If you have been following our blog, you will have noticed that our final post (a few weeks ago now) described how we will be moving our blog over to Instagram.

That move has now happened, so I am happy to share that we will now be posting photos/videos/stories on our Instagram profile @ boltonhouse.smus .

Please take a moment to follow us and stay up to date with everything Bolton!

Also, for any followers here, please note that this Blog (boltonupdate.com) will be deactivated on August 12, 2024, so be sure to grab any stories/photographs you would like before that time.

Thanks for being great followers of our blog 🙂

Mr. Fryer

After many years of sharing Bolton House stories, photos, and memories on this Bolton Update WordPress site, we will officially be moving over to Instagram later this week. Please stay tuned for more information on how to continue to subscribe to these Bolton House moments.

In our final blog post here, let’s highlight all we have to be thankful for over the last two weeks at SMUS.

Two weeks ago, the SMUS community gathered for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Here are some photos from that night. All the Bolton students decided to dress up a little fancy for dinner in the beautiful Sun Centre on campus.

The rugby team also got in on some action on the field (and some great singing on the bus – check out the video below!)

Eugene and William also got some time individually practicing for their band performances!

Speaking of music, Peter played an awesome rendition of a Radiohead song at our most recent chapel:

Earlier today, we competed very hard in house games. Here are some highlights from the events:

And finally, we celebrated Marcus’ birthday in the Common Room by singing to him. It was a great way to end a wonderful week!

Stay tuned for more information about how to access our Bolton House photos and stories on Instagram!

This week marked the third week of classes, and it was a busy one! Our grade 11s were away on amazing outtrips and our grade 9s and 10s had a blast at their Saturday activities. See below for some photo highlights of the week!

As part of our Saturday activities, some of our boarders had the chance to experience the Malahat Skywalk, a 600-meter tree walk through a beautiful arbutus forest leading to a spectacular, gentle spiral ramp taking them up 32 meters to a breathtaking sightseeing lookout. Despite the cloudy weather, the views were stellar, and we were able to see Finlayson Arm, the Saanich Peninsula, Mount Baker, and the distant Coast Mountains.

New students in the ELL Program had a chance to get to know Victoria with their peer mentors in a scavenger hunt downtown. Other activities included a trip to Fisherman´s Wharf, the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit, and a beach and park clean-up at Willow´s Beach.

Bolton Penguins in grade 11 had the opportunity to participate in a variety of overnight and local day trips. These unique experiences are designed to help students learn and develop general outdoor skills, make new friends, visit new areas of British Columbia while spending time outdoors in nature and developing specific activity skills (hiking, surfing, kayaking…). Working with the School´s professional outdoor guides, the students are also challenged to work on their time management, organization, tolerance for adversity/uncertainty, equipment care, risk assessment/management and communication skills. This year, outtrips included: whitewater kayaking, summit school hiking, surfing, sea kayaking, paddleboarding, environmental service, and more.

More great outtrips photos!

On Friday and Saturday, SMUS hosted the ISAA Senior Boys Soccer Championships. Our Senior boys team, lead by Mr. Fryer, played a great tournament making it to the final against Mulgrave. Despiste their consistent and concerted effort, SMUS gave up a penalty shot resulting in 1-0 loss. Congratulations to the team on their second place finish. Well done!

This week the Bolton boys took advantage of a wonderfully sunny Saturday to spend the afternoon at Willows Beach with their friends from Timmis House.  All had a great time whilst enjoying snacks and competing in various lawn games.

As the second week of classes began, the academic rigour has started to set in as the boys had the demands of homework to now consume their evening prep time.  It was nice to see them hard at work as new teachers and new demands were set.

Last Sunday, the entire house made their way to the field to compete in the first house games of the year as demonstrated great athleticism and sportsmanship in a myriad of challenges.  The Bolton team won many of the events which bodes well in the quest for the House Cup.

With the grade 11s on their out trips in the upcoming week and facing their next surfing, hiking or sailing challenge, the house will be a little bit quieter!  We will anxiously await the updates from their epic journeys.

This morning, the house went down to Dallas Road along the waterfront to join the 5km Terry Fox run to honour his courageous run back in 1980.  Fortunately, the sun was shining as the perfect backdrop for a morning run.

The vibe in the house to start the year has been great as connections and friendships are being solidified.  As houseparents, we are very encouraged by the positivity and brotherhood on display.

Mr. Bates

Welcome to all the penguins new and returning!

