We Are Family

As several Shawnigan families have recently discovered, replicating a little bit of the House experience at home has turned a challenging period of isolation into a memorable time full of laughter, new experiences and deepening friendships.

 

When it was originally announced that international students would need to embark on 14 days of quarantine before returning to school after March Break, Shawnigan parents John and Jeannette Coffeng decided to travel from Hong Kong to their second home in Whistler, B.C., to ensure that graduating son Cameron ’20 (Duxbury) could remain in Canada over the break and be ready for school when it resumed.

 

Then, as it became clear that campus would not be able to reopen as planned, and institutions and governments across the world started making big decisions in response to a quickly escalating global pandemic situation, so too did the Coffengs, opening their home to several of Cameron’s friends affected by travel restrictions and quarantine measures.

 

Starting with Taiki K. ’20 (Copeman’s) and Nic W. ’20 (Ripley’s), the group was quickly expanded to include Dylan C. ’20 (Copeman’s) and Nick A. ’20 (Lonsdale’s).

 

“It's been so rewarding for us as parents to see how happy the boys are together,” John and Jeannette share. “Cameron has been thrilled to have his friends around and has become more appreciative of us as parents for taking care of his friends too. As a group they happily open up and everyone joins the conversation. It is such an exciting time in their lives, and it's been so interesting to hear their views on the current situation and their future plans as they prepare for the next stage of their lives. They also happily share stories of their boarding school experience. We've learned a lot more about life at Shawnigan than we ever did from just Cameron!”

 

In addition to providing the “school brothers” with some stability and normalcy under very challenging circumstances, the Coffengs’ prior experience with their two daughters’ online education in Hong Kong informed their approach to Cameron’s online education and that of all the boys under their care.

 

“We saw how well online learning could work, as well as the benefits of being in the same time zone,” shares John. “Interacting with teachers and peers in real time, albeit virtually, is much more engaging. It was also clear that being physically removed from friends takes a heavy toll on the kids, so we were very happy to have the opportunity to host other kids. It's been a win-win for all of us!”

 

John notes that the boys study together, particularly enjoy the classes they take together online, and help one another finish up homework. When out of school, they have been able to enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, basketball and frisbee golf in their small group, bolstering their mental and physical wellbeing. The group celebrated an 18^th birthday together and even enjoyed their own special graduation dinner to recognize their achievements.

 

“The benefits of the boys being together have been numerous,” reflects John. “They get up on their own each morning and keep on top of each other about school work, university deadlines, House meetings, etc. They chip in a bit with the housework, but we have gained a new appreciation for the Shawnigan cooking and cleaning staff! We’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the boys better, and they have had so much fun with each other; our house has been filled with laughter every day. This time together has deepened their friendships, and I expect that they will look back on this period of their lives fondly.” 

 

Any families interested in volunteering as a host family, either now or in the future, are warmly encouraged to connect with Student Life Coordinator Katrina Cholack at studentlife@shawnigan.ca.