St. George's School (Vancouver)

History

St. George's was founded in 1930 by a group of Englishmen recently arrived in British Columbia. Captain John Harker, serving from 1943 to 1962, was its second and longest-serving Headmaster.

The original school operated out of a large country manor house. It has since expanded dramatically, and the school now maintains two campuses; the Senior School, on land leased from UBC in 1925, and the Junior School, converted from the former Convent of the Sacred Heart, a historic property purchased in 1979, which had formerly served as a Catholic all-girls school. The school continues to expand to this day, with the senior campus most recently renovating much of its classroom space, along with the auditorium and the main entrance.

Students

The student body at St. George's comprises 1,100 boys, with approximately 750 boys in the Senior School and the remainder in the Junior School. A sizable portion of the student body consists of boarding students. As in other independent schools, it maintains a system of prefects and mandates the wearing of uniforms. School Captain and other prefects are elected by faculty and their fellow students to provide student leadership with the School. Past School Captains and other prefects have included Rhodes Scholars, diplomats, prominent lawyers and businessmen, and professional athletes. The uniform, as is frequently the case in similar Canadian schools, includes an emblazoned blazer, grey flannels, and the wearing of the appropriate school tie. The school ties vary depending on extracurricular achievement, as well as prefect ties. Those who have attended since Grade 1 are called "Lifers".

Academics

St. George's offers a variety of academic options that include enriched and advanced-placement classes. Its boys participate in many regional, national, and international academic contests, in mathematics, the sciences, and the humanities/social sciences. St. George's also emphasizes the building of moral character, and the formation of strong, upstanding traits. There is also a mandatory outdoor education program implemented for students from grades 1-10.

Sports

The school mandates that its boys have a recreational or varsity games choice starting from Grade 8. Boys in senior grades may opt out for one term based on past games attendance. St George's sports teams have done extremely well in the past 10 years, due in no small part to the commitment and motivation of the students coupled with the passion, dedication, and knowledge of the coaching staff.St. George's has a wide variety of sports teams, including:

Outdoor education

Students are required to participate in outdoor educational programs both in the junior school and the senior school. These activities range from half day trips (grade 1) to full, week-long excursions (grade 10). The junior experiences focus on an education aspect: students learn about first nations people and about the environment. The senior trips involve more personal-based learning; activities in the wilderness such as hiking, kayaking and canoeing focus on leadership and interpersonal skills. There is also a focus on environmental care and education. In grade 10, students have the option of applying for the 'Discovery 10' program. This program is limited to 20 students who participate in a modified Social Studies and PE program, focusing on first nations history, environmental studies, and outdoor leadership. The students spend approximately 55 days out of class on trips (hiking, canoeing, kayaking, rock-climbing).

Clubs and activities

The school offers a variety of extra-curricular clubs:

The boys publish a school yearbook, the Georgian, a magazine, the Saint, as well as a literary and artistic journal, the Opus. There are also various student-organised events such as music nights, socials, and mixers with sister schools.