Senior School Updates — May 10, 2024

5/10/2024

June 2024 Schedule

Recently, an important email regarding the end of year was sent out to all Senior School families. Please note the schedule for final assessments and celebrations and our expectations around the Graduation Ceremony.

Gold Dragon Pins

Each year, the School recognizes students with a Gold Dragon Pin for achieving first-place standing at the national or international level, or by representing their national team. The Gold Dragon Pin can be awarded for pursuits in athletics, academics, and the arts.

If you feel your son may be eligible for the Gold Dragon Pin, please contact Mr. Len Gurr (lgurr@stgeorges.bc.ca) by Monday, May 13th to put forth his name. A committee reviews the nominations and awards are granted at the year-end Assembly.

Flex Day Highlights — May 9

The Grade 8 morning Deep Dive consisted of different activities run by PHE. They rotated through kickball, outdoor handball, and volleyball games. In the afternoon, they participated in their final Global Stewardship Workshop. Advisory Groups visited neighbourhoods like Pacific Spirit Park, Harker Hall, and Olympic Village. Students were challenged to navigate areas using maps, investigate aspects that make a community, and learn more about how the past shaped the present.

The Math Department hosted the Grade 9 morning session and ran creative math-themed activities, including water balloon bungee jump, game theories, math contests, and logic games. After lunch, they participated in their final Global Stewardship Workshop facilitated by Insight Global Education. They created pitches to solve climate change or stigma issues based on field trips from their last Flex Days.

In the morning, the Grade 10s rotated between a CLE class and a University Counselling session. Students have been exploring different career paths to help them with course selection for the next school year. They discovered their personal values and connected them with their experiences on the Outdoor Education Sea To Sky Trip. They continued with an extended CLE class in the afternoon, and also participated in a grade-wide soccer tournament.

The Grade 11s continued their volunteer placements in the morning. For the Advisors who visited their elementary school buddies, they crafted a gift for their mothers and special persons for Mother’s Day. One group visited the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden and learned about Chinese calligraphy, and another played team games at a nearby park. Following lunch, students had a session of CLC, where they created an Odyssey Plan for their future. There was also a University Counselling panel featuring Grade 12 students who shared about their university application processes and where they are headed in the fall.

For Grade 12 Flex Day, students had one session of CLC throughout the day, and two toolkits. One of the toolkits was led by NourishEducation, who are two Saints parents who teach students about nutrition. Their toolkit was centred around preparing for university by fuelling their bodies with the best types of food. Students learned how to make healthy smoothies and energy bites that were quick and easy to prepare. Another toolkit was Odd Squad, an organization run by retired police officers who hope to empower youth to make positive choices about drug use and criminal behaviour.

There were many exciting lunchtime activities around the themes of Asian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Students could fold origami, learn calligraphy, or participate in a unique Chinese tea smelling competition!

Artist Statements

Angus Gordon '24

Art is a way for me to create and express my inspirations, and interests in a narrative form. My goal is to make something that has a story, whether that story is through the process or the piece itself. Art is a way for me to experiment outside the realm of real consequences. The boundaries of art are limitless and allow me to create something from my crazy thoughts.

Since the age of six, I have always built things such as cardboard cars, popsicle stick houses, and jelly bean holders. I have been working towards an artistic place where I can create a fully fleshed-out portfolio of sculptures that all tell a story or project my crazy thoughts.

This dynamic process gives me the freedom to express myself, my ideas, and is directly influenced by the world around me, allowing me to interpret and engage within it.

Horen Wang '24

I am an artist standing at the crossroads of art and architecture, where the boundaries of traditional creativity are both challenged and embraced. My diverse blend of detailed sketches, vibrant portraits, and intricate architectural models reflect a deep-seated fascination with the tactile and the visual, the abstract, and the structured.

To navigate the world of art is to embrace unparalleled freedom where the only limits are those of the imagination. Yet, within the discipline of architecture, unique forms of constraint are encountered. This intersection, rather than hindering my creativity, ignites a motivation to push boundaries. It challenges me to conceive designs that not only achieve harmony between form and function but also resonate deeply with their environmental and cultural contexts.

