News Archive

Students fanned out across the globe over Spring Break – many to their homes both near and far, but some on a variety of School-sponsored trips and tours related to their academic, athletic, and artistic pursuits at Shawnigan.

 

 

Seven students and two staff members flew to Jamaica as part of the EDGE (Engagement, Development, Gratitude and Experience) program, where they took part in projects to improve the lives of children there. They first visited the SOS Children’s Village, a sanctuary for children ages six to 17 who have been separated from their parents. The village houses 40 kids in all, six or seven to a house with an “auntie” who oversees them. The Shawnigan students painted one of the houses, including sanding and preparing the building, and spent three days engaging with the kids.

 

Shawnigan’s U18 Prep girls’ ice hockey team made it back to their national championship final last month, and while they ultimately fell just short of the title, head coach Ms. Carly Haggard was thrilled with the result, and even more importantly, her team’s performance.

 

“The girls came together and peaked at the right time,” Ms. Haggard said.

 

After opening the tournament in Penticton, BC with a 6-2 victory over Delta Hockey Academy Black, Shawnigan earned a 5-2 upset win over Delta Green, the second-ranked team going into the championships, behind two goals from Meera S. and 20 saves from goalie Alex N. Shawnigan closed out the round robin with a 6-3 victory over Okanagan Hockey Academy, then prevailed over Edge School 4-0 in the semifinal thanks to a 15-save shutout by Alex.

 

Between a visit to campus by the Stanley Cup and a spectacular opportunity for two of our U18 Prep girls’ ice hockey players, Shawnigan was fortunate to take part in the festivities last week when Hockey Day in Canada came to nearby Victoria.

 

Once a year, the weekly Hockey Night in Canada broadcast turns into Hockey Day in Canada, with a full day of NHL games interspersed with stories from a selected community in Canada. For the 2024 edition (which took place on Saturday, January 21), Victoria was the lucky community, and some of the stories they chose to tell involved the School.

 

Mr. Andrew Ference, who won the Cup in 2011 with the Boston Bruins and is now a parent and hockey coach at Shawnigan, helped arrange for the Cup to be brought to the School’s Charlie Purdey Arena on Wednesday, January 17. He surprised the players with the Cup, with a crew from Sportsnet on hand to film the event.

Grade 12 student Morgan J. returned to the School this week after helping Team Canada bring home a bronze medal from the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s U18 Championship in Switzerland.

 

The tournament wrapped up last Sunday, with Canada taking third place thanks to an 8-1 win over Finland in the bronze-medal match. Canada was unbeaten in the preliminary round, outscoring their opponents 29-1 over three games, then defeated Switzerland 6-0 in the quarter-finals before being upset by Czechia 4-2 in the semifinals.

 

“It was disappointing that we didn’t take home the gold medal, but I am still very proud of our group,” Morgan said. “The overall experience was amazing because of the teammates and Team Canada staff I was surrounded by. I have made many friends and created many memories with them that will last a lifetime. I grew as a player, but most importantly as a person on and off the ice from this experience. Playing with and against the best U18 players in the world was an honour. It has been an unforgettable experience, and I was sad to see it end and say goodbye to all my friends.”

 

Shawnigan’s U18 Prep boys’ ice hockey team proved once again that they can skate with the best with another strong showing at the Circle K Classic, the top tournament in North America for their age group, which ran in Calgary from December 26 to January 1.

 

After reaching the final four in the 2022-23 edition of the tournament, this year Shawnigan won four games and lost two, and made it to the C Division final to finish near the top of the 32-team, invite-only tournament.

 

Shawnigan went 2-1 in pool play, recovering from a 6-3 loss to the Bishop Kearney Selects (Irondequoit, New York) to beat the Warman Wildcats (Warman, Saskatchewan) 7-4, and the Airdrie CFR Bisons (Airdrie, Alberta) 3-2.