Grade 8 Experience
Coming in Grade 8 was the best decision I ever made. - Adam
One of Shawnigan’s uniquely differentiating features is our carefully crafted Grade 8 experience. For our 12- and 13-year-old Grade 8 students, we have developed a nurturing program that acts as a supportive springboard into the wider Shawnigan community.
Rather than being immersed in a “big House” from the get-go, our Grade 8s begin their Shawnigan Journey alongside their peers in Samuel House, the first co-ed Grade 8 boarding house in Canada, specially designed for our youngest students, with separate wings for girls and boys flanking shared common spaces. Run by a caring team of dedicated House staff, Samuel House fosters a safe co-ed grade culture characterized by close friendships that will shape and support the students’ onward journey at Shawnigan.
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Houses
The fact that you have your friends in the same House, they end up being like your family. Everybody’s there to support you – your House Director, your Grade 11 mentors, they’re all there for whatever you need.” – Sofia
Samuel
Samuel House opened in February 2024 as the first co-ed Grade 8 boarding house in Canada, bringing together the former Stanton (girls) and Levien (boys) Houses. It was named for long-time Shawnigan staff members Gaynor and Rhodri Samuel, who have filled many roles over their decades of service to the School.
Colours: Yellow & red
Motto: Cartref ~ A Loving Home
Hymn: “Calon Lan”
Motto: Cartref ~ A Loving Home
Hymn: “Calon Lan”
Stanton
House Director: Rainbow Bartlett“My House Director asks us every morning about how we are feeling....she does an awesome job of giving us enough time to figure things out.” - Yumi
Levien
House Director: Ed Taylor“Doc T. is very supportive and will do his best to help you through tough stuff…” - Ryland
Grade 8 News
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Beauty and the Beast
Read MoreFrom the performances on stage to the building of the props and the operation of the lights and microphones, nearly everything was in the hands of the students themselves at this year’s Grade 8 musical, Beauty and the Beast.The students’ months of hard work paid off when the musical took the stage for a pair of showings on Friday, June 21, which none other than Head of School Mr. Larry Lamont called, “hysterical,” and absolutely brilliant.”“They’ve been working very hard,” Theatre teacher Mr. Sal Interlandi said of the Grade 8s. “It’s hard to do something like that in a short period of time, but it’s been a lot of fun. The spirit of the class has been fun to work with. There is a lot of great energy.”
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Grade 8 Appreciation Night
Read MoreGrade 8 students in Samuel House expressed their gratitude to several members of staff and fellow students on April 10, inviting them to the recently opened House for a small celebratory evening.“I spoke to the Grade 8s about what they can do to thank people and give back to the community,” House Director Mrs. Rainbow Bartlett said. The Grade 8s then came up with a long list of people they wanted to thank, including their Advisors; Prefects Ella R. and Zach P.; housekeepers Ms. Wendy Manley and Mrs. Charmaine King; Mr. Salim Rana, who served as Assistant House Director in Stanton until Samuel House opened; and Boarding Well-Being Assistant Mrs. Kathy Lowry for her help in getting them settled into Samuel House.
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Grade 8s Dive Into Shawnigan's Past
Read MoreGrade 8 students had an eye-opening opportunity to connect with Shawnigan’s history last week when they took a guided tour of the School museum with curator Ms. Rosemary Dolman.Located downstairs in Marion Hall, the museum charts the evolution of Shawnigan, beginning with its founding by C.W. Lonsdale in 1916. Opened in 2005, it contains more than 3,200 items, including Shawnigan memorabilia and other period-appropriate pieces collected over the years. The museum includes recreations of several specific School spaces, including C.W. Lonsdale’s office, classrooms from the 1910s and 1940s, and a dorm room from the 1970s.“The School’s history is so incredibly deep in how far it goes back,” student Quinn M. extolled. “It’s just super inspiring with all the cool stuff that’s here: how the rooms used to look, how the kitchen used to operate. How the whole School used to operate is incredible.”
