SLS Now Archive
Free Spirit Week
Last week, the Prefects staged a "School Take-Over" and imposed a few of their own rules and a bizarre new dress code. For Earth Day, they proclaimed that students should wear "recycled outfits" or, failing that, they should dress in green clothing. Thursday was ordained "Twin" day and students dressed as pairs—there were all kinds of crazy couples cruising the campus! On Friday, students didn't get dressed up at all and attended classes in their pajamas and, consequently, were fed breakfast in the morning and in the evening! Thanks go to the Prefects for organizing this great week of fun.
Chapel Music
"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from the musical, "Les Miserables" was the piece performed in Chapel this weekend. A multi-talented Prefect from Copeman's House, this singer/actor recently wowed us in his role as "Ching Ho" in "Thoroughly Modern Millie." This was his second Chapel performance this year and we hope to hear him again before he graduates in June!
Student Photography
Courtney H. '09 (Renfrew), has been an avid photographer for many years and part of the photography fine art for the past three years. We are pleased that she is now also part of the Outdoors Club. Courtney sees landscape and marine life in a unique way through her lens and we are grateful that she is sharing it with us here.
The "porpoise" of going on an Outdoors paddling trip
Going paddling for two days means that we see marine life. On Saturday and Sunday saw a few porpoises, lots of seals and starfish, eagles and other furry ones (otters and racoons). But there are other purposes to going on the paddling trips—having fun, camping, overcoming personal challenges and helping out.
Mr. Yates, Ms Ferris and a group of 11 students and one Thai visitor (Will) ventured to Portland Island to accomplish all of the above and more. Some of the students had never been on a paddling trip before, so there were surprises (fun and hard work). Everyone worked together to create a great team—whether it was cutting unwanted broom plants for the National Parks Branch (to help the regeneration of native plants) or facing the challenge of hard paddling—especially on the return voyage. The wind and tide were in our favour, but the going was still hard for some. Well done to everyone for stepping up to the challenges.
– Jenny Ferris, Outdoors
Graphic Design 10
The Graphic Design 10 class visited Cowichan Woodwork to see how designs on a computer can be manipulated to create real, 3-dimensional graphic art. Computer numeric control (c.n.c.) allows us to use information created in many popular software packages such as Illustrator or ArtCam, to guide machinery to actually produce the "real" product. The demonstrations were based on sign carving, but the same principles are used to shape anything from cabinets to guitars, rowing shells to complex art, in any machinable material. The snacks were good, Mr. Smith was "in his element" discussing and demonstrating the software and machinery, and the items on display were fine examples of the creative side of c.n.c.
Law Day
Three weeks of work, going before two supreme court judges, meeting with three different lawyers, and making a trip to Duncan, boiled down to one final day. One day that was filled with excitement and nerves. We walked into the courthouse, bags in hand and were immediately greeted by a Security guard. Up to the fourth floor, courthouses and interview doors, lining the walls as we walked down the hallway, found out what room our first case was in and then let the Crown team head off to its first case. Ms Cawley, Jessie R. and Logan D. and I made our way through the crowd and found a quiet place to go over our case. We worked for about an hour and twenty-minutes, which seemed like nothing compared to the three weeks of preparation prior. We made our way to the courtroom, and presented our case, it was two against four, Jessie and I against four other lawyers, representing the defense-we won and our client was acquitted of both charges. The amount of fun that we had was incredible. We enjoyed every minute, and I truly believe that our advancement to the semi-finals was made possible by each lawyer and judge that helped us prepare. The feeling of utter joy was incredible and although we did not advance to the Finals, we were happy with where we ended up. On behalf of the whole Shawnigan Lake School Debate Team, I want to personally thank Ms Cawley, Mr. Younie, Judge Bracken, and Judge Wood. This was an incredible trip and gave me a whole different view on lawyers and the British Columbia Court System. Thanks to everyone who made this trip a possibility!
– Johnny B., Junior Debate Captain
Fine Art Colours
Fine Art Colours were awarded to students this week. Mr. Rolston remarked that students at Shawnigan are challenged to be well rounded—intellectual, athletic, creative and spiritual. "Some students come to Shawnigan with very little experience in the arts and discover a passion for one or two Fine Arts and those students grow in enthusiasm and skill and take that with them when they leave. Albert Einstein said, 'Imagination is more important than knowledge.' This morning, we will recognize excellence in the Fine Art Program at Shawnigan. Colours are awarded to students who show leadership, faithful and enthusiastic commitment and solid skill development in their Fine Art."
Academic Colours
Academic Colours were awarded this week to students in Grade 12 and Grade 10. They will be awarded again in June. Mrs. Kingstone noted that Academic Colours recognises those students who bring intellectual energy, leadership, determination and integrity to their studies. While achievement is certainly important, students who are distinguished by their passion for learning and for contributing to the learning environment, thus enhancing the experience of others, find the greatest success in the classroom. And not all academics are the same: some light up the class with their banter, others work quietly helping others as needed, responding to questions when called upon; some push their teachers to answer the hard questions, others seek these answers for on their own. But without a doubt, those who bring to the classroom those values we hold dear at Shawnigan reap the greatest rewards.
