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

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The Headmaster ' s Address ...I should say something about the year, not a detailed and comprehensive report, but picking out perhaps a few highlights. Last year on this occasion I described the year that had just finished as a year of further growth which saw the school, under the direction and guidance of Mr. Wilkinson, return to its former, state of health and also to what we at present consider to be about its optimum size. A school of this size allows me as Headmaster to know each boy and that is very important. This has been a year of consolidation: We have finally yielded to pressure from Messrs. Anderson and Grey, who have been envious of the houses on the hill and have brought Lake ' s and Ripley ' s up to acceptable standards. The woodwork and draughting facilities are at present being upgraded. I am sure that you read about the alarming results indicating lack of English comprehension on the part of undergraduates in the universities of British Columbia. It would be very easy to sit back and say How dread- ful these public schools are, forgetting that we also produce some of the boys who have written these tests. So we have been very aware of the need to consolidate in what must be the most important subject of all — English, the medium by which we communicate. So far this year, instead of asking the slower streams to do French we have given them extra English. We still, of course, require the first streams to do two languages because we feel that they are capable and should be challenged. The question is, of course, how successful have we been? It is hard to answer that at this stage, but perhaps the following answer given in one of the examinations might prove a clue. The question: Write a sentence to illustrate the meaning of the word ' unprec- edented. ' The answer: Precedent Nixon was unprec- edented in 1974. I got the impression that the teacher concerned was classifying this as the usual schoolboy howler. I prefer to think not. Knowing this boy and the fact that he had come under the influence of Mr. Hyde-Lay, I prefer to think that this is a good example of the pupil out-punning the great punster himself. In athletics, it has not been an outstanding year. Indeed, not even quite as successful overall as the previous year, but it has been a very busy year, and that word busy sums up our attitude towards games — to see that all boys are involved, rather than an elite few who are trained to win at all costs. In all, there were sixteen games offered and thirteen of the staff involved. In the junior school we were weaker than usual. It seems that while we have some excellent boys in the junior school, in the last year or two they have been coming in smaller packages. Lack of size at the junior levels is, of course. Photo by A. James a serious handicap, but they will grow. In the senior school we were strong in rugby. The 1st XV was powerful, losing only two out of fourteen games — one a key game against St. Michael ' s University School, which was for the Independent Schools ' Championship. In basketball, we were Independent Schools ' Champions for the sixth time in a row and Island Champions for the fifth con- secutive time, but we were d isappointing in the B.C. Championships. In track and field we won the Independent Schools ' Championship for the fourteenth time in twenty- one years, and we also won the Independent Schools ' Skiing. In rowing we were a perennial second to Brentwood, but won over most other schoolboy crews, but perhaps the game in which we improved the most of all, because of far greater depth, is tennis, and with only one of our leading players leaving and with four new courts ready for next year, the prospects are excellent. In our activities programme some twenty activities were offered and, as a prospective parent said, having 12

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Prize List General Proficiency Prizes 8-1 Paul Linden 8-2 Mark Roenicke 9-1 , Malcolm Swann 9-2 Rudi Munzel 10-1 Peter Olesen 10-2 Dennie Chan 10-3 Lars Reese-Hansen 11A Aaron Doyle 11B ,. Ross Gilmour 1 1 C Brian Sinclair General Progress Prizes Peter Piddington Memorial Prize Mark Kornel Jamie Piddington Memorial Prize Dale Steelman Subject Prizes Art Patrick Halls Paul Leighton Biology Bruce Brown Brett Ferguson Chemistry Dan Johnston Martin Lane Classics Marc Prioleau Draughting Ross Gilmour English Greg Dane Aaron Doyle Sandy Wright French Ralph Lorens Mark Olesen Mark Dube Geography Dan Johnston History Sandy Wright Mathematics Martin Lane Music Bruce Pitt-Payne Physics Dan Johnston Social Studies Gavin Last Donald Hayes Owen Clarke Binkley Biology Prize Owen Clarke Mark Dube Bousch and Lomb Senior Science Medal .... Dan Johnston Peter V. Gordon Prize Rudi Munzel (most improved debater) Public Speaking Prize Stephen Bryan Academic Shield Junior (Grades 8 and 9) Norman Stevenson Senior (Grades 10 and 11) Owen Clarke Overall Winner Owen Clarke Inter-House Competition Lonsdale ' s Head Student Sandy Wright Citizenship Cup Junior Fall Spring Summer Senior Fall Spring Summer Patrick MacLachlan Patrick MacLachlan David Majoribanks Kevin White Kevin White Stephen Bryan Stag Award Ian Leitch Stephen Bryan Tim Donogh Jordan Fruchtman Bill Stainton Kevin White Sportsmanship Cup Greg Saroka Grove ' s All Rounder Ian Leitch Lonsdale ' s Trophy Copeman ' s (Inter-House Championship) 11

