by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

May was a busy month at King George, packed with fundraisers, school plays, and much more. This edition of The Dragon’s Pen will get you up to speed on what happened at KG in May, along with what’s going on next month!

KG ROCKS TICKETS AVAILABLE

Tickets for KG Rocks went on sale this month. Any student who is currently enrolled in a music class, except for those in a Grade 8 class, can pick up tickets to sell. The funds brought in from tickets will go towards our school’s music department.

Tickets for KG Rocks can also be bought at the door before the event, but it’s a better idea to buy from a student.

There will be two performances of KG Rocks, one on Wednesday, June 7 and the other on Thursday, June 8, both at 6 p.m. Each evening will have an entirely different list of bands playing. This means it’s important to know which bands are performing on which day if you are coming to watch a specific student or band.

Practice time for KG Rocks. That’s Henry on the table!

The music department recently added a shiny new guitar to their arsenal — a red Gibson SG. Keep your eyes out during KG Rocks, you might see it in action. By donating to the music department through purchasing your KG Rocks ticket, you ensure that the school’s musical equipment will be maintained and improved for a better learning experience.

Don’t hesitate to come out to the show and support the KG music department! It is a terrific opportunity to see what the students have been working on this semester, and everyone is welcome.

**Three scenarios for the redevelopment** **of the West End Community Hub**

FUTURE PLANS UNVEILED

I listened in at a recent zoom PAC meeting, where new plans for the remodelling of King George were unveiled. These included new ideas for both KG and the community centre. The meeting was attended by special guests, including a VSB representative, an architect with the design firm HCMA, and a consultant who led the meeting.

There were three separate plans for the block, each with their own distinctive layout and style. The new school would be able to hold between 1,000 and 1,200 students. Unfortunately, funding for this project has not been raised yet, so construction won’t be started very soon. In fact, some believe that it might be as long as ten years until the funding is secured and construction can start. If this is true, this means that local students who are currently in kindergarten will attend the current KG as well as the remodeled one.

The plan divides the block into three main above ground areas, with a parking lot and skating rink both below ground. Above ground there will be the school, an area for a school field, and a community centre area, with a fire station attached. In Scenario A, there is an auditorium, shared between the school and the community centre.

It is great to know that the students will not be forced out of the King George community during the construction. The new community hub will be rebuilt in phases so that the students can stay at KG.

A display has been put up in the community centre which showcases the three possible plans, along with a lot of information on the project itself. It is good that the plans are in the community centre, as they are now visible to the people who will be affected most by the reconstruction.

Also discussed, this year’s grad will be stretched out over two days, with the first day holding the ceremony, then three days later the dinner and dance.

Another takeaway from the meeting was the high enrolment at KG. At the start of the year, administration was considering holding a lottery for who would be able to attend KG because of the large number of students.

SCHEDULE CHANGES

Next year some major changes will be made to the class schedule. Instead of FIT time happening only on Tuesdays and Thursdays it will now take place every Monday to Thursday. On Mondays and Wednesdays, it will run from 8:40 to 9:20 a.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:21 to 2:01 p.m.

For anyone who doesn’t know, FIT stands for Flexible Instruction Time. During FIT time, students are invited to go to any of their classes to catch up on work or study.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT

I went to see our school’s production of The Laramie Project on Thursday, May 11. It was a thought provoking, emotional, and very interesting show overall. The acting from every single student involved was impeccable. Tickets were $5 for students and $10 for adults. All proceeds go straight back into the drama department.

The Laramie Project is the first play performed at KG in several years, since before the pandemic. It’s great to see that our school is returning to normal!

It was also mentioned during the PAC meeting that $2,000 was donated to the drama department to buy a new lighting board!

THE INTERACT CLUB

This April, the interact club set up a spin-the-wheel fundraiser in the foyer, where students could pay $2 for a chance to win candy, school supplies, or a $25 gift card.

The Interact Club received a $2,000 grant to support the youth lunch lounge, which takes place in the Denman Room of the community centre. The funds will be used to support what the students want in the lunch lounge, based on the survey taken in March.

ChatGP CONCERNS

For those who don’t know, ChatGPT is a popular AI chatbot that can respond to your queries in what looks to be well thought out answers. Really, the AI is trained with, and uses, data found on the internet, so nothing it says is original.

ChatGPT has seen use everywhere, but it's concerning how much it has been used in schools. Some students are using this software to write their essays for them, driven by burnout and never-ending homework. Teachers are reacting to the use of ChatGPT by changing their assignments to be less “GPT friendly”. For instance, in my Grade 9 English class, the teacher has resorted to only letting us write our essays in class, and only letting us use specific sources chosen by them.

This will obviously have a negative effect on the marks the students will get, so it will be interesting to see how assignments will evolve to counter ChatGPT in the future.

Jaden from the basketball team out on Denman Street advertising the car wash.

KG DRAGONS CAR WASH

The King George Dragons basketball team is hosting a car wash fundraiser this June. Come out to support them with your donations.

The car wash will be taking place on Fridays June 9 and 16 from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturdays June 10 and 17 from 12 noon to 6 p.m., and Friday, June 30 from 12 noon to 6 p.m.