SLS Now Archive
Math Contests
On Thursday, February 25, seventy-five eager young Shawnigan mathematicians participated in the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat math contests. These national contests are written by strong mathematics students from across Canada 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. We anticipate some excellent results, which should be available in March, from our candidates.
– Stephen Cox, Head of Math
Shawnigan Concert Band
Our Jr/Sr Concert Band is currently preparing for the University of Victoria's Bandfest, where bands from all over the Northwest gather to share their passion. We recently had the opportunity to present our pieces to the Shawnigan community and were very thankful for the opportunity to play in a bigger space. When playing in a fairly "tight" environment, one's sound blends quite nicely but many of the articulation and intonation issues are lost to the musician because of the increased volume. Playing in the Chapel lets the student hear themselves a little more clearly so they can fix things if need be. The two pieces played for the School were “El Capitan,” a march by John Philip Sousa and “Three Folk Miniatures,” a medley of three French Canadian Folk Songs. Both are used in festivals across Canada and represent music rated at the 300 level of difficulty. Best of luck to the band at the festival!
– Ralph Fraser
Photos by Stephen Lane
Visiting Writer
On Monday, award-winning fiction writer, Susan Juby, gave two presentations at Shawnigan—a morning lecture on the writing process, followed by an evening reading and Q & A exchange with the grade 8s and 9s. Juby, who broke out when her first novel, Alice, I Think, was adapted for the small screen by the Comedy Network, has published several novels, including two further installments in the Alice series. The students seemed particularly interested in Getting the Girl, a mystery novel in which 14-year-old Sherman Mack investigates the cruel and mysterious practice of "defyling" at his school. In introducing the novel, Juby spoke of her life-long fascination with the mystery of popularity. She also read from a forthcoming book entitled Nice Recovery, a memoir in which she examines her teenage struggles with alcohol and drugs.
In the question-and-answer portion of the evening, Juby fielded questions from students on the origins of her novels. As a humorist, she explained, she regularly explored the tension between her youthful perception of how life should be and the mundane realities she inevitably confronted. When she was hired (at 16) for her first job, for example, she was deeply disappointed to discover that her "career woman" view of herself did not mesh effectively with the demands of being a competent, responsible worker.
The visit was a tremendous success, and we hope to bring Ms Juby back to work more closely with students in the future.
– Jay Connolly
Photos by Wendy Woollven
Cleaning Up Thain Road
As part of the Jr. Duke of Edinburgh program, the grade 8 class engages in community service projects each month. For February, the entire class went to work cleaning up our "neighbourhood." The students bussed out to a logging road behind Cobble Hill that has become a favourite local dumping ground. Split into teams, the class spent several hours hauling, digging and sleuthing their way through a mountain of garbage. Our thanks to the Interns and GAP students who helped make the day possible. We would also like to thank Waste Services Inc. for donating the dumpster and free hauling services and Mainroad Contracting who helped facilitate the removal of a large quantity of garbage.
– Galen Loiselle
Photos by Mia Bolton
Ski Week 2010
Thank you to everyone who made this year's Ski Week such a great experience for students and staff alike! Stephanie Owen, Wendy Woollven and Stephen Lane have provided a wide variety of photos from the week and a special thank you to Jon Beare for his images of the ski races.
Follow the daily stories and photos on Shawnigan Now.
Ski Week – Sunday
Bright and early on Sunday morning, eight large buses departed from Shawnigan for Ski Week 2010. Several hours later, and a few mishaps including a blown tire and a broken down cube van, we arrived spirits still high and excited to be at Manning Park. After dinner and group meetings, the evening activities began – Brad Saville ’89 (Lonsdale’s) treated the Juniors to a very entertaining magic show and the day ended with the long-awaited staff vs. Grade 12's broomball game! The teams battled hard but ultimately the teachers were able to claim the victory! As the night came to a close, everyone went to bed excited about the first day up at the hill.
– Stephanie Owen
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. After we trucked our way down the mountain, we were delighted to participate in the plethora of evening events: Senior Reach for the Top was a nail biting spectator sport and Polar Coaster was a complete blast! We also participated in broomball, Pictionary and the brave among us sang a few tunes during Karaoke.
Due to the success of the last year’s green initiative of bringing our own mess kits, we once again implemented this project. We felt good about lowering our environmental footprint by composting and recycling everything that we could. We really appreciated the hard work of all those involved in the Environment Club in managing this task.