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been shown around the school on an activities afternoon, If a boy cannot find an activity here to make use of his talents, then he hasn ' t any. Outdoors is perhaps the one that has made the most headway with a much more comprehensive programme than ever before, involving rock climbing, snow shoeing, canoeing, skiing, overnight camping and two rigourous hikes to Marble Meadows in Strathcona Park, where incidentally the boys were able to make use of the hut constructed by our boys in 1970, and to Cape Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. During the spring term, lectures were given on survival, first aid, natural history and firearms safety, and some 60 boys took part. These things do not just happen — they need leadership, and this has been provided by Messrs. Hobson and Zinkan and we are most grateful to them. The word consolidated applies particularly to the performance of the band this year. Their success last year, their first year, was indeed dramatic. Those with keen appreciation will, I think, confirm that there has been an equal amount of progress made this year in that the quality of the music is very much better. Our thanks to the man who has been the inspiration behind all this - Mr. Bean. We have come to expect a musical of a very high standard and also to assume that each production is going to be better than the last. It is very hard to keep on doing that, but there are many who would agree that we did it again this year with another superb performance of Oliver, but for the first time with an all-student cast made up of girls from Strathcona and our own boys. There were 108 in all and a further 45 working behind the scenes, including some staff. Great credit is due to Mr. Bean as musical director and, of course, and as always to the energetic and dynamic producer, Mr. Grey. Sometimes I am called upon to justify the time spent on these productions by the boys and it is considerable — by Housemasters who complain about the bedtimes not being observed; by teachers whose prep is not always finished on time; by the nurses, who on occasion feel that the boys are becoming overtired. They all have valid points and I try to contain them, because I know that they will all bask in reflected glory on the night, but that is not the main reason. The main reason is given, I think, by a comment by a former Head Boy, who was also Head Student, who enjoyed great success in the School, not in athletics, but in academics, public speaking, and debating. I asked him after he graduated what was the highlight of his career. A difficult question, but he did not have to hesitate for a moment — Playing the part of a policeman in ' Pirates ' — and when I asked him to elaborate he talked about achievement and satisfaction, not only for himself, but he saw these in other boys who had been turned off, but suddenly came to life. Perhaps the outstanding achievement of the year was the Diamond Jubilee, commemorated just two weeks ago. If you were not here you missed a wonderful day. There must have been close to 1,000 people here during the day. A most ambitious programme was organized, involving displays by various departments, games involving Old Boys, tea on the lawn and supper for close to 800 people in the evening — a mammoth catering undertaking, which was handled in stride by Norman Magee. And finally, in the evening, a spectacular son et lumiere show. I do not think I have ever been so proud of the school as I was on that day. I was impressed in particular by the hard work, expertise, detailed organization and the amount of research done by so many staff and boys and, on the d ay, virtually everyone was actively and enthusiastically involved. The mastermind behind the whole organization, and we are most grateful to him, was Dr. Mervyn Nitchell. Overall this has been a very good year, which is not to say that there have not been disappointments and failures. Inevitably, and sadly, there have been. It has been a year of many successes not only in academics and games and these social functions referred to. These are not the best examples — they are just the most obvious. The best examples are those boys who have changed the direction of their lives, who have taken positive steps and made some headway in the whole business of growing up. These are the real successes. These are the boys who have won our admiration but, much more important, who have gained self-respect. My thanks to all those who have contributed and pride of place must go to the academic staff, who work harder and give more than we have a right to expect . . . but especially to the school prefects for not only the work they have done but, more important, the atmosphere they have created. They have set the tone of the School. They play a vital part and this year we have been served by them very well. My thanks to you all. W.H.H. McClelland 13