News Detail
SOUL Flight
Grade 12 transitions to university
The end of the academic portion of our school year will understandably look quite different this year. While Shawnigan students in grades 8-11 participate in a special inquiry-based program called SOUL Seeking, grade 12 students will focus their attention on life after high school. Thomas Lupton, Director of Teaching and Learning, gives the following introduction to the program that will launch the Class of 2020:
Transitioning from high school is a daunting prospect even in the best of times. Our seniors are asked to pack their bags, often moving great distances onto strange campuses to study and live with people they have never met. They need to sort out course registration, how to get financial aid, where to buy their books, and how to deal with neighbours who blast music at all hours of the night. On top of that, they need to learn how to cook for themselves, how to do laundry, how to figure out student credit cards, and how to apply for a major. Then, there is all the course work! Professors and lecture halls are very different from their Shawnigan teachers and cozy classrooms. They are asked to do all of this often without the support network of parents or House Directors nearby to offer support. It can all be overwhelming.
SOUL Flight: Graduation Transitions is a voluntary opportunity for the Class of 2020 to engage in some or all of the offerings we are putting in place to help prepare them for the world that is coming their way. In these times of great disruption caused by COVID-19, their first year experience will probably be even more different than they have imagined. By putting in some time now to acclimatize themselves to the changing world they are about to enter, they will find themselves in a better position than many of their peers.
We have invited the graduates to fill in a questionnaire whereby they tell us what they need as they begin their transition into the brave new world that awaits them. We are offering classes in business and finance, first-year level lectures in the sciences, arts or engineering to get a taste of what’s to come, information sessions on financial aid packages and how to navigate first year issues, and other ideas that they may have. We will introduce them to the Shawnigan Connect program, and even endeavor to pair them up with a mentor from our broader network to offer them guidance along their journey. Our goal is a simple one: we want to provide the most useful offerings for our graduating class that we possibly can.
And so, we warmly invite the graduating individual from your home to join our network of teachers, alumni, friends, and partners from the vast Shawnigan network as we help them get ready for what’s next.
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Transitioning from high school is a daunting prospect even in the best of times. Our seniors are asked to pack their bags, often moving great distances onto strange campuses to study and live with people they have never met. They need to sort out course registration, how to get financial aid, where to buy their books, and how to deal with neighbours who blast music at all hours of the night. On top of that, they need to learn how to cook for themselves, how to do laundry, how to figure out student credit cards, and how to apply for a major. Then, there is all the course work! Professors and lecture halls are very different from their Shawnigan teachers and cozy classrooms. They are asked to do all of this often without the support network of parents or House Directors nearby to offer support. It can all be overwhelming.
SOUL Flight: Graduation Transitions is a voluntary opportunity for the Class of 2020 to engage in some or all of the offerings we are putting in place to help prepare them for the world that is coming their way. In these times of great disruption caused by COVID-19, their first year experience will probably be even more different than they have imagined. By putting in some time now to acclimatize themselves to the changing world they are about to enter, they will find themselves in a better position than many of their peers.
We have invited the graduates to fill in a questionnaire whereby they tell us what they need as they begin their transition into the brave new world that awaits them. We are offering classes in business and finance, first-year level lectures in the sciences, arts or engineering to get a taste of what’s to come, information sessions on financial aid packages and how to navigate first year issues, and other ideas that they may have. We will introduce them to the Shawnigan Connect program, and even endeavor to pair them up with a mentor from our broader network to offer them guidance along their journey. Our goal is a simple one: we want to provide the most useful offerings for our graduating class that we possibly can.
And so, we warmly invite the graduating individual from your home to join our network of teachers, alumni, friends, and partners from the vast Shawnigan network as we help them get ready for what’s next.
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.
