SLS Now Archive
International Workshops
The School was abuzz on Wednesday afternoon as students shared cultural activities with their peers. Salsa dancing, Thai massage, karate, and crepe making were just a few of the 27 International Week Workshops held throughout the campus. The Irish team even braved drenching rains to showcase "hurling" in the upper fields.
Photos by Yearbook
House Treats
On Tuesday evening, country groups organized a few treats for the Houses. This was a great surprise and was greeted with much appreciation after prep.
Photos by Stephen Lane
Meals With International Zest
During International Week, lunch times are filled with surprises. The culinary staff has gone to great lengths to create ethnic dishes from around the world and grace is said each day in a different language. Banners from our country groups fly overhead and musical guests have given our meals wonderful ambiance.
Photos by Stephen Lane
The Tribe — An International Week Address
The Tribe – by Jay Connolly
I have a confession to make. When Ms Ferris asked me to speak to you, I had trouble choosing a subject. I am not particularly international. Of the 196 countries in the world, I have visited only five, which makes me a great deal less international than many of you.
In fact, I’ve always been a little uncomfortable about International Week. My family has lived within the present geographical borders of Canada longer than Canada has existed as a nation. And the circumstances of my parents’ and grandparents’ early lives forced them always to look forward, never back. During my own childhood, I occasionally asked my parents, “So, what are we?” They always responded the same way: “You’re Canadian.” I am profoundly proud to be a Canadian, but even back then, “Canadian” sounded to me like an incomplete answer. With a name like Connolly, my Irish roots are certain, but there’s Scottish blood on both sides, and some English, too, and who knows what else.
When I was a kid kicking around the red-dust roads of my Northern BC town, I dreamt of being something far more definite and visible than Canadian. I had two First Nations friends, and to me they looked like royalty. I wanted to say that I was Cree or from the Blood Tribes, or a Cherokee. For a while in grade one, I wanted to be Mexican because a Mexican family came with their son Carlos to live in our small town, and I was fascinated by the music of their speech. . . .
Rugby News
This past Wednesday, five Shawnigan Senior Rugby players were selected to represent the North Island in an All-Star 7 aside match versus the South Island. Vaughn G., Monty T., Jordan B., Robbie A., and Chris R. were all part of the victorious North Island Selects that defeated the South three trys to one in a very exciting match.
This was a fantastic experience for the boys, coached by Jeff Williams, SLS 1st XV Coach, as they played in front of a crowd of over 2000 spectators during the half time of the BC Bears versus Russian National Team. BC won that match 38-16.
In other exciting SLS Rugby news, four of our senior boys have just been selected to the Rugby Canada National Men's U17 side: Monty T., Lukas B., Robbie A., and David M. Also, Takeshi B. and Jordan B. were named to the Development XV for this age group.
This weekend we will have returning SLS grads, Brett Beukeboom, Pat Fraser, and Mackenzie Poole, as they are all attending the National U20 selection camp being held at Shawnigan. The U20's are preparing for the World Junior Trophy Event being held in May 2010 in Moscow, Russia.
Well done to all—Go Shaw!
– Tim Murdy, Head of Rugby
Many Countries Flavour Festival
As our International Week kicks off, many thanks must go out to so many for so much work; from the flag bearers and speakers during the Opening Ceremony, to the banner painters and the cooks for the Food Fair.
Oh, the cooks! It was a fantastic evening. To everyone who did anything at all to contribute to the planning and organizing; to the mother who drove half way down the island to drop off some food and turned around and drove right back up island; and finally to the long suffering and amazingly considerate Kitchen Staff - thanks to you all. And by no means least: Thank you Mrs Hall for coordinating us all in this fabulous feast.
– Jenny Ferris, Co-Ordinator of International Week 2009
Photos by Stephen Lane
International Week Opening
With the Olympic Theme sounding through the rafters, dozens of student flag bearers strode up the Chapel aisle Monday morning and greeted the gathered community in their own languages to mark the opening of International Week at Shawnigan.
Guest speaker, Anglican Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, has travelled extensively in his life and referenced Marshall McLuhan’s coining of the phrase “the Global Village” in the 1950s. “You are the first generation in history to be born into a truly globalized world,” he said, noting how transportation links and many new technologies have brought the world closer together.
