Shawnigan Lake School is an independent and co-educational boarding school located in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. The school was founded in 1916 by Christopher Lonsdale, and partly modelled after his alma mater, the Westminster School in London, England.

Originally an all-boys' school, it became fully co-educational in 1988. The school has produced many notable alumni, including several artists, athletes, diplomats, politicians, scientists, and businesspeople.

Lonsdale chose Horatio Nelson's motto, ("Let whosoever deserves the palm bear it") as the school's motto.

Students

As of September 2025, the student body at Shawnigan Lakes School consists of 540 students representing 30 countries, with 440 students residing on campus in boarding houses, the largest number of full-time boarders in Canada. Students come from all over the world, with 50 percent from British Columbia, 15 percent from other Canadian provinces, 5 percent from the United States, and 30 percent from other international locations. Shawnigan sets aside $6 million for financial aid and scholarships every year.

Current campus Shawnigan Lake School occupies a wooded campus near the village of Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia. There are approximately 80 buildings on the site:

The Main Building, built in 1926, sits adjacent to the quadrangle, which houses the school's chapel (built 1928), dining hall (Marion Hall), and the Bruce-Lockhart Centre for Creativity (built 1934, formerly the Hobbies Building). Other facilities include classroom buildings, dormitories and staff housing, a theatre, a music building, an astronomy observatory, a recording arts studio, a growing dome, a salmon hatchery, and a robotics lab.

Athletic facilities include the Charlie Purdey Arena for ice hockey and figure skating, a rowing crewhouse shared with Rowing Canada Aviron, the Hyde-Lay Rugby Pavilion, two gymnasiums, six tennis courts, eight squash courts, and seven sports fields, including Canada Field, often used by Rugby Canada and other international teams.

School life Student Body & Boarding Houses The school is primarily a boarding school, with approximately 82 percent of its students attending the school as boarders. The school has 10 boarding houses: five for boys in grades 9-12 and four for girls in grades 9-12, as well as Samuel House, a dedicated Grade 8 boarding house with separate wings for boys and girls, which opened in 2024. Each boarding house has a full-time House Director and an Assistant House Director, who are assisted by other staff members, along with student Heads of House and House Prefects in the management of house duties and issues. Each year, houses compete against each other in an annual intramural competition for the House Cup, determined by a variety of events throughout the year as well as academic achievement.

Shawnigan's student government consists of Round Tables from Grades 8 to 11, with the highest position of student leadership being School Prefects, who are appointed in their final year. The Prefects are led by the Co-Heads of School, who are elected from within the incoming Prefect group at the end of each academic year.

Boy Houses: Lake's House (1927) Ripley's House (1927) Copeman's House (1929) Lonsdale's House (1968) Duxbury House (1999)

Girl Houses: Groves' House (1927) Kaye's House (1989) Renfrew House (1996) Strathcona House (2007)

Co-Ed (Grade 8): Samuel House (2024)

Academics Shawnigan's academic program is university preparatory. It 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. The school provides 25 Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered by the College Board, as well as a Dual Dogwood Diploma program for French Immersion students.

Fine Arts Students are required to try a variety of fine arts and activities, known as the 360 program, selecting from a list of 30 or more options.

Notable programs include recording arts, robotics, musicals, Model United Nations, astronomy, woodworking, search and rescue, and various bands and music groups. The theatre program includes at least one large-scale production each year, which is usually performed at the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria.

Athletics Shawnigan has official partnerships with Rugby Canada and Rowing Canada, with both national teams using the school's training facilities on a regular basis. The school also has a partnership with Thunder Indigenous Rugby. In 2014, Shawnigan joined the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

Sports offered at the school include rowing, rugby, ice hockey, squash, tennis, badminton, basketball, soccer, golf, volleyball, field hockey, and cross country.

Shawnigan's sports rivalries include those with Brentwood College School, St. George's School, and St. Michaels University School.

