The School Hymn
One thing that has always set Shawnigan apart from other schools is our singing in Chapel. As a community, we have always taken such pride in singing. Not only is it an auditory wonder to behold, but also a visual one, where a cue from the organ has staff and students alike rising in quiet unison with hymnals in hand, standing a little taller than usual. And while this is true for most of the songs we sing, it is definitely the case when we sing the official School hymn, “A Voice in the Wilderness.”
There was no official hymn in the beginning of the School, or for many years. While the exact date of the promotion of “A Voice in the Wilderness” to the elevated status of being named the School hymn is uncertain, most will agree that it was by at least the mid-1980s. It was always a congregational favourite, often sung at special occasions. But why was this particular hymn named the School hymn? Perhaps because it was sung with noticeably more energy than the other hymns? Or perhaps it was the reference to the wilderness that encapsulated the School campus? No one knows for sure why it was the chosen one, but to this day, it continues to be sung with such gusto, energy rippling through the pews at the very mention of it. At the Closing Day Grad Chapel service each year, you’ll be hard pressed to find a dry eye among the grads when together they stand to sing, for the last time together, their beloved School hymn. When these voices in this wilderness are called to sing this hymn, they find their community and a place where they belong.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and in consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and in consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