“Some see this globalization as a threat, but as we come to know one another and understand one another, we begin to see that we share the same concerns,” Archbishop Hutchison said. He then spoke of unifying laws such as Canada’s Multiculturalism Act which “fosters a sense of belonging while respecting diversity.” He also detailed the United Nations’ seven millennium development goals by 2015 that include eradicating hunger and poverty, achieving universal primary education, fostering gender equality, reducing child mortality, combating disease, increasing women’s healthcare and establishing environmental security.
“Shawnigan Lake School this week honours cultures that make up our common life and make inclusive all world cultures,” he said. “Be proud of your culture and its contribution to the global community.”
– Caryl Worden, Communications
Photos by Stephen Lane
Sr. Girls Volleyball Advance to the Finals
The senior Girls Volleyball team move into semi-final action against the #1 ranked Brentwood team. The best of 5 match is set for 12:30 at BCS. The winner receives one of the two berths into the AA Provincials.
Fishing in Tahsis Inlet
A great way to come back to school after a break—Jean-Jacques Receveaux, Mike M. and Milan V. spent two days of fishing in Tahsis Inlet on the West coast of Vancouver Island. An early morning followed by a breakfast of french bread courtesy of Jean-Jacques started off the trip. The fishing was good and the weather was great. We saw lots of fish but not a single bear—a little dissapointing. It was nice to get away, even though it was just overnight. A great time for the three of us. Hopefully, this will be the first of many trips to come.
– Milan V.
English 12 Really Cooks!
The English 12 class of B block has just finished the novel, The Kite Runner and was challenged to prepare a feast based on the food that is eaten in Afghanistan. There were 5 groups that were in charge of different dishes. When the cooking was done, we had an amazing feast and all the food tasted incredibly good.
– Antoine B., English 12
National Slam Poetry Finals
This weekend, my Writing 12 class and I went to the National Slam Poetry Finals in Victoria. The finals were hosted in a church and the atmosphere was incredible. It was interesting to see the strong traditions that slam poetry holds, like "spilling the blood" by having a new, non-competitive poets speak first. Going to the slam finals has inspired me to become a better performance poet and has given me inspiration for new poems. Some highlights other than the poetry included having a Shawnigan student judge the finals and taking a special trip to McDonalds.
– Morgan Lee, Writing 12
AP Literature & Composition
For the past several weeks, AP Literature & Composition students have studied Arthur Miller’s modern American tragedy, Death of a Salesman. To finish the unit, the class broke into groups, with each group taking responsibility for an important scene in the play. These they performed in front of their peers on Tuesday. The purpose of this approach, of course, is to drive students into the play, so that when the time comes to write about Death of a Salesman on the AP Exam, an individual student will recall not only specific lines, but also the emotional context of the scene. To succeed with this assignment, students must determine for themselves the mood of the scene and the struggles of each character. This impressive group met the challenge with remarkable maturity and achieved significant depth in their performances.
– Jay Connolly, AP Literature & Composition
Duxbury Chapel Presentation
This weekend, Duxbury House ran the chapel service. As a theme, we chose unity because we believe unity to be a great concept: to gather individuals' strength and wisdom in the purpose of participating in something larger than themselves. We performed a series of readings, skits, and songs all brought together under the theme of unity. I would like to thank the efforts of the staff and housemates for preparing this presentation and making it a memorable experience.
– Mike K., Head of Duxbury House
Photos by Stephen Lane
Commerce 10 Pizzeria
Our Commerce 10 class had a great first experience with the opening of the new Stag Pizzeria. Although it has only just started, we already have many customers because the Stag Café is well-known for providing great food. For most of us, it was our first time making pizzas, but we all had fun and managed to figure out that pepperoni always goes on the bottom, not on top of the cheese.
Cicy F., Commerce 10
Sr. Boys Soccer Qualify for Provincials
Unbelievable! Going into today we had to beat the number one ranked team in Victoria! We did it! Our team was composed, professional, and on a mission. Beating Parkland 1-0 was nothing short of amazing. We then went on to beat our nemesis, Qualicum, in shoot-outs. With 3 wins and 1 loss over the last 2 days, it gave us a 3rd place finish on the island and a second consecutive (and only second in school history!) trip to the provincials. This accomplishment is outstanding considering only 4 teams out of 20 on the island qualify and only 16 teams out of 95 across the province qualify. What an experience! Congratulate these guys for they truly do deserve it!
