WRAPPING UP THE SCHOOL YEAR
The school play, graduation, and a carnival

by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

Welcome to June at King George! This month will be jam-packed with all the necessary parts of the last month of school. Last-minute tests, longstanding graduation traditions, and KG Rocks, a concert hosted by our fabulous music program!

The School Play … The King George Drama Club put on an excellent show this May, their very own production of Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic. The play itself is a parody of the classic Harry Potter stories, but differs from the original story by offering the unique perspective of the “Puffs” (you would probably know them as the “Hufflepuffs”).

The play was both funny and heartfelt and pulled off brilliantly by all the students who participated in the production.

Into The Archives … You may have heard of Agnes Martin, the famous American painter widely known for her grid-like paintings, but did you know that at one point in time, she was a KG student?

That’s right, Agnes Martin attended KG in the 1920s!

If you’re not familiar with Agnes Martin’s work, here is a piece of hers (Grey Stone II) that sold for nearly $19 million USD in 2023 (over $25 million CAD).

These days, her paintings are found in art museums such as MoMA, The Guggenheim, The Whitney, The Met, and other prestigious institutions.

Agnes Martin in her studio in Taos, New Mexico in 1953.

Surprisingly, during her time at KG, Agnes was not known as an artist, but instead, as quite an amazing athlete. She was seemingly quite successful at every sport she picked up, competing in swimming, basketball, field lacrosse, track and field, and softball in her time at KG. Agnes won a variety of medals for her sports achievements, and was even invited to compete for a place on Canada’s Olympic team in 1932.

As a side note, the archivists are in search of old class photos from King George and Lord Roberts. If you are an ex-student from either of these schools and have any of your old class photos laying around, the King George Archives club would be happy to take (borrow) them for archiving purposes.

Big thanks to Jesse and Jim from the archives!

KG Rocks! … KG Rocks, our school’s annual concert is taking place on two nights this month, Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6 in the school gym.

The two KG Rocks nights include completely different bands, meaning that the BEST way to show your support for KG musicians is to show up on both nights!

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for students. All funds raised will go towards the KG music program, and will be used to keep the school’s instruments in good shape, as well as purchasing new instruments for students to use. If you’re interested in helping to support local teens in their musical journeys, come out to KG in early June. Tickets are available at the door.

***An Interact Club sign for Cultural Diversity Week!***

The Interact Club … To celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity on May 21, the Interact Club set up a table in the foyer for the week and gave out free snacks from different cultures around the world.

Some examples of snacks that they gave out during the week include Turkish delight (Türkiye), mochi (Japan), and stik-o (Philippines). In case any students were interested, there was also a card with written information on the cultural background and history of the snack.

This was a great way to celebrate diversity and help others learn something new, by inviting students to try different kinds of food.

Graduation 2024 … This year’s graduation dinner and dance will be taking place in the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront on Friday, June 14. Students should arrive between 6 and 7 p.m., and the dinner/dance will be taking place from 7 to 11 p.m.

The grad ceremony itself will take place on Tuesday, June 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Vancouver Playhouse.

***A guide to accessing your report cards from MyEd on a mobile device***

2023/24 Final Report Cards Final report cards will be published on June 27, the last day of school. As always, report cards are accessible online through the MyEducation BC Portal, here.

For some unknown reason MyEd often requires you to reset your password. If you need any assistance with accessing MyEd, the KG office can assist you. The office can be reached by calling 604-713-8999.

In addition, if you are on a mobile device, after signing in to MyEd you will not be greeted with the actual site, but rather a smaller version without the core features. To exit this page and access the full site, tap on the three horizontal bars in the top left corner, then tap “View Full Site.”

Student Council Carnival … KG student council has organized a school carnival in the school field on June 1 — there will be snacks, games, and even a miniature concert featuring bands from the KG music program.

In addition, some clubs will also have tables set up. This is a great way to find a club if you are looking to join one in the next school year!

SLO Update … Unfortunately, our school’s police liaison officer is no longer able to do an interview, citing a conflict with VPD procedure. Constable Stewart has given me contact information for the VPD’s public affairs officer, who would be allowed by VPD policy to answer some interview questions. This will be a point of focus for next month’s issue.

Thanks so much for reading, have a great June!