– Stephanie Owen
Ski Week – Tuesday
We woke to another crisp and clear day with more exciting runs on the hill. The grade 8s and 9s spent part of the day learning how to cross-country ski; a skill that is harder than some thought. As we settled into the evening, the Juniors dazzled the crowd with their trivia knowledge during Reach for the Top. Not only did we have broomball, hockey, Karaoke and Pictionary again tonight, but we were also treated to juggling lessons. To top that off, Kyle Hamilton had us on the edge of our seats with his presentation about his Olympic experiences. What a treat to have his personal stories so close to the opening games in Vancouver. Thank you, Kyle. Lights-out came soon after bringing another wonderful day to a close.
– Stephanie Owen
Ski Week – Wednesday
Wednesday is traditionally a very busy day at Ski Week, and this year was no exception. The morning started off with Junior and Senior downhill ski and snowboard races, which took place under still sunny skies. All House representatives raced well, making for stiff competition. The busyness continued with the cross-country ski race after lunch (many of the downhill competitors raced the grueling 10-km race as well). These athletes glided by the finish line just as some of their peers put the finishing touches on their “Mythology” snow sculptures for the Inter-House competition.
After a mere 7 hours, the snow sculptures were completed. They were beautifully crafted and exceptionally creative. Once lit with twinkling candles and featuring a backdrop of snowy mountains, the scene was definitely one to commit to memory.
The fun ended with the traditional carnival, run by the grade 11's, and the finals for Reach for the Top. Last year, the staff verses the top grade 12s ended with a strong victory for the students. This year, however, the staff was able to claw that title away. One can only wonder what next year will bring…
– Stephanie Owen
Ski Week – Thursday
After a long and busy day on Wednesday, it would follow that everyone would be tired on Thursday; however, since it was the last day at Manning Park, everyone made the most of the day by spending hours up at the hill. We were treated to 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 the Inter-House snow sculpture event. After the ceremonies, we snuggled up by the bonfire and listened to music knowing and lamenting that tomorrow we would be leaving this magical place.
– Stephanie Owen
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon, director Morgan McLeod’s rendering of a script by Howard Richardson and William Berney, opened on Thursday in the Hugh Wilkinson Studio Theatre. Calli N. (as Barbara Allen) and Jon H. (as John, the “witch-boy”) carry the lead roles and together create a compelling portrayal of young lovers threatened by the separate but equally intolerant cultures from which they come. (Students of Romeo & Juliet should pay particularly close attention to the story.) The leads are supported by strong performances from a large cast, with each and every actor making memorable contributions to an intense dramatic experience. The plot unfolds swiftly in this quickly paced tale and will keep the audience completely entertained. It is a credit to Mr. McLeod’s direction to see the actors employ characterizations both broad and subtle in developing their parts. Of course, the test of any high school production is this: Can the actors inhabit their roles to the degree that an audience of peers, teachers, and parents is transported away from the world of the school and into the world of the story? The answer, in this case, is a resounding yes.
– Jay Connolly
Photos by Stephen Lane
Poetry Olympics in English 8
The Grade 8s entered an Olympic challenge in their English classes, where many of them went for the Gold (medal!). The event: POETRY RECITALS.
To achieve a gold medal, a student had to completely memorize a poem of 100-plus words and recite it to an audience of literary judges. The poem had to be written by the student and had to contain seven figures of speech, six sound devices, and the other specific criteria. The silver medallists met slightly less challenging criteria, and the bronze a little less than that. In fact, most of the grade 8s went for the gold; there were a few silvers, but no bronze. An official medal ceremony followed the performances. These recitals were impressive, and clearly, this grade 8 class is rife with budding poets!
– Cari Bell
Renfrew Walks for Memories
Last Sunday, Renfrew North rounded up the troops and set out for Duncan. We jumped on a bus, courtesy of the School, and arrived at the Cowichan Sportsplex full of energy and enthusiasm. Our mission: complete laps around the track by running or walking in support of Alzheimer’s for the Walk for Memories. This was our second year attending the walk. It’s an event very near to our hearts as our House Director’s family has been touched by this disease. Feeling this closeness to the cause may have been a contributing factor to our successful morning. Once we arrived and donated our toonies, we met up with Ms. Conroy’s family. Ricky Martin, Ms. Conroy’s mother’s Boston Terrier (who is more pig than dog), quickly stole the show as usual. We were happy to see Mr. Sarsfield and Lucy (his furry friend), and enjoyed posing for photos with them.
