AlumniNews Welcoming back champions and pioneers
Founder’s Day
2018
11/2018
Welcom champi
Founder’s Day 2018
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ming back ions and pioneers “We hope that through your lifelong migrations, as alumni, you have retained and continue to retain that vital connection with your former school . . . “ Stories of growth and transition lasted late into the night, as Shawnigan hosted Founder’s Day 2018. 30 years after the first female cohort arrived at Shawnigan, the school welcomed back some of these pioneering women to a campus glowing with the colours of the changing seasons. In his welcome in chapel, Headmaster Larry Lamont – an avid fly fisherman – drew a parallel between Shawnigan alumni and the local Coho salmon that return each fall to their natal waterways. “There is something magical about the Shawnigan salmon’s loyalty, navigational instincts, and sense of homecoming,” he said. “We hope that through your lifelong migrations, as alumni, you have retained and continue to retain that vital connection with your former school – responsible perhaps for giving you the initial confidence and strength to explore uncharted waters beyond our streams and shores.” This year’s keynote address was provided by Becky (Davis) Anderson, the current Director of the Junior School at SMUS and a member of the class of 1993. Reflecting on the transition of which she was part, Ms. Anderson described the
first meeting when she and her friends proposed the formation of a girls’ rugby team. “[Headmaster Hyde-Lay] listened very respectfully but came to the quick conclusion that it was not going to happen,” she recalled. “And so, we accepted that answer and we walked away … Wait a second. No we didn’t!” Ultimately, the persistence of Ms. Anderson and her peers paid off, and the ‘Iron Women’ won their lone game of the 1993 season. “What remains are the friendships and the core belief that there is a responsibility to make our communities a better place, one girls’ rugby team at a time.” The weekend offered a selection of opportunities for alumni to actively engage with school programming, from a printmaking workshop with Director of Visual Arts Vikki Agate to alumni hockey, rugby, and field hockey games. In the afternoon, a cabaret in the Hugh Wilkinson Theatre showcased some of the school’s current standouts in music, theatre, and dance.
unveiled a new strategic plan for rowing that includes 14 new shells plus facility renovations. Ten years after winning the Princess Elizabeth Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta, Shawnigan’s famed 2008 crew returned to mark the occasion. As always, the reunion weekend offered a particular focus on those celebrating their 10th, 20th, 25th, 30th, and 40th reunions. 20 members of the class of 1968 returned for their 50th reunion and received certificates, pins and ties confirming their induction into the Shawnigan Gold Club. For alumni who weren’t able to attend this year’s Founder’s Day but who wish to connect further with the school and with the wider Shawnigan community, Shawnigan Connect provides an exclusive online professional networking and mentorship platform for Shawnigan alumni.
Saturday also brought a celebration of rowing to the Frank Read Crewhouse, as Director of Development Greg Stevenson
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Founder’s Day Welcome Headmaster Richard ‘Larry’ Lamont’s Address It is a pleasure and privilege to welcome our alumni, former staff, governors and other guests to Founder ’s Day on behalf of the community here at Shawnigan. As some of you might already know, I am an enthusiastic fly fisherman – who read, as a boy, fishing tales of Scotland, Southern Africa, Norway and British Columbia. My career has followed a love of rivers.
the rains are here – to look beneath the bridge near Lake Omar for our very own Shawnigan returning salmon – that symbol of instinct, perseverance and renewal.
I am therefore going to start with the story of the Coho salmon to try to capture the spirit of this occasion. Through my reading, I have come to understand that the Coho salmon is a symbol of several First Nations’ tribes, representing both instinct, perseverance and renewal.
In part, there is something magical about the Shawnigan salmon’s loyalty, navigational instincts, and sense of homecoming – and applicable to our alumni community gathered here today and our collective sense of responsibility towards the next generations of students to come.
On the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, Scott Noble of our Science Department kindly invited the Lamont family to watch some local conservationists catching hundreds of migrating Coho salmon at the estuary pool at Mill Bay and then releasing them in the Shawnigan creek, well above a series of impassable waterfalls.
Today is, of course, Founder’s Day.
The salmon is an extraordinary and powerful fish. Born in a British Columbia river, it migrates out to the Pacific, stretching from Alaska to California – until, years later, the sensory hairs surrounding the magnetite particles in its lateral line trigger the navigational circuits in its brain to head towards the coastline in search of its natal river.
EM Forster, the English writer urged in his novel, Howards End, that we should “only connect.” With this in mind, we have put together a program for Founder’s Day centred on the principle of connection so that it provides you, as alumni, with opportunities to connect with each other, to connect with memories (some still fresh and some in a state of temporary hibernation), to connect with staff, to connect with the campus and this unique landscape, and to connect today with the rich tapestry of education currently on offer here at Shawnigan – from the robotics lab to cabaret acts, from the observatory to the playing fields.
The salmon responds to this call of the wild, this call from its birthplace – and, following the recognizable and unique river scent, it enters the fresh water and begins its journey upstream in order to contribute its genes to the next generation of salmon – a gift to the river that gave it birth. The returning Coho heads west along Shawnigan creek and upstream and through our campus – past the Prep, Lonsdale’s, Strathcona and the hatchery – and onwards towards its journey’s end, and its spawning grounds. I encourage students in the coming weeks – and once Headmaster Larry Lamont giving his address in Chapel on Founder’s day 2018.
