Shawnigan Now

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.
 

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

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
 

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.
 

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Contact Us

1975 Renfrew Road
Postal Bag 2000
Shawnigan Lake, BC, Canada
V0R 2W1

Telephone: (250) 743-5516
Fax: (250) 743-6200
Email: info@sls.bc.ca