About
The Big School
It has always been important for the School to have a gathering place. By around 1920, a separate building was constructed for this purpose and was called the “Big School,” a term borrowed from British tradition. We know it included a piano. In the new 1927 School, the Big School was a separate room in the centre of the building opposite the front door. It was accessed through arched wooden doors that mirrored the double doors at the entrance. At the far end was a slightly raised platform. The Big School was used for large gatherings of all kinds – assemblies, guest speakers, plays, dances. A stone fireplace was on the east side. In the 1930s, new boys went through an initiation ceremony that required them to walk along the fireplace mantle, stepping over teacups that had been placed along it, while also ducking under a large moose head hunting trophy that hung over the middle. Later the moose head was replaced by a buffalo head.
When a new gymnasium was built In 1965, the original gym – with a stage added at the far end – replaced the Big School and was called the Assembly Hall. The Big School room in the Main Building was converted into a library, with a balcony added along the east side.
In 2015, when the Main Building was renovated, it was decided to reinstate the gathering space in the same location as the original Big School, imitating it as much as possible. Several large windows line the walls and a stone fireplace – a copy of the original – was added. The mantle is made of salvaged timber from the nearby historic Kinsol Trestle that was restored and reinforced in 2011. This new space is called "Mitchell Hall" in recognition of the donors who made it possible, Brian ’57 (Groves') and Joan Mitchell and daughter Jennifer Mitchell ’97 (Groves'). It is furnished with luxuriously comfortable chairs and sofas and a variety of tables and floor lamps. It is adjacent to the main foyer at one end and the library at the other, with open-air courtyards on either side. Like the original Big School, there is a piano. Mitchell Hall – the new Big School – serves as a central gathering place at the heart of the Main Building.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
In 2015, when the Main Building was renovated, it was decided to reinstate the gathering space in the same location as the original Big School, imitating it as much as possible. Several large windows line the walls and a stone fireplace – a copy of the original – was added. The mantle is made of salvaged timber from the nearby historic Kinsol Trestle that was restored and reinforced in 2011. This new space is called "Mitchell Hall" in recognition of the donors who made it possible, Brian ’57 (Groves') and Joan Mitchell and daughter Jennifer Mitchell ’97 (Groves'). It is furnished with luxuriously comfortable chairs and sofas and a variety of tables and floor lamps. It is adjacent to the main foyer at one end and the library at the other, with open-air courtyards on either side. Like the original Big School, there is a piano. Mitchell Hall – the new Big School – serves as a central gathering place at the heart of the Main Building.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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.
