Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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results for the Annual Inspection, and we learn that out of the 26 corps in the province ours has come second. R.C.S.C.C. Columbia in the Interior and our- selves were rated well ahead of all the other and Columbia beat us by three- tenths of a point out of 150. This is the highest ranking our corps has ever achieved, and next year we shall work toward taking the final step. The Boy Scout Group have also continued their successes of last year. Five of the senior scouts were invested as Queen ' s Scouts last April by the Lieuten- ant-Governor. Four of the Queen ' s Scouts obtained the Bushman ' s Thong, and three of them earned the Gold Cords for all-round proficiency. Five others are now First Class Scouts, and several more have reached nearly that stage. s . fcflfc M . i h . 3 r F5 1 m Pi ' h Ik. Sp ; JS? r jp- 1 ««w A i Wi ' A ' 4 i |£ . C. S. C arfc The Queen ' s Scouts R. Curtis H. FAlis D. Lunam R. Clark That more attention has been given to Scouting out of doors this year is reflected by the successes achieved by the two patrols from our troop that were outstanding in the Cowichan Valley District Survival Camporee held one month ago. The most noteworthy item in the growth of our Scout Group was the establishment ten weeks ago of a Rover Scout Crew for the older boys who have completed their training as senior Scouts. As one of their projects of community service, these lads will help in the training of younger boys in the Troop. Another aspect of our school life, with which I have been particularly pleased, has been the great interest shown this year in drama, speech arts and music. In this connection I would like to congratulate the directors and all the boys who worked so hard and produced such a good standard in November in The Pirates of Penzance ' ' , and in May in The Devil ' s Disciple . In addition, 16

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lieve, and can thereby provide a leadership in the field of education which can in turn serve the interests of the public schools who have so many more prob- lems to overcome. Indeed we must remember that our first concern is not for the betterment of Shawnigan, but is for the service we can provide for our country in working at Shawnigan. I hope that in the establishment of our language laboratory, in the writing and setting up of Russian courses at the secondary school level for the first time in the province, and in the proven results of our physical training programme— to name only three examples— we are beginning at Shawnigan to make a distinct and valuable contribution. Before leaving the athletic side I should mention, for the benefit of those who have not yet heard, that in a few days our Rowing Eight and Four as well as the B.C. Independent Schools Track and Field Team, which we have organ- ized, are leaving for England and Europe. For the first three weeks they will compete against clubs and schools in England and on the Continent, and then for three weeks they will be taken on a guided tour of Europe. We believe that their exposure to good competitive standards in these fields, as well as their opportunity to visit the many fascinating countries in the Old World, will provide an educa- tional experience for them which will be of inestimable and lasting value. In other spheres I would like to mention particularly the excellent results produced by our Sea Cadet Corps this year. At the Annual Tri-Service Cadet Competition held in Victoria in April our Band again won first prize; and in the Annual Sea Cadet Competitions held at H.M.C.S. Naden in May our Corps won first prizes for the Band and for the smartest Guard, and the Trophy for the highest Aggregate including all activities. Finally, we have just received our 75

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many prizes were won by our boys in the Cowichan Drama Festival and the Cowichan Music Festival and you will hear more about some of these later. So that everyone in the community gets an opportunity to contribute something in line with his particular talents, it is most important in a school that activities like these should flourish. In this connection, however, there is one aspect where I feel we are falling short and this is that we do not yet have a school orchestra. But we are making definite plans to do something about this next year, and if there are any of you who would like to join I would urge you to return with a musical instrument. Perhaps I may be permitted to appeal to the parents to encourage your sons in this direction if you know they have talent. Before I finish discussing our school activities I should like to express my most sincere appreciation to all our staff for their loyalty and their enthusiasm for their work. In all departments— academic, administrative, and domestic — we are blessed with a most co-operative and dedicated group of people. It would certainly not be possible to produce the results we produce or to have the happy school we have if it were not for the unselfish efforts of the staff— and I would like to extend to each one of them a very real and genuine expression of gratitude and appreciation. Unfortunately we shall be losing two of our Matrons and two of our Masters this year. They are Miss Webster, who has been our Head Matron for three years, and Miss Saunders, who has been House Matron in the Junior House for the past eighteen months. Both of these ladies have worked tirelessly in the interests of the boys since they have been at Shawnigan, and we shall sorely miss them next year. The two masters who are leaving are Mr. Webster, who is returning to his home in England, and Mr. Christie, who is returning home to New Zealand. While we are all very sorry to see these, our friends, moving on, at the same time it is easy to understand why they are doing so, and they leave with our best wishes for all prosperity and happiness in the future. At this time too, I would like to avail myself of the opportunity of saying thank you to our Board of Governors. I have heard from some School Principals of the difficulties which they encounter with their Boards, and I am always able to tell them of the easy rapport and co-operation there is between the Shawnigan Governors and myself. I feel quite certain that I must be very difficult to work with sometimes— it seems that I am for ever asking them to meet urgent needs— and, in spite of this, I am conscious of their continued understanding, sympathy and support and for this I must assure them I am deeply indebted. In addition, I should like to say a special word to our Parents ' Guild. The Shawnigan family could not be complete, nor could it be such a happy fellow- ship, without the magnificent support which is being given to us by our parents, and particularly by our Mothers. Some months ago, in their determination to do something for the school, they began to make attractively designed kneelers for our School Chapel. As so often happens in these matters, their enthusiasm for their project generated its own energy, and a great number of our Mothers have put in many, many hours of work on this most worthwhile project. Indeed, already some eighty have been completed and were in fact placed in the Chapel last evening by some Mothers, so that they would be ready for our Closing 17