About
The End of Term II
Dear parents and guardians,
It has been another exciting week on campus as we draw to the end of Term II of the academic year and step into Term III. There is a real sense that spring has arrived on campus and students have been buzzing about their adventures up at Mount Washington. We have had three groups up there this week which has done wonders on the health and wellness front.
It has been another exciting week on campus as we draw to the end of Term II of the academic year and step into Term III. There is a real sense that spring has arrived on campus and students have been buzzing about their adventures up at Mount Washington. We have had three groups up there this week which has done wonders on the health and wellness front.
I am off campus today exploring some of the possible locations on the island for developing our OuterEDGE programs. Vancouver Island provides rich and varied educational opportunities for our students and we are looking as to how we can develop our programming to enhance our unique remarkable.
For this week’s column, I have reprinted a poem written by Abby D., one of our Co-Heads of School. We have recently learnt that she has won the Canadian Legion’s poetry contest for BC and the Yukon. Below the poem, I have included a link to her reading it. What a tremendous achievement!
When the Clouds Cry
By Abby D.
The sky is a collage of grey
The clouds are swollen and heavy
And sun seems to have abandoned us all
It feels as if all the life has been stolen away
As I walk towards the crosses
A sensation of overwhelming sadness overcomes
My carefully measured thoughts
Which becomes a tide of inconsolable emotion
That refuses to be contained
As if we could ever understand
The magnitude of the 11th day of the
11th month of the 11th hour
As if we could understand
What it is like to go to war
The poppies seem to stare
Their black hearts penetrating into our hearts
As if we could understand
The true sacrifice, the true pain
The true endurance, the true destruction
The truth is, we cannot
We live this day each year
And we are told stories
Something about sacrifice, words about pain
Stories about endurance, pictures about destruction
But they aren’t just stories, they are real
The sacrifice and pain and endurance and destruction
They are real. I wish it didn’t have to be that way
Remembrance Day reminds us to relish the moments
To understand what gifts we have been given
Stand silently in the name of sacrifice, it allows us to celebrate being free
So, as I walk through the white crosses and the clouds begin to cry
I know their tears are for the soldiers and for peace
For this week’s column, I have reprinted a poem written by Abby D., one of our Co-Heads of School. We have recently learnt that she has won the Canadian Legion’s poetry contest for BC and the Yukon. Below the poem, I have included a link to her reading it. What a tremendous achievement!
When the Clouds Cry
By Abby D.
The sky is a collage of grey
The clouds are swollen and heavy
And sun seems to have abandoned us all
It feels as if all the life has been stolen away
As I walk towards the crosses
A sensation of overwhelming sadness overcomes
My carefully measured thoughts
Which becomes a tide of inconsolable emotion
That refuses to be contained
As if we could ever understand
The magnitude of the 11th day of the
11th month of the 11th hour
As if we could understand
What it is like to go to war
The poppies seem to stare
Their black hearts penetrating into our hearts
As if we could understand
The true sacrifice, the true pain
The true endurance, the true destruction
The truth is, we cannot
We live this day each year
And we are told stories
Something about sacrifice, words about pain
Stories about endurance, pictures about destruction
But they aren’t just stories, they are real
The sacrifice and pain and endurance and destruction
They are real. I wish it didn’t have to be that way
Remembrance Day reminds us to relish the moments
To understand what gifts we have been given
Stand silently in the name of sacrifice, it allows us to celebrate being free
So, as I walk through the white crosses and the clouds begin to cry
I know their tears are for the soldiers and for peace
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.
