THE DRAGON'S PEN

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POLITICS, SPORTS, AND VACCINATIONS

by Milan Streit 

Sacred spaces become voting places in election season.
(Milan Streit Photo)

FEDERAL ELECTION 2021 … With this election now over, it’s interesting to look back. 

In August, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a federal election two years into his mandate. We certainly didn’t expect it in September’s edition of The Dragon’s Pen. In fact, the election was called one day before publishing. 

Here are the results of an unscientific King George student poll of 104 students conducted before the September 20 election:

Results: 
New Democrats: 42 
Conservatives: 27 
Liberals: 23 
People's Party: 8 
Green Party: 4 

Students I spoke with say that one of the reasons the NDP has a greater amount of support among young people is leader Jagmeet Singh’s social media presence. He is almost at the ‘influencer’ level of popularity on social media platforms, including Tik Tok. He often posts dancing, memes, skateboarding videos, and more, causing him to go viral and further making connections with the young viewers. 

Another interesting fact about the poll is the Conservative Party’s support among students. The teens I spoke with mentioned leader Erin O’Tool’s election platform on mental health and his economic and Covid-recovery promises. Some students also wanted to vote against Trudeau – if they were allowed. 

The Green Party has taken a noticeable hit this year all over the country and that’s reflected in the thoughts of students at KG. According to Canadian media outlets such as Global and CTV, the Greens have not campaigned enough in BC, and their leadership is unclear. 

Finally, the People’s Party of Canada. Like last election, the PPC gained lots of support in KG as a ‘joke-vote’ from students due to the party’s extreme right-wing policies, and now, their “war on masks.” This often happens in schools with fringe parties - the Communist and Rhinoceros Party being other examples.

IN-HOUSE VACCINATION CLINIC … Last month Vancouver Coastal Health, along with the Vancouver School Board, operated a pop-up vaccination clinic inside the school gym. While not many students showed up, a decent crowd of West Enders got the jab. One interesting fact is students do not need parental permission to get vaccinated. Gym classes were relocated to the field where a class-versus-class ‘Capture the Flag’ game was played. 

THE SPORTING LIFE … School sports are back and they need people!  The following sports are available this term. More sports will be available in the coming months. 

Whatever your sport, it’s time to get in shape for another season.

  • Volleyball; Currently, both Senior and Junior teams are available. Practices are on the Gym. 

  • Soccer: Boys' soccer is available to all grades. Practices are on the field, weather permitting. 

  • Cross Country: Like running long distances? Cross Country is available to all grades and genders. Meet in room 317 on selected dates. 

  • Aquatics: If you’re a swimmer, this is the team for you. Available to all grades and genders. Meet in room 304 on selected lunch hours. 

If you are interested in any of these teams, see Mr. Pannun who is the director of athletics this year. 

COMMUNITY CENTRE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS … All programs highlighted are available to all grades for FREE.

  • Teen Night / Open Gym: For over 12 years now, Teen Night has been running every Friday in Coal Harbor Community Centre from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Activities such as baking and gaming are held are upstairs ... and there’s free food. Down in the gym, basketball, volleyball and soccer are available.

  • Youth Empowerment and Stewardship Program: Formerly known as YIP, the YESP program provides many leadership opportunities to organize and participate in community events in the West End and Coal Harbor. In past years the program was responsible for organizing the amazing Barclay Manor Haunted House. 

  • Pre-Halloween Movie Night: On October 21, the West End Community Centre youth program is hosting a Halloween-themed movie night. You are encouraged to wear costumes and the person best dressed up will win an unnamed prize. The movie will be selected or voted on in the coming weeks. Start time is 6:45 p.m. 

The taps are back on!

FOUNTAINS FOR YOUTH … Back in March, I mentioned that all drinking fountains were closed at King George apart from the water refill station add-on, due to COVID-19. This prompted some thirsty students to suck on the water refill tap for some much-needed H2O, which kind of defeats the whole idea of not spreading germs! 

Now, I'm glad to say that the taps are back on ALL drinking water fountains in the school. Looks like the school district finally realized that maybe shutting down water fountains wasn’t such a good idea.