THE DRAGON'S PEN
/By Milan Streit
(click images to enlarge)
LEST WE FORGET
Every year, Canada remembers our fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the greater good. However, something that is not talked about a lot is the many high school students who fought in the two World Wars.
An estimated 17,000 Canadian teens were sent to battle in World II, including 350 from the old King George Secondary on Nelson and Burrard. They ranged from Grades 8 to 12, with many lying about their age to fight with the Canadian military. A small memorial honouring the fallen is in our main stairwell. Every year during the Remembrance Day assembly, all the students from King George who died in the wars have their names read out. They are truly the heroes of the school.
King George student Tristan casting his ballot in the school’s election project.
STUDENT VOTE 2019
The results are in for the national student vote and they’re almost identical to the real results.
The Liberal Party took 22.3 percent of the popular vote and won 112 seats, forming a minority government. Justin Trudeau won in his riding of Papineau.
The NDP formed the official opposition with 24.8 percent of the popular vote and 98 seats. Jagmeet Singh won his seat in Burnaby South.
The Conservative Party took 25.1 percent of the popular vote and won 93 seats. Andrew Scheer won his seat in Regina—Qu’Appelle.
The Green Party took 18.1 percent of the popular vote and won 27 seats.
Elizabeth May won her seat in Saanich—Gulf Islands.
The Bloc Québecois took 1.3 percent of the popular vote and won 12 seats. Yves-François Blanchet won his seat in Beloeil—Chambly.
Now let’s compare that to the actual vote. Both votes swayed towards a Liberal victory with a minority government, meaning other parties had more seats combined than the Liberals. However, it was a different story for the rest of the results.
The NDP came in second compared to the fourth place they got in the real vote. The NDP targeted young people in their campaign so this is to be expected. The Conservatives took third place compared to second in the real election. Many pundits felt it was because of a lack of a plan to tackle the climate crisis. This turned away many students from voting blue.
I was very surprised to see the Green Party at fourth place. I thought many students would vote Green because of the current climate movement with students on the forefront. Perhaps students felt the NDP had a better plan?
CANADIAN STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
This year, I was honoured to be chosen to represent King George Secondary at the annual Canadian Student Leadership Conference in Abbotsford. Many guest speakers spoke about the issues we face in Canada such as climate change, First Nations, relations with the United States, and many other challenging topics.
One of the guest speakers was former senator and Canadian general Romeo Dallaire, who really caught a lot of students’ attention at the conference. He spoke about genocide, environmental issues, and corruption in politics.
One other amazing speaker was Fred Fox. He is the brother of the Canadian icon, Terry Fox. He talked about Terry’s family life, and many not well-known facts about him. He also talked about the lead up to the Marathon of Hope and the pressures Terry faced before his epic journey.
One of two fallen basketball hoops in The Dragon’s Den. (Sam Shayan Photo)
IN THE WORLD OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
A tough week for basketball players at King George.
On October 22, two of our main basketball hoops randomly broke, shattering glass everywhere. The incident took place during the third block of the day, with a Grade 9 class in the gym.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
The average cost of a new hoop is said to be around $4,000. However, the added cost of machinery may be even more expensive.
Recently, the King George Grade 8 boys basketball team won a yearly tournament at the Richmond Oval. The Drive Basketball Fall Classic featured 15 other schools.
Nice job Dragons!
The newly formed King George Swim Team, coached by math teacher, Patrick Wadge, hopes to compete in city swim meets soon. Other teams in the pool include Van Tech and Kitsilano.
Two students from King George, Alex and Aki, have qualified for the Cross-Country Running provincials after a recent district-wide meet. Congrats to them!
The old PSA announcement microphone, now in the school archives.
INTO THE ARCHIVES
For this month’s Into the Archives, I have chosen a photo of one of KG’s vintage public announcement microphones.
It was used in the ‘60s in the new building. It now sits in the foyer display case, right next to the main stairwell.
DRAGON’S PEN LOGO CONTEST
Do you think you have the talent to create a logo for your school’s number one source for news?
Well, we are having a contest to see who can make the best logo. If you want your logo to qualify, you have to follow a couple of requirements. The logo can be drawn or made with a computer program such as Photoshop. It has to include the Dragon’s Pen name and it has to relate to King George.
Once you have finished you can send your logo to me by Email (milan.thewestendjournal@gmail.com) or by an Instagram direct message (@MilanYVR).
The winner will receive a $20 Starbucks gift card. Good luck, and if you have any questions about the contest, please contact me by my email or Instagram.
