News Detail
Founder's Day Chapel Address
Capturing the spirit of Founder's Day
The eagle symbolises strength, freedom and wisdom – and the courage to look ahead.
The eagle symbolises strength, freedom and wisdom – and the courage to look ahead.
It is a pleasure and privilege to welcome our alumni, former headmasters and former staff, governors and other guests to Founder’s Day on behalf of the community here at Shawnigan.
I understand from my team that this is the largest gathering, with over 475 guests, at a Founder’s Day that we have ever had.
Last year, I started this address with the image of the Shawnigan salmon returning home to its natal river. This year, I am going to turn to the Shawnigan eagle to try to capture the spirit of this occasion. Through my reading, I have come to understand that Bald and Golden eagles (and their feathers) are revered as sacred by Coast Salish First Nations tradition. The eagle symbolises strength, freedom and wisdom – and the courage to look ahead.
Earlier this month, many of us here today were at a funeral service at St Ann’s Church at the foot of Mount Tzouhalem to send off a colleague and a friend.
Some of us noticed at the start of the service an eagle flying low and away down the valley, emitting a high-pitched whistle at intervals – and then slipping out of sight. A few minutes later, another eagle and a juvenile came over the trees and circled the church and those of us below – and then disappeared back behind the trees and away to the mountain.
I am a great believer in these messages, these gifts from the wilderness. The eagles of earlier this month reminded me of the Shawnigan community to which we all belong – and its undoubted strength.
This year we decided, following feedback from the elders of the Cowichan Tribes, to make our main building more welcoming to indigenous visitors – and also reflective of our local region – by displaying First Nations art with information on the artists and the symbolism of their pieces.
One picture we have put up is that of an eagle feather, innovatively created with 24-karat gold leafing, by Arthur Vickers, one of Canada’s pre-eminent artists. I am thrilled he is here in Chapel this morning, the imagery of the picture embodies life’s journey with his art as a form of storytelling.
The picture stands proudly outside the staff room and speaks to the Eagle Feather Prize for staff – given by students annually on Closing Day and accepted by a member of staff on behalf of all staff.
The picture stands proudly outside the staff room and speaks to the Eagle Feather Prize for staff – given by students annually on Closing Day and accepted by a member of staff on behalf of all staff.
In your Founder’s Day programs, you will find a reproduction of this piece of art.
Arthur has taught me, an interloper to this region, about the power and symbolism of the eagle feather.
I have one with me today.
To First Nations People of the Northwest Coast, the eagle feather transmits strength; it gives the ability to speak honestly from the heart, without hurt or anger. The middle vane in the feather symbolizes the path that every human walks in their life time, and every barb that comes off the middle vane symbolizes the choices we all have in life, and that every choice we make is attached to the middle and main path that we take.
Some of you will have noticed we have eagles around the School – a wicker-one flying from a branch near the Kaye’s Pond steps, a memory of a Disney film crew on campus this summer, and a thunderbird on a white pole, standing sentinel by Lake Omar.
We have our own stuffed bald eagle as a talisman in the entrance to the Shaw Science Centre, omnisciently watching over generations of students, staff and alumni. The unfortunate and aptly named ‘Sparky’ caused a power outage across campus in 2011 and serves as a deadly reminder of the laws of electricity.
In fact, I stand in front of you this morning at this eagle lectern, carved by a renowned architectural wood-carver and dedicated to a Shawnigan student, Nicholas Richard Loggin, who died of influenza here in 1926 aged 13. Found in Anglican churches and cathedrals, the Bible rests on the eagle’s outstretched wings – the flying eagle, believed to be the bird that flew highest in the sky and therefore closest to heaven, symbolises the carrying of the word of God to the ends of the earth.
The eagle represents our connection to the spiritual world, reminding us to hold on to our spiritual strength, always letting us know that we are still connected to those who have come before us. They fly high above, watching over us – applicable to our alumni community gathered here today and our collective sense of responsibility towards the next generations of students to come.
Today is, of course, Founder’s Day.
We have put together a program for Founder’s Day centred on the principle of connection so that it provides you, as alumni, with opportunities to connect with each other, to connect with memories (some still fresh and some in a state of temporary hibernation), to connect with staff, to connect with the campus and this unique landscape, and to connect today with the rich tapestry of education currently on offer here at Shawnigan – from the robotics lab to cabaret acts, from the observatory to the playing fields.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for their tireless and meticulous preparation for Founder’s Day.
We hope that you take time to connect with our current students – from the Grades 11 and 12 sitting near you in Chapel to the students who have kindly offered to give you a contemporary tour of your old boarding house.
I ask you to rewind and consider the thrill, excitement, trepidation and dreams when you too embarked on your first few days here – some of you as the first female students to step onto the campus.
This year is the 30th year since the graduation of the first co-education cohort at Shawnigan. We have come a long way in terms of our delivery of co-education and recognise that we must continue to evaluate our delivery to ensure that we are creating a level playing field for male and female students across all programmes. Dr Vicki Stronge (class of ’94) was here earlier this month and, through the metaphor of an ultra-marathon, encouraged us to tackle the potential demons of complacency.
Indeed the wings of an eagle represent the balance and co-dependency between females and males.
I am delighted that Fiona Macfarlane – elected this morning as Chair of the Shawnigan Board of Governors and the first female in our 103 year history to hold this position – has agreed to be our Founder’s Day Speaker later in this service. Fiona, former BC managing partner and Canadian chief inclusiveness officer for Ernst & Young, has been on the Shawnigan Board since 2012 and is a proud of mother two alumni, Kate and James.
I am pleased to report that the school is in good heart and good spirits.
And, finally back, to the totemic Shawnigan eagle.
The gift the eagle shares is the ability of foresight, and an indication of good times to come.
On leaving my office, I sometimes find myself casting my eyes towards the heavens (as Headmasters sometimes do!) and, on occasion, I spot eagles, spiralling and then soaring above the campus. I encourage students and staff in the coming weeks to look for the eagles above campus – that symbol of strength, grace and courage.
The great Ghanaian educator, Dr Kwegir Aggrey, used to refer to the African proverb that says, “It’s each and every feather that makes the eagle soar.” This draws on the reality that the eagle’s success in flight is both characterised and enabled by the very different shape, sizes, textures, functions and colours of the eagle’s feathers operating in concert together.
Each and every feather contributes to the take-off, to give the eagle the lift, the magnificence of flight until it soars overhead.
We too, with all the constituencies represented in this room, must work together in partnership to sustain the flight of Shawnigan. “It’s each and every feather that makes the eagle soar.”
For some of you, Shawnigan might seem a little unrecognisable but this extended metaphor speaks to the significance of every feather of our community – and grounds us in humility. Our collective responsibility is to ensure our school understands humility in its many forms.
With the ambition, vision, and spirit of our Founder in mind, we must all take on the challenges of our time – and challenge Shawnigan to continue to be relevant, purposeful and of service in a changing world.
I see us as the Shawnigan Thunderbird, guardian spirit and the mythological and most powerful of birds – and, in doing so, I speak to Shawnigan’s longevity, agility and vision.
The bird that thunders.
Thank you, as alumni, for your continued support of the School – you act as our ambassadors, our network, our voice beyond our lake, soaring across different parts of the world.
We hope that through your lifelong migrations, as alumni, you have retained and continue to retain that vital connection with your former School – responsible perhaps for giving you the initial confidence and strength to take flight.
We are delighted to be hosting you here on campus for Founder’s Day 2019.
Richard D A Lamont
Headmaster
25th October 2019
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.
