Student Life
Shawnigan Pride Week 2022
With Pride Week as the focus, there was a lot to celebrate this week! The week kicked off with everyone in their Houses watching a video created by students from our SOGI group, defining pride and what it represents. Tuesday's Chapel gathering followed up on that messaging. It was filled with inspirational words and music shared by LGBTQ2S+ students and was followed by all students being invited to help create a rainbow walkway with chalk through the Quad celebrating pride and all it stands for at Shawnigan. The diversity of our School community is something to be celebrated, and it is through weeks like this that we show our unwavering support for all.
There was no shortage of events to enjoy during the week. On Wednesday evening, students were invited to an open-mic night in the Ritz, where they also welcomed a special guest speaker, an alum from ‘06, who shared her experience of being an LGBTQ2S+ and her personal journey. She spoke about how proud she is of how far Shawnigan has come since her time at the School – it’s now a more welcoming and inclusive environment and quite different from when she was a student. The events continued into the following evening, where students celebrated their pride in the art studio, which had been opened up for an art night complete with button making, providing yet another avenue for self-expression.
The entire week was filled with educational and inclusive activities for the entire School community to enjoy. Throughout the week, students enjoyed a feature pride drink in Duke’s, pride food at the Stag Café, decorations in the Main Building, and a display in the Friesen Centre highlighting the interconnected struggles of Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ Canadians against discrimination, silencing, and exclusion – a wonderful tie in to Indigenous History Month. As a final hurrah for Pride Week, the campus was a sea of colours on Friday for a day of pride dress. With colourful outfits and the sun shining, it was a perfect way to close off a week of celebrating our diverse community here at the School. One of the values of Shawnigan is community, where the culture is characterized by mutual respect and support, a celebration of diversity, and a sense of belonging. Happy Pride!
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.
