Student Life
Mac R. '21 (Lonsdale’s)
"In a world with so much uncertainty, being at Shawnigan has provided so much certainty. Being able to have five classes a day, to know that I have extracurricular activities like hockey and woodwork, to know what to expect for each day – that has been really important to me and has given me a lot of peace of mind.
I came to Shawnigan in Grade 9 for the hockey program. When we came to tour the School, I remember driving through the campus gates, and just looking over at my mom and saying, “Yep, I’m going here.”
Coming to Shawnigan has enriched my experience in hockey. What’s really special here is that you get to be with all your best buddies, 24/7. You can see them at the rink, around campus, in the boarding house… and you just become so much closer as a team because you are involved in so many different aspects of life with them. Your connections become that much deeper.
The coaches strive to make you the best person and hockey player you can be at the same time. They are all really down to earth and they all work to make a personal connection with every one of the players. Coach Jeff Compton has been a huge mentor to me during my time at Shawnigan. He taught me about leadership, and helped me work mentally on what I should do when I am faced with different challenges.
You get a complete athlete at Shawnigan. You get a person who's physically skilled, who’s mentally strong, and who has leadership skills. We are taught that we can have influence on the world, so we have to be leaders, and to set the tone. I think that’s been really important. When you think of a Shawnigan hockey player you think of maturity. We are taught to lead by example, and to uphold the standards of this school.
The facilities at the School are top notch, including for the hockey program. Now more than ever, I am grateful that I can access these facilities. It’s easy to just think of all the negative things about COVID, but realistically we have also been blessed with time, which is something that we take for granted a lot, and something that we don’t usually have. At Shawnigan, we have been using that time to go to the gym to get stronger, to get on the ice to work on our skills, and to take a step back and work on areas of our game where we are falling short. Even though we haven’t been able to play games, it hasn’t stopped the competition from being strong during practice.
Boarding school was the right choice for me for so many reasons, not only for the memories, but because of the people you get to know. You never know who you are going to meet, and the impact that those people might have on you. You get to meet people from all over the world, from different cultures, and your perspective on the world becomes so much broader.
Your House is your second home at Shawnigan. It took me about one night to get settled into Lonsdale’s House, and the next day I just felt so at home. The atmosphere is indescribable. There are so many intangible aspects of the House that make it so special. We talk a lot about how we have 55 brothers, and when you are able to feel at home, that means people are more comfortable with being themselves, so therefore we are able to grow and develop as people.
We have so much House pride in Lonsdale’s, and so much respect for tradition and for the people that laid the groundwork for our success. When we sing our House hymn, I feel like it's a way of connecting us all together not only with one another, but also with those that have come before us – the “Members of the Phoenix” as we call ourselves.
Our House Motto is “Ex Fumo Dare Lucem ~ To give light from smoke.” It’s an important motto because when you come here you don’t know how things are going to end up, as you can only see one step at a time. Once you get through the first term, and you get comfortable and ultimately you are able to break that smoke barrier, you are really able to be that light and be yourself. We are able to lean on our brothers and sisters when we are in darker times, and get through those times as a unit.
I had a passion for woodworking prior to coming to Shawnigan. I had dabbled in it, but just never had the proper guidance. Mr. Boyce, the woodwork instructor, is a character. He’s awesome and really down to earth, and stirred that woodwork love in me. He helped me make a dining room table for my family one year. I remember in the last week of school we were a little bit behind and I needed to get it done. We probably spent about 24 hours in that last week getting that table done. Woodwork has been a super important aspect of my Shawnigan experience and similar to hockey, it has been a mental release from my busy day.
The academics here have prepared me very well. The main reason I came to Shawnigan was I really wanted to challenge myself. You are constantly challenged here at Shawnigan in all areas, especially in regards to academics – there are some tough classes here! I have had to work really hard. The courses might be difficult, but they teach you the value of hard work, and how you need to put in that extra effort. Doing that can be very rewarding at the end of the day.
Why should you choose Shawnigan? Great teachers who you are going to get really close to, and who care about not only your learning, but also you, and who you are. The facilities that you can learn in and hang out in, like Mitchell Hall and the Ritz. If you are an athlete, you have every toy at your disposal. But, I think the main reason you should choose Shawnigan is for the community you will become a part of forever. You are going to get an outstanding community experience. You are going to get to adopt different perspectives from everyone you're here with. You are going to get all the help that you need.
I am really going to miss this place. To think that in six months, I won’t be having this experience anymore, it’s tough. The people that you get to know, and the memories you get to form... it's going to be very hard to say goodbye to this place.
I’m sure it’s not easy sending your kid to boarding school in Grade 9. When I said I wanted to come here, it must have been a difficult decision for my parents to make, but they loved me and they knew that this was the best place for me to grow and succeed. I can’t begin to thank them enough for the sacrifices they made for me. Being able to call them at any time throughout the day, and hearing their constant voices of reason and their encouragement, has contributed to my success here at Shawnigan. I know that they have always wanted the best for me, and they knew that Shawnigan was the best place for me, so I am so grateful to them for allowing me to go and experience this incredible opportunity that has changed my life."
