News & updates

List of 5 news stories.

• 

  BC Film Fest Inspires

  5/30/2025
  Expect big things from Shawnigan’s film programs in the future after an inspiring trip to the BC Student Film Festival in Vancouver last weekend. Although the students were nominated for four awards, they didn’t bring home any hardware, but they did find a lot of motivation and enthusiasm for next year.

   

  “The cool thing was that, on the ferry back, the juniors were buzzing,” film instructor Mr. Aren Goodman said. “They saw a variety of films over there, and they were revved up and ready to go for next year.”

   

  The BC Student Film Festival is hosted annually by the Vancouver Film School and SFU School for the Contemporary Arts. The 10 students from Shawnigan who attended were a mix of curricular and 360 (arts and activities) students, some of whom have been in film for several years, and some of whom are brand new this year. The group was made up of two boys and eight girls, which Mr. Goodman said was a refreshing change for a program that has been largely male-dominated in the recent past.

   
  Read More
• 

  Theoretical Becomes Tangible

  5/30/2025
  Math and Mud? Calculus and Clay?

   

  AP Calculus students took over the Clayworks lab this week to turn mathematical functions into clay models and bridge the gap between the theoretical and the tangible.

   

  Students began in the classroom by choosing a function, then used integration to calculate the volume of revolution – the three-dimensional space that would be taken up if the calculus graph were turned into a plane and rotated on an axis. Moving to the Clayworks lab, the students then tried to create a vessel with a volume that matches the function they chose.

   

  “This way, they understand it; they don’t just learn it,” said Clayworks instructor Ms. Carol Harvey, who collaborated with math teacher Mr. Max Sterelyukhin on the project.

   
  Read More
• 

  "Dearest World" – Poetry Competition Success

  5/22/2025
  Kenzie G. is continuing to cement herself as one of Vancouver Island’s best young poets.

   

  The Grade 12 student at Shawnigan Lake School was named a finalist in the MC Youth Visual Poetry & Spoken Word Competition for the second time in the last three years. She previously placed third in the 2023 contest.

  
  Kenzie admitted she wasn’t expecting much when she sent in her submission, titled “Dearest World.” With the deadline looming, she ended up writing the poem while suffering from a concussion. She then had to record herself reading it aloud and turn it into a video in a short time span.

   

  “I went from writing it to producing the film in two and a half hours,” Kenzie explained.

   
  Read More
• 

  A New High Mark for Shawnigan Grad

  5/22/2025
  Not only was it Shawnigan’s largest graduating class ever, but it is also being called the best grad weekend ever.

   

  The grad weekend at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler on May 15 and 16 was simply outstanding, with the students, their families and guests, and a multitude of staff members heading into the mountains north of Vancouver to celebrate the end of 151 students’ Shawnigan Journeys.

   

  The special events began on Thursday with the Parent Gathering on the hotel rooftop, where family members mingled with staff for conversation and interaction. Nametags featured the colours of the Boarding Houses, allowing staff members to easily spot the parents from far-flung parts of the world whom they may not have seen regularly over the years.

   
  Read More
• 

  Regatta Takes Over the Lake

  5/15/2025
  One of the largest events on the School calendar, with nearly every student and staff member involved in one way or another, the 64th annual Shawnigan Regatta roiled the waters of our namesake lake on May 9-11, with excellent showings from our own rowers and lots of promise for the future.

   

  “We had a great regatta,” Head of Rowing Mrs. Jennifer Parfitt said. “We are excited about the results we had and the conduct of our athletes in challenging conditions. There were lessons learned throughout which no doubt will help aid us in our journey to the Canadian nationals at the end of this month. Furthermore, the performance of our U17 novice crews and U15 crews were very promising for future years and the upcoming local regatta in Nanaimo on May 24.”

   

  It was a bittersweet moment for Grade 12 rower Shelby H., who will continue her rowing career at the University of Portland next year.

   
  Read More