News & updates

List of 5 news stories.

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  Footage Flies Fast for 48-Hour Film Fest

  1/9/2026
  With an hour left to prepare their entry for the Zoom Film Festival, the team behind Shawnigan entry No Return (无归) had cut their footage down to a sleek seven and a half minutes. Unfortunately, that was still two and a half minutes more than the festival permits, leading to some tough decisions down the home stretch, and ultimately to an award nomination.

   

  Hosted by West Vancouver’s Mulgrave School, the Zoom Festival gives students a mere 48 hours to write, direct and edit a five-minute film, resulting in a hectic and intense couple of days as well as a fantastic learning experience. Narrowing the scope, the students are emailed a specific prop and a theme via email immediately before the starting pistol fires. Then it’s off to work.

   

  This year’s theme was “Can’t ever go back,” and the prop was a ticket. Films were created over an intense 48-hour span in October, and results were unveiled in December. Shawnigan submitted four films, three of which were finalists for awards:

   
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  Holiday Sports Success

  1/8/2026
  December had most students looking forward to going home for Christmas Break, but several of our accomplished student-athletes had other thoughts as they prepared to travel to other parts of Canada and the globe for high-level competition in a variety of sports.

   

  Squash – Joelle K.

   

  Prior to Christmas, Joelle K. became a national champion in squash, winning the U17 girls’ title at the Squash Canada 2025 Canadian Junior Open in St. Catharines, Ontario. Although the field consisted mostly of players a year older than her, Joelle didn’t lose a single game, and outscored her opponents 165-68. From Ontario, she travelled straight to Philadelphia for the US Junior Open on December 20-23. In Philadelphia, Joelle went in as a 9-16 seed (out of 108 competitors in the U17 bracket) and won her first three matches, including an upset of the No. 8 seed, to reach the round of 16. She was ousted from the tournament in an intense match with the No. 1 seed.

   
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  Performing Arts Roundup

  12/18/2025
  The last few weeks have seen some remarkable achievements and memorable moments for students in our performing arts programs, from an outstanding showing at STAR Fest regionals in Victoria to the Fall Dance Showcase to Christmas concerts and caroling, while many of the students continue to prepare for the School musical in February.

   

  THEATRE

   

  Students from Shawnigan’s curricular and 360 theatre programs travelled to Victoria last weekend to take part in the STAR Fest regionals, with nearly all earning qualification for nationals. Shawnigan has been sending students to STAR Fest for several years, but the size of the group has grown significantly, and the results have become even more impressive.

   
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  Teddy Bear Toss Returns!

  12/17/2025
  Tension built for more than two and a half periods before the dam finally broke and stuffed toys poured down on the Charlie Purdey Arena ice last Friday in Shawnigan’s second annual Teddy Bear Toss ice hockey game.

   

  Teddy Bear Tosses have become popular at ice rinks across Canada and the US over the last 30-plus years, recently spreading to other countries and other sports. Fans are prompted to throw teddy bears and other stuffed toys onto the ice when a team scores its first goal, and the toys are donated to local hospitals or other charitable organizations.

   

  Shawnigan’s hockey program worked alongside the Victoria Hospital Foundation and the Child Life Unit at Victoria General Hospital and a private donor to generate a charitable donation of $15,000 towards the unit, in addition to all of the bears collected. The U17 Prep team was responsible for generating $5,000 of this donation through sales of bears in the Houses, with a combined bear sale between pre-sales and door sales of over 400 bears. 

   
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  Going Global

  12/12/2025
  Eight Grade 10 students are preparing to broaden their horizons early in the new year as they depart for schools in the southern hemisphere as part of Shawnigan’s Global Exchange Program.

   

  The program is extremely successful this year, with roughly twice as many students participating as have in recent years. Three students are heading to St. Margaret’s School in Queensland, Australia, two are going to Canberra Grammar School in Australia, two are going to Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and one is heading to Waikato Diocesan in Hamilton, New Zealand. Most of the programs are six weeks in duration, with the exception of the New Zealand exchange, which is four weeks.

   

  Students who participate in the program join their hosts for classes, sports, and other school activities. They stay in boarding houses or host homes, depending on the school they are visiting, and join their host students and their families for weekend activities.

   
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