Peter Yates
Peter joined the Shawnigan faculty in 1981 (along with colleague, Don Rolston). He grew up in Penticton in the Okanagan Valley and went on to study English and Physical Education at UBC. While at University he rowed for, then coached, the varsity lightweight crew. He has worn many hats since coming to Shawnigan, including Head of Rowing, Lake’s House Director, Head of English, School Calendar Coordinator, Outdoor Pursuits Program Director, Strategic Planning Coordinator and, most recently, EDGE Leadership Program Director.
Peter has taught English to students from grade eight to grade twelve. “English classes always have a freshness and a newness for me, even though the concepts and some of the literature remain unchanged from year to year. English is about ideas and about who we are—it’s about life in the grandest sense, our stories and how we belong. I see myself as a facilitator rather than a repository of knowledge.” Peter’s current favourite book to teach is Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, “...because it challenges assumptions about religion and truth.”
Having been an Outward Bound instructor in Canada and New Zealand, upon arrival at Shawnigan Peter immediately partnered with Mark Hobson in leading the outdoors club—this in the days when outdoors was not part of the sport programme and had to compete for trip time in the busy schedule. What Peter likes best about outdoor pursuits is how they encourage students to make intelligent choices and to appreciate untrammeled wilderness. “It is experiential education with real consequences. We aim to help students feel comfortable in the great outdoors—sea kayaking is an especially good fit for our programme because it provides both challenge and enjoyment for a wide range of abilities.”
In the winter term Peter provides a more intensive kind of outdoors training in our Search & Rescue programme, where the focus is on swiftwater safety and rescue. “It’s a new and exciting environment for most students: they step outside their comfort zones, expand their risk management awareness, and participate in critical decision-making situations.” As an experienced wilderness rafting guide and an instructor/examiner for Rescue Canada, Peter is able to certify strong candidates right up to “Swiftwater Rescue Technician Level 3,” a professional credential that has provided a foot-in-the-door for past graduates seeking employment in the rafting industry.
In the wake of the 2004 Tsunami Peter took his training, along with colleague Galen Loiselle and 10 extraordinary students, off to Thailand on a “Tsunami Re-building” trip. Out of this humanitarian outreach endeavour grew what is known today at Shawnigan as the EDGE Leadership Programme (EDGE stands for Engagement of mind, body and spirit; Development of individuals; Gratitude that grows from awareness; Experience, the most powerful teacher… http://www.sls.bc.ca/edge.htm.)
Peter spent two weeks in Argentina in August exploring the possibility of developing an EDGE summer project in South America in addition to next spring’s trip to Thailand. “We have a tremendous relationship with the vocational colleges and the people of Thailand. Thai students who were victims of the Tsunami have shared our campus and groups of Thai teachers have come on extended visits to learn something about us and to enrich our experience with their culture. Our aims are global, though, and we are working to develop EDGE projects in other countries, too.”
Peter’s focus is always on learning, whether in the classroom or out in the larger world, whether inside our heads or through our relationships with other people. “Shawnigan,” he says, “is a tremendous place to grow. We have great people—you couldn’t ask for a better staff or students—a magnificent environment, diverse opportunities and a real culture of learning. That’s why I’m still here after all these years.”
Peter and his “very supportive” wife, Joanne (a public health nurse who once did a year as a Shawnigan nurse, and a very involved Shawnigan Parent volunteer), live in Cobble Hill with daughters Aly and Lizzie,13.