We ran, skipped, jogged and walked, chatting in the bright sunshine all the while. We learned at the event that there are 770,000 individuals and families living with dementia in B.C. We also found out towards the end that this year’s event, before all the money had been completely added up, had surpassed last year’s amount coming in around $12,000. After our walk/run we mingled with Ms. Conroy’s family, particularly Ricky Martin (who had an appetite for Amanda’s chicken wrap), before dispersing. The morning panned out to be more than a civic contribution, but rather, a contribution that gave back both to the cause and to the people who participated. With a little personal investment, we made the day memorable for Renfrew North and helped out an important cause.
– Jacqueline S. ’10 (Renfrew North)
Horace McClelland’s 90th Birthday Bash
Whether it was the good clean living expected of a man of the cloth or lucky genes, the Reverend Canon Horace McClelland celebrated his 90th birthday in remarkably good nick. Given the significance of this major milestone plus the former SLS Headmaster, Chaplain and rugby coach’s 40-year association with Shawnigan, the School feted Horace and Mrs. Mac (AKA Sheila) with a big birthday gathering at the Headmaster’s House. The 90th bash drew dozens of alumni and former colleagues from as far a field as San Francisco. They made the trek to honour – and mildly roast – their former mentor. Emails flooded in from around the globe…some indicating surprise that Horace was only 90. The Hon. Mr. Justice Chris Grauer ’68 was perplexed, as he was sure Horace was already 90 way back in the 60’s! Others more kindly observed that they look forward to attending his 100th. Another noted that Horace had soldiered on so long that his age is now likely higher than his golf score. Old pal Ivor Ford remembered Horace saying that he heard ‘Jesus’, ‘Christ’ and ‘God’ mentioned far more often while he was refereeing rugby on Saturday than he ever did on Sunday at Matins or Evensong. But the best oratory of the evening was Horace’s reply to all the tributes. He joked that he could not recognize the fine fellow everyone seemed to be lionizing. For any age he was good, for 90 – astounding! Crisp, humourous, heartfelt and what a memory! He ran through several rugby teams – citing players’ names, positions, strengths, weaknesses and season outcomes. A stellar performance and no doubt just one of the reasons for such a loyal turnout for a fit and fine man. The School presented Horace with a giant birthday card featuring a life size portrait by Emma Hollings ’08 of him sporting his paratrooper’s red beret. Congratulations Horace on living life well. Next stop – 100! Cheers.
PS – Seven couples of the dozens of SLS marriages that Horace has performed showed up to put proof to the validity of his “life time guarantee.”
– Steve Housser ’67, Executive Director of the Shawnigan Lake School Foundation
Photos by Stephen Lane
(Com)passion
In true Shawnigan spirit there has been an outpouring of concern and energy directed towards the people of Haiti and their plight since the earthquake that hit there on January 12th. Small groups sprung into immediate action: a math class organized a collection in Chapel that first Saturday, a fine arts group made and sold brownies, a socials class held a raffle at the Showcase Hockey Game, in Economics 12 sushi sales have been collected for the fundraising effort, and the list goes on. Small but determined gestures of hope and caring.
Following on a chapel presentation by the Headmaster on “passion” and another later in the week from Mr. Holland on “compassion”, a t-shirt was designed with over 600 sold to staff, students and their families. On the front of the t-shirt is the word “(com)passion” and on the back the definition which reads: “deep awareness of the suffering of another combined with unbounded enthusiasm to alleviate it.” At this point, over $11,000 has been raised and will be donated to a Canadian organization, Free the Children. We will not stop here, but continue to focus our efforts in support of those who have suffered and continue to suffer from this terrible disaster. And compassion will be our rallying cry.
– Jo-Anne Kingstone, Deputy Head
Photo by Stephen Lane
Children's Chapel Service
On Saturday, we had a special Chapel service celebrating the children in our community and the children in all of us. Reverend Holland's message reminded us that we can all learn from the excitement and courage of children. In response, three staff kids bravely stepped up to play piano for the musical offering – James (5), Hallie (7), and Matty (10). The service was enjoyed by all – those whose children have grown, those who currently have young children, and the students . . . who were children not so long ago!
– Shannon Bryant, Director of Music
Photos by Stephen Lane
SAR Training
One of the best rewards of my work is witnessing growth and development. When the SAR team had its baptism in early December it was a somewhat tentative and uncomfortable experience. A month and a half later every member of the group was alert but confident, thoroughly enjoying the excitement and challenge of the icy cold swiftwater environment. A good time was had by all.
– Peter Yates, Swiftwater Rescue Instructor