News
Boarding SOUL
Keeping House connections alive
Shawnigan Lake School takes great pride in the excellent pastoral care that we provide to the students under our care. Boarding schools today must work as a team with parents and guardians to develop our young people into the best versions of themselves and this is now more true than ever. We are so proud of the way that our House Directors have responded to SOUL and I'm sure that you will agree that we are lucky to have such a vibrant, dedicated and hard-working group of educators at Shawnigan Lake School.—Matthew Clinton Baker, Assistant Head – Student Life
Ever wonder what happens to a group of House Directors when boarding school is temporarily closed?
They carry on!
With up to 58 students per House, living all over the world, a House Director’s day can start even earlier than it did during regular term time. One House Director recommends that the best time to engage with students overseas seems to be between 4:00 - 6:00 a.m. Shawnigan time.
Mrs Edgson reports that, “At Prep, it's definitely been busier than usual as we navigate multiple time zones. That being said, we still manage to get the whole House together twice a week. We miss each other!”
As well as keeping up with students all over the world, House Directors are now connecting more often with parents. Frequently they find themselves answering questions about SOUL programming and how to negotiate class time versus family time, as well as trying to address future concerns.
Other new responsibilities for these staff members include, cleaning out and defrosting student fridges (a scary prospect in many cases), packing and mailing computers and other essential items, feeding students’ fish, and running sinks and flushing toilets regularly in the student bathrooms and kitchens.
The House Directors would all agree that the most essential job remains the same, however: offering care and support, keeping students connected with each other through House meetings and fostering peer relationships through organized meetings between grade groups, big brother or sister sets, and a variety of other small groups.
Planning a House Meeting in this context takes time and imagination. One House Director has asked for video presentations from each grade group, some promote short videos made by students of their home environments, and others are playing quiz games and bingo, performing jokes and comedy routines, and conducting art challenges (for example, draw your ZOOM neighbour Picasso style!) – all this to compliment time spent in each other’s company and to provide some fun during a long week of classes.
Gone for now are meetings filled with chore requests, prep reminders and schedule updates coming from the adult or head grade 12 in charge, and instead, we look to the students to bring their many voices, talents and skills to help create that unique sense of community within the larger community of the School.
House Directors are indeed a lonely bunch at the moment, but working hard to keep House spirit and connections alive in our new, virtual domains.
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.
