Slideshow from the Athletic Awards Ceremony on Monday.
Dear Brookes Westshore Families and Friends,
This week, we came together for our first ever Athletic Awards Ceremony, which was a truly special moment for our school community.
Thank you to all the students who participated in our sports teams this year. You brought energy and dedication to every practice and game. We are proud of how you balanced your academic responsibilities while showing up for your teams with such commitment. Congratulations to all our MVP and Heart of a Champion award winners (see below for the full list). Your leadership, perseverance and team spirit stood out, and we are proud to recognize your efforts. We also recognized our DP2 (Grade12) student athletes for their years of dedication, leadership and for being such strong role models for our younger students.
Thank you to all the coaches for your hard work, mentorship and the countless hours you spent supporting our student athletes. Thank you to our parents for your constant encouragement, presence and support throughout the season. You are a big part of what makes these experiences possible.
A special shout out to Mr. Thom and Mr. Luke for taking the lead in organizing this event! Your initiative and care helped make this a meaningful celebration for everyone.
Athletics at our school are about more than just competition. They are about teamwork, balance and building character. This event was a reminder of the strength of our community and the values we share.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter long weekend! See you all on Tuesday, April 22nd, and we also look forward to seeing you on Friday, April 25th, for the silent auction - a great chance to connect and to support a good cause!
With gratitude,
Dr. Rui Li
Principal
As the weather has shifted, we have noticed that several students are struggling to wear the proper Brookes uniform.
Starting Monday, April 28th we will be enforcing the school uniform policy by implementing the following:
First offence will result in a student reflection and a parent email.
Second offence will result in a parent phone call in which the parent will be required to bring in the missing uniform pieces (preferable) or pick up the student for the day.
Basic uniform reminders:
Sweatpants, shirts, shorts and hoodies need to be Brookes branded.
Thursday is formal day; students need to wear their full formal uniform including tie.
Students must wear closed toed shoes (no sandals or Crocs).
We will use the first week to help get students back on track and reinforce the expectations. Please do your part in helping your student ensure they have all of the necessary pieces and are arriving at school in their uniform. Thank you.
Personal Project Exhibition – April 24th
The Personal Project Exhibition is an event to celebrate the hard work and achievement of our MYP5 class at reaching the individual interest learning and product goals that they set at the beginning of the year. The exhibition is the culminating event that showcases their respective journeys through one of the most challenging individual projects they have had to date.
The exhibition will take place April 24th from 2:50 - 3:20PM, in the dining hall at Brookes Westshore. Students are excited to share their journey through the project, including highlights and advice for anyone on planning and executing their own personal projects.
Our MYP3 and MYP4 students will also be in attendance, as they are the next students to be completing their projects in the next couple of years. I know that they are curious about learning more about what the project is about from their older classmates.
I am very proud of what the MYP5 students have accomplished, and I look forward to sharing this event with the school.
Melanie Moroz, Personal Project Coordinator
Earth Day Community Block
To celebrate Earth Day 2025 on Tuesday 22nd April we will be hosting two themed Community Blocks with guest speakers Sonia Furstenau (former BC Green Party leader), Valerie Russell (UBC Grad student and climate activist) and Ben Homer-Dixon (Brookes Westshore alumni and Green Party candidate). Parents are invited to join us for the MYP3 - DP1 block starting at 2.20 pm in the Dining Hall.
The DP1 Chemistry class did a lab on determining percentage of calcium carbonate in eggshells on Monday. They just finished the stoichiometry unit, where they saw calculation questions on titration experiments. This experiment provided students with the valuable opportunity to have practical experience with handling solutions and exposed them to the analytical techniques used in back titration!
A Message from SLC President Tish:
Hi everyone!
If you’re looking for more CAS hours, especially ones that are more service based, here are a few awesome local opportunities coming up that might interest you:
UVic Flourishing Children and Youth Program Fair
I’ll be speaking on a few panels around youth leadership, empowerment, research, and culture. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about local youth-led initiatives and how to get involved. If you're curious about leadership or direct service projects, I highly recommend attending!
https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/youthsociety/events/programfair/index.php
City of Victoria Youth Council
This is a service council funded by and collaborating with the local Victoria government for young people passionate about local decision-making and activism. Some of our projects include working directly with urban planners and community workers to give youth feedback on city development. We also engage with sociopolitical and humanitarian issues. Applications are opening soon, so let me know if you’re interested!
https://www.youthcouncilvictoria.ca/
BC Youth Parliament – 2025 IYP Session (Island Youth Parliament)
Happening this year at Mount Douglas is the 35th Island Session. It’s a great opportunity if you’re interested in politics or public service. You’ll learn how the legislative system works and gain lots of hands-on experience. I’m this year’s Bill Presenting Minister, and applications are open until April 25th—reach out if you want to apply!
