News
A Starry Night Experience
Students were treated to a magical experience on Sunday evening as Grade 12 student Elle L., as part of her Capstone requirement for graduation, transformed The Friesen Centre into a fine dining experience complete with chauffeured golf cart rides, hors d’oeuvres, “mocktails,” live music, bonfires, and photo opportunities. With the guiding question for her project asking, “Can a student produce a high-quality luxury dining experience and can that experience produce a high enough profit to be donated to a local not-for-profit organization?” Elle is well on her way to finding the answers. Being inspired by the experience gained from participating in previous Valentine’s Day dinners run by students in Entrepreneurship 12, the next step was to challenge herself to do it on her own, and A Starry Night Experience was created.
Alongside head Chef Dustin Seto and guest Chef Mr. Bezeau from Victoria, students learned how to create a fine dining menu starting with scallops and prawns, followed by homemade pasta, steak and frites, and delicious chocolate-covered strawberries, all prepared in our student-run Stag Café. The buzz around campus on Monday after the event took place was undeniable, and it is expected that due to a great turnout, a generous donation will be made to the local SPCA, a place close to Elle’s heart as she has adopted from there before. Elle pulled off an evening that even the most seasoned planners would struggle with, and she credits her entrepreneurship teacher, Ms. Solsberg, who has also been her mentor for her SOUL Seeking project this year, for the support she received in order to make it all possible. The hands-on experience from planning an event like this will only help her as she readies herself for a BSc in International Hospitality Management in Switzerland.
As Elle reflects on the evening, she states, “this event was an amazing experience for me and I have learned so much in regards to planning, organizing, and running special events such as this. I am planning on hosting another one later in the year, so stay tuned!” It looks as though the Shawnigan community will be able to enjoy yet more amazing events, just like A Starry Night Experience, another shining example of Shawnigan’s strategic pillar of Student Life Unparalleled in action.
Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education.
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.