– Jarrett Wilke, Coach
Junior B Field Hockey
Well done to the Junior B Field Hockey girls, their improvement throughout the season has been wonderful. They played their last game on Thursday and recorded their first win. During the tournament they managed to score 2 goals both by Jennaka D. They have worked well during the season and improvement has been the name of the game. Just keep the “stag” bouncing girls!
– Debra John, Coach
Shawnigan in the News
Students and seniors sit together in small groups, chatting away the autumn afternoon. It’s a typical scene when the members of Shawnigan Lake School’s Swordless Samurai service group descend on Sunridge, the Clements Centre and Acacia Lodge....
To read the article in The Cowichan News Leader and Pictorial click here.
AP US History
Dr. Stewart Hamilton (Shawnigan alumnus, class of 1968) spoke to Mr. Olson’s AP US History class about his time as a trauma surgeon at Kandahar Airfield in 2008. Dr. Hamilton began his talk by giving credit to Graham Anderson, his Shawnigan History teacher, for his interest in history and then spoke about the conflict in Afghanistan in an historical context. He showed us images of the beautiful and harsh landscape and outlined the factors of population density, education, religion, languages and health in that area. He talked briefly about the Communist and Taliban era and about Role 3 MMU (Multinational Medical Unit) of which he was a part. In this 16-bed hospital, 75 metres from the tarmac at the Airfield, Dr. Hamilton, and his team members cared for coalition forces, Afghan security forces, civilians, and any life threatening injuries that crossed their threshold. Dr. Hamilton brought to view the destruction caused by AK47s, suicide bombs, and IEDs, with photos from his operating room. We were captivated by his teaching and honoured by the time he gave us.
Remembrance Day
Our Shawnigan Remembrance Service was poignant, and the students’ sense of honour and remembrance made us proud. In the pre-service, Grade 8 program class, Dr. Moulaison spoke to students about his time as a surgeon in the military. Students responded by telling him about their families’ war experiences. Given the ages of the students, we were somewhat surprised by the number of stories told. Indeed, conflict has touched many lives at Shawnigan. This was also evident in the veterans who attended our Chapel service and by our Remembrance Speaker, Dr. Stewart Hamilton ’68 (Ripley’s), who served as a trauma surgeon at Kandahar Airfield while his eldest son, Chris ’02 was on a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The Shawnigan Choir sang “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Click on the photo to hear them sing and to see photos of the service by Stephen Lane and Maureen Connolly. Thanks to Jay Connolly for the choir recording.
Challenging climate change
Shawnigan’s EnviroClub and their counterparts from Brentwood College School kicked off a ground-breaking program this week as they embark on the High School Climate Challenge.
The two schools are the first on Vancouver Island, and among the first in BC, to participate in the program which began in Ontario last year as a joint initiative of Clean Air Champions and the Sierra Youth Coalition. The program provides high school communities the tools to assess and reduce their school's carbon footprint and contribute to climate change solutions.
Although it is a “challenge” for each school to reduce its carbon emissions the most, “this is a unique situation to have two schools also working together,” said Karen Stroebel, HSCC Coordinator for BC. “Each school will have its own team for monitoring and implementing initiatives, but the tone overall is that they are working together on the bigger picture of reducing climate change.”
In a workshop at the Shaw Centre, representatives from the program explained how students will gather their baseline data over the next months on everything from heating, energy and transportation costs to calculating how much paper and water their schools use. The teams will also develop Climate Action Plans and will be able to monitor how those activities affect their schools’ carbon footprint.
Each school also has a mentor to help them. “We’ll be helping you guide the process, but it’s your project,” Shawnigan mentor Brian Roberts told the students. He is a teacher at Vancouver Island University and an expert in bio diesel waste recovery.
Parent Open House
Our recent Parent Open House was a great success and all of those who attended seemed to feel that it was enjoyable, useful and reassuring. My thanks to all the parents who made the effort to attend and to the staff who, as always, give so willingly of their time. Enhancing our relationships with families is a key aspect of the modern boarding school and last week's event did much to foster those aims. Well done!
– David Robertson, Headmaster
Jr. A Girls Volleyball
On Tuesday, the Jr. A Girls Volleyball team won their final league game of the year in a close three-set match at Cowichan Secondary School. The final game saw the girls trailing 14-4 only to come back and win 26-24. The final scores were 25-19, 10-25, 26-24. The girls finished with a 5-2 league record, which will rank them third going in to the Mid-Island Championship this weekend at Brentwood.