We had a very busy week! The grade 12’s decorated the house were here to welcome all of the new Bolton students. In the evening after some icebreaker games, the gr. 12’s from Bolton and Timmis shared their knowledge of rules and routines of boarding.

We even had a visit from Mr. Daum, the senior houseparent from a few years ago!

There were two days of classes on Thursday and Friday which meant full uniforms! Lucas one of our heads of house was giving some lessons to Takuto on tying a tie.

We concluded the week with our annual picnic at Willow’s Beach. It was a beautiful day, with perfect beach weather. House parents and Bolton/Timmis students all came down to the beach and brought many games to play. There was bocce ball, cornhole, volleyball and some even ventured into the ocean!

After the beach the gr. 12’s took new students to downtown Victoria on public transit. This is another good opportunity for the 12’s to connect with the new students and teach them how to get around Victoria.

Everyone will have a full week of classes this week!

Hello everyone! My name is Mr. Stewart, and I am entering into my third year as a house parent at SMUS. I am very excited to get the year going and to meet everyone!

I grew up on Vancouver Island in the small town of Campbell River and have lived in Victoria for over 10 years. I am currently studying web development at a school on Vancouver Island. This summer I was able to explore the province with my partner, but also enjoyed some downtime at home. In my spare time I like to ride my bike, tend to my garden, and listen to my ever growing collection of vinyl records. I am looking forward to another great year as a house parent in Bolton House!

Hello! My name is Mauricio Barahona, and this is my second year as an assistant houseparent at SMUS. I’m proud to be part of the Bolton family, and I’m excited to share in many new adventures and experiences this year.

Originally from Quito, Ecuador, I moved to Canada in 2012 and have had the opportunity to live in Montreal, Winnipeg and, now, beautiful Victoria. 

This past summer was our first on Vancouver Island, and it was a great one. My wife Mrs. DeMelo (Winslow houseparent and senior school teacher) spent lots of time outdoors hiking and exploring new beaches with our dog Nanuk. I’m also passionate about soccer and cycling and spent a lot of time on the field with friends and riding my bike around the island. One of my highlights was riding up Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains. 

I speak Spanish and French, and I am happy to practice with you or learn new words from your home language. I look forward to a wonderful year!

My name is Steve Bates and I am the senior assistant house parent in Bolton House. I am excited to begin my 8th year in the boarding community at SMUS.

I had a wonderful summer as I spent two weeks travelling the eastern seaboard through the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I was then able to enjoy some sunshine and golf in the regions of the Okanagan and Whistler within beautiful British Columbia. My final week of holidays found me exploring the Mayan Rivera and all of the wonderful sites and attractions that the Caribbean Sea has to offer.

A few quick notes about myself … after teaching internationally for several years in Mexico & Spain, I returned to Canada and began my first year at SMUS in September 2007.  Currently, this is my 16^th year teaching mathematics at the senior school.  I balance my academics as an assistant coach with the Senior Boys basketball team and co-lead many of the international boarding and Spring Break cultural trips.

In my time off campus, I like to play golf and baseball in a local men’s league.  I thoroughly enjoy travelling and exploring other cultures.  To date, I have been to 40+ countries and am always looking forward to the next adventure abroad.

 I’m very excited to continue to be a part of the SMUS Boarding community as the senior assistant house parent in Bolton.  The boarding experience is a remarkable journey and I’m honoured to be a part of the memories along the way in this close knit, supportive family.

Happy New School Year!

My name is Evan Fryer and I am the Senior House Parent for Bolton House this year. My wife, Kelsey, and I live right here in Bolton House and can’t wait for the start of another fantastic school year and welcoming all the new and returning students.

This is my 12th year involved in the Boarding Program at SMUS and we are very excited about contributing to the unique culture of our house this year. In Bolton House alone, we have students arriving from over almost 20 different nationalities and even more cultures and identities from around the world.

This summer, Kelsey and I drove down the West Coast the United States and camped at many of the state parks in Oregon and California. It was a great way to spend part of the summer and we were able to check out some cool areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles as well.

I also teach in the Mathematics Department at the Senior School and coach the Sr. Boys Soccer Team, so I may get to see your child during the school day too! There are so many wonderful opportunities for our students in the first few weeks of school, so we really encourage them to sign-up for lots of activities and get involved!

All of us in Bolton can’t wait for another exciting year at SMUS! We hope that you return to this blog throughout the school year to see what we are up to! We try to get something new posted every Sunday night 🙂