Word Shirt
After the devastating tsunami in Thailand in December 2004, the School sought a tangible way to help. A team of students and two staff members travelled to Thailand the following March to assist with rebuilding, joined by a Grade 12 student from Thailand whose support proved invaluable. To raise funds in early 2005, the team designed and sold t-shirts featuring the word “Relieve” on the front and its definition on the back.
That initiative became the annual “Word Shirt” tradition, which continues today. While the first shirt supported the Thailand service trip, subsequent shirts have raised funds for Cops for Cancer – Tour de Rock, where a group representing Vancouver Island police and media ride their bicycles from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to Victoria in the south, supporting childhood cancer research and Camp Goodtimes. On the day the cyclists arrive on campus, students and staff wear the year’s word shirt, lining the driveway and filling the quad. The riders are welcomed by a sea of colour and a shared word.
Over time, the process of choosing the word has evolved. At the start of each school year, the new prefects propose a shortlist of words and definitions that reflect the spirit of the year ahead. Their grade then selects one word for the entire School. A shirt colour is chosen, and the School Chaplain helps refine the definition, which appears on the back in English, French, and more recently, Hul’q’umi’num’. Revealed in late September, the word becomes a unifying theme, referenced in speeches throughout the year. At year’s end, it is added to a plaque display in the Main Building corridor.
It is no coincidence that most words chosen are verbs, for the intention is not only to inspire, but also to prompt action with words such as Commit, Inspire, Engage, Imagine, Trust, Hope, Adapt, Dream, and Wonder.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
Over time, the process of choosing the word has evolved. At the start of each school year, the new prefects propose a shortlist of words and definitions that reflect the spirit of the year ahead. Their grade then selects one word for the entire School. A shirt colour is chosen, and the School Chaplain helps refine the definition, which appears on the back in English, French, and more recently, Hul’q’umi’num’. Revealed in late September, the word becomes a unifying theme, referenced in speeches throughout the year. At year’s end, it is added to a plaque display in the Main Building corridor.
It is no coincidence that most words chosen are verbs, for the intention is not only to inspire, but also to prompt action with words such as Commit, Inspire, Engage, Imagine, Trust, Hope, Adapt, Dream, and Wonder.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
