In June, I visited a number of boarding schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. While I live on Vancouver Island and visit the boarding schools here on quite a regular basis, I had the opportunity to make more formal visits to some of these schools very recently.

My visit to Shawnigan Lake School - https://www.shawnigan.ca/page - was to give a personal fare thee well to an outstanding educator who retired at the end of this school year – Headmaster David Robertson. A 25 year career at Shawnigan, with 18 years as Headmaster, saw the school flourish under his expert guidance. I worked with David for ten of those years and was able to witness the magic he wove as a leader.

Shawnigan’s magnificent natural campus was enhanced to become one of the great world school locations. Enrollment swelled to the extent that it is now the largest boarding school in Canada. Programs were challenged to achieve excellence. Endowment for scholarships/bursaries grew immensely. At the same time, students were happy and respected David greatly, while the values he spread and espoused stand the test of time.

All you have to do as a family is to visit and tour Shawnigan to feel the school’s special atmosphere and see the world-class facilities it provides. David’s legacy is assured. He and his wife Lynn were given a great send off by the alumni and parent community around the globe over the year, and by the students and faculty at the end of the school year in late June.