Academics

The Pilgrimage

Inspired by their study of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Grade 11 class staged a pilgrimage of their own last Friday.
The Canterbury Tales is a fourteenth century classical work of literature that explores an array of personalities that come together as they walk 100km from a London tavern to Canterbury Cathedral – from the profane to the sacred, or from the fun to the reflective. As Chaucer says, one’s journey should be two-fold: “of good morality and general pleasure.”

The Shawnigan version of the pilgrimage was modified from 100km to five and included nine on-campus stops along the way. Each one engaged the students in both fun and reflective activities including games, contests, and even our own version of the Tabard Inn – where the pilgrims first meet in The Canterbury Tales – at the Stag Café.

Sixteen students stepped up as representatives for the English class and did the bulk of the planning, starting back in September, with Head of English Carmen Boudreau also working hard behind the scenes. When COVID-19 restrictions prevented them from running the event the way they had initially envisioned it, the students responded by reimagining it. Their final design was safe, fun and highly successful.

When they finally hit the trail after months of planning, students were thrilled to have a beautiful day for The Pilgrimage. What a wonderfully fun and memorable extension of their English class studies!

Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education, including those regarding learning cohorts, physical distancing and mask-wearing when appropriate.
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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.