Alumni Notebook - November 2019

In his Remembrance Day address, Headmaster Lamont shared, “John Lander (Old School House) came to Shawnigan aged 11. He then went on to Shrewsbury School in England, Trinity College, University of Cambridge – and won a gold medal at the 1928 summer Olympics in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as a stroke of the coxless four. A gunner in the Defence Corps, he was killed in action during the Battle of Hong Kong against the Japanese on Christmas Day in 1941.”

Freeman visited the School from San Francisco in early September and toured the campus with John Kaye ’54 and Hilary Abbott. As a pioneer in the solar panel industry during the 1970’s and now Chairman of FAFCO Inc., Freeman was impressed with the changes that have transpired since he left the School in 1955. Neil Trafford, who teaches film studies, was able to demonstrate what students can produce using the very phones many of us walk around with every day. Neil’s enthusiasm, like all staff involved in the school’s C.A.S.E. (Communications, Arts, Sciences and Entrepreneurship) program, was contagious. Freeman met up with Headmaster Larry Lamont, where the two were able to share and discuss Larry’s vision for the School.

While Shawnigan Lake School enjoyed an exceptionally busy Founder’s Day Weekend, I slipped away to Oakville, Ontario for a personal reunion. While in Oakville, I had the opportunity to once again meet Gerald Haddon and his charming wife Amanda. Gerald is the grandson of The Hon. John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, whom many consider to be the “Father of Canadian Aviation.” Drawn from the awards speech at the 2019 CASI Annual Dinner (Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute), where Gerald presented the J.A.D. McCurdy Award, he recounts what his grandfather achieved on February 23, 1909.

“Canadian Aviation began when J.A.D. McCurdy shook loose the frozen bonds of Bras d’Or Lake on February 23, 1909 when he made the first controlled flight of an aircraft by a British Subject, anywhere in the British Empire in Baddeck, Nova Scotia Canada in a fragile aeroplane he designed and built and called the Silver Dart.”

So much has been written about the many “firsts” attributed to J.A.D. McCurdy. Gerald and I have been discussing how the accomplishments of this remarkable Canadian can be presented to the School. We look forward to Gerald and Amanda visiting the campus one of these days when Gerald can share with students his family’s story.

Larry Lamont and Rudy Massimo visited with Nick Kaiser at the Franklin Academy in Bellingham, WA this past September. They are pictured here in front of Merkell Hall, named after Nick’s late wife. Nick joined The Franklin Board of Trustees in 1993, where he continues to serve. In addition to the Franklin Academy, the Kaisers and their seven children support a range of educational and community activities, such as Western Washington University and the Boy Scouts. Several of his grandchildren have and are attending The Franklin Academy. One of Nick Kaiser's favourite sayings is, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

What a fun couple of days we had at Whistler! Thanks to Doug Lunam for arranging our accommodation at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Center. It was very luxurious at a reasonable cost. Thanks to Art Monahan for starting the hotel booking conversation. Read more

No-one likes to be rejected. Except, possibly, John Kueber. The successful serial entrepreneur told a Shawnigan Entrepreneurship class that rejection is likely what they will need to endure if they want to succeed in the world of business. Read more

In a week when cancer was very much on the minds of many at Shawnigan, Dr. Vicki Stronge spoke about promising advances in cancer treatments, addressing several science classes and all grade 12s on Friday, and speaking in Chapel on Saturday. Read more

Sarah writes to share that she has received the most wonderful news since embarking upon her theatrical career in Vancouver. She has just been cast as one of the principal leads (Irene) in “Crazy for You” under the direction/choreography of Valerie Easton. For Sarah it is an incredible honour to be cast as a lead in her first full-scale musical production in Vancouver. The selection process was arduous, requiring a three-day “whittling down audition process involving a private vocal audition, followed by a day of dance-call audition, and finally a callback for the specific role.” Sarah says it was an incredible and exhausting experience, which she wanted to share with the Shawnigan Community as she writes:

“The joy and gratitude that is filling me at the moment is too big to put into words and I wanted to share this exciting moment personally with you and wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to you as well for 'being in my corner' and believing in me.”

“If you are able to make it out to the Massey Theatre, the show will be running April 6-25, 2020.”

Hilary Abbott and Rhodri Samuel had the opportunity to visit Julie Rea the morning after the September Seattle Gathering at her place of work in Seattle – Amazon’s Head Office. Actually, we met her in The Spheres, a remarkable space for Amazon employees and visitors to relax, think, meet and eat. Due to the sensitivity of the work Julie performs for Amazon, she was not at liberty to discuss too many details. To explore The Spheres and to learn more please click here: seattlespheres.com

Both represented Canada at the recent Rugby World Cup in Japan. They are pictured here after the Canada versus South Africa game, after which Djustice traded jerseys with a South African player. They were to be joined by Dustin Dobravsky ‘10 (Ripley’s) for their final game of the tournament against Namibia. Unfortunately, this game was cancelled due to a typhoon.

A newcomer to the women’s sevens senior national team, Delaney Aikens brings strong experience from age grade development programs where she cemented herself as a standout player. Prior to getting carded for Canada’s national squad, Aikens furthered her experience in rugby playing at the University of British Columbia for two years, participating in two under-18 tournaments for Canada, and touring with the second-tier development team, the Maple Leafs. While representing the UBC Thunderbirds, Aikens led the team with seven tries during the 2019 Canada West Sevens Series. She was a member of Team Canada that won bronze at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

NYC film festival finalists

Last year, a group of Shawnigan students led by Freddy Wang (producer) and Byron Chang (director), created a student film, “Origami.” The film was submitted to the All American Student Film Festival in New York, among others. The school was delighted to receive news that “Origami” had been selected for inclusion in the All American High School Film Festival! There was also a confidential hint that the film was in the running to be up for an award. Read Steve Beaudry's full story. Watch "Origami".

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