Pride at Shawnigan

At the heart of our work as educators is the development of a sense of belonging within our community. In Project Future, our strategic plan, we set out what our unique remarkable is. Under the pillar of Imagine Student Life Unparalleled, we commit to “build a tolerant and respectful student body that values and embodies diversity, inclusion, belonging and multi-culturalism.”

 

My heart sang last week when I learnt of the student initiatives and student-led activities planned for our Pride Week. In the spring of 2018, student organizers tentatively invited other students to create a rainbow on the paving in the Quad and I remember the prefects leading the way in participating in the face-painting and other events. They inspired courage in others. Three years on, it is clear that our students feel more comfortable and confident in expressing their pride and respect for each person's “unique remarkable.”

 

Saturday's Pride Float extravaganza on Lake Omar, open to any members of the campus community, was a sight to behold and utterly unforgettable: colour, laughter, dancing, a capsized raft and much more with the 4Cs ever present.

 

We have been overwhelmed by the heartwarming feedback from parents and alumni as well as internally from our students and staff.

 

As many of you know, Kathini and I are parents to a 21 and 9 year old. We want them in their lives to have a deep sense of belonging to the communities they are part of and always to respect difference and to be respected for who they are. Our staff, as educators chosen to guide your students, believe this is what you hope for your children as we seek to prepare them for the world beyond our gates. 

 

Institutions like ours, globally and historically, have been perceived (sometimes unfairly) as cloistered, resistant to change, unaccepting of difference and a little glacial in our movement towards developing inclusion, diversity, equity and belonging. Our Alumni Survey in 2020 reminded us that some Shawnigan students stretching back over the decades didn't feel a sense of belonging on our campus.

 

Our students currently on campus are best positioned to tell us what they believe we can do better as a school in developing a sense of belonging for each individual. Their voice and initiatives are vital in our progress as a school. We will continue to work hard to develop belonging on campus, to listen to our students, to encourage their initiatives and to take pride in the rich tapestry of our community.

 

Richard D A Lamont
Head of Shawnigan Lake School