All in a Day’s Work

4 May 2011Dan H

In life, some people have a special vocation that they are drawn to. Some are called to a profession, even born for it. Others, however, struggle with career choices their entire lives. Luckily at Brentwood, our first career choices are made for us: at the Brentwood Regatta this past weekend, each and every student completed their very own regatta job. With over 1700 athletes on campus from 41 clubs in 3 different countries, the effort of Brentwood students, combined with excellent faculty organization, made this 41st annual regatta a tremendous success. With everyone assigned a job for the weekend, each of Brentwood’s 436 students put all of their 872 hands to work. There were students driving motorboats, students sorting compost, students announcing race times and controlling the tunes wafting about campus; there were students holding boats at the start line, students timing boats at the finish line, students handing out medals to exhilarated winners and of course, Entrepreneurship 11 students running their own businesses on the plaza. Over 20 different types of jobs kept students busy this weekend as North America’s largest high school regatta took place on the (sometimes) calm water of Saanich Inlet.
For each regatta job, supervising faculty organize and support students in their work. Providing both leadership and guidance, faculty such as Mr. Rodrigues, normally to be found in the physic lab, turned their hands to different tasks. Mr. Rodriguez was in charge of the Finish Line station responsible for determining the winners and their times. Extolling the virtues of this line of work, Mr. Rodrigues managed a team of 16 students, and was assisted by Rowing BC umpires. For Grade 9 student Javier O his regatta job was a source of pride and joy. "Litter Pickup was tremendous" he says, grinning broadly. Is he excited for next year’s regatta? "Absolutely!” If you had the privilege of attending this year’s or any previous regatta, you will have seen our students hard at work: doling out knowledge at the information tent, hawking regatta-themed clothing at the regatta store. It is a unique advantage of Brentwood to host its own regatta, an event first started by Mr. John Queen in 1970. Giving our students valuable work experience and an opportunity to contribute to their community, the Brentwood regatta is a tradition that will extend far into the future.

Where Students Choose To Be