SLS Now Archive
English Eight
Mrs. Bell's and Mrs. Smith's English 8 classes (joined by Mr. Murray) went to Quw'utsun', the First Nations Cultural Centre in Duncan. We organized this field trip because we have just finished studying a novel titled, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and wanted to appreciate the First Nations culture more deeply. At the Centre, we were warmly welcomed and toured around the museum. We learned many new things about the culture and ways of the First Nations peoples. As we sat around the fire, we heard interesting stories, ones that have been passed down from generation to generation. We also admired the beautiful and colorful totem poles carved by various local First Nations people and were told the meaning and stories behind each one. I am quite interested in the stories told because I find a meaningful lesson in every one. At the end of our tour, we watched a movie, one that showed us the beliefs and the ways of this culture. I think that this is a very fascinating culture and I am glad that our school organized this fun and exciting field trip for our class.
– Shaughne S., Gr. 8 (Groves')
Growing the Spirit
I accompanied Mrs. Stroebel and a few of the grade nines to Cowichan Bay to help out at "Growing The Spirit," an event to mark the one-year countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Inside the Maritime Center, we helped kids make fruit and vegetable paintings, and to build wooden boats. Outside, we served free brownies, chocolates and hot chocolate. My roommate, Emma L. and I took lots of the chocolates and ran around the town handing them out to kids, encouraging them to come. We also talked to lots of their parents outside while serving them food. They were all very interested in Shawnigan, and it gave us an opportunity to tell them all about it. The kids all had a lot of fun painting, and were very proud of what they had made. I would recommend anyone to volunteer for this.
– Kathryn G., Gr. 9 (Groves')
Chapel Music
On Saturday, Nick M., Morgan B. and Adam M. performed the song, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. It was only intended to be us having fun and introducing a bit of light-heartedness into Chapel—we expected laughs but not at all the response we got! With everyone's encouragement, we hope to be back again with some more awkward skits and corrupted songs!
– Adam M., Gr. 12 (Ripley's)
Bruce-Lockhart Debate Tournament
Shawnigan hosted the 9th Annual Bruce-Lockhart Debate Tournament on Saturday. Participating schools included Pearson College, Glenlyon Norfolk School, Oak Bay High School, Britannia Secondary, Brentwood College School and Pacific Christian. The impromptu topics debated were "Be it Resolved that we should question authority" and "recycling should be eliminated." After three rounds, Lisa Jane D. earned the third place ranking as senior debater. Johnny B. won third place in the impromptu speaking junior category. Undoubtedly, without the assistance of the many student, staff and parent volunteers, this event couldn't have taken place. A giant "Thank-you" to every individual that gave their time for this day.
– Paul Klassen, Debate
Stag Café Date Night
On Sunday evening, the Stag Café (Entrepreneurship 12 class) presented an evening of dining and entertainment for Shawnigan Lake School students. The Ritz was transformed into a fine dining restaurant where students could order a three-course meal from the menu that included steaks, chicken, calamari, smoothies, milkshakes, and chocolate explosion. Olivia, who was the hostess for the evening, ensured that guests were promptly seated and looked after by her team of servers. Students dined by candle light while listening to a professional jazz band playing music that pleased the occasion. Meanwhile, back in the Stag kitchen, "Chef Georgio" and his merry Entrepreneurship 12 students were operating under intense pressure to prepare the delicious fare. The evening proved to be a resounding success with happy customers commenting that they had the "best time of their lives". During an interview "Chef Georgio" gave his annual comment of "never again" . . . until next year.
– Georg Stroebel, Entrepreneurship 12
Who Am I?
Creating a self-portrait can tell us where the artist has come from and who they were at the time. In Art 9, students are required to produce two self-portrait projects: Conceptual and literal. One task is to create a photo-realistic pencil drawing produced from a back and white photograph and the grid method, but the first exercise is to create a multi-media piece that celebrates who the student is, telling us more about their personalities rather than what they actually look like. Finished portraits can involve paint, paper, collage, text, and random found objects. The end result is an interesting and revealing piece of art that celebrates the unique traits of each individual artist.
– Carol Shaw, Art
Valentine's Day Dance
The Grade 10 Round Table organized a great Valentine's Dance for February 14th. Prizes were awarded for the best "Pairs" costumes and everyone danced to the music that was masterfully provided by Jordan B. Thanks go to the Stag Café and Mr. Stroebel for helping out. These photos say it better than words—lots of fun was had by all. Congratulations to the Grade 10 Round Table members for organizing the event and thanks to everyone who helped set up and clean-up afterwards.
- Jenny Ferris, Grade 10 Round Table Leader
Set Painting
Over Ski Week, a few dynamic painters and builders stayed behind and worked on the set for the School Musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Mr. Perry is more than thankful for the help and has encouraged anyone with a paint roller to come and join the fun as he finishes the final touches in the next week or so.
