News Archive

The arts have taken centre stage in the final weeks of the school year at Shawnigan.

 

From theatre performances to the annual 360 fair, students in various arts and activities – both curricular and co-curricular – have had several opportunities recently to share their work with their peers.

 

Last Wednesday, the 360 Fair took place in front of the Bruce-Lockhart Centre for Creativity, the same day that 360 awards and colours were handed out. Organized by the 360 instructors, 360 Prefect Daniel S. and the 360 Council, the event featured displays of visual art and other things the 360 programs have been working on.

 

“Our focus this year was to make it interactive,” Daniel explained. “The Council and I went to all of the 360 instructors and asked them to come up with one interactive activity that students could participate in.”

 

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.

 

A delegation of talented students from Shawnigan’s Theatre Company and Musical Theatre Company programs attended STAR Fest West at Douglas College in Vancouver, coming away with a host of honours, including three perfect scores and the Perfect Score Ribbon for Ivana W.

 

“Our students had the opportunity to perform both musical numbers and dramatic scenes, and to be adjudicated by a panel of professionals and instructors from Vancouver,” theatre teacher Mr. Sal Interlandi explained. “These experiences not only challenged and stretched our students artistically but also allowed them to connect with a broader community of performers and creators.”

 

STAR Fest gives performing arts students a chance to perform in front of their peers, test their skills against an adjudication board with the opportunity to receive recognition, take part in workshops, and interact with their peers from across Western Canada.

 

A reimagined inter-House art event last Friday got the entire student body involved – and earned rave reviews from the participants.

 

Under the previous format, Houses submitted artwork by students for judging by a panel of esteemed staff members who determined the winners. This year featured a complete overhaul, with three parts to the event, all completed in the course of a single evening.

 

“The old format had its heyday,” Head of Fine Art Mr. Aren Goodman commented. “It was time for a reboot, to make it feel like a real Shawnigan inter-House event.”

 

It started with the idea for a paint night, and grew from there.

 

Shawnigan took the Cowichan Valley visual arts community by storm in March.

 

Six students took part in the Cowichan Valley Art Council’s Youth Arts Showcase last month, titled “Unfiltered: Unleash Your Authenticity,” with three of those students getting special recognition for their work.

 

Luona Y. (Grade 11) received an Award of Excellence for “The Highchair,” and Scarlett S. (Grade 12) received a Juror’s Choice Award for “I Said Stop.” Sharon X. (Grade 11) was given an honourable mention. Both Luona and Scarlett took home gift certificates for their achievements, and Scarlett also received a small glass sculpture. Olive S., Yumi L. and Vivi M. also submitted pieces to the show, which featured a total of 89 entries from 77 young artists across the Cowichan Valley.

 

An outstanding cast and crew, and support from some excellent staff members, helped make a dream come true for Mr. Sal Interlandi with the staging of this year’s School musical: Chicago (Teen Edition) with a three-night and one-afternoon run at Victoria’s McPherson Playhouse.

 

“It’s such a great show,” said Mr. Interlandi, theatre teacher and director of the musical. “When I interviewed for the job here and they asked me what shows I wanted to do, I said it was one of my favourite shows. It’s always been a show I wanted to do.”

 

Written in 1975, Chicago was based on a stage play from 1926. It has become a staple on Broadway and is the longest running current show there. It also became a movie in 2002 that won Best Picture at the 2003 Academy Awards.

 

Two teams from Shawnigan’s robotics program have qualified for the provincial championships this March with a chance to earn berths at the 2025 world championships in May.

 

The teams earned their provincials berths in different fashions last weekend at an event hosted by Claremont Secondary School in Victoria. The team of Tony Z., Justin T., Bella Z. and Aaron N. qualified by winning the skills championship, while the team of Kaho H., Zoe C., Eric H., John P. and Christian W. qualified by making the tournament final, although they ultimately lost and finished as runners-up.

 

In the skills championship, robots work alone for two separate two-minute slots: the first is autonomous and the second is driver-controlled. The team of Tony, Justin, Bella and Aaron had the highest combined score over their two slots. That team also won the “Amaze” award presented by the judges for their innovative design and engineering process. The team of Kaho, Zoe, Eric, John and Christian also had an impressive showing in skills, placing third overall.

 

Improvements over the last two years to the Hugh Wilkinson Theatre funded by C.A.S.E. (Communications, Arts, Sciences and Entrepreneurship) and the Bradley Family Foundation are helping Shawnigan take this year’s school musical – Chicago (Teen Edition) – to the McPherson Playhouse stage.

 

Two years ago, C.A.S.E. funded the purchase of 16 state-of-the-art wireless microphone sets, the same model used by the professionals at the McPherson Playhouse. The mics, which were also used during last year’s musical, Grease, allow the students to sing at the same levels they will be singing in the final production.

 

Last summer, C.A.S.E. provided funding for a renovation of the production booth at the back of the Wilkinson Theatre. Until last summer, all the equipment was in one end of the booth, and the students working there were virtually on top of one another. Now they can work in a more professional environment, similar to that of the McPherson Playhouse.

 

What happens when you combine the wild imaginations of kindergarten and Grade 1 students with the nascent sculpting skills of Grade 11 art students?

 

The answer: a bunch of little monsters.

 

In fall 2024, right around Halloween, Ms. Annilee Guy’s Grade 11 art students collaborated with the kindergarten/Grade 1 class at nearby École Cobble Hill Elementary – which includes Ms. Guy’s son, Callum – on a fun project. The elementary students all drew monsters, then passed their drawings on to the Shawnigan students, who re-created those monsters in clay and painted them, then gave the final products back to the kids who drew them.