

Check out this video of Noah Leibl ’20 (Lake’s) scoring the winning goal for Hamilton College during double overtime against Middlebury College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men’s Ice Hockey semifinals. Hamilton went on to win its first-ever NESCAC Championship on March 9 with a 3-0 victory over Tufts University. 

Alexandra Nelson ’24 (Kaye’s) received the Alex Nelson ‘Ok’wilagame’ Indigenous Female Athlete of the Year at the Greater Victoria Sports Awards ceremony on February 27, 2025 for her achievements in sports during the 2024 sports calendar year. Watch the video of Alexandra receiving her award here.

Madeline (Maddie) Nicholson ’19 (Kaye’s) is now the Executive Director of Hockey Yukon. Click here to read the post. Maddie was a Sport Captain and Assistant Captain of the Female Prep Hockey team during her time at Shawnigan.

From our campus to around the world, we meet Shawnigan Lake School alumni almost everywhere we go. Below is a collection of photos from recent visits with Shawnigan alumni.

Katelyn Ward ’09 (Renfrew) and her partner, Amanda, returned to Shawnigan for a visit in January 2025. 

Jonathan Scheske ’02 (Duxbury), Roy McIntosh ’59 (Lake’s), David Hansford ’02 (Duxbury), and Suzanne Boyd ’96 (School) with UBC men’s rowing coach Mike Pearce at the KPMG Thunderbird Scholarship Breakfast on February 26, 2025.

Alejandro Usabiaga ’24 (Lake’s) and Oliver Hooper ’23 (Duxbury) at a recent CAIS Boarding School Fair in Madrid, Spain. Alejandro is studying business administration and Oliver is pursuing his law degree. Both Alejandro and Oliver attend IE University, located in Madrid.

Pat Healy ’71 (Lonsdale’s) and his wife, Jana, with Gaynor and Rhod Samuel during a recent trip to California. 

John and Erin Farncomb, past Shawnigan parents, with Ron Anderson ’70 (Copeman’s) in Palm Desert.

The next generation of Shawnigan alumni! Mike Berg ’06 (Ripley’s), Struan Robertson ’06 (Copeman’s), Ian Manly ’06 (Copeman’s), and Eric Ander ’06 (Copeman’s) pose for a holiday photo with their babies.

Dominic Tjia ’11 (Duxbury) and his wife, Bernice, visited Shawnigan in January. Dom and Bernice were recently married and live in Hong Kong. This was Dom’s first time back on campus in 12 years.

Rhod and Gaynor Samuel visited Brigitte Hopkins ’91 (Kaye’s) in Canmore, Alberta this past February.

Joseph Park ’02 (Lake’s) welcomed his second child, James, who was born last October and has brought tremendous joy to the family. They recently celebrated his 100th day, a tradition in Korea.

Dafydd Samuel ’08 (Ripley’s) and wife, Emilie, recently celebrated the birth of their son, Llion born on December 31, 2024.

In this section we recognize those members of our alumni and greater community who have passed away. Please reach out to Rhodri Samuel at rsamuel@shawnigan.ca if you have information or updates you would like to share with our wider community.

Rolf Grass, former staff member, passed away on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Rolf will be fondly remembered by scores of alumni and colleagues. Steadfast in his support of the School and its people, programs and vision, he was on staff from 1974 until his retirement in 2001. 

Rolf asked Lynne that there be no service or celebration of life for him – or flowers. Lynne requests that if Rolf made a lasting impact on you as a student or colleague, you would consider donating in his name to Shawnigan Lake School's Financial Aid Program. Both Rolf and Lynne have, for decades, been huge advocates of access to a Shawnigan education.

Please visit this link and direct your gift to the Shawnigan Fund (Current Aid). Tick the Tribute Gift box to make a gift in memory of Rolf Grass. A personal message can be left in the Gift Instructions box, which we will collate and pass onto Lynne and Renate.

Click here to read Rolf’s obituary.

A celebration of life was hosted on February 2, 2025 for Robert P.J. Chickite ’87 (Lonsdale’s). Read his obituary here. 

A celebration of life was hosted at the Cowichan Golf and Country Club on January 11 for Ron Hudspith, past parent and former Shawnigan staff member, including being the Groves’ House Director in the 1960s. Many Shawnigan alumni attended the celebration. 

In the photo (L to R): David Sze ’74 (Groves’), Robert Hearn ’76 (Copeman’s), Ian Hyde-Lay ’75 (Lake’s), Ash Varma ’75 (Groves’), Mark Hall ’69 (Copeman’s), Beth Hall, Matt Arrott ’77 (Groves’), Bruce Anderson ’77 (Copeman’s), Pat MacLachlan’79 (Lake’s) and Dan Johnston ’76 (Ripley’s).

Michael Nightingale, former Shawnigan Lake School teacher from 1959 to 1969, passed away in Slocan, BC on January 3, 2025. Read his obituary here

John Housser ’69 (Groves’) passed away on December 17 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. John was the brother to Steve Housser ’67 (Groves’), Bruce Housser ’60 (Groves’), and Katharine Housser ’64 (Strathcona Lodge School).  During John’s time at Shawnigan, he was a powerful prop on the 1st XV and a member of the boys’ eight crew, winning school colours in both sports. Read his full obituary here.