Alumni News
Admissions Update
During a time of great uncertainty, Shawnigan has continued not just to rise to the occasion but excel. The School’s swift and successful pivot to the Shawnigan Online Unique Learning (SOUL) program had a very positive impact on Admissions, with re-enrollment happening earlier and in greater numbers than ever before. The Founder’s Fund – an extraordinary community act of spirit and generosity – has also been instrumental in providing a financial life raft to many of our financial aid and scholarship families, bringing many of our wonderful students home to Shawnigan this fall.
During July and August, our phones did not stop ringing. COVID-19 safety protocols mean less space and more social distancing in our boarding houses – a restriction which made for some sleepless nights for the Admissions team. However, a Shawnigan solution was at hand. Building on the success of Grade 8 girls’ residence, Stanton House, Lecky House has been temporarily reimagined as Levien House, a Grade 8 boys’ residence, helping to alleviate pressure in the main residences.
Visa challenges for international students was a daily topic of discussion in our office throughout the summer, as was the topic of border restrictions and closures. Every phone call from an anxious parent was managed with professionalism, expertise and personal care by the Admissions team.
Now that the 2020-21 academic year is underway, we feel very positive. For the first time ever we have a healthy waitlist and have been in the privileged but tough position of having to say no to many families who had hoped to send their child to Shawnigan this year. My thanks, as ever, go to the incredible Admissions team and the many other members of staff who worked tirelessly all summer to set Shawnigan’s students and staff up for success this September.
Gaynor Samuel
Executive Director of Admissions
Executive Director of Admissions
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.