- From an interview with Mac R. '21 (Lonsdale’s)
Back
Coming to Shawnigan has enriched my experience in hockey. What’s really special here is that you get to be with all your best buddies, 24/7. You can see them at the rink, around campus, in the boarding house… and you just become so much closer as a team because you are involved in so many different aspects of life with them. Your connections become that much deeper.
The coaches strive to make you the best person and hockey player you can be at the same time. They are all really down to earth and they all work to make a personal connection with every one of the players. Coach Jeff Compton has been a huge mentor to me during my time at Shawnigan. He taught me about leadership, and helped me work mentally on what I should do when I am faced with different challenges.
You get a complete athlete at Shawnigan. You get a person who's physically skilled, who’s mentally strong, and who has leadership skills. We are taught that we can have influence on the world, so we have to be leaders, and to set the tone. I think that’s been really important. When you think of a Shawnigan hockey player you think of maturity. We are taught to lead by example, and to uphold the standards of this school.
The facilities at the School are top notch, including for the hockey program. Now more than ever, I am grateful that I can access these facilities. It’s easy to just think of all the negative things about COVID, but realistically we have also been blessed with time, which is something that we take for granted a lot, and something that we don’t usually have. At Shawnigan, we have been using that time to go to the gym to get stronger, to get on the ice to work on our skills, and to take a step back and work on areas of our game where we are falling short. Even though we haven’t been able to play games, it hasn’t stopped the competition from being strong during practice.
Boarding school was the right choice for me for so many reasons, not only for the memories, but because of the people you get to know. You never know who you are going to meet, and the impact that those people might have on you. You get to meet people from all over the world, from different cultures, and your perspective on the world becomes so much broader.
Your House is your second home at Shawnigan. It took me about one night to get settled into Lonsdale’s House, and the next day I just felt so at home. The atmosphere is indescribable. There are so many intangible aspects of the House that make it so special. We talk a lot about how we have 55 brothers, and when you are able to feel at home, that means people are more comfortable with being themselves, so therefore we are able to grow and develop as people.
We have so much House pride in Lonsdale’s, and so much respect for tradition and for the people that laid the groundwork for our success. When we sing our House hymn, I feel like it's a way of connecting us all together not only with one another, but also with those that have come before us – the “Members of the Phoenix” as we call ourselves.
Our House Motto is “Ex Fumo Dare Lucem ~ To give light from smoke.” It’s an important motto because when you come here you don’t know how things are going to end up, as you can only see one step at a time. Once you get through the first term, and you get comfortable and ultimately you are able to break that smoke barrier, you are really able to be that light and be yourself. We are able to lean on our brothers and sisters when we are in darker times, and get through those times as a unit.
I had a passion for woodworking prior to coming to Shawnigan. I had dabbled in it, but just never had the proper guidance. Mr. Boyce, the woodwork instructor, is a character. He’s awesome and really down to earth, and stirred that woodwork love in me. He helped me make a dining room table for my family one year. I remember in the last week of school we were a little bit behind and I needed to get it done. We probably spent about 24 hours in that last week getting that table done. Woodwork has been a super important aspect of my Shawnigan experience and similar to hockey, it has been a mental release from my busy day.
The academics here have prepared me very well. The main reason I came to Shawnigan was I really wanted to challenge myself. You are constantly challenged here at Shawnigan in all areas, especially in regards to academics – there are some tough classes here! I have had to work really hard. The courses might be difficult, but they teach you the value of hard work, and how you need to put in that extra effort. Doing that can be very rewarding at the end of the day.
Why should you choose Shawnigan? Great teachers who you are going to get really close to, and who care about not only your learning, but also you, and who you are. The facilities that you can learn in and hang out in, like Mitchell Hall and the Ritz. If you are an athlete, you have every toy at your disposal. But, I think the main reason you should choose Shawnigan is for the community you will become a part of forever. You are going to get an outstanding community experience. You are going to get to adopt different perspectives from everyone you're here with. You are going to get all the help that you need.
I am really going to miss this place. To think that in six months, I won’t be having this experience anymore, it’s tough. The people that you get to know, and the memories you get to form... it's going to be very hard to say goodbye to this place.
I’m sure it’s not easy sending your kid to boarding school in Grade 9. When I said I wanted to come here, it must have been a difficult decision for my parents to make, but they loved me and they knew that this was the best place for me to grow and succeed. I can’t begin to thank them enough for the sacrifices they made for me. Being able to call them at any time throughout the day, and hearing their constant voices of reason and their encouragement, has contributed to my success here at Shawnigan. I know that they have always wanted the best for me, and they knew that Shawnigan was the best place for me, so I am so grateful to them for allowing me to go and experience this incredible opportunity that has changed my life."
- From an interview with Mac R. '21 (Lonsdale’s)
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 West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