Andy Olson, Coach
Jr. Girls Field Hockey
Island Championships – The Junior team played some pretty good field hockey on Tuesday, winning their pool with two wins and two ties. They advanced to the finals vs Cowichan Secondary and although the first half was well played, our girls were not able to find the back of the goal. Fatigue seemed to set in during the second half and Cowichan was able to capitalize, scoring twice. Congratulations to the team for a very respectable second place finish.
Darrin Austin, Director of Athletics
Grade 12 Entrepreneurship and Management
Basic accounting principles took on a competitive edge this week during a Grade 12 Entrepreneurship and Management class. “We’re using the game Monopoly to show the practical aspects of book keeping,” explains Mr. Stroebel. Real estate transactions were fast and furious as students played the game and recorded all their incomes and expenses on a simple ledger form.
– Caryl Worden
Model United Nations
Congratulations to all the Grade 10 delegates that participated in a simulation of the Copenhagen Conference(COP15) on climate change.
The following delegates were recognized with awards in their committee:
BEST DELEGATE – Julianne H. (Rwanda); Alan H. (Germany); Ngabo B. (Rwanda)
OUTSTANDING SPEAKER – Haydn E. (Colombia) Julie Ann P. (Colombia) Max K. (China)
BEST POSITION PAPER – Giselle H. (Great Britain); Brianne Z. (United States); Spencer D. (El Salvador)
BEST DIPLOMACY / CONSENSUS BUILDER – Emma L. (Great Britain); Sarah A. (Denmark); Vivian B. (United States)
– Paul Klassen, Model UN
Shawnigan Carries the Olympic Flame
Two members of our Shawnigan Lake School community carried the Olympic Flame!
Congratulations to Nader M. and Kyle Hamilton (member of the gold medal-winning 2009 Olympic Mens’ Eight crew).
Photos at Elk Lake by Wendy Woollven
English 10
Being lost in the jungle, crashing a snowmobile through thin ice, and enduring life in a Serbian jail—Mrs. Smith’s class is experiencing them all—at a safe distance of course! The English 10-7 group is currently exploring the themes of “survival and endurance,” and, on Friday, one of our own joined the class to share a tale of adventure. When he was only eight years old, Mr. Galen Loiselle and his family were shipwrecked on a small island in Panama for six months. Our class enjoyed hearing the story, as Mr. Loiselle shared it from the perspective of a young boy enjoying days of play and exploration on an idyllic Pacific Island beach, and the perspective of his parents, as they struggled with the elements to keep the family comfortable and to repair the boat. Thank you to Mr. Loiselle for sharing the story of a modern Swiss Family Robinson.
– Leslie Smith
Sr. Girls Field Hockey
November 7 update: The Shawnigan girls didn’t disappoint with a very encouraging finish to the BC Provincial Championships at the Burnaby Sport Complex. After getting through probably the most difficult pool with an upset win over Crofton House the girls moved into the Championship Round against eventual BC Champions Little Flower Academy. They proved to be very tough opponents and Shawnigan couldn’t keep thwarting off the constant pressure of this highly strong and skilled team. The girls kept them to a 2-0 score for 40 minutes but in the end LFA proved why they are BC Champions and finished with two more goals to end the game at 4-0. This moved Shawnigan into a two game series for 5th and 6th place. First up was arch rival Brentwood and what an exciting game this was. Shawnigan looked tired in the early going and found themselves down 2-0 at the half. The second half was a different story and Shawnigan came back to tie the score at 2-2. The final whistle blew and overtime was called. The play went back and forth and with numerous scoring opportunities by both sides until right in the last minute Brentwood scored a lovely goal on a 2 on 1 break. With heads held high Shawnigan went on to win their final game against South Okanagan 2-1 to finish 7th in the tournament. Shawnigan’s young team of 7 grade 10’s is going to be heard from in the years to come. Going into the tournament ranked 12th in BC Shawnigan sent a strong message to all those who doubted their potential. We are all looking forward to watching this team develop. Congratulations to the girls on an outstanding performance at the Provincials.
