News & updates
News
List of 5 news stories.
-
Japan Super Science Fair Profile: Clara and Matt
Read MoreAnyone who has visited Vancouver Island in the summer will have noticed the vast amounts of yellow-flowered Scotch broom shrubs along the roadside, and often well beyond. While initially pleasing to the eye, that plant is in fact an invasive species that has become the bane of conservationists throughout the region, choking out native plants and spreading increasingly rapidly across the Island since it was originally planted in a Victoria-area garden in the 1850s.Shawnigan Grade 11 students Clara C. and Matt E. turned the ecological menace of Scotch broom into a project they are preparing to take to the prestigious Japan Super Science Fair in Kyoto later this month.As students who care deeply about the environment and who grew up in the Shawnigan Lake area, Clara C. and Matt E. are well acquainted with the ecological menace of Scotch broom. -
Local Focus in Law 12
Read MoreAn incident that endangered hundreds of coho salmon that were in the process of migrating to their spawning grounds near the School provided an opportunity for Law 12 students to examine a local matter and the way the various stakeholders have responded to it.After he learned about the incident, teacher Mr. Galen Loiselle consulted with a developer, the local salmon conservation group, and government representatives at multiple levels to create a case study that he presented to the class. Students then read the article he put together, annotated it, and wrote a response to the incident. They discussed the sometimes-fine line between an unavoidable accident and illegal negligence, and asked if government inspectors got it right when they labelled it a “minor incident,” or if that label reflected outdated priorities? -
Live from Shawnigan!
Read MoreOnline viewers of Shawnigan’s Chapel services may have noticed improvements to the livestream, and it’s definitely not in their imaginations.The AV program has benefitted from some new technology – provided by C.A.S.E. (Communications, Arts, Sciences and Entrepreneurship) – which has upgraded the sound and image quality of the livestreams and given students access to even more state-of-the-art equipment to train on.The recent Chapel upgrades include a new 4K video switcher, a dedicated hard-wired monitoring computer, and a Yamaha TF5 digital sound mixer with a Dante card.“The mixer has improved the Chapel’s sound and gives students experience with digital audio controls,” said Mr. Ben Karegeya, the School’s AV coordinator and Recording Arts 360 (co-curricular arts and activities) instructor. “The video switcher allows them to bring different camera views into the broadcast, while the monitoring computer helps us check the stream throughout the service. Together, these upgrades improve our productions and give students access to equipment and workflows they can build on beyond Shawnigan.” -
Vibes Are Good at Stag Café
Read MoreThe Friesen Centre was packed last Friday as the takeout window opened on another year of the ever-popular Stag Café.The first day was chaotic as Entrepreneurship 12 students ironed out the wrinkles at the eatery that serves up a variety of snacks twice a week, but everything was running smoothly by the end. Partnerships with the Rock Band 360 (co-curricular arts and activities) and a fundraiser for the Girl Up Club added to the vibes and helped bring in more enthusiastic patrons.“Not just the students who work in Stag Café, but also the other students who make it what it is,” said Entrepreneurship 12 teacher Ms. Mariel Solsberg. “It’s nice to see so many students new to the School come out and stay for the atmosphere.”The two Entrepreneurship 12 classes each take a turn running the café every week: one class on Tuesday and the other on Friday. Each class has two students serving as CEOs, while the rest are divided into five teams with different responsibilities, covering everything from ordering supplies to collecting laundry. All positions are determined through a comprehensive interview process in September. -
Lessons Beyond the Gates
Read MoreWitnessing a backcountry rescue helped put things in perspective for Shawnigan students on a Beyond the Gates expedition two weeks ago.On the first night of their hiking trek into the mountains west of Courtenay, the students watched as three helicopters searched for and then rescued a pair of students from another school who ventured into the wilderness woefully underprepared.“It gave our students a different understanding of it,” Outdoor Education Coordinator Ms. Jessica Dick observed. “It helped them understand the risks of being unprepared in the backcountry.”
Links & blogs
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.
