On the first Friday of the school year, the boarding students depart the school early, for a weekend at Anvil Island. The boarding house annually goes to Anvil Island to help the boarders get to know each other, before school gets into full motion. The new students are excited, as it is there first time being exclusively with their housemates for the upcoming year. The returning students are just as excited, as the previous year they weren’t able to go to Anvil Island due to bedbugs infesting the island.

As the boarders all arrive, and get settled in, breaking the ice with these strangers who will soon be they’re “brothers”, some students, are on the first shift of cooking duty. Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner, throughout the weekend everyone is assigned to a meal that they have to either prepare or clean up. It’s a relaxing first day, everyone starts to meet new people through a variety of activities, whether its throwing frisbees, playing volleyball, fussball, or playing cards.

It’s an early wake up for the boarders on Saturday, as they are still adjusting to not having summer sleep-in privileges, they all hobble towards the cafeteria, at 8:30, half asleep. After breakfast, the boarders finally start to look alive, and awake, it’s a beautiful day, and they take full advantage of that, people are hiking, swimming in the cold water, playing soccer, whatever they’re doing, everyone is enjoying themselves. A returning grade 10 boarder, Jose Perez says “this place is awesome, I missed it!” as he plays soccer.  Later on in the afternoon, once dinner is finished, everyone gathers around in the middle of the field, as the grads announce which house team the new boarders are on. There are four different houses in Harker Hall: Robinson, Sweeney, Hunter and Maitland. Every year, the houses battle in intramural sports to try and get first, gaining bragging rights until the next year. Everyone gets hyped up, seeing they’re team’s roster for the upcoming year.

Sunday finally rolls around, the boarders get a bit more of a sleep in than they did on Saturday, as they realize this is they’re final day on Anvil Island, after breakfast, everyone has about an hour and a half, to enjoy themselves before they have to get ready to leave. Time flies, and all of a sudden, all the students have to start packing up their things, and cleaning their cabins.

As everyone boards onto the boats to bring them back to Vancouver island, they sit beside their new made friends, anticipating the upcoming school year, and who they’ll meet next year at Anvil Island.