SCHOOL COMES AND SCHOOL GOES

by Milan Streit

On June first, students returned to school for a month during the pandemic in what many are calling a “test run” for fall.

When you opened the door, you were greeted with hand sanitizer and arrow stickers on the floor like you see in the supermarket. Staff and students were limited to certain areas such as the foyer and office.

At King George, my classes appeared to average around three students or fewer. Remember, return to school was voluntary with online classes in full gear. Much of my class time revolved around COVID-19 discussions.

One great thing I noticed was the washroom was clean. That’s pretty rare at King George. A positive effect of the pandemic. You can tell that there has been increased cleaning all over the school, plus hand sanitizers in every room in the building.

The school reopening addressed some of the problems I previously mentioned with online classes, such as being able to get help in person from your teacher.

OPINION POLL
What We Thought About Online School?

Online school was new and experimental in many ways for B.C.’s education system during COVID-19.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, I wanted to see how others found it. I did a small Instagram poll and was impressed by how many people answered, with a total of 150 votes.

This poll shows how few people really liked online school and how you really can't beat face-to-face education.

The results showed 82 students felt online schooling was “okay,” 58 were “not a fan” while 10 “loved it.”

In terms of online schooling software, ‘Microsoft Teams’ is good for submitting online work such as Word documents instead of having to rely on printing and sending an email - which the teacher may not get. Some people I spoke with said they’d like Teams to return in September, but only for submitting work and using it as a reference for assignments.

Alex and Jess, with his dad Byron taking a photo.

GRADUATING IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC
A New Twist To An Old Tradition

Planning graduation during a pandemic with its physical distancing rules is not easy. The ceremony at KG was a lot different than those in the past.

It was set up in a timed circuit, with small groups of graduates going through the school's hallway to receive their certificate in the foyer. Afterwards, they walked along the Barclay Street sidewalk, with passing drivers often honking their horns in support.

Chaucer G. decided to bring his own car.

From there, they were directed to walk through the rear parking lot to be greeted by retiring school educator Jess Coomes and yours truly with a colourful balloon photo opportunity. The balloons also acted as a gate to the school field where graduates were greeted by several gorgeous vehicles decked out in Grad 2020 decals, including a Lamborghini, a Jeep and a classic Mustang.

Students then took turns having their photos taken inside the vehicles.

In my opinion, graduation was a great success during a difficult time and everyone else I have spoken with agreed. The only criticism I had was that not much information was known until the last day, but that was technically part of the surprise.

To all KG Grade 12’s, Happy Graduation, from the Dragon’s Pen.

Shiny new vending machines for the new school year ahead.

NEW VENDING MACHINES ARRIVE
Better Snacks & Selection

Christmas has come early!

Some beautiful new vending machines have just arrived for the next school year, which begins in September.

The old school vending machines started to show their age, with coin dispensing fails being a common thing. They also had limited stock and a poor drink selection. There are two new machines, one for drinks and the other for snacks.

While they take up more space in the cafeteria, students will appreciate the extra snack choices, most of which are healthy.