The final week of classes has come to a close. We are now down to our last week of exams and already we have started to say goodbye to some of our younger students as they head to various parts of the world for a well deserved summer rest. The house has become a hive of packing and cleaning, and any of you parents who were here at the start of September may think nothing has changed since then, as the bins and suitcases once more line the hallways!

This was the last week for Saturday activities too, and Alan and Nokia took advantage of the local baseball team, the Harbourcats, playing in town and enjoyed the sunshine while trying out some real Canadian poutine.

This past week was one full of lasts, including our final all school assembly in which Will spoke on behalf of the grade 11’s and goodbyes were said with the signing of yearbooks.

It is also the time of year for awards in various forms.  Matthias was a big winner at the Athletics Banquet as he has represented us well all year on the field and courts. A big congratulations to all of the boys who played on teams throughout the year.  We are very proud of all of you.

Within Bolton House, we also have some awards that we are proud to present to the boys who most fully represent the virtues of our house motto, “Brotherhood, Honour, Strength”. This year we were very please to present these to Ranon, Matthias and Adam W.

Along with the awards, this is a time to say goodbye to our Bolton brothers who will not be returning next year and this year we said goodbye to Alejandro, Andres, Dionisio, Georg and Gedeon.

This is also the time when the grade 11 students have an opportunity to say goodbye to the graduating Penguins. It is often a time of tears and laughter, and is an important part of saying goodbye to our incredible leaders.

Of course, this is an especially important year for goodbyes, as Mr. Bateman and his family are saying goodbye to boarding after 7 years as head of Bolton House.  His impact on the house has been profound and he will be dearly missed by those who are returning. We wish him and his family all the best in their new home.

In the end, it was just a lovely evening of brotherhood.

What a year it has been for Bolton.

The picture says it all.