In my work, I strive to create not only structures, but also experiences — spaces that encapsulate both the rigour of engineering and the fluidity of art. My works are testaments to the belief that true creativity emerges from the tension between freedom and constraint, imagination, and pragmatism. It is within this dynamic space that I find my inspiration and drive to innovate, crafting works that stand at the paradoxical crossroad of art and architecture, inviting viewers to reconsider their perceptions of space, form, and beauty.

Saints Players Theatre Company Presents

November 6–9, 2024

Auditions: May 27 & 29

Dance Audition: May 28

Callbacks: May 31

Athletic Updates

The Spring season continues as many of our competitive teams enter their Championship stretch. This is what is coming up for your Saints Athletics’ teams.

Badminton

The Badminton Team is coming off a successful trip to their Zone Qualifiers, and are headed to the Vancouver Sea-To-Sky Zone Championships on Wednesday, May 15th. The location of this event is still to be determined, and the team will be updated when that has been finalized. Good luck, boys!

Field Hockey

The Field Hockey Team will be on the turf field at UBC for training on Tuesday, May 14th and Wednesday, May 15th. The team is planning for a few exhibition games in the month of May.

Best of luck to Coach Sarmento and his teammates as the National Senior Men’s Team is on tour in Malaysia!

Golf

The Golf Team had a very successful trip to the Bill Egbers Tournament down in Washington State, finishing as one of only five teams to have all four players make the cut out of 41 teams participating! The team also took 3rd at the ISA Match Play Championships that we hosted at the fantastic Squamish Golf Course on May 6th and 7th. The boys also had a strong showing at the Delta Police Tournament at Kings Links and Mayfair Lakes, also on May 6th and 7th. The team will play showdown matches on Monday, May 13th against VC, and League Matches on Tuesday, May 14th, and Thursday, May 16th against VC and WPGA. Lets Go!

Rowing

It’s a HUGE weekend for the Rowing Team as they are currently competing in the Shawnigan Lake Regatta from May 10th-12th on Vancouver Island. More than 60 of our athletes will be competing this weekend.

Keep an eye on the Saints Athletics Instagram as well as the Saints Rowing Instagram for updates!

Rugby

1st XV and 2nd XV

This past week, the 1st XV Rugby Team travelled to play at the University of Victoria; securing a big win in the Annual Stadium Series Game in a well fought game against Oak Bay. The boys are prepped for their Vancouver Sea-To-Sky AAA Zone Semi-Final on Thursday, May 16th. Please note that the game time and opponent are to be determined.

Junior A and Bs

Last week, the Junior A Team also defeated Oak Bay after the 1st XV game ended. The team will play in the Vancouver Final on Tuesday, May 14th at 4:00 pm on Garcia Field against the winner of the Kitsilano vs. Tupper match! Good luck, boys!

Tennis

The Junior Tennis Team will practice Sunday, May 12th from 5:00–7:00 pm, followed by the Seniors from 7:00-9:00 pm at the UBC Tennis Bubble. The team is coming off of an excellent week at their Zone Finals, and are looking forward to their AAA Provincials which we are taking place at Queen Elizabeth Park from May 23th–25th.

Track and Field

The Track and Field Team is set for their Vancouver Sea-To-Sky Zone Championships which will be held at the UBC Oval on May 21st–22nd. Many of our athletes are looking to qualify for Provincials which will be taking place June 6th–8th in Nanaimo!

Ultimate

The Junior and the Senior Teams are both competing in their Zone Playoffs this Friday, May 10th at Trillium Park. Both teams are looking to advance to their respective Provincial Championships at the end of the month.

Volleyball

The Grade 8 Team had an awesome showing at the Burnaby North Tournament this past week, finishing in second place! The Grade 9 Team heads to the same venue, Burnaby North, today (May 10) for a tournament of their own.

Water Polo

The Water Polo Team will head to the Central Park Pool on Sunday, May 12th for a Friendly! Good luck, boys!

XC Mountain Biking

Next week, The XC Mountain Biking Team will be heading up to Whistler for their sixth race day of the season on Wednesday, May 15th. This is the team’s final tune up before their three-day Provincial Championship from May 22nd–24th in Squamish and Whistler. Good luck, racers!

Follow @saintsathletics_ on Instagram!