A Voice in the Wilderness Archive
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2026
2026
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January
‘There’s something special that happens when you share challenges with others’
Read MoreAll Grade 9 students engage in Beyond the Gates, a year-long experiential education program that takes students off campus and into the natural environment of Canada’s Pacific Coast. Beyond the Gates culminates in the Week Without Walls, the highlight of which is a capstone expedition that takes students into the Vancouver Island backcountry for more than a week.
Now in Grade 11, Charlie Kittleson was a reluctant participant when he was in Grade 9, but the trip changed his life. Although the form of the capstone expedition has changed since then – this year, Grade 9s will choose between hiking the entire West Coast Trail, hiking a portion of that trail, kayaking the Broken Group Islands, or a series of shorter treks based closer to home – Charlie was still asked to speak to this year’s group about the value of getting out of one’s comfort zone and going Beyond the Gates. -
Trees and Green Spaces
Read MoreFrom storing carbon to cooling our urban areas, trees and green spaces are more than just pretty features of the landscape – they are vital to fighting climate change. Shawnigan’s Environmental Lead and Horticulturalist, Ms. Patricia Hanbidge, cuts to the core of the many hidden benefits trees provide to our planet.
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 Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
