News & updates

List of 5 news stories.

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  A Gala Under the Sea

  5/1/2026
  Two months after the School presented The Little Mermaid as its annual musical, we returned to the depths last Saturday for an “Under the Sea”-themed fundraising gala, the latest in a long series of annual galas.

   

  Grade 11 student Jackson F., who organized the fundraiser as part of his capstone project for Grade 12, explained that the theme served a dual purpose. 
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  Celebrating 100 with a Gathering and a Greaze

  5/1/2026
  Monday was a day to celebrate Shawnigan Lake School’s history – all 110 years of it.

   

  April 27, 1916 was the day that C.W. Lonsdale signed the charter that created Shawnigan, and we marked it with events both serious and – in the words of an alumnus and former Chair of the Board of Governors – “absurd and ridiculous.”

   

  A Chapel Gathering was held after lunch, at which Head of School Mr. Lamont spoke about Mr. Lonsdale, his choice of the School motto Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat (which had previously been the motto of British naval hero Lord Horatio Nelson) and some of the traditions Mr. Lonsdale brought to Shawnigan from his own alma mater, Westminster School in London.

   

  Mr. Lamont also commemorated the end of our series “Shawnigan in 110 Objects.” Dating back to the beginning of 2024, the School has posted to its website each week one object that helps tell the story of the School, selected and written about by former archivist Mrs. Lynn Rolston, former Head of English and current Director of Professional Development Mrs. Cari Bell, and Director of Communications and Marketing Mrs. Jenny Dunbar, with photographs from the School archives or newly taken by photographer Ms. Arden Gill. Appropriately, the final object was the portrait of Mr. Lonsdale that hangs in Marion Hall alongside those of the Heads who have served since him.

   
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  From Passion to Presentation

  4/24/2026
  Every school year, Shawnigan students spend months pouring their hearts – and souls – into passion projects, then present the results of those projects to their peers and staff members. We call it Soul Seeking, and it brings out the best in our students, often in unexpected ways.

   

  For junior students, the presentations take the form of a fair, with presentations on cardboard trifolds and laptop computers set up throughout the Library and spilling into Mitchell Hall. For seniors, Soul Seeking projects double as their BC education-required capstone projects, and they are presented to a panel of staff members.

   

  For junior students (Grades 8-10), work on Soul Seeking projects begins in September and takes place during Career-Life Education classes – where Soul Seeking is part of a student’s final grade –  and in spare time. Students were able to work solo or in small groups, and could apply for small grants, with about 12 grants handed out.

   
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  Performing Arts Roundup

  4/24/2026
  The last two weeks have provided opportunities for students in our curricular and 360 performing arts programs to show what they have been working on over the last several months. Late last week, the Theatre Company 11/12 class performed Puffs, a Harry Potter-inspired play, and this past Monday, the figure skating 360 presented its Spring Ice Show.

   

  Theatre Company

   

  The Theatre Company 11/12 class mounted its biggest production of the year on April 16, 17 and 18, treating students, staff and parents to Puffs, a play set in the Harry Potter universe but highlighting the oft-overlooked residents of Hufflepuff House.

   

  The play is usually staged in June, but was moved up to April this year to help students manage their academic and athletic loads that come toward the end of the school year. As it was, they had just eight days to put the finishing touches on the show, so they took some extra time outside of class to make sure they were ready.

   
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  Clarity, Insight, and Understanding

  4/17/2026
  Over five days this week, Shawnigan witnessed the painstaking creation of a beautiful piece of art, followed almost immediately by its ceremonial dissolution.

   

  The artwork in question was a Manjushri Sand Mandala, constructed from millions of grains of coloured sand by four Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Tsengdok Monastery in Vancouver led by Master Tenzin Chockyi Gyalsten (Tsengdok Rinpoche). The event offered a unique opportunity to experience ancient traditions through art, ritual, and mindfulness, while reflecting on the Buddhist teachings of impermanence and non-attachment.

   

  The monks were brought to Shawnigan by the BE A JEDI (Belonging, Equity, Acceptance, and Justice – Embracing Diversity and Intersectionality) Committee co-chaired by Mrs. Wendy Milne and Dr. Pema Yangchen.

   
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