A generous donation to Shawnigan Lake School from the Shaw family will see the construction of a new residence for girls at the prestigious south end private school.
The fifth home for girls on the campus, "Elizabeth House" is meant to honour Jim Shaw's wife Kathryn Elizabeth Shaw and means females will have the same number of houses as their male counterparts, furthering the school's aim at "gender balance in every way" according Abigail Saxton, the school's communications director.
"We hope Elizabeth House will contribute to making Shawnigan Lake School the No. 1 co-educational, boarding school in Canada as it continues with its vision to build experiences that help shape better citizens, better leaders and better Canadians," Jim Shaw said.
"Shawnigan Lake School is an exceptional institution that grants kids the opportunity to strive for academic excellence," Kathryn Shaw added.
They duo recently donated the Jim & Kathryn Shaw library to the school.
Though she and her husband live in Calgary now, Kathryn is a member of Shawnigan Lake School's Board of Governors and Chair of the Advancement and Alumni Relations Committee. Jim attended the school, graduating in 1977. He went on to serve on its board of governors for eight years. Jim is past CEO and current vice chair of Shaw Communications.
School Headmaster David Robertson is thrilled with the donation.
"We stand proudly at the dawn of our second century and this wonderful gift enables us to make another huge step on our journey to be perfectly in tune with the equitable society that we all subscribe to," he said.