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Grade 8s Honour Grade 11 Mentors
Read MoreIn this season of giving and gratitude, the Grade 8 girls of Stanton House wanted to express their appreciation to the Grade 11 students who provide guidance and mentorship in the House – and how better to do it than by throwing them a dinner party?In addition to the House staff, led by Mrs. Rainbow Bartlett and Mrs. Rayna Hyde-Lay, the Grade 8 girls are nurtured by a group of Grade 11 students from different Houses who rotate through Stanton in pairs. The Grade 11s interview for the privilege of assisting the Grade 8s, and help out with everything from homework to sports to baking. The Grade 11s become like big sisters to the Grade 8s: familiar faces on campus who will help them transition to their senior Houses in Grade 9.
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Grade 8s Set Sail
Read MoreA series of sailing trips on the Salish Sea on May 6 and 7 helped set our Grade 8s up for the Beyond the Gates program next year.The Grade 8s boarded the Providence, a historic, 121-year-old ship, in Mill Bay, and sailed to Russell Island, off the southern end of Salt Spring Island.Built in Denmark in 1903, the Providence originally served as a civilian vessel. It was chartered by the Royal Danish Navy during the Second World War, then commandeered by the German Navy. Repatriated by Denmark after the war, it returned to civilian life. It first sailed to the Pacific Northwest in 1979, then worked as a cargo vessel in the Caribbean in the 1980s. The Providence returned to BC in 1988, started working as a charter ship in 2005, and now offers both experiential adventures and cargo services throughout the Salish Sea.
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Welcome to Samuel House!
Read MoreOur Grade 8 program took a giant step forward this week as excited students moved into Samuel House, our specially designed and pioneering boarding house for all Grade 8 students. Grade 8 girls and boys are now under the same roof in Canada’s first co-ed boarding house for students of that age.Girls and boys are in separate wings, but have shared common areas. Rooms are designed to accommodate four students. Common spaces include fitness facilities, a kitchen, and lots of room for studying, socializing and relaxing. Furnishings have been specially selected by Ms. Kathini Cameron, and Ms. Cameron and Deputy Head Mr. William Nicholas designed custom-built bedroom furniture. Students are settling quickly into the comfortable atmosphere.Before moving into Samuel House, the students had a chance to tour the building and check out the new living spaces. Clad in new yellow hoodies emblazoned with a red dragon, the Grade 8s were delighted to explore the House and eager to move in.
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Grade 8s Take a Hike
Read MoreOur youngest students have been getting to know Vancouver Island in their first months at Shawnigan thanks to some off-campus excursions with our Outdoor Education teachers, part of our OuterEDGE experiential learning programs aimed at Grade 8s and 9s.In mid-September, the Grade 8s hiked through campus, and kayaked and canoed on Shawnigan Lake, and last week, the group hiked Maple Mountain near Duncan, exploring the fall colours and the way the environment changes as we move from summer into fall.“For the students, it’s an introduction to where we live and what’s in our backyard, and to outdoor activities they might not be familiar with,” says Outdoor Education Coordinator Ms. Jessica Dick. “It will help prepare them for the Beyond the Gates program next year and give them a little taste of activities and help them find things they might be interested in.”
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Grade 8 Sorting Hat Ceremony
The student journey at Shawnigan is a carefully crafted one, and for our youngest students, our Grade 8 program offers an experience unique to any other boarding school. From the moment they arrive on campus, the specially designed Grade 8 Houses, Stanton for the girls and Levien for the boys, welcome these students into an environment where they will be nurtured and cared for as they learn the ropes of Shawnigan and experience being away from home for the first time. These students get the opportunity to bond and create close friendships, an essential foundation for them as they finish their first year.Read More
The Shawnigan Journey
As part of the Shawnigan Journey, each grade experience is guided by a single overall concept that is linked to our core values of curiosity, compassion, community and courage. These guiding concepts have been further developed into concrete grade-specific goals—our distinctive “moments that matter”—that fall under each of our three strategic pillars of Academic Excellence, Co-curricular Distinction and Student Life Unparalleled. Read More
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.