If you're interested in any of these or want to learn about more direct service opportunities, feel free to message me!
A beautiful afternoon paddleboarding on Thetis Lake.
The Auction is on Friday 25th - tickets are still available here.
Start planning your bidding strategy!
Take a break and enjoy a stay at one of these amazing spots:
- One night stay for two people including a welcome basket with champagne at Owls Perch Tree House in Sooke
- Bear Lodge Condo at Mount Washington - two beds, two baths, ski in/ski out. (Book any 4 consecutive nights, excluding ski season weekends. Valid April 2024-April 2025)
- Two nights stay at the Sandmann Inn, Vancouver
- One night stay in the Oceanview Room at the Prestige Hotel in Sooke
How about these fun activities?
- Five spin class passes with Spin Co
- 1-month unlimited yoga pass at The Lab
- ZipTrek Tour (two adults) at Bear Mountain
- Pacific FC Box at Starlight Stadium
- Four 2025 ticket vouchers for Pacific FC (also a 2022 Alternate Pacific FC Jersey, a pride scarf, a PFC tank top, and a drink cozy)
- Two, 2-hour tours for 4 with Coastal Bliss
- Two passes to Butchart Gardens
Or why not just bid on some items for your home or as gifts?
- Quilted flower garden
- A beautiful whale painting
- A Lego Batmobile Set
…and many more items from gift cards to works of art!
We even have an amazing custom pet portrait!
Athletic Awards Ceremony
Brookes Westshore’s first annual Athletic Awards Ceremony was a great success on Monday. Thank you to all the students and coaches in attendance.
Junior Cross Country
- MVP: Penelope Milne
- Heart of a Champion: Nikita Fofanov
Senior Cross Country
- MVP: Amelia Preston
- Heart of a Champion: Gurjas Randhawa
Boys Soccer
- MVP: Shaun Annin-Bonsu
- Heart of a Champion: Paolo Cozzi Mendiburu
Girls Soccer
- MVP: Geraldine Lopez Alonso
- Heart of a Champion: Polina Ulanova
Grade 6-7 Boys' Basketball
- MVP: Sahil Grewal
- Heart of a Champion: Miles Parker
Grade 7-8 Boys' Basketball
- MVP: Kobe Kouri
- Heart of a Champion: Mariano Martinez-Maya
Senior Boys' Basketball
- MVP: Logan Harold
- Heart of a Champion: Elijah Liu
Grade 7-8 Boys' Volleyball
- MVP: Sebastian Temple
- Heart of a Champion: Levi Baumgartner
Grade 6-7 Girls' Volleyball
- MVP: Simona Mackenzie
- Heart of a Champion: Sara Black
Grade 8 Girls' Volleyball
- MVP: Kylee Young
- Heart of a Champion: Ava Melnyk
Junior Girls' Volleyball
- MVP: Roberta Godoy Inigo
- Heart of a Champion: Lyla Wittig
Senior Girls' Volleyball
- MVP: Meghan Boxshall
- Heart of a Champion: Avery Schafer
We also recognized our grade 12 student-athletes in their final year of high school sports:
Eliana Disegni, Logan Harold, Mackenzie Penn, Kiyanah Ghodrat, Noam Lamwertz, Elijah Liu, William Kral, Koichiro Sakakihara, Shaun Annin-Bonsu, Finn Brown, Geraldine Lopez Alonso, Andrea Jasso, Armando Prida del Rio, and Idatonye Hart.
Congratulations to all athletes!
Nine students participated in the Royal Roads Univesity Run last weekend, including Emma, Santiago, Andrea Jesso, Ipri, Ricardo, Sebatian, Macarena, Alfonso and Tamara. Congratulations to Ricardo and Ipri who were the first in their division, Santiago was the second in his division, and Macarena, Alfonso and Tamara were third in their division.
Students: Be a Winner of the 2025 National Youth Climate Activism Award!