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–Present Richard 'Larry' Lamont

School athletic championships +Rowing2013 Canadian ChampionsJr. Men's EightJr. Men's Coxed Four2011Canadian ChampionsSr. Men's Lwt. EightSr. Men's Lwt. Pair2010Canadian ChampionsSr. Women's Double2009Canadian ChampionsSr. Women's EightsSr. Men's FourJr. Women's Lwt. Pair2008Henley Royal RegattaPrincess Elizabeth Challenge CupCanadian ChampionsSr. Men's EightSr. Men's Four2007Canadian ChampionsJr. Men's Eights2006Canadian ChampionsJr. Men's Eights2005Canadian ChampionsSr. Women's FourSr. Men's FourSr. Men's Eight2004Canadian ChampionsSr. Men's FourSr. Women's FourSr. Men's Eight2003Canadian ChampionsJr. Men's Four2002Canadian ChampionsSr. Women's PairJr. Men's Eights2001Canadian ChampionsSr. Men's Four (Note: championships exist pre-2001 to the founding.)

Rugby union BC AA Girls Rugby Champions - 2023 BC Boys AAA Rugby Champions - 2022 BC Boys AAAA Rugby Champions – 2019 BC Boys AAAA Rugby Champions – 2017 BC Junior Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2017 Junior Boys Rugby 7s Champions – 2016 BC Junior Boys AAA Rugby Champions – 2016 Senior Boys CAIS Rugby Champions – 2016 Girls CAIS Rugby Champions – 2016 BC Girls AA 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 – Boys' Midget Varsity – 2016

CSSHL Midget Varsity Champions – Boys' Midget Varsity – 2015

(Note: championships existed pre-1996 to the founding.)

Notable people

Notable alumni

Artists Robert Stewart Hyndman – Artist Peter Saul – ArtistJ Hoberman in The Point 29 Dec. 2020, https://thepointmag.com/criticism/shock-value-peter-saul/

Athletes Eloise Blackwell – New Zealand Black Ferns captain (46 caps) Brett Beukeboom – Rugby Canada captain (32 caps) and Cornish Pirates player Casey Crowley – New Zealand field hockey player (38 caps) Hannah Darling – 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, 2015 Pan American Games gold medalist, Rugby Canada player Bryan Donnelly – Team Canada rower, 2000 Olympic Games Eddie Evans – Rugby Canada player, prop for Canada national team, 1987, 1991, 1995 Rugby World Cups (50 caps) George Hungerford – 1964 Olympic gold medalist for Team Canada in the coxless pair Josh Jackson – Rugby Canada player (22 caps) John Lander – 1928 Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain in the coxless four John Lecky – 1960 Olympic silver medalist, eight; Rugby Canada player Kristopher McDaniel – 2005 & 2007 World Championship bronze medalist, coxless four and pair ; 2006 and 2007 Oxford and Cambridge boat races Djustice Sears-Duru – Rugby Canada player (67 caps)

Business Jim Shaw – CEO of Shaw Communications

Diplomats Anthony Vincent – Canadian Ambassador to Peru

Entertainment Jon Kimura Parker – Officer of the Order of Canada, concert pianist Noah Mills - Actor and Model Sophy Romvari - Film Director Tara Spencer-Nairn – Actress, Corner Gas

Military Rear Admiral Richard H. Leir – Royal Canadian Navy Rear Admiral Michael G. Stirling – Royal Canadian Navy

Politics and Government The Hon. Henry Pybus Bell-Irving – 23rd Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The Hon. Stephen D. Owen – Federal cabinet minister and Member of Parliamenthttps://www.shawnigan.ca/news-detail?pk=1014935 The Hon. Nicholas Milliken – Alberta Minister of Infrastructure and Member of the Legislative Assembly Peter Ladner – Vancouver City Councillor

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 Jennifer Manuel – Author, winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize (2017) and Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest (2025), shortlisted for the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize James Robertson Justice – Actor Laura Russell - Canadian national team rugby player Jeff Williams - Canadian national team rugby player

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

References

Bibliography Rough Diamond: An Oral History of Shawnigan Lake School () by Jay Connolly. The Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools, by Lafortune, Sylvie, Thomson, Ashley, p. 115

External links

The Association of Boarding Schools Shawnigan Lake School - profile by TopPrivateSchools.ca