Blog Archive

Opening our lovely Christmas Dinner with a particularly warm welcome from the bigger children to all the little children present,  and before we were treated to a sumptuous feast, I used the following grace to dedicate the meal:

This Christmas Season…

Let us focus more on spending time with people
than on spending money.
Let’s remember that that the greatest gifts actually cost nothing.
Let’s give love and friendship to as many people as possible and, as we say in this Hall almost every day -

Let us give thanks for the blessings we enjoy.

Benedictus benedicat,   Amen

The festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which followed was again memorable in an atmospheric, candle-lit Chapel and the choir sang beautifully as did Krit and Emily at the end. As we retreated to the Parents' tea, the right feelings abounded and there was a warmth in the air. My best wishes to all for the season!
 

Headmaster’s Blog on Learning from the Students

This morning in chapel, we felt the courage of a young woman as she finally spoke publicly of her mother’s passing last year. Min-Ji who has been a student at Shawnigan for the last four years reminded us to value the relationships that we have and urged us to seek to spend some quality time with loved ones, as we can never know when fate will rob us of that chance. Introduced by her House Director, Mrs. D, and silently encouraged by the whole chapel, Min-Ji’s message was both dignified and simple. She talked of courage and she exemplified it. With graceful humanity, her message was as powerful as any that we may be privy to this Christmas season and so very appropriate for us all to hear. Yet again, I find myself in awe and admiration of what we adults can learn from our young people!

 

Playing around with the language as any former English teacher would, I do believe that it is not enough to do well, you have to do good too! More than ever there is a world of need at our doorstep as well as in far-off places and we can aspire to make a difference in both parts. It is continually reassuring to see how many people do give of their time and resources to help someone somewhere in some way. Here, we like to think of ourselves as a caring community and caring by its very essence involves giving, so it's always a treat to hear of new examples of kindness, large and small. Whether it's the grade 9 Christmas gifts initiative or the Stag Cafe donating its profit to the Food Bank or the bus-load of staff and students going into Duncan to fill sandbags during the recent flooding or the wonderful Hospice fundraiser last night, everything counts. Perhaps the message is even more important at this time of year, because it is an approach to life that gives hope and hope is surely what the Christmas season is all about.