Make up to a 5-minute video or write a short essay of 500 words with or without photos and tell us how you are taking meaningful steps toward improving the outlook for our planet with respect to climate change.
The award comes with a prize of:
- $500 (ages 14 & under)
- $1,000 (ages 15-19)
Visit https://www.youthclimateactivismaward.org/ for details on how to submit your entry.
2023 Winner and Brookes Westshore student - Finnegan Brown
In 2023, I wrote an essay about artistic activism and how drawing with Robert Bateman’s outdoor Nature Sketch Group motivates me to advocate for the protection of wild spaces on Vancouver Island. My friend Parker encouraged me to submit my work for the Youth Climate Activism Award (YCAA)—and I won!
The following year, I was asked to participate in the Youth Climate Cabinet. I joined a peer review panel of award alumni to adjudicate the 2024 YCAA entries. 2024 was an exciting year, as generous grants from groups like the Trottier Foundation and The Raffi Foundation helped us to expand our reach beyond British Columbia for the first time. We went national and opened the YCAA to youth across the whole country!
The Youth Climate Cabinet is happy to open the submission portal for our 2025 Award. Speaking at events like the Victoria Climate Action Youth Forum has helped us to connect with young Canadians. The climate movement is intergenerational; youth voices play a critical role in driving positive change. Sharing our stories about the actions we take to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis builds community. Plus, it helps to combat climate anxiety.
Together our voices are amplified and send a powerful message to politicians, and community and policy decision-makers. Big or small, what actions are you taking in your own backyard, or right here at Brookes Westshore? We accept group entries, so feel free to submit a video or essay with your friends, or even your entire class! The Youth Climate Cabinet wants to shine a light on your story.
We will be selecting up to 25 winners for 2025!
Apply for the National Youth Climate Activism Award before Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22!
If you have any questions, please ask!
Finnegan; fbrown@westshore.brookes.org
Attention, Future Architects and Creatives!
Design Victoria’s Family Day Educational Event is here to inspire you—and it’s going to be epic!
When: SUNDAY 4th MAY Where: The Rotunda, 1515 Douglas St.
Join us for an unforgettable workshop led by talented professional architects, and guess what? Ms. Barton, our beloved creative mentor, will be right there guiding you through the magic of design! Together, you’ll use recycled materials to create mind-blowing architectural models.
Check out all the details here: Family Day Event
Let’s turn trash into treasure!
We need YOUR help to save clean recyclables—like cardboard, plastic containers, bottles, and more—to build stunning architectural models. From soda cans to cereal boxes, every bit of clean recycling can spark ideas and shape new designs.
So, start collecting and let’s make architecture that’s as green as it is gorgeous. Bring your clean recycling to Ms. Barton by Monday April 28th. Let’s design the future together—one recycled masterpiece at a time!
Spread the word. The more, the merrier!
Lunch Menu
If you would like to know what is on the menu next week for our delicious lunches, please click here.
Follow our dining team on @brookesdiningwestshore for mouthwatering images of our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners!
Term Two Events and Activities
- Earth Day Community Block - April 22nd (guest speakers to be announced)
- Silent Auction in support of the Ukrainian Scholarship Fund - April 25th from 7 pm to 10 pm in the Dining Hall
Key dates of 2023 to 2025: Key Dates 2024 / 2026 - Brookes Westshore
Please find our School Accessibility questionnaire here.
Safer Schools information: erase Family Sessions (saferschoolstogether.com)
Your comments and feedback are welcome! Please click here to leave a comment, ask a question, or raise an issue. Thank you!
Do you have questions or concerns?
If you have a question about the school or just something on your mind, please feel free to contact our leadership team:
- Rui Li - Principal
- Andrea Salvador - School Manager
- Jacob Baumgartner - School Culture Director
- Melanie Moroz - Academic Director
- Linda Bayes - DP Coordinator & University Counsellor
- Martin Staffolani - Executive Director of Recruitment
Please consider posting a review
If you have a minute, it will really help us to reach new families if you could consider posting a positive review online on Google or here (you will need to log in to the OurKids website to leave a review here). Prospective families love to hear from current parents about your real experiences here!
Brookes Westshore acknowledges that our school is on the traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lekwungen (Songhees) ancestors and families.
With gratitude, we live, work and learn here where the past, present, and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff come together.
