About
Original School Enrollment Ledger
This lovely ledger gives us a glimpse into the simple beginnings at the School. We see entries for enrolled students handwritten with a fountain pen by the Founder of the School, C.W. Lonsdale. A new list was created each term. Michaelmas Term ran from September until the Christmas break; Lent Term ran from mid-January until mid-April; and the Summer Term ran from mid-April until early July. How exciting it must have been for Lonsdale to write those first six names!
The lists by term eventually grew into two columns, and then onto more than one page. Entries continued in Lonsdale’s hand until he stepped down in April 1952 due to ill health, when Peter Kaye’s handwriting continued the same system. In September 1958, when Ned Larsen became Head of School, he penned the final entry in the ledger, leaving the few remaining pages blank. What followed this record-keeping system is unclear.
The ledger had its own special “code”: boys who left at the end of a term had their names underlined in red ink. Names then moved up the list, until those at the top finished school or left. A very small number of names were underlined twice, indicating that the boy was expelled. One has a tiny note next to his name: “ran away.”
In addition to the hand-written register, a file card was made for each student, a system that was practiced well into the 2000s when it was replaced, no doubt, by a digital system. On cards, additional information was recorded, such as birthdate, address, House, Forms (Grades) entered and completed, and significant achievements, awards, or appointments. Occasionally, Lonsdale made a small note on a boy’s card, such as “Outstanding in every way,” and for some, he may have had his tongue in his cheek: “He is trying. Very.”
For many of the early years, Lonsdale managed the School single-handedly. He oversaw everything from Admissions to Accounting, which is why he was the one who kept the ledger and cards for all those years.
Another note of interest is that the Archives has no correspondence files earlier than 1927, which must have been lost in the 1926 fire; however, we do have the ledger and the card file dating back to the School’s first days in 1916. We are so grateful that someone thought to protect them, and they remain safe in the School Archives today.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
The ledger had its own special “code”: boys who left at the end of a term had their names underlined in red ink. Names then moved up the list, until those at the top finished school or left. A very small number of names were underlined twice, indicating that the boy was expelled. One has a tiny note next to his name: “ran away.”
In addition to the hand-written register, a file card was made for each student, a system that was practiced well into the 2000s when it was replaced, no doubt, by a digital system. On cards, additional information was recorded, such as birthdate, address, House, Forms (Grades) entered and completed, and significant achievements, awards, or appointments. Occasionally, Lonsdale made a small note on a boy’s card, such as “Outstanding in every way,” and for some, he may have had his tongue in his cheek: “He is trying. Very.”
For many of the early years, Lonsdale managed the School single-handedly. He oversaw everything from Admissions to Accounting, which is why he was the one who kept the ledger and cards for all those years.
Another note of interest is that the Archives has no correspondence files earlier than 1927, which must have been lost in the 1926 fire; however, we do have the ledger and the card file dating back to the School’s first days in 1916. We are so grateful that someone thought to protect them, and they remain safe in the School Archives today.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
