It seem shard to believe that we have only been back from Spring Break for two weeks, as the school and boarding community have been going flat out with academics, extra curricular and boarding events.
Last weekend was a very important one for the Grade 11 Bolton Boys as they participated in the annual Leadership retreat at beautiful French Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The weather was far from ideal with wet wintry squalls coming in off the ocean, but the boys showed great resilience braving the elements, and were able to do some very important team building, leadership training and planning for next year. They even had to solve a series of challenges to rescue Boris, the house mascot, who had been kidnapped! We are very excited to work with this group next year as they take over from our current Grade 12’s.
One unexpected event was the race for the ocean with the inflatable raft. The boys were required to inflate it, but not actually use it, but somehow this piece of information was missed. All of a sudden Justin came sprinting down followed by a barefoot Jack who was determined to hit the waves! Needless to say no one went into the water except Jesus at the start to rescue our bucket.
Here is Alan taking advantage of the newly renovated Brown Hall with his Art class. The new space has yet to formally be designated for any specific purpose, but makes a pretty nice art room!
This week was Health and Wellness Week at the Senior School with a variety of events taking place including some yoga in the quad which Stanley and Joel took advantage of to de-stress. Stanley also introduced the guest speaker, former Olympian Jason Dorland, at the all school assembly and spoke very well.
Athletic teams were also busy with Tennis, Track, Rugby, Sailing, Rowing, Badminton and more all involved in games and trainings. Here is a great shot of Toby during the Junior Rugby game against Brentwood.
Saturday had the usual gamut of activities to keep guys engaged and busy. Golf and some boardgames complimented some service activities. Eric, Garret and Frank baked some bread in a bag (literally made in a bag and then baked) while Dat helped make some soup and chili. All of the food was then given to a local women’s shelter…
… while Pine enjoyed a cultural dining experience with some friends…
… and Harry and Josh created an impressive meal.
We also got some great shots from the Service trip to Costa Rica that several of the Bolton Boys were on. Jerry says the highlight was “living in a place where you have no technology because you really get to learn to make connections.” Laurent thought “it was great because I was able to see how the community valued their culture so much and didn’t let the outside world influence their traditions. Also, how important it was to spread their message about the environment. It was also lots of fun!” Vincent appreciated “the delicious food and the beauty of the location, the entire experience was amazing.” Garry really enjoyed the opportunity to explore a new culture while spending quality time with his friends in a challenging and unique adventure.
This next week is a short one as we head off for the Easter long weekend, so check back on the 27th for another post as we prepare for the Bolton House Chapel.