News
Closing Day
Fond Farewells
Tired and excited, the Shawnigan community gathered on Saturday for one last celebration.
The festivities began on Friday evening, with the school gathering for a final awards ceremony before returning to houses for speeches, house honours, and farewells.
The traditional Grade 12 Chapel Service led to customary tears and nostalgia, with a compassionate sermon – toasting the grads for their smiles – from Reverend Holland, a solo performance of This is Not GoodBye by Daneila D. and the chamber choir's mashup of Love Train and Put a Little Love in Your Heart.
Under sunny skies and surrounded by the splendor of the Kaye Gardens, Saturday's final ceremony included plenty of special moments, including the graduation of Aaron W. – the fifth and final member of a family dynasty.
The school presented high-profile accolades to deserving students, Stag Awards to inspirational members of the community, and the annual Eagle Feather Award to history teacher Tom Lupton.
This year also saw 13 students achieve the special Double Dogwood diploma, meaning they have completed 12 years of complete or partial education in French and are certified as bilingual graduates by the BC Ministry of Education.
In one of the final acts of the day, the 2018-19 School Prefects passed the torch to the 16 individuals set to lead their peers in 2019-20. Instead of a Head and Deputy Head of School, next year will see joint Head Students – selected by staff and their peers as Gareth C. and Mikayla B.
And so, the 2018-19 school year came to an end, with a new tradition – a shower of biodegradable confetti – replacing the black and gold balloons released in years past.
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2019 – and we wish the entire community a wonderful summer!
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 West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
