News Detail
Heartfelt Gratitude
Dear Shawnigan community,
As we step into Thanksgiving weekend, it is my pleasure to share this message I received from a past Shawnigan parent in Ontario as her son begins the final chapter of his university journey. It is always delightful to hear from our past families, who remain part of the Shawnigan family even after their children have graduated. The Shawnigan Journey does not end with Grade 12, and we are invariably proud to see our alumni go on to thrive – the sixth stage on the Shawnigan Journey – beyond our gates.
Richard D A Lamont
Head of School
Happy Fall! I hope the first month of the school year has found its rhythm, and that SLS is full of the noise, laughter, and learning that make it such a special place.
Camus wrote, "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." I think of that line every September. It is a season of new beginnings: new students finding their footing, returning students stepping into leadership, and teachers planting seeds they may never see fully bloom.
Our son was with you for only one year, but what a year it was. Six weeks in, his teammates elected him captain of the rowing team. I still think about that, and it is just one of many moments I could point to. In those six weeks, your community saw him, valued him, and trusted him more than he had ever felt. That did not happen by accident. It happened because SLS is a place where people notice character and name it out loud.
You lifted him as far as he could go, and you also expected him to respect, celebrate, and support everyone around him. When he stumbled, you held him accountable with care. That combination of kindness and rigour is rare, and it helped him flourish. He arrived as a student who was still finding his place, and he left as a young man who knew he belonged.
This coming spring, he will graduate from Queen's Smith School of Business. As I watch him prepare to complete this chapter, I see the lessons of SLS in the way he shows up for others, owns his choices, and understands that success is better when it is shared. Those values were planted many years ago, and they are still growing.
What SLS gives its students is more than an education. It is a way of being in the world, and one that will serve them for their entire lives. The memories and friendships made on the SLS campus will stay with them long after the last bell has rung.
Please pass along my heartfelt thanks to the administrators, faculty, coaches, and staff who show up every day, often in ways no one thanks them for. The work you do matters more than you may ever know. Thank you for the part you all played in my son's story, and for the part you are playing in so many others.
Wishing you all a warm, joyful, and meaningful fall.
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 12 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
