50p
Brentwood’s Polar Bears
Through my two and a half years at Brentwood, we have never really had a mascot. I’ve heard some people say our mascot is the torch, and others wish we were the Brentwood Bears, but I think that on February 6 we became the Brentwood Polar Bears as everyone was gleefully jumping into the refreshingly cold 7.5°C Pacific Ocean for our annual polar bear plunge.
Some houses made this optional, while others declared it was mandatory because the house with the most participants would win a pizza, however there were many students from every house ready to have an unusually chilly start to the day.
Our Saturday morning started bright and early at 7:45am as Mack/Ellis and Hope/Privett were the first two cohorts to go in for a dip. Some people chose to walk into the ocean from the shore - in my opinion this way seems like torture - while others leaped in with gusto off the docks. It’s surely a shock to the system, but at least it’s over with quickly. The screams of shock travelled through campus to wake up Allard/Rogers and Alex/Whittall in time for their swim at 8:00.
Allard’s mascot is a mermaid, and that was made clear as the house collectively marched down to the waterfront blasting music and singing along: everyone was eager to dive into the water, something that must come naturally to them! It was delightful to see Allard House enjoying the waves, “a memory that I will always be fond of” said Maria T, Allard ‘21. It wasn’t just the Allard girls who participated in the polar plunge, they all jumped in with Mr Amiel right by their sides!
As each and every one of the swimmers emerged from the frigid Saanich Inlet, they were shivering against the cold. The good news was that there was steamy hot cocoa awaiting them on the shore, so they really only had to suffer through the walk from the water to the boathouse. Some brave souls even chose to continue swimming for some time, until they realized that they had to scurry back to their houses in time for number one inspection!
As exhilarating as the polar bear swim was, everyone looked forward to taking a nice hot shower to satisfy their wintry skin - at least I know all the Allard girls were! “Being able to wake up and walk down to the ocean to go swimming in February is such a privilege” acknowledged Alice H, Allard ‘21, and I couldn’t agree more. Brentwood is one of the only places that this is made possible!
Emily N, Allard ‘22
Some houses made this optional, while others declared it was mandatory because the house with the most participants would win a pizza, however there were many students from every house ready to have an unusually chilly start to the day.
Our Saturday morning started bright and early at 7:45am as Mack/Ellis and Hope/Privett were the first two cohorts to go in for a dip. Some people chose to walk into the ocean from the shore - in my opinion this way seems like torture - while others leaped in with gusto off the docks. It’s surely a shock to the system, but at least it’s over with quickly. The screams of shock travelled through campus to wake up Allard/Rogers and Alex/Whittall in time for their swim at 8:00.
Allard’s mascot is a mermaid, and that was made clear as the house collectively marched down to the waterfront blasting music and singing along: everyone was eager to dive into the water, something that must come naturally to them! It was delightful to see Allard House enjoying the waves, “a memory that I will always be fond of” said Maria T, Allard ‘21. It wasn’t just the Allard girls who participated in the polar plunge, they all jumped in with Mr Amiel right by their sides!
As each and every one of the swimmers emerged from the frigid Saanich Inlet, they were shivering against the cold. The good news was that there was steamy hot cocoa awaiting them on the shore, so they really only had to suffer through the walk from the water to the boathouse. Some brave souls even chose to continue swimming for some time, until they realized that they had to scurry back to their houses in time for number one inspection!
As exhilarating as the polar bear swim was, everyone looked forward to taking a nice hot shower to satisfy their wintry skin - at least I know all the Allard girls were! “Being able to wake up and walk down to the ocean to go swimming in February is such a privilege” acknowledged Alice H, Allard ‘21, and I couldn’t agree more. Brentwood is one of the only places that this is made possible!
Emily N, Allard ‘22