# Shawnigan Lake School

Shawnigan Lake School is a co-educational independent boarding school located on Vancouver Island in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded by Englishman Christopher Windley "C. W." Lonsdale in 1916 and was partly modelled after the Westminster School in England.
The school's Latin motto, Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat, means "Let whosoever deserves the palm bear it."

## Location

Shawnigan Lake School was built along Shawnigan Lake and occupies a wooded 270-acre (1.1 km$^2$) property. It is near the village Shawnigan Lake.

## Students

As of September 2021, the student body at Shawnigan Lakes School consists of 520 students representing 27 countries with 430 students residing on campus in the boarding houses, making it a boarding school with the largest number of full-time boarders in Canada. Day students constitute 10 percent of the student body. Students come from all over the world, with 20% from International locations, 15% from the United States, 15% from other Canadian Provinces and 50% of students being from British Columbia.

## Current campus

Shawnigan has approximately 35 buildings on its campus, which include classrooms, dormitories (and staff housing), a theatre, an ice hockey arena, and several sports fields.
* Shawnigan Lake School Campus
* Shawnigan Lake School's Olsen and Craig buildings
* Shawnigan Lake School's Jim and Kathryn Shaw Library

### Boarding houses

The school is primarily a boarding school, with 90% of its students attending the school as boarders. The school has six residences for boys and five for girls. Each boarding house has a house director (formerly called the housemaster) and an assistant house director, who is assisted by student house prefects in the management of house duties and issues.

## Academics and athletics

Shawnigan's academic program is university preparatory. Shawnigan was ranked by the Fraser Institute in 2017 as 11th out of 253 British Columbian Secondary Schools based on a score of 9.3/10 for academic achievements. Students are encouraged to try a variety of fine arts, selecting from a list of twenty options. Shawnigan has partnerships with Rugby Canada and Rowing Canada. In 2014, Shawnigan joined the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

## Headmasters

| Year | Name |
| 1916–1952 | C. W. Lonsdale |
| 1952–1958 | G. Peter Kaye |
| 1958–1967 | Edward R. 'Ned' Larsen |
| 1967–1968 | Lachlan Patrick 'Pat' MacLachlan, acting |
| 1968 | Brian S. Powell |
| 1968–1972 | Lachlan Patrick 'Pat' MacLachlan |
| 1972 | The Rev. Canon William Hamilton Horace McClelland, M.B.E., acting |
| 1972–1975 | Hugh C. Wilkinson |
| 1975–1978 | The Rev. Canon William Hamilton Horace McClelland, M.B.E. |
| 1978–1983 | Darrell John Farrant |
| 1983–1984 | Derek William Hyde-Lay, acting |
| 1984–1989 | Douglas J. 'Doug' Campbell |
| 1989–1990 | Derek William Hyde-Lay |
| 1990–2000 | Simon C. Bruce-Lockhart |
| 2000–2018 | David Robertson |
| 2018–current | Richard 'Larry' Lamont |

## School athletic championships

| Rowing | | |
| 2013 | Canadian Champions | Jr. Men's Eight |
| | | Jr. Men's Coxed Four |
| 2011 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Men's Lwt. Eight |
| | | Sr. Men's Lwt. Pair |
| 2010 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Women's Double |
| 2009 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Women's Eights |
| | | Sr. Men's Four |
| | | Jr. Women's Lwt. Pair |
| 2008 | Henley Royal Regatta | Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup |
| | Canadian Champions | Sr. Men's Eight |
| | | Sr. Men's Four |
| 2007 | Canadian Champions | Jr. Men's Eights |
| 2006 | Canadian Champions | Jr. Men's Eights |
| 2005 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Women's Four |
| | | Sr. Men's Four |
| | | Sr. Men's Eight |
| 2004 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Men's Four |
| | | Sr. Women's Four |
| | | Sr. Men's Eight |
| 2003 | Canadian Champions | Jr. Men's Four |
| 2002 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Women's Pair |
| | | Jr. Men's Eights |
| 2001 | Canadian Champions | Sr. Men's Four |
(Note: championships exist pre-2001 to the founding.)

### Rugby union

BC AAAA Boys Rugby Champions – 2019 BC AAAA Boys Rugby Champions – 2017 BC AAA Junior Boys Rugby Champions – 2017 Junior Boys Rugby 7s Champions – 2016 BC AAA Junior Boys Rugby Champions – 2016 Girls CAIS Rugby Champions – 2016 BC Girls AA Rugby Champions – 2016 Senior Boys CAIS Rugby Champions – 2016 BC Boys AAAA Rugby Champions – 2016 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2015 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2013 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2012 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2011 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2010 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2009 Boys CAIS National Rugby Champions – 2008 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 1998 BC Girls AA Rugby Champions – 1997 BC Girls AA Rugby Champions – 1996

### Field hockey

BC Girls AAA Sr. Field Hockey Champions – 2014 BC Girls AA Field Hockey Champions – 2011

### Ice hockey

CSSHL Midget Varsity Champions – Boy's Midget Varsity – 2016
CSSHL Midget Varsity Champions – Boy's Midget Varsity – 2015
(Note: championships exist pre-1996 to the founding.)

## Notable people
### Notable alumni
#### Artists

* Robert Stewart Hyndman – artist
* Peter Saul – artist

#### Athletes

* Eloise Blackwel – New Zealand Black Ferns
* Brett Beukeboom – Rugby Canada and Cornish Pirates
* Hannah Darling – Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medal, 2015 Pan American Games gold medal, women's rugby 7's Team Canada
* Eddie Evans – rugby player, prop for Canada national team, played 3 World Cups in 1987, 1991 and 1995
* George Hungerford – gold medal Olympian – rowing
* Josh Jackson – Rugby Canada player
* John Lander – 1928 Olympic gold medalist, coxless four
* John Lecky – silver medal Olympian – rowing
* Kristopher McDaniel – Team Canada rower

#### Business

* Jim Shaw – CEO of Shaw Communications

#### Entertainment

* Jon Kimura Parker – Order of Canada, concert pianist
* Tara Spencer-Nairn – actress, Corner Gas

#### Politics

* The Hon. Henry Pybus Bell-Irving – lt. governor of British Columbia
* Peter Ladner – Vancouver City Councillor
* Stephen D. Owen – former Member of Parliament
* Anthony Vincent – Canadian ambassador to Peru and later, to Spain

#### Scholars and scientists

* Graham Anderson – scholar
* Dr. Barry F. Cooper – political scientist
* Dr. Steve Deering – computer scientist
* Dr. Roger Stanier – microbiologist

### Notable staff

* Tom Brierley – cricketer
* James Robertson Justice – actor

## Affiliations

* The Anglican Church of Canada, diocese of British Columbia
* CAIS – Canadian Accredited Independent Schools
* NAIS – National Association of Independent Schools
* TABS – The Association of Boarding Schools
* FISA BC – Federation of Independent School Associations in British Columbia
* ISABC – Independent Schools Association of BC