February has begun with clear skies, beautiful sunshine and crisp cool air.  The sky is light as the boys head off to breakfast in the morning and those who go early can even finish dinner before the sun sets!  Spring is in the air… With the long weekend looming on the horizon, it has been a busy week full of studying, athletics, musical preparation and a wonderful opportunity to explore some future prospects on Career Day. Wednesday was a short day of classes allowing for an afternoon of breakout sessions in a variety of professional fields.  Students were given the opportunity to hear from people currently employed in a wide array of careers, ranging from emergency room doctors to Olympic athletes, policemen to writers, entrepreneurs to lawyers and everything in between.  This was followed by some time to ask questions and make connections (that might prove useful in the future with potential employers) during the networking session.

Thursday saw an impromptu birthday celebration for our newest member, Samer, who was serenaded with happy birthday in no less than 4 languages by his fellow grade 8 boarders.

Friday was a big day for the grade 8 Leadership Team who hosted a conference called, “From Thriving to Surviving”. Students from SMUS and other B.C. independent schools spent the day focusing on a number of topics including: self-image and mental health, leadership skills, 21st century savvy and strength of character and resiliency.  Many of our boys were instrumental in making it a huge success and should be very proud of their efforts. In the Senior School, Artem and his Spanish class were hosts to the Junior School grade 1 class who were helping plan a fairy tale to be written in Spanish and then sent to Nicaragua. Anderson spent the weekend in Vancouver representing SMUS and Bolton at the Model United Nations Conference.  Here he is as the representative from Tajikistan!

Saturday was a busy one as well with a brave crew heading out at the crack of dawn to hit the slopes of Mount Washington for a day of skiing and snowboarding – and eating!  They returned late in the evening, rosy cheeked, tired and happy, despite the lack of fresh snow.

Those who stayed behind were engaged in a wide assortment of activities that included watching houseparent Mr. Daum play rugby against a team from Seattle, skating, playing squash, swimming, building shoe racks, and baking banana bread.

Jack Amos and David finished in 3^rd place at the SMUS Junior Boys B ISA Basketball tournament.  Jack scored the winning basket in overtime to get the win.  These same boys, along with a number of other boarders, then went to the University to watch the UVIC men and women’s teams play basketball against the University of Lethbridge.  Both game had a thrilling finish and Edward and Jack worked together to secure a t-shirt that was thrown into the crowd!

Sunday culminated in a North American tradition of watching (and playing) the Super Bowl, eating snacks and hanging out.  A wonderful way to finish the weekend and unwind before a busy week of exams.

For those with boys heading into grade 10 next year, here is a link to some information about the new Grade 10 Experiential Program Transformed Grade 10 Program Opens Doors to a World of New Experiences as well as some information about course selection in a short video at this link Senior School Course Selection video.