Genius Hour has begun at Shawnigan.

Joining a cutting-edge movement in business and education, Shawnigan Lake School will now be further fostering creativity by scheduling time for students to work on projects of their own design.

The scope of possible projects is unlimited - the only expectation is that students will choose something relevant, interesting, and important to them.

Projects will begin by articulating a problem they want to solve, a topic they want to better understand, or something they would like to accomplish. Students, working individually or in groups, will then work on research and development, before ultimately reaching a conclusion that can be shared.

In Friday's introduction, three Shawnigan Prefects helped introduce the initiative by speaking about their own Genius Hour projects. Andrey P. is aiming to develop a tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. Gabriela M. is fascinated by superstition, and so is planning to research and better understand superstition and its relation to religion. Holly H., meanwhile, says her interest in robotic prosthetics is inspiring her to better understand how they work.

Students can design a new machine, learn a new language, teach others about science or technology, explore sport, the arts, and culture, or do anything that they find engaging and productive.

Below is a short video that Mr. Barry Welsh shared with students on Friday.  Learn more about the Genius Hour movement here.