by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

It’s the end of another school year at King George! That means graduation, yearbooks, a school concert, and other end-of-year traditions!

GRADUATION

As another year ends, we say goodbye to this year’s graduating class of grade 12s, who are now moving on to their next stage in life. Congrats on graduating to all grade 12s!

This year’s graduation ceremonies once again took place over two separate days, with the dinner and dance happening on Friday, June 14, and the actual grad ceremony on Tuesday, June 18.

KG ROCKS

KG Rocks was once again a huge success this year, with a complete sell out on the first night of the show!

KG Rocks is King George’s yearly concert put on by Ms. Pearce, our music teacher. Because of our school’s measly funding, it’s not possible to operate a music department on the small amount of money that is supplied (about $20 per student).

**The West end journal’s henry macdougall moonlighting on guitar.** *(Ewan Streit Photo)*

This may seem like enough, but when you consider how expensive musical instruments are and how often they need to be replaced or repaired, it becomes clear that it is nowhere near enough to run a program.

On top of this, other music items such as guitar picks, drumsticks, tuners, and even guitar/bass straps need to be replaced (as they are often lost or broken), further adding to the expenses of a music class.

KG Rocks is what makes up for this lack of proper programming. It’s a concert where students showcase what they have been learning all year, while generating some cash for the music program. Tickets cost $5 for students and $10 for adults. Buying a ticket for KG Rocks is the best way to support KG music, so if you missed this one, make sure to keep an eye out for next year’s KG Rocks to support local music education!

**a band Playing on night one of KG Rocks** *(Eric photo)*

This year’s KG Rocks featured two totally unique nights of music, with a plentiful cast of student performers, diverse in age and experience. Both nights were a lot of fun to both watch and participate in… bravo KG musicians!

Student photographers could be seen once again this year, taking photos of the performers during the concert. Included in this article are just a few of the photos that were taken on both nights. The students did a great job on these photos!

KG Rocks tees were also designed and hand-silk screened by our art teacher Mr. Sinclair! They were sold on both nights to raise a little bit more money for our school, while building KG Rocks spirit!

FINAL REPORT CARDS

Final report cards were published on June 27, which include all of this year’s grades. If you haven’t already, you can access report cards by logging into MyEd BC, our school board’s arguably outdated online education tool. MyEd can be accessed here.

MyEd will likely require you to reset your password upon logging in, as this is mandatory about three times every school year. This seems to be for security reasons.

Once again, if you are accessing MyEd on a mobile device such as a cellphone or tablet, you will be sent to a simplified version of the site, where it is quite a bit harder to navigate. The regular, full version of the site can be accessed by pressing the three horizontal bars at the top left to reveal a menu, and then pressing the button which reads “View Full Site” (see photo).

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Any students who were interested in being on student council were invited to run this June. Applications were taken in, and students who ran for the top positions created campaign videos to sway the student body to vote for them. The videos were shown to students before they were given paper ballots to cast their votes.

Among some of the most common promises that were made by the presidential and vice-presidential candidates were for better school lunches, better toilet paper in the washrooms, and more school dances.

The student council has had a hard time in the past pushing for better school lunches and toilet paper, as these are managed by the VSB. However, I’m sure that if we continue pushing for improvements, they will eventually come.

Personally, I’m excited for the prospect of more school dances, as more fun events like dances can bring up school spirit and make KG a more fun place to be.

Our new student council co-presidents are Emily and Kate in grade 10. Our new vice president is Uki in grade 11. Congratulations to all!

A NEW WATER FOUNTAIN!

This year, the KG Parent Advisory Council raised a total of $8,910! These funds will go towards a new water fountain on the second floor! Installation will start early next school year.

PHONE POLICY CHANGES

Following a change to the VSB’s code of conduct policy, the use of personal digital devices such as cellphones will not be allowed during class. They will need to be placed on silent mode before entering the classroom, and may only be used for educational purposes, as directed by the teacher.

This will go into effect in September, when school starts up again. I’m interested to see how this change will play out at KG, as there is currently widespread phone use during class, despite the fact it is not allowed in the majority of classes.

GOODBYE MR. KARMALI!

Mr. Karmali, our longtime gym teacher and a King George graduate himself, is retiring after this year. Mr. Karmali has worked as a gym teacher at KG for 31 years, and even met his wife while attending KG as a student. Mr. Karmali graduated in 1984.

Thanks so much for teaching us Mr. Karmali, and best of luck in whatever you’re doing next!

**The cover of the 2023-2024 KG yearbook, with cover art by Serena Stone, Grade 10.**

YEARBOOKS

Ms. Cain and the student yearbook council put together this year’s yearbooks, which feature pictures of KG students throughout the year. The yearbooks could be purchased for $25 (softcover) or $40 (hardcover).

The yearbook is a great way to remember the school year — and it’s awesome that we are getting them once again, as in some years past we haven’t.

CARNIVAL

The KG student council organized their annual end-of-year carnival this June!

The event included snacks such as juice boxes, hot dogs, and chips, which could be acquired using tickets that were handed out to students in their third period class.

Students were invited to play games such as tug-of-war, soccer, and volleyball, or just sit and hang out with their friends. Although there were plans to have live music at the carnival, it ended up not being possible due to an electrical issue, in addition to the lack of a noise permit. (Thanks to Albert Stoynov for information on this).

The carnival took place on Wednesday, June 19, and was a great way to end off the school year — being in the sun with your friends.

Thanks for reading, and have an awesome summer KG!

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