WHY BOARDING?
Living away from home presents a unique opportunity for young people to develop strong communication and teamwork skills, self-advocacy, resilience, autonomy, and compassion.
Being part of a boarding community allows students to grow and develop at all hours of the day. Boarding students are immersed in a 24-hour educational environment, where academics are enhanced by exceptional opportunities in the arts, sports, and student life, with programming running seven days a week. Because students have extra time at school, they experience more integration of cross-curricular programs, which is intrinsic to academic success and to physical, mental, and emotional health. Many staff members live on campus, getting to know students outside of the classroom setting and providing round-the-clock mentorship.
It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and boarding schools like Shawnigan function as a self-sufficient village, with a specific goal of raising students to become conscientious, upstanding leaders. Students form deep relationships across campus with friends, teachers, advisors, coaches, and House Directors. They have socialization opportunities with peers of different genders, ages, and backgrounds, which helps them to learn empathy, humility, respect, and collaboration – essential skills in the workplace and in life.
Shawnigan is a magical place, and we feel incredibly lucky to have found it for our children. – Current Shawnigan parents
THE SHAWNIGAN JOURNEY: GRADE 8
EXPERIENCE – NURTURE
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 senior House from the get-go, our Grade 8s begin their Shawnigan Journey in a specially designed Grade 8 House with their peers, with one wing for girls and one wing for boys.
These two wings in the newly built Samuel House are each run by a caring team of dedicated House staff – supported by live-in Grade 11 mentors – who work in tandem to foster a supportive co-ed grade culture characterized by close friendships that will shape the students' onward journey at Shawnigan.
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Coming in Grade 8 was the best decision I ever made. – Adam
INSPIRING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Hands-on inquiry and experiential learning give students a deeper understanding of how the world works.
Shawnigan students are inspired to embrace a love of learning while challenging themselves to solve problems creatively, and to develop the adaptable mindset needed to thrive in an ever-changing landscape. Students study British Columbia’s innovative curriculum, which serves as an excellent gateway to universities across the world.
Our educational staff offer daily individualized support, and meet regularly as a whole to review the academic progress and effort level of each student.
Students have many opportunities for academic and cultural travel, with recent trips taking students to Japan, France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, and Los Angeles.
25 Advanced Placement (AP) Courses:
• AP Biology
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Chemistry
• AP Chinese Language and Culture
• AP Comparative Government and Politics
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Drawing
• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition
• AP European History
• AP French Language and Culture
Extra Academic Offerings:
• Dual Dogwood Diploma (French Immersion Designation)
• Canadian Writing Competitions
• Waterloo Math Contest
• Honours Courses
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Music
• AP Physics 1
• AP Physics 2
• AP Physics C: Mechanics
• AP Precalculus
• AP Psychology
• AP Research
• AP Seminar
• AP Spanish Language and Culture
• AP Statistics
• AP Studio Art: 2-D Art and Design
• AP Studio Art: 3-D Art and Design
• AP World History: Modern
• SAT Prep Class
• PSAT and SAT Exams offered on campus
• DELF Exams offered on campus
FORGE FUTURES
Shawnigan's Futures Department is dedicated to providing students with information, resources, and opportunities to create highly personalized postsecondary plans that align with their individual needs and aspirations. As part of the Shawnigan Journey, students are prepared for a range of educational pathways while developing career readiness and future-shaping skills.
Students are encouraged to seek innovative, personally challenging, and engaging post-secondary opportunities, both nationally and internationally. Alongside support with essay writing, interview preparation, and university selection, students are guided through scholarship opportunities, application strategies, athletics at university, and highly selective US and UK admissions.
Shawnigan graduates have been awarded many prestigious scholarships recently, including:
• Morehead-Cain Scholarship
• Uggla Family Scholarship
• TD Scholarship
• Schulich Leader Scholarship
• UBC Centennial Scholarship
• U of T International Scholarship
• Canadian House of Commons Page Program (bilingual)
Our 2024 graduates received over $3.3 million in scholarships and financial aid from universities.
100% of applicants received offers of admission 68% attending in Canada* 15% attending in the US* 14% attending in the UK*
3% attending in other regions*
*Three-year average (2022–2024)
UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTS
CANADA
Acadia University
Concordia University
Dalhousie University
Huron University College at Western
McGill University*
McMaster University
Mount Allison University
OCAD University
Queen's University*
Simon Fraser University
St. Francis Xavier University
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia*
University of Calgary
University of Guelph
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto*
University of Victoria*
University of Waterloo
Western University*
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University
USA
Boston University*
Brown University
Colorado College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Emory University
Harvard University
Loyola Marymount University*
Middlebury College
New York University*
Northeastern University*
Northwestern University
Rice University
Smith College
Tulane University
University of California–Berkeley
University of California–Irvine*
University of Michigan
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
University of Washington*
UNITED KINGDOM
Durham University*
Imperial College London
King's College London*
University College London*
University of Bristol*
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh*
University of Glasgow
University of Oxford
University of Warwick
EUROPE/OCEANIA
École hôtelière de Lausanne* (Switzerland)
IE University* (Spain)
The University of Sydney* (Australia)
University of Melbourne (Australia)
University of Neuchâtel* (Switzerland)
*Top acceptance choice
Sports offered:
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cross-Country
• Field Hockey
• Figure Skating
• Fitness & Conditioning
• Golf
• Ice Hockey
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Spinning
• Squash
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Whitewater Kayaking
Shawnigan is an official partner and training centre for Rugby Canada, Rowing Canada, Thunder Indigenous Rugby, and the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.
INNOVATE FOR CO-CURRICULAR DISTINCTION
During two afternoons per week, students can choose from over 30 co-curricular programs. Our co-curricular program (360) offers opportunities from all around the School –opportunities for students to explore, experience, create, innovate, connect, serve, reflect, and lead, and to discover new things about themselves and the world around them.
The C.A.S.E. (Communications, Arts, Sciences & Entrepreneurship) initiative brings artists, young entrepreneurs, and aspiring scientists together to support innovative projects. Past projects include:
• Producing and recording an album
• Developing a web server to support an ordering system for the Stag Café
• Creating portfolios that have helped students gain admission to NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Berklee College of Music
Co-curricular offerings:
• 3D Printing
• Astronomy Imaging & Outreach
• Baking
• Boat Building
• Broadcasting
• Clayworks
• D&D & Strategic Games
• Dance
• Digital Design
• Digital Photography
• Drama – Acting for Film
• Enviro Club
• Figure Skating
• Film Production
• Fly Tying
• Grassroots Sports
• Homework Helpers
• Improv
• Mixed Media Art
• Model UN
• Musical Theatre
• Recording Arts
• Robotics
• Rock Band & Modern Music
• Search & Rescue
• Service
• SPUD (Agricultural Growing Dome)
• Stage Crew
• Stitch Lab & Jewelry Making
• Studio Art
• Watercolour & Sumi-e
• Woodwork
LEARNING CENTRE
Students elect to participate in the Learning Centre (LC) program for a variety of reasons, including support for learning challenges; academic difficulties; recovery from injury, illness, or prolonged absence; and mental health challenges that interfere with academics. At the LC, enrolled students are supported within a beautifully designed space by exceptionally talented full-time teachers who each have special education training as well as subject specialties.
Shawnigan students who enrol in the LC program benefit from a number of unique features:
• Centralized and accessible location
• Soundproof test room and specially designed meditation room with calming features
• Multiple breakout classrooms to facilitate small group instruction
• Homework help provision and assistive technology
• Mentorship program between senior and junior students
