News Archive
Sue Newns retires
After 26 years at Shawnigan
Sue Newns came to Shawnigan in 1990 from Queen Margaret's. She was hired to teach and be the House Director of School House. Thereafter, she became the first House Director of Groves' House when it became a girls house.
Ms. Newns started teaching in the English department and in addition to teaching four classes and running a girls' dorm, she was also the School Musical Director. In this role, she was in charge of the acting, the singing, she was chief choreographer, set designer, set constructor, painter, volunteer coordinator. She was the visionary of the play and, in true 'Sue style,' she took care of EVERY detail from the buttons on the costumes to the acknowledgements on the programmes. Don Rolston says that Newns is "visually sensitive" and this gift, along with her talents as a dancer, (a provincial ballet dancer and gymnast while growing up in South Africa), led to spectacular productions! This feat is made all the more impressive when you consider that she did this in addition to teaching her four classes, AND running a girls' dorm, AND raising her 2 children, Sarah and Michael.
Joanne Bruce-Lockhart, a former beloved colleague of Shawnigan's, said this about Sue Newns:
Enormously talented and yet so completely modest, Sue simply gets to work, and what work it has been. I will be forever grateful for the chance to work with her - as a colleague in teaching - and as part those crews when she directed glorious musicals that include Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables and The King and I. How many directors can first design, construct and then paint their own sets, choreograph the musical numbers and nimbly manage a team of staff and parent volunteers? Sue always, always led by example. She took risks with her shows, asked so much of the kids but always more of herself. The end product? Spectacular!
Whether in the Fine Arts department or in the dorm, Ms. Newns leaves her mark. Gaynor Stroebel says that when she took over Groves', Newns wrote her a letter filled with many reflections and good counsel, and in her darker moments as House Director, she would read Ms. Newns letter which empowered her to see the light again.
Once the Socials Studies department learned of Ms. Newns' vast knowledge about history, art, geography, and cultures, of course, they nabbed her for their department. There she worked for many years, teaching an array of courses including Art History and Comparative Civilizations.
Ms. Newns is a Life Learner. She is always taking courses to further her knowledge. When I first met her in 1999, I distinctly recall my first impression, that she was so smart! That she had both a breadth and depth of knowledge that when you engaged her, she articulated so beautifully, even poetically, leaving you to feel touched by a magical moment. She would never assume, however, that you wanted to, or needed to, hear from her, so rather than pontificating on any number of subjects about which she is both passionate and knowledgeable, she rather, gracefully engages people one-on-one, in quieter spaces that can make for some memorable moments for many of us.
We are so pleased that Ms. Newns chose to round out her teaching career by returning to the English department, where she has been for the past three years, and for two of those years, she continued to teach Comparative Civilizations, a course where she worked her magic, where many of her talents naturally merged: artistic, historical, literary. We thank her for her valuable contributions to the English department, some of which include her sage wisdom gleaned from her experience over the years, her ability to see the big picture AND drill down to the details, her fastidious editing, which makes her a proof reader extraordinaire! Always professional, Ms. Newns is reliable, committed, holds herself to high standards and expects the same of her students, which is yet another gift she brings to our department.
In closing, I will sum up Ms. Newns' Shawnigan career with these words from Joanne Bruce-Lockhart: "When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt." "I first heard these words in reference to Sue Newns' wonderful mum, Margaret," Mrs. Bruce-Lockhart says. "It was true of Margaret, and it remains true of Sue."
– Submitted by Ms. Cari Bell
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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.
