News Archive
An address for the Community Carol Service
Thank you for joining us this evening.
It is very important to us here at Shawnigan and to me – as the Headmaster – that we continue to connect with our local community and build partnerships.
Chapel is the heart and soul of the school community.
We gather here, as representatives of many faiths, to connect, share and support.
Yesterday, our students gathered in Chapel for a magical nativity pageant performed by lots of staff children – with a child donkey and two real dogs dressed as sheep who may have stolen the show! Parents and grandparents from the local community gathered in the front rows – and a few tears of pride could be spotted. And the students loved it.
At the start of term, I chose a quotation to guide us through the year by Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa and one of the greatest statesman of the twentieth century.
July 18th, 2018 marked 100 years since Mandela’s birth – and the centenary of his life was celebrated across the world. Part of his legacy is the example he set in terms of integrity and values, his ability to forgive (and inspire others to do the same), his commitment to community building and his understanding of the role education plays in bringing positive change.
The quotation lives in the front of the students’ school diary for this academic year:
‘What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead’.
This is a hugely important message to all of us – in all seasons of the year.
The difference we have made to the lives of others – to our families, to our friends, to members of our community, to strangers we have met – define who we are.
It is the expectation that that we all make a positive and supportive contribution and make a difference to our Shawnigan community – both within our school gates and also in the wider community.
Earlier this term, one of our friends in the local community organised for Reverend Holland and I to meet with the Elders of the Cowichan Tribes in Duncan.
We explained our wish to adopt a First Nations word or term for our mid-week gatherings in Chapel – connecting the school’s values with the purpose for which we bring the community together. They gave us a gift of a name:
Stsielth lelum’s tu ‘aw’kw’ul’ muhw
It translates as ‘respected / honoured house of the community.’
It translates as ‘respected / honoured house of the community.’
They also gave us this message on behalf of the Cowichan Tribes:
‘We have the same values. We have been waiting at our door. We have been waiting at the door for Shawnigan Lake School to knock - and our door is always open.’
It was a very moving and powerful experience spending some time with them.
I would like to take this message and extend it to you all. Our door is always open and we too shall come knocking at your doors asking how best we can continue to support our local community – in order both to serve our local community meaningfully and also to teach our students about the importance of community-building.
We are delighted that so many of you have joined us this evening. Please do come for dinner afterwards if you have time – the prefects will guide you there after the service.
Given that this is a candlelit service, I would like to finish with a blessing on the theme of candles by John O’Donoghue:
‘When we look into the heart
May our eyes have the kindness
And reverence of candlelight’
Richard Lamont
Headmaster
16h December, 2018
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.
