The Globe Reads and Word Week

For the first week of the program, two separate Shawnigan classes were paired up with classes from the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology in Kigali, Rwanda. Mrs. Tara Forbes’s Grade 9 English class discussed Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” with their counterparts from Rwanda, and Mrs. Cari Bell’s Grade 12 class examined “Mr. Z” by M. Carl Holman.

 

Grade 9 student Isaac C. reflected on his experience with The Globe Reads.

 

“I think that The Globe Reads was a fantastic opportunity to communicate and learn from students originating from another country and school,” Isaac said. “It was a great chat between Shawnigan and the students from Rwanda, and it was pretty cool to learn about their experiences and opinions on the topic at the time. We all had the opportunity to ask about things that we weren't sure about in their country, about what sports they played and how different their school is to ours.

 

“The Globe Reads staff did very well in organizing the whole thing, there were icebreaker questions at the start, just to make us all a little more comfortable with talking to each other; everyone was ready for the icebreaker questions as we were all assigned a question or two to answer. It was really fluent, even with a little bit of wi-fi problems.”

 

Another The Globe Reads session was planned for this past Wednesday between Mr. Galen Loiselle’s Grade 9 Social Studies class and a group from Archbishop School in Canterbury, England, but it had to be rescheduled due to logistical issues at our partner school.

 

The Globe Reads involves dozens of schools on four continents, but Shawnigan is the only Canadian school that is participating this year. The School has been involved since the program got its start in 2018, and held more sessions this year than in previous years. According to Shawnigan librarian Mrs. Rayna Hyde-Lay, The Globe Reads helps students see commonalities with their peers around the world.

 

“It’s a building of empathy and understanding under the guise of literature discussion,” she said.

 

On Monday, the School hosted author Lorna Schultz Nicholson, who has written dozens of fiction and non-fiction books for children, young adults and adults about a wide range of topics from sports to dealing with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2021, Mrs. Nicholson, a former competitive rower, published the novel When You Least Expect It, about a teenage rower experiencing tumult in her rowing career and at home.

 

Mrs. Nicholson spoke to two English classes about how to create voices in writing. In the evening, she gave a presentation about the process of interviewing people and turning them into sports stories, relating that to her own experience writing books about athletes like Connor McDavid, Hayley Wickenheiser and Carey Price.

 

On Wednesday, 13 students and three staff members travelled to Victoria to see Canadian poet Rupi Kaur at the Royal Theatre. Born in Punjab, India, Kaur grew up in Ontario and has become a leader in the so-called “Instapoetry” style. The 30-year-old bestselling author’s work has resonated with young people and given her a massive following.

 

“If any young person is reading poetry from the modern era, they are reading her,” Mrs. Hyde-Lay explained.

 

“Rupi Kaur is a world-renowned poet who is not afraid to address the tough topics of today's society,” added Mrs. Shannon Atkins, Shawnigan’s Head of English. “We have not been reading her as a study specifically, but many students are fans who have read her works. When you have a top-notch writer right here on our doorstep, it is important to grasp the opportunity and take students to see her.”

 

On Thursday, Victoria actor Jason Stevens brought his one-man play, Frankenstein, to Shawnigan for a performance at the Hyde-Lay Rugby Pavilion for two AP Literature classes. Mr. Stevens has performed the play, based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, at Victoria’s Craigdarroch Castle several times in the past, and English teacher Mr. Tim Coy invited him to perform at Shawnigan last year. The play was well-received, prompting a return engagement.

 

“AP Lit students have been studying Frankenstein very closely this past month, and they are excited to see the written word come to life in the form of this one-man play,” Mr. Coy said.