THE DRAGON'S PEN

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 IT’S ALMOST BACK TO SCHOOL TIME

by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

Have you ever wondered what teens living in the West End do during the summer?

A totally unscientific survey I conducted revealed the following: some spent their time volunteering, while some are working part time jobs. Others took up gardening or went on vacation. One thing that most teens around here have in common is our time spent outside in the summer; we aren’t inside all day as some might think.

Now that we’re halfway through the summer, it’s (sadly) time to think about going back to school again. In this August issue of The Dragons Pen, I will be going over a few of the clubs King George has to offer in the coming school year, as well as some of the excellent sports teams. 

Clubs play a crucial role in the high school experience, serving as vital assets for branching out and forging connections within the community. These extracurricular groups provide students with a place to explore their passions and interests beyond the classroom. By joining a club students can discover new talents and learn valuable skills that will benefit them in the future. Clubs also act as a place to form meaningful relationships with peers and create lasting friendships.  

THE CLUBS

The Interact Club: Interact is a community service club that aspires to bring together the school community. The club performs service in the KG and broader Vancouver community. Interact is sponsored by Rotary International, an organization that values service, fellowship, integrity, and leadership. Some projects Interact did last year include the KG Clothing Drive, the Spin-The-Wheel fundraiser, and providing snacks for the youth lunch lounge in the community centre. 

Firebuilding on an LRP camping trip 

The Youth Incentive Program (YIP): Known to most simply as “Leadership,” the YIP program is a club that focuses on building life skills through fun activities and volunteering. Students are led by Jessica McCallum from the West End Community Centre. Being part of the group myself, I can say that the club is a lot of fun, helpful for finding volunteering opportunities, and great for learning important life skills. 

Student Council: The Student Council is the main organizer of most events that happen at KG, like Spirit Weeks, dances, and much more. The Student Council will be opening up for new joiners early in the next school year. Student Council elections happen at the end of every school year. 

The Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP): This is an invite-only group run by Ivy Vuu-Léger. The club offers a great environment for students to make new friends, build social skills, and go on fun out-trips. Some past LRP activities include camping trips, volunteering in the community, and weekly boardsports intensives, partnered with the Chill foundation. 

THE SPORTS TEAMS

Juvenile boys Basketball team 

I’ll now move on to the sports teams at KG. Like clubs, sports teams are a great opportunity to make new friends, while also building different skills and staying in shape.

Sports teams can be a big commitment, and it may take extra time to catch up on schoolwork, as sports teams sometimes require leaving class early for games. Most of the information included on these sports teams is taken from past years, so small details about these teams may change this year depending on demand for different sports.

Badminton: Badminton is run by Mr. Yee, one of our math teachers. The sign ups take place early in the second semester. There are two different badminton teams at KG, Junior and Senior. Students in badminton will participate in frequent practices to build important skills, while also competing against different teams. 

The King George Dragons after winning the provincial championship 

Volleyball: King George offers a handful of different opportunities for all ages to participate in volleyball. There are six separate teams: Bantam, Juvenile Girls, Juvenile Boys, Junior Girls, Senior Girls, and Senior Boys. Volleyball is very popular at KG, which is why there are so many teams.  

Basketball: Basketball is quite a popular sport at KG, and our school has also been historically successful with it. In fact, last year’s Senior Boys team were the provincial champions! KG is home to five separate basketball teams: Bantam, Juvenile, Senior Girls, Senior Boys, and Junior Boys. Our basketball teams are coached by Darko Karac, Ms. Cain, Mr. De Groot, and Mr. Holkestad.