Before reading out the names of the recipients, Ms Woollven read the citation for us: "Academic Colours will be awarded to students who consistently demonstrate superior effort, achievement, and leadership in their studies while also maintaining a commitment to the many other facets of the Shawnigan program. Showing genuine interest, working to potential, and supporting classmates must be integral to a recipient's approach. Generally, students will have studied at the School for more than one year."
Art Eight
This month, Shawnigan Lake School is happy to be playing host to a group of teachers who are visiting from Thailand. The Art 8 class was lucky to have a visit this morning from "Apsorn," who gave them all a brief lesson in cartooning—Thai style! The students were given some examples of basic style, and then asked to create their own comic book characters and stories. Although we didn't have time to complete an entire comic book, we came up with some very interesting images and some humorous drawings! Thank you, Apsorn!
– Carol Shaw, Art
Chapel Music
This grade 10 student from Groves' sang solo in Chapel for the first time on Saturday. "The song I sang was 'More Love' by the Dixie Chicks. I take private voice lessons with Mrs. Bryant, but she was not my first voice teacher. I've been singing for about 4 years (private lessons) and about 8 years in choir. My mom was a choir teacher many years back, and that is where I got a lot of my inspiration. I get a lot of support from my friends and family, though mostly from my roommate! Before singing in Chapel, she got me to sing the song to her every night. I knew I had all the support I needed. It's just a bonus that some people enjoyed it. I will sing publicly again because practice makes perfect."
Francis Tjia visits Entrepreneurship and Commerce classes
Mr. Francis Tjia shared his knowledge of financial markets and their inner workings with Mr. Stroebel's business students. Students were fascinated to learn about the stock and bond markets, how to choose and evaluate companies for investment purposes, and how hedge funds operate. He used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate and emphasize the delivery of his message. Thanks go to Mr. Tjia for his enthusiasm and support of the business program.
Mr Tjia is a hedge fund manager based in Hong Kong.
Senior Choir
On Thursday, the Senior Choir participated in the West Coast Choir Festival, hosted by Pacific Christian School in Victoria. They performed three contrasting pieces ("Crazy," "Lullaby," and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd") which they have been working on since January. The singers represented the School extremely well and received positive feedback from the two wonderful adjudicators. They will be performing one of the numbers in Chapel in the next few weeks, and will spend the rest of the term learning an exciting and challenging new piece that they hope to have ready by the Fine Arts concert in June.
– Shannon Bryant, Director of Music
PARTY – Prevention of Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth
On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, half of the Grade 10 year sat on the steps of Marion Hall for a picnic style lunch before departing for the hospital in Duncan. The PARTY programme describes the route of a patient from the arrival of the paramedics at a vehicle crash site to the trauma room of a hospital. It is not a lecture; it describes the choices available to young adults, choices that might keep them safe or at least safer when they go to parties or out to the bush for a campfire and a few beers. Some of the descriptions are graphic, as are some of the photos. It brings home the message of the need for a good buddy system or a collection plan with parents or a responsible adult that are decided before the teenager leaves the house. The reality is that a parent may be annoyed that their son or daughter has crossed "the stupid line" but they will be so glad that they are not being taken to the trauma room to see a son or daughter with horrific life threatening injuries.
– Debra John, Planning 10
Spring Break Rugby Tour
Over Spring Break, thirty-nine senior boys making up the 1st and 2nd XV, along with four staff members, departed for a two-week rugby tour to Ireland and Wales. Major stops along the tour included Belfast, Dublin, Bray and Cardiff. The teams played well against some very tough opposition, with the 1st XV winning two of four games, and the 2nd XV winning one. The focus on the tour was for the boys to advance their skills and develop as a team, in preparation for the upcoming spring season back at home; there were great strides made in both of these areas. Beyond the rugby, we were fortunate to see and experience many sights around Ireland and Wales. Highlights included an in-depth city tour of Belfast, a trip to Giant's Causeway, St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, sightseeing in picturesque Wicklow, and of course 'test-match day' in Cardiff! The hospitality was outstanding at every stop on the tour. The boys represented their school and country in exemplary fashion throughout and received much praise from all of their hosts. All-in-all a very successful tour and a great way to start what should be an exciting season for Shawnigan rugby.
– Evan Hall, Rugby
Happy Birthday Mr. Anderson!
For all at Shawnigan, April 8th was a very special day as it marked the 80th birthday of, Graham Anderson, Senior Master Emeritus and much-loved Shawnigan Lake school legend. The whole school sang a rousing ‘ Happy Birthday’ at lunchtime in Marion Hall and, with customary GLA humility, he shared his cake with two students whose birthdays are on the same day. The main celebration was held in the evening at the Headmaster’s house when around 80 or so staff, friends and alumni of every vintage, gathered to surprise Graham. Fine words were spoken, interspersed with humour, reminiscences and heartfelt sentiments. Mr. Anderson was in fine fettle and, in his response, he remarked that he would be glad when April 9th dawned so that he could escape the limelight! He did, however, have a memorable day, as we all did.
