GroLo House Chapel

Two Shawnigan houses teamed up to make Saturday's chapel service a tribute to family.

In a new format, the School's brother and sister houses will be preparing joint presentations this year, with Groves' and Lonsdale's taking the stage as the first pairing.

In his opening remarks, Lonsdale's Head of House James M. spoke about some of the parallels between regular families and the bonds formed at boarding school:  "Shawnigan has exposed me to a whole variety of people who I would not have spent much time with at another school," he said.  "However, the boarding environment has taught me to appreciate all of those around me as if they were family."  James also touched on his own family, including the wrestling matches with his brother, his kind and joyful grandfather who passed away two years ago, and his mother, saying about her, "You are the most generous and caring person that I've ever met, and I'm extremely lucky to have you in my life."

In her speech, Groves' Head of House Nyah M. talked about all of the school relationships that she's grateful for, including those she shares with teachers and coaches.  She reflected on some of the stories she'd heard during a 50-year reunion at Founder's Day earlier this year, and identified her relationships with her Groves' housemates as being paramount:  "My Groves' sisters and I have an unbreakable bond that can only happen when trust and respect for the worth of every family member and our team is observed."

For a musical offering, Vaihau C., Alice G., Chris T. and Juan O. performed When The Night Feels My Song by Bedouin Soundclash.  The two houses also sang I'll Be There For You by the Rembrandts, popularly known as the theme song to the TV show Friends.