The play will be presented in the Cowichan Theatre, April 2-4. Tickets are on sale now and can be reserved at (250) 748-7529
Shawnigan Lake School Museum
Recently, the Grade Eights went to see the Shawnigan Lake School Museum. We learned all sorts of facts about Shawnigan history that dated back to over ninety years ago. Some of the things that we found most interesting about the museum was the first car on campus, the model of the old class rooms and the original type writers and calculators. We thought that it was a very memorable experience. We had a limited amount of time and would enjoy going back there again to see some of the things that we might have missed. We would like to thank Mrs. Grass and Ms Newns for putting together this experience for us.
– Juliana W. and Jordan D.
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Chapel Music
A grade 12 student from Strathcona Lodge School House performed in Chapel on Saturday. She sang "Wagon Wheel," originally by Old Crow Medicine Show and Bob Dylan. Her version was more akin to the one done by the band, Against Me!. "I like the lyrics very much and the way the song sounds," she says and, indeed, her lovely, quiet vocals echoed beautifully in the hushed chapel. "I've been singing since sixth grade and have been playing guitar since the beginning of this year. I used to take voice lessons and now I take guitar lessons at the School with Paul Morelli. He is really fun and he knows his stuff. Playing in Chapel is fun, but at the same time, nerve racking because you don't know if people are going to like what you have to offer."
Math Contests
On Wednesday, 75 eager young mathematicians participated in the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat math contests. These national contests are for students in grades 9 through 11 and are sponsored, in part, by the University of Waterloo. They involve problem-solving questions which are not directly linked to mathematics curricula in Canada and the questions range from easy to very challenging. Last year, approximately 63,000 students from across the country participated and we had some impressive results with many scores above the 90th percentile. Students who participate in these contests typically have some very strong abilities in mathematics. Our students will anxiously await their scores, which should be available sometime in early May.
– Stephen Cox, Head of Math
Ski Week 2009!
Thank you to everyone who made this year's Ski Week such a great experience for students and staff alike! Wendy Woollven has provided a wide variety of photos and the following daily description of the highlights at Manning Park.
Ski Week: Thursday
After a long and busy day on Wednesday, it would follow that everyone would be tired on Thursday; however, since it is the last day at Manning Park, everyone makes the most of the day by spending hours up at the hill. We were treated with another sunny day that led to icy conditions early in the morning, but the snow softened as the day went on.
The highlight at lunch was a show put on by the grade 12s as they tested the limits of the definition of "spring skiing." The evening began with the Inter-House tug-o-war competition and closing awards ceremony, where individual and House awards were given out for all the downhill and cross country races as well as for Inter-House snow sculpture.
Ski Week: Wednesday
Wednesday is traditionally a very busy day at Ski Week, and this year was no exception. The morning started off with the junior and senior downhill ski and snowboard races, which took place under more sunny skies. All House representatives raced well, making for stiff competition. The busyness continued with the cross-country skiing race after lunch, with many of the downhill competitors racing the grueling 10-km race as well. These athletes finished amidst the Inter-House snow sculpture competition.
This icy-cold competition, taking about 7 hours in total, always results in incredible works of art, and despite the tough snow conditions, the students were inspired by the "Movies" theme and produced excellent sculptures. The fun ended that evening with the traditional carnival, run by the grade 11's and finals of Reach for the Top where a new game—staff verses the top grade 12s—ended with a strong victory for the students.
Ski Week: Tuesday
We woke to another crisp and clear day with more exciting runs had by all on the hill. The grade 8s and 9s spent part of the day learning how to cross country ski. The evening was capped off with a presentation by Mr. Murray about his Mt. Everest climb and laughs were had by all as the Staff put on another Review for the students.
Ski Week: Monday
Monday morning brought the first of many clear days for the week. From the top of the ski hill, you could see far off mountain peaks that have been hidden for the past few years. It was a great first day of skiing and snowboarding, with only a quick break for our delicious lunch. Evening activities ran similarly to Sunday night, with the addition of the Polar Coaster and swimming pool and the first round of Senior Reach for the Top.As before, the evening ended with a large-scale broomball game.
We included a new initiative this year-taking out own mess kits. This worked really well, and we were able to cut down on the amount of compost and our footprint on the environment substantially. Thanks to the environment club for all their hard work in managing this task.
Ski Week: Sunday
Bright and early on Sunday morning, eight large buses departed from Shawnigan for Ski Week 2009. Several hours later, we arrived at a freshly dusted Manning Park, excited for the week ahead. After dinner and group meetings, the evening activities began—the first round of Junior Reach for the Top, karaoke, and a presentation by Ms Wiley. The day ended with the long-awaited staff vs. Grade 12's broomball game, which turned out to be great fun! Everyone went to bed excited for the first day up at the hill.