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

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enrolled in high schools in the province. Therefore, it seems reasonable to antici- pate that the demand for entrance to Shawnigan will likewise increase. The School now faces two choices— either to remain at its present maxi- mum enrolment of 220 boys and to continue producing the best results possible with the facilities we have, or to meet the challenge being extended to it by society by driving forward and improving our facilities in all fields, so that an out standing training may be provided in every respect for the future leaders of this country. Shawnigan Lake may well be at the turning point where it either stands still and, looking inward, develops a self-satisfied smugness— or where it moves forward to maintain its place among the leading Canadian independent schools; and my point at this stage is to make quite clear that this decision has been made. In fact the planning and implementation of a forward-looking programme is the task to which the Board and I will be earnestly directing our efforts during the next few years. While we do not intend to increase our numbers beyond 260 boys in the next decade, we do plan to reach that level. We shall increase slowly to it, con- solidating our standards at the same time. The advantage in increasing our num- bers by a few more is that we shall then be able to offer more variety in our programme, and in fact we shall have a better economic unit; at the same time we shall be certain not to become so large as to lose the personal touch. But the real expansion for which we are planning will be that of our facilities. It is true that good standards are being produced at Shawnigan in many fields, but, with the ability and enthusiasm we have on our staff, and with the situation we enjoy as a school, the standards could be so much better. Think of how they would improve if we had a separate Library building with a full time Librarian encour- aging and keeping track of what boys read; if we had a modern gymnasium, with facilities for basketball, gymnastics and squash and with showers right on the spot so that the lag between P.T. classes and academic classes could be cut to a minimum; if — as a result— our present inadequate gym could be turned into an auditorium so that our excellent Drama and Operatic Societies would have a permanent stage and so could be producing shows regularly; if the fire hazard could be cut to a minimum by taking boys off the top floors of the buildings and putting them into concrete block residences which would include three-boy rooms (instead of dormitories), hobbies rooms, arts and crafts rooms, music practice rooms, etc. I have named just a few of the ways by which, with the expenditure of some moneys, we could quickly turn the situation we have into something outstanding. I hope we have demonstrated to you who have seen the standards we produce year after year in the matrics, the standards we produce on the stage and on the playing fields to name only a few, that we shall not be asking you to back a little red brick school house in the backwoods somewhere. We in B.C.— where people are crying out for better standards in all aspects of education— will be asking you to help us become a rallying point for better education in this country. Surely we have proven to you, by the results we have produced with the facilities we have, that if you will give us the tools we shall do the job. 77

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he had this to say: I am a strong believer in the value of a rigorous physical training programme in a school. In this country, where our young people are incredibly soft and where for many men the only exercise taken is the daily jaunt from the back door to the garage, it has become a matter of extreme im- portance that tough physical fitness programmes be instituted in all our schools right across the land— in which the P.E. period is not simply a time for the in- structor to sit in his office and issue miscellaneous equipment for unorganized activity. The P.E. period should be a time when our young people are made to work; when they are put through a carefully planned table of exercises designed to eliminate unnecessary weight, to improve co-ordination, and generally to tune up the muscles so that they will perform at maximum efficiency. In their games too, while the young should certainly be taught to enjoy them, they should also be taught to extend themselves. In whatever they play they should be encouraged to strive for the highest possible standards, to persevere until these are achieved, to be dissatisfied with any effort which is less than their best, and to participate in sports like rugby, rowing, cricket and cross country running, in which, to be successful, one must summon up those qualities of perseverance, courage, patience and the sense of fair play. While he urged the School never to let up in the dogged pursuit of excel- lence in all activities, he recognized that good progress was already being made and he had a special word for the Staff: I would like to extend a most sincere word of gratitude to our Staff— and I refer to all branches: academic, administrative and domestic. I can assure you that the wide variety of activities we have could never be offered to our boys, nor could the high standards be achieved, if it were not for the unselfishness and the sense of absolute dedication to the interests of our boys, which is shown by so many of our staff. There is a general feeling of co-operation and a decided will- ingness to go the extra mile for thf sake of the School among all this group — and again I refer to the administrative and domestic sides as well as the academic— for this we must be genuinely grateful. In conclusion he spoke of Shawnigan ' s great potential, and of the commit- ment on the part of the Board and himself to its development: In coming to the end of my report I hope it is apparent to you all that Shawnigan Lake School can, and is, offering the kind of training which is so necessary for our younger generation— a disciplined training for a disciplined leadership. At the same time, it should be remembered that, while we are giving this opportunity to 220 boys, the province is expanding rapidly and we have a greater duty to discharge. The School is at present filled to capacity and the demand for entrance is greater than it has ever been. Indeed, if last September is any criterion, over 60 applicants will be denied entrance this coming September due to a lack of resi- dential accommodation. It would seem, by the latest statistics available, that in the next ten years there will be an increase of approximately 50 per cent in the number of students 70

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Prize List ACADEMIC AWARDS General Proficiency Prizes: Grade 12-A C. S. Clark 12 D. R. Clark ma 11-A T. R. Andrews 11-1 J. T. McFarland ma 11-2 W. S. Keate 10-A H. R. K. Foster 10-1 W. B. Cook mi 10-2 R. A. Dawson 9-A R. F. Cairns 9-1 S. L. Sloat 9-2 T. A. Heslop 8-1 D. Winslow 8-2 D. R. Paulson General Progress Prizes D. K. Nordstrom, M. E. W. Love, I. B. McBean Savage Prizes for English T. E. Frame, J. H. Wheaton ma, R. F. Cairns Mathematics Prize P. D. Clough ma History Prize P. D. Clough ma Science Prize C. S. Clark max French prize H. R. Quinn ma Latin Prize T. R. Andrews Art Prize D. M. R. Bentley Individual Academic Shield: Senior P. F. Ladner ma Junior R. F. Cairns ATHLETIC AWARDS Rugger: Independent Schools ' Rugger Cup Shawnigan Lake School Cricket: j. Independent Schools ' Rugger Cup Shawnigan Lake School The most promising bowler J. Longridge The most promising batsman R. Creighton 72