A Voice in the Wilderness Archive
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2026
2026
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January
Lonsdale’s Journey
Read MoreThis Sunday – February 1, 2026 – marks the 140th birthday of Shawnigan Lake School founder C.W. Lonsdale. As part of a series marking the School’s 110th anniversary, Archivist and Curator Mrs. Sarah Teunis-Russ delves into Lonsdale’s life before Shawnigan and what led him to create a boarding school in the Vancouver Island wilderness. -
Freedom Takes Work
Read MoreTuesday, January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honouring the victims of the Holocaust, which included six million Jewish people and countless members of other minority groups. This is a time to reflect not only on the Holocaust itself, but also on the societal factors that allowed the Nazi Party to take control in Germany. Peace is not a given, Mr. Adam Holloway said in last Saturday’s Chapel service – it takes work. -
The Importance of Speaking Out
Read MoreTuesday, January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honouring the victims of the Holocaust, which included six million Jewish people and countless members of other minority groups. Last Saturday’s Chapel service marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day with speeches from students and staff members, including Grade 11 student Peyton Stoller, who delivered a message about the importance of speaking up when it matters. -
Duxbury House – Cave Lupum
Read MoreOften attributed to Cherokee or other Indigenous American peoples, the story of the Two Wolves recounts a grandfather telling his grandson about the battle between two wolves within every person, using the battle as a metaphor for inner conflict. When the listener asks which wolf wins, the grandfather answers, “whichever one you feed.” That story is a focal point in Duxbury House, where the motto is Cave Lupum (Beware the Wolf), and the values of respect, integrity, honour, and perseverance are deeply ingrained. Grade 11 students Henri Zhao and Hudson McArthur both spoke about what being part of Duxbury means to them as their House led last Sunday’s Chapel. -
House Directing – Why Do We Do This?
Read MoreThe position of House Director at Shawnigan is not a glamourous one, but, as Mr. Tom Lupton said in a speech in special Chapel run by Duxbury House last weekend, it comes with unique rewards. Read on to find out what it means to do a job that is so challenging yet so valuable. -
Community, Friendly Rivalries, and Giving Day
Read MoreShawnigan’s first Giving Day in February 2025 was an astonishing success as alumni, staff, parents, students, and friends came together to support the School in a friendly but fierce competition between the boarding houses. Giving Day is back for 2026, and Associate Director of Annual Giving and Data Management Ms. Gemma Atkinson expects this one to be just as exciting. -
‘There’s something special that happens when you share challenges with others’
Read MoreAll Grade 9 students engage in Beyond the Gates, a year-long experiential education program that takes students off campus and into the natural environment of Canada’s Pacific Coast. Beyond the Gates culminates in the Week Without Walls, the highlight of which is a capstone expedition that takes students into the Vancouver Island backcountry for more than a week.
Now in Grade 11, Charlie Kittleson was a reluctant participant when he was in Grade 9, but the trip changed his life. Although the form of the capstone expedition has changed since then – this year, Grade 9s will choose between hiking the entire West Coast Trail, hiking a portion of that trail, kayaking the Broken Group Islands, or a series of shorter treks based closer to home – Charlie was still asked to speak to this year’s group about the value of getting out of one’s comfort zone and going Beyond the Gates. -
Trees and Green Spaces
Read MoreFrom storing carbon to cooling our urban areas, trees and green spaces are more than just pretty features of the landscape – they are vital to fighting climate change. Shawnigan’s Environmental Lead and Horticulturalist, Ms. Patricia Hanbidge, cuts to the core of the many hidden benefits trees provide to our planet.
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.
