About
A Rich Tapestry of Experience
Dear parents and guardians,
I have found myself down at the Crewhouse docks twice this week. Yesterday, I was there to see rowing crews in every grade heading out on a treasure hunt around the lake. Their navigation skills and endurance were tested and they returned (a little wet from the rain) having rowed further than they have probably rowed before in an afternoon session.
I have found myself down at the Crewhouse docks twice this week. Yesterday, I was there to see rowing crews in every grade heading out on a treasure hunt around the lake. Their navigation skills and endurance were tested and they returned (a little wet from the rain) having rowed further than they have probably rowed before in an afternoon session.
I was down there at the docks as well at the beginning of the week in my capacity as an English teacher as I have been asked to teach Shakespeare’s The Tempest to the AP Literature classes over the next month. I wanted to use the space on the docks to represent the bare stage of the Globe Theatre, London, and also to encourage the students to explore, through performance, the dramatic effectiveness of the opening storm sequence. I have to say it has been a real pleasure to escape my office and formal meetings to return to teaching and to listen to the students’ diverse and stimulating responses to this play.
The English Department ran last night a Poetry Pitch Extravaganza for Grade 12 students with four members of the Senior Leadership Team stepping forward to be the adjudicators. What a feast of poetry, rhetoric and scholarship with selected poems ranging from meditation on equality to the marvel of mathematics, from a musing on time to the Voyager space probe. As lead adjudicator, I was struck by the level of engagement, understanding, analysis and humour deployed by all finalists. Quinn R. (Lonsdale’s) was the winner with his presentation and interpretation of the poem “Mind Mapping” by Lea Knowles. His poem will be framed and placed in the Geography Department given its subject matter.
Looking back through my week, I realise how rich and varied it has been. No day is dull here and I find myself permanently over-stimulated! The most challenging moment in the week came on my evening visit to a boarding house (Renfrew this week) when I had to draw on my inner courage (one of the 4Cs of Shawnigan). At the end of the House meeting, Mrs. Carballo and the Grade 12s ambushed me by asking me to come and do a “dance-off” with her husband, Mr. Klassen, in front of the whole House. Overcoming a living fear of dancing, given any absence of rhythm in my body, I was required to show my Cossack dancing moves to the (frankly unparalleled!) music and lyrics of Boney M.’s “Ra-Ra-Rasputin” (1978) much to the amusement of the girls! This is definitely not in the job description of being a Headmaster!
I trust that every single student and staff member has had an equally exciting week. It is, on reflection, all part of Shawnigan’s rich tapestry of experience.
And finally, it is National Employee Appreciation Day in Canada and this provides us, here at Shawnigan, with the opportunity to honour the achievements and contributions of our staff. Our staff are our greatest asset and do a wonderful job in delivering our mission of “Spark Minds, Kindle Hearts, Forge Futures.” If you are so inclined, please reach out to individuals today to express your gratitude for how they continue to take extraordinary care of your children in the midst of a pandemic.
Richard DA Lamont
Headmaster
The English Department ran last night a Poetry Pitch Extravaganza for Grade 12 students with four members of the Senior Leadership Team stepping forward to be the adjudicators. What a feast of poetry, rhetoric and scholarship with selected poems ranging from meditation on equality to the marvel of mathematics, from a musing on time to the Voyager space probe. As lead adjudicator, I was struck by the level of engagement, understanding, analysis and humour deployed by all finalists. Quinn R. (Lonsdale’s) was the winner with his presentation and interpretation of the poem “Mind Mapping” by Lea Knowles. His poem will be framed and placed in the Geography Department given its subject matter.
Looking back through my week, I realise how rich and varied it has been. No day is dull here and I find myself permanently over-stimulated! The most challenging moment in the week came on my evening visit to a boarding house (Renfrew this week) when I had to draw on my inner courage (one of the 4Cs of Shawnigan). At the end of the House meeting, Mrs. Carballo and the Grade 12s ambushed me by asking me to come and do a “dance-off” with her husband, Mr. Klassen, in front of the whole House. Overcoming a living fear of dancing, given any absence of rhythm in my body, I was required to show my Cossack dancing moves to the (frankly unparalleled!) music and lyrics of Boney M.’s “Ra-Ra-Rasputin” (1978) much to the amusement of the girls! This is definitely not in the job description of being a Headmaster!
I trust that every single student and staff member has had an equally exciting week. It is, on reflection, all part of Shawnigan’s rich tapestry of experience.
And finally, it is National Employee Appreciation Day in Canada and this provides us, here at Shawnigan, with the opportunity to honour the achievements and contributions of our staff. Our staff are our greatest asset and do a wonderful job in delivering our mission of “Spark Minds, Kindle Hearts, Forge Futures.” If you are so inclined, please reach out to individuals today to express your gratitude for how they continue to take extraordinary care of your children in the midst of a pandemic.
Richard DA Lamont
Headmaster
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.