Easter Egg Hunt
On Thursday, the Prefects managed to entice the Easter Bunny onto campus to release a few hundred pre-Easter eggs!
Dean's Dinner
The Second Term Dean's Dinner was held on Tuesday night with over 220 students in attendance. As the final "dinner" of the year, students were treated to prawns, steak, asparagus and blueberry crumble in recognition of their superior effort in January and March. With only one term left in the year, students have a final opportunity to make the Dean's List and attend a brunch in the final term.
– Wendy Woollven, Registrar
School Photo
What does it take to get a photo of the whole School? It takes Ms Woollven and her Yearbook team to organize and Mr. Lane to photograph from the bucket of Mr. Gillam's tractor. Luckily, we had lots of patience since the weather was warm and dry and there wasn't a better place in the world to be than the beautiful Kaye Gardens.
Math Contest Winners
On Wednesday, February 18, seventy-five eager young Shawnigan 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 that are not directly linked to mathematics curricula in Canada and the questions range from easy to very challenging.
This year, approximately 63,000 students from across the country participated and we had some impressive results with many scores above the 85th percentile-remember that students who participate in these contests typically have some very strong abilities in mathematics. Our highest placed student scored higher than 99.7 % of all students who wrote the test in the Cayley contest. Pictured are the highest scoring students at Shawnigan in each math contest.
– Stephen Cox, Head of Math
Azabu High School
Last week we had a great experience with our Japanese friends from Azabu High School in Tokyo! This visit was through our exchange program with Azabu that has been running for many years now. This year,>there were eight students and two teachers in the group. Mr. Ryutani was visiting Shawnigan for his fourth time and has been a teacher at Azabu for over 30 years. Mr. Yasu, a twenty-five year old English teacher from Azabu, was visiting the school for his first time. The Azabu group’s mission was to have the Shawnigan experience and submerge their students in English speaking culture in Canada. The students from this all-boys school stayed in residence with our students and attended classes, sports, and fine arts along with their Shawnigan hosts. They performed “Japan Night” in the Shaw centre on Wednesday for our community, which was greatly applauded by the Shawnigan Students. The group was also able to attend the Shawnigan Musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” which they thoroughly enjoyed! It was a true pleasure having Azabu at Shawnigan for the week and it was sad to see them depart early Saturday morning.
– Doug Woodlridge
Newspaper Article
A Modern Success Story
/ Krista Siefken, Cowichan News Leader Pictorial - April 4, 2009 /
The age-old lesson to marry for love comes to life in fringe and set to speakeasy-style jazz in Shawnigan Lake School’s spectacular spring production, Thoroughly Modern Millie, staged at the Cowichan Theatre tonight....
David Suzuki
The School was honoured to welcome Dr. David Suzuki to speak in the Chapel this week. The world-renowned scientist and environmental activist was introduced by another special guest, Miles Richardson, past leader of the Haida Nation on the Queen Charlotte Islands, and uncle of Grade 10 student Sienna R.
Dr. Suzuki credits his introduction to the Haida people in the 1980s, as an "eye-opener" to the different attitudes peoples have toward the planet. "We are not separate from the environment," he said, then animatedly tracked how one breath travels across the globe and through time. "We humans consider ourselves intelligent. So why would we dump toxins into everything we consume . . . the air, water, and the earth where we get our food?" he asked.
In response to a question from a student, Dr. Suzuki said he felt that the current economic situation might "give the planet a bit of breather" as people reduce consumption, but said, in the long-run, a basic attitude must change. "From the ancient Greek, ecology means the structure of home, and economy means the management of home," he said. "For too long we've placed priority on management, or the economy, above structure," he said, concluding that if ecology isn't made the priority, there will be nothing left to manage.
Take Your Seats for "Millie" This Week!
This year's Shawnigan Lake School musical is the most ambitious production that Gregg Perry, our musical theatre director, has attempted. With a cast of 55 students and a stage crew of 12, the School will present Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Cowichan Theatre on April 2, 3, and 4 (this Thursday to Saturday). Although you may remember the movie from the sixties starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing, this musical is a newcomer to the Broadway stage. It won six Tony awards in 2002 and was released for amateur production only in 2007. Our production will be one of the first times the show has been seen in British Columbia.
The Guacamole Cup
Students in Señor Klassen's beginner Spanish classes offered up their finest Mexican culinary talents in order to claim the coveted "Guacamole Cup." Although a few distinguished winners emerged, the most memorable moments were experienced on the tip of some students' tongues as they quickly found out that "salsa picante" meant hot sauce. Experiential vocabulary learning at its best!