November 5 update: Shawnigan’s hockey team continues to roll at the Provincial Championships in Vancouver today. After an upset win over second ranked Crofton House on Wednesday, Shawnigan moved into the Championship round of 6 with a convincing win over Glen-Lyon Norfolk House of Victoria this morning. The Shawnigan girls moved the ball around well and constantly set themselves up for scoring opportunities, something that has alluded them for much of the season. Strong play by Lizzie, Erin, and young goal tender Sydney have made the difference in the past two games. Kat has been outstanding on defence and her clearing shots have eased the pressure of many attacks by the opposition. Shawnigan will have their work cut out for them when they meet Little Flower Academy in a quarter final game at 3pm today, but they will be facing a confident opposition who is ready to surprise again.
– Mark Hall, Director of Sport
Halloween Howl
Many members of our grade 10 class contributed to another very successful Halloween Howl at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre. Some lent hard work and artistry (realistic cobwebs and gruesome looking mannequins) to set the scene in the Haunted House, some performed as tour guides or scary folks appearing out of the darkness, and some helped to dismantle and clean up when the fun was over. A good time was had by all, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of participants who want to come back and do it all again next year! Thanks to the Grade 10 Round Table for their excellent organization and effort.
– Peter Yates and Jenny Ferris
Photos by Peter Yates
Cross Country Running
On Wednesday, Oct. 28 the cross country team travelled to Beaver Lake to compete in the Island Championships.
Members of the girls' team, including captain Alana and Arden just missed qualifying. The boys' team led by Logan came 10th overall. Logan, coming 9th and qualifying for the BC High School Championships, will compete in Surrey in the provincial final on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Last Saturday, Logan competed for Team Yukon at the Open BC Cross Country Championships at Jericho Beach in Vancouver. The top 16-year-old in the race, he completed the muddy 7 km course in 23:54.
– Jim Kingstone, Coach
Photos by Meghan B.
Rugby vs Mulgrave
Our grade 8 rugby team had the pleasure of hosting 20 grade 8 rugby players from Mulgrave School from West Vancouver this last weekend. Gareth Ronald-Jones, a graduate of 1997 brought his Mulgrave team across to Shawnigan and we were pleased to have Gareth back on campus. They arrived early evening Friday and little did they know that they were going to take part in Shawnigan's annual Halloween Haunted Walk. In order to build up their courage they were given a meal in Marion Hall. Immediately following the dinner the young men were escorted to the dark forest behind Strathcona House for the spine-chilling walk. This, of course, was a Shawnigan ploy to put them on edge before their Saturday match. Just to lull them into a false sense of security they were given a burger at the Stag Café. We don't know if they were tossing and turning throughout the night but the next morning they looked ready to do battle.
The extra thick pancakes Shawnigan served them for breakfast seemed to take some time to digest and Mulgrave found themselves behind early in the game. Still this didn't deter this feisty Mulgrave side and they clawed their way back into the game and, at half time, the score was close. Some excellent running and individual performances by Santiago and Michael in the second half allowed Shawnigan to pull away for the victory.
The Shawnigan boys enjoyed playing hosts to these fine young men from Mulgrave and we look forward to the return fixture in West Vancouver in November.
– Mark Hall, Director of Sport
Photos by Nicole Ronald-Jones and Stephen Housser
Baptism
On Saturday, the Morris/Dewis family celebrated the sacrament of Baptism. Matthew Morris was baptized and officially welcomed into the chapel community. The family was supported by extended family and friends, including Adam de Levie, class of 2007.
Photos by Stephen Lane
Halloween Dance
On Saturday night, the Grade 11s hosted the annual Halloween Dance for Grades 9-12. The dance raised $1,350.00 that will be donated to Cops for Cancer.
Photos by Stephen Lane
Grade Eight Ghost Walk
The Great 8's were treated to a special Halloween evening in Victoria. Under the light of an almost full moon, the event began with ghost stories as we followed a guided tour through the oldest part of downtown Victoria. We learned about the history of many historic buildings and the ghosts who occupy them to this day! Of particular interest was the Rogers' Chocolates store founders and the story about their son, Freddie. Dinner at the Macaroni Grill was fantastic and we were happy to sit down and warm-up! It was family style dining, so we felt right at home. Following dinner, we ended our outing with a vampire movie at Silvercity. The bus ride home over the Malahat was quite calm as we had experienced a very busy Saturday and were ready to crash. Well done Great 8's!
– Val Donahue
Photos by Paul Donahue
Classroom Dress
On Friday, students and some enthusiastic staff members wore costumes to class. The Prefects held a costume parade in Marion Hall at lunchtime where costumes were judged—funniest, scariest, most creative, and best group costume.
Photos by Stephen Lane