News Archive
The Joy of Inter-House Competition
A year of intense competition wrapped up on Tuesday, June 13 with inter-House soccer — the last inter-House event of 2022-23.
In perfect weather — a huge improvement over the drizzle that dampened inter-House rugby a few days earlier — Groves’ won the girls’ soccer competition and Ripley’s prevailed over Duxbury on the boys’ side. It marked one of the first opportunities for Grade 8s to come out and compete for the Houses that they have been assigned to for the remainder of their time at Shawnigan. As with all inter-House competitions, soccer was highly competitive, but staff made sure to put an emphasis on sportsmanship and respect.
After soccer, the last numbers added to the overall totals were the academics, led by Lonsdale’s and Groves’. The overall title on the girls’ side went to Strathcona, with 194 points to 187 for Renfrew. Lonsdale’s was the top boys’ House, with 216 points to 179 for Duxbury.
Spread out over the course of the year, inter-House events are a combination of sports that the School competes in — soccer, basketball, volleyball, rowing, rugby and ice hockey — and a wide variety of pursuits that allow all students to play a part, such as visual arts, air band, and a combination of events at Ski Week.
“We try to be as inclusive as possible while also giving kids a chance to show their skills in front of their mates,” said Mr. Matt Clinton-Baker, Assistant Head – Student Life and Wellbeing. “Kids who are strong in academics or good at puzzles know they have contributed to the cause.”
When Mr. Clinton-Baker asks incoming Prefects what they would highlight for families who are considering Shawnigan for their children, he inevitably gets the same answers: the overall sense of community, the family feeling of the boarding houses, and inter-House competition.
It’s about so much more than just the competitions themselves, Mr. Clinton-Baker says. Maybe even more important is how the students gather in their common rooms before an event to put on war paint and break out the flags and other items in House colours that have been collected over the years and decades. They support each other, and come out of the events more unified than they were, regardless of the results.
“That, to me, is the magic of it,” he said.
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.
