Alumnus Perspective

For Carl Wright Bradley ’78 (Groves’), Shawnigan Lake School is family. Stories from his time at the School bring a smile to his face and direct links to his life path. To say that his Shawnigan connection remains strong would be a massive understatement. When Carl’s father passed away in his Grade 8 year, then Headmaster Hugh Wilkinson committed to seeing Carl through to graduation, come what may. In the ensuing years, he was invited to pursue his passions, challenged to excel, and prepared for life beyond the gates of Shawnigan. In his Grade 10 year, working with cherished teacher and mentor Lance Bean, Carl was given responsibility for the Shawnigan Lake School Jazz Orchestra, a 21-piece stage band. He began learning the skills necessary to move projects forward to their full potential. Describing the experience as a collaborative effort, Carl says “we were all there for the same outcome.” A visit to Little Mountain Sound Recording Studio in Vancouver energized Carl’s inspiration, and he described this first access to a recording studio as “a jaw dropping, eureka moment.” The atmosphere created such excitement that

Carl Bradley '78 (Groves') he knew from that point on that he wanted to be in that creative

Board of Governors, Advancement environment; it was a life changing experience.

Committee, Past Parent The next phase of Carl’s journey was spent pursuing this passion, from his studies at the College for Recording Arts and Sciences in San Francisco to his work as a sound engineer at Pinewood Studios in Vancouver, BC. These pursuits later inspired the development of Shawnigan’s Communications, Arts, Sciences, and Entrepreneurship programs, known as C.A.S.E., which are all about creativity, innovation, solving real-world problems, and turning ideas and projects into solutions that fulfill a need in society. Carl also jumped into the cosmetics industry, applying the same creative product development process to achieve marked results. He credits the courage to expand his horizons and pursue new opportunities with the breadth of experience and opportunity he was given at Shawnigan.

Carl defines luck as “when opportunity meets desire” and, by 2007, he had developed a successful product development company where many products were developed and co-developed, and subsequently acquired by companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Philips and others. Subsequently, he found himself in a position to form The Bradley Family Foundation.

The first grant from his newly established family Foundation was to Shawnigan, following through on a decision that he had made at graduation. “I knew how important the School was to me, and I decided that one day, somehow, someway, I would find a way to give back. We must remember how privileged we are to be at Shawnigan.” Since that first grant from Carl’s Foundation, which helped establish and name the present Hugh Wilkinson Theatre, to today’s C.A.S.E. funding that matches all donations up to $100,000 annually for Shawnigan’s applied arts programs, Carl’s motivation is to create and nurture pathways to success at Shawnigan and beyond. Whether for robotics, music, filmmaking, the working theatre, photography, coding, graphic design, and much more, these programs offer students clear paths to future careers in quickly expanding fields. This is best done by encouraging student agency, creating opportunities to engage with experienced professionals and providing resources and networks for students to explore passions and potential. Through these experiences, students develop their ideas and skills to analyze, build, and launch projects before they graduate from high school. Shawnigan’s strength in the applied arts, which has grown thanks to C.A.S.E. and the efforts of many key staff and programs, has led the School to the beginning of an exciting new era. Project Future, our recently launched strategic plan, calls for the School to “encourage creativity, inquiry-based learning, independence, initiative and a greater sense of autonomy and agency in students,” and plans are now afoot for a new home for these creative pursuits. Through continuing C.A.S.E. support and the exciting vision outlined in Project Future, Shawnigan students continue to explore their full potential. With the community connections and philanthropic support that Carl and his Foundation have provided over the years, these experiences will lead many Shawnigan students to inspired and fulfilling futures in a world that will no doubt rely heavily on these skills for many years to come.

Students, staff, alumni, Board members and industry experts have been collaborating to envision a new space for our C.A.S.E. and applied arts programs. We are delighted to announce that we have appointed globally renowned Michael Green Architects to develop this concept. Please stay tuned for updates over the coming months.