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We also hope that you take time to connect with our current students. I rather like the tradition that you are invited to sit here in Chapel with the students in your Houses this morning. I ask you to rewind and consider the thrill, excitement, trepidation and dreams when you too embarked on your first few days here – some of you as the first female students to step onto the campus. This year is the 30th year since the introduction of coeducation at Shawnigan. We have come a long way in terms of our delivery of co-education and recognize that we must continue to evaluate our delivery to ensure that we are creating a level playing field for male and female students across all programmes. I am delighted that Becky Anderson – from the graduating class of 1993 and currently Director of the Junior School at SMUS – has agreed to be our Founder’s Day Speaker. I am pleased to report that the school is in good heart and good spirits. My challenge this summer and fall has been to listen and learn from many sources as to the unique identity and magic of this school. It is impossible for me, at this stage, to define ‘This is Shawnigan…’ – the spirit of the place – but what I can tell you is that the three structural pillars of a successful and flourishing boarding school are ‘conversation, compassion and community.’
I like to think that they still are. With the ambition, vision, and spirit of our Founder in mind, we must all take on the challenges of our time – and challenge Shawnigan to continue to be relevant, purposeful and of service in a changing world. Thank you, as alumni, for your continued support of the School – you act as our ambassadors, our network, our voice beyond the lake. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for their tireless and meticulous preparations for Founder’s Day. And, finally back, to the totemic Shawnigan salmon. We hope that through your lifelong migrations, as alumni, you have retained and continue to retain that vital connection with your former school – responsible perhaps for giving you the initial confidence and strength to explore uncharted waters beyond our streams and shores. We are delighted to be hosting you here on campus for Founder’s Day. Richard D A Lamont Headmaster 19th October 2018
All three are at the very heart of of Shawnigan. Again and again, I meet members of staff, students, parents, former staff and alumni who identify the unique sense of community at Shawnigan. What underpins our community is our unstinting commitment to the vision of C W Lonsdale. Both dreamer and builder, he believed that Chapel – the epicentre of the Shawnigan community – should help create what he called ‘true citizenship’ and ‘a high comprehension of the world’s needs.’ He ‘hope[d] these things [would] be breathed in the atmosphere of our Chapel.’
Alumni embrace on their return to Shawnigan.
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Founder’s Day Rowing Celebration Check out the new strategic plan for rowing:
www.shawnigan.ca/friends-of-rowing
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Opening the doors of opportunity
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Updates
Alu Cassie Chang ’16 (Renfrew)
Cassie Chang is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music with a focus on Opera Performance as well as a German minor at the University of British Columbia. She is studying with renowned Canadian baritone Peter Barcza, and in the past two years has been involved with multiple opera productions at UBC. Cassie recently performed in Peter Grimes with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and has also been working with Steve Smith in the Shawnigan recording studio. She sings anthems for UBC varsity sports, and in her free time likes to jam with the UBC Jazz club. She is also hoping to continue her vocal and German studies in Europe in the near future. “I think it takes a lot to become a musician. Opera has got to be one of the most complex and difficult art forms, but it makes me strong and it is absolutely beautiful. I am blessed to be doing what I love and thankful every day for the people that support me in this journey.”
SPOTTED Julia Pollock from our Admissions team recently attended an education fair in São Paulo, Brazil. There, she met up with Luiz Filipe Sala de Melo Costa ’15 (Lonsdale’s). Luiz is currently studying medicine in São Paulo.
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umni Roland Beck ’84 (Lake’s)
In July, Roland asked his old English teacher, Phil Jarvis, to tour him around the school. Making his first visit to Shawnigan in more than 20 years, Roland was blown away by the developments. His daughters, Sofia (12) and Emilia (10), were also suitably impressed by their dad’s old school. Roland Beck is a global management consultant and partner with Oxford Leadership. He travels extensively and is based in Barcelona.
SHAWNIGAN CONNECT 837 Active Users | 21 Jobs | 15 events | 400 photos Join Now
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Legacy Matters If you were unable to join us for Founder’s Day this year, you missed a very special weekend. The weather was perfect, the colours spectacular and the festivities were many and well attended. Headmaster Richard ‘Larry’ Lamont’s address in chapel was masterful and compelling. His fondness for fishing is evident. His metaphorical reference to the British Columbia salmon, returning to its birth river, adroitly reinforces the message about the cycle of giving and receiving that I continually strive to deliver. Please contact me should you be someone who can advise or someone who seeks to make a Legacy Gift that will assist future students benefit from a Shawnigan Lake School experience.
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Hilary S. Abbott | Legacy Giving habbott@shawnigan.ca (250)743-6236
JOIN US FOR AN EVENT IN YOUR CITY •• SAT, NOVEMBER 17, 2018 - VANCOUVER PUB NIGHT •• THURS, JANUARY 24, 2019 - TORONTO ALUMNI & PARENT GATHERING •• FRI, APRIL 5, 2019 - VICTORIA PUB NIGHT •• THURS, JUNE 6, 2019 - 27TH ANNUAL SHAWNIGAN GOLF CLASSIC •• FRI, JUNE 7, 2019 - CLASS OF 2014: 5 YEAR REUNION
RSVP: events@shawnigan.ca
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Have you moved? Did you get married? Started a new career or business? Any other updates? Share your news with us! Email your updates and a photos to us, alumni@shawnigan.ca, with the subject: Alumni News
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