THE SAINT– Winter 2020

THE HAMPER DRIVE | DEATH OF A SALESMAN | HUMBLY, SPEAKING | HOPE & PROTECTION

THE SAINT THE MAGAZINE OF ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL | WINTER 2020

EMPATHY | HUMILITY | INTEGRITY | RESILIENCE | RESPECT | RESPONSIBILITY

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

THE SAINT THE MAGAZINE OF ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL

MANAGING EDITOR SAMANTHA WINK SENIOR COPY EDITOR NANCY KUDRYK GRAPHIC DESIGNER BRUCE ELBEBLAWY GEORGIANS EDITOR IAN YEN ‘03 Head of Georgian Relations PRESIDENT OF THE ST. GEORGE’S OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION PAUL MITCHELL-BANKS '87 PHOTOGRAPHERS Richelle Akimow Photography Bob Frid Samantha Wink Hannah McGeown Rob Newell Photography Ian Yen '03

COVER STORY

16 EMPATHY | HUMILITY | INTEGRITY | RESILIENCE

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DEATH OF A SALESMAN

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OLD BOYS’ PHOTO ALBUM

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REDEFINING WINNING 36

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HUMBLY, SPEAKING

A CULTURE OF RESPECT

SAINTS LIFE

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

A PRODUCTION LIKE NO OTHER BY: DAMIAN HU ‘20

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SAINTS LIFE

Death of a Salesman was truly a Saints’ Players Production like no other. Our journey started back in April of 2019 when the show was cast. From then on, we spent the entirety of the following summer memorizing our lines, getting into character, and preparing for the intense few months of rehearsal to come. The minute we stepped into the theatre for the first rehearsal, I knew something was special.

The entire cast was devoted to putting forth 100% of their effort into this play in order to pay respects to the story and come out of the experience without regrets. At that first rehearsal, we set a goal to enfold each and every audience member into this real and powerful story.

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NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE LUXURY TO WITNESS WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES WHEN PUTTING ON A PRODUCTION LIKE THIS; however, if they did, they would be surprised at the sheer time, effort, and commitment that one endures ensuring everything runs smoothly. From early September to early November, every member of the ensemble—from cast to crew to director—committed an additional two or three hours every night after their 8:00am – 3:00pm school day into rehearsal time. Rehearsals were spent digging into each scene from both the technical and creative sides of the spectrum. And, an important concept that cast members had to keep in mind was to steer away from perfection; instead, to steer toward realism.

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A gritty, down-to-earth, kitchen-sink drama like this was not to be taken lightly. Although each rehearsal was taken professionally, with actors expending considerable mental energy developing their characters’ emotions, and the director exerting that same energy into bringing his vision to life, there was always room for fun. The cast and crew never failed to make the worst moments positive and the best moments even better. No matter how emotional a scene became, the cast and crew alleviated the sorrow with laughter and joy. Those are the moments of the play that we will keep with us forever.

Tired, yet relentless, the Death of a Salesman troupe was more than ready to tackle the show week after seven months of intense preparation. As confident as we were to show the world this incredible story, our last rehearsal was a nightmare. The countless late nights wore down our mental fortitude. Dishearteningly, the final rehearsal was filled with forgotten lines, missed cues, and an overwhelming sense of defeat. The atmosphere was grim. We were worried that all the blood, sweat, and tears were for nothing.

However, with a little help from our director, we were reminded what we set out to do from the very beginning: to bring the audience into the world of the 1940s. To bring them into the Loman home. To bring them along to experience a story with us. At the end of the night, the troupe went home realizing that this one night would not shatter the performance; it could make it stronger.

The first show was unbelievable. The majority of us had never experienced a standing ovation on opening night. Every moment just felt natural and authentic. Everyone, from the running crew to the orchestra to the actors did their part. This was as close to perfect as we were going to get. But we didn’t want perfect. We wanted real. The following two performances only got better and

better. As everyone became more comfortable in their roles, the cues tightened up, the emotion skyrocketed, and the story became more pure. The ensemble joined the crowd for rounds of applause before going our separate ways to await our final performance.

The final performance felt like something out of a movie. I woke up in the morning thinking of ways to cope with the fact that after 20 shows and 10 years with Saints’ Players this was my last one. Ever.

To be honest, it hurt at first. But something inside told me that this last one was going to be special. We met at the school at 5:00 pm for preshow calls. Hair, makeup, and costumes were routine by this point. At 6:30 pm all props were preset in their positions and the cast and crew gathered one final time before our last show.

There we were: 30 minutes before we stepped out into our final performance, Mr. Boise and I gave our final speeches as director and senior actor, and we were off. We tried our very best to hold onto each millisecond of the show. Before I knew it, I was lying 10 feet above the stage on a wooden bed and I caught a glimpse of the stage lights. At that moment, I realized that this was the last time we would see those lights. The last time we would perform a Saints’ Players story. The last time we would be together in this theatre as a cast. I used that emotion to drive every last moment of the play to the very end.

When the lights faded to black there was a rush of emotion. We had given our rawest performance on our final night. The tears we shared at the final bows were not of sorrow for the end to an amazing era, but rather gratitude for what this play had given us.

I, along with the rest of this cast and crew, will be forever thankful for not only what Death of a Salesman has done for us, but what the entire Saints’ Theatre Program has created.

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SAINTS LIFE

A VALUABLE LESSON

BY: THE GRADE 7 TEACHING TEAM

The holidays are expected to be a joyful time of the year, but for many families, they can be exceptionally stressful. In the Vancouver area alone, the Food Bank provides services to more than 28,000 people a week. Food insecurity is not a new issue for our Greater Vancouver communities, and was a driving factor behind the creation of the Hamper Drive by legendary teacher, coach, and Old Boy, Geof Stancombe ‘62.

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Now, more than 40 years into the annual tradition, the Hamper Drive has become one of the most anticipated events in the Saints community.

Organized by students with support from faculty and staff, more than 260 hampers are delivered to disadvantaged families in Vancouver during the toughest time of year. Hampers include food and household items, as well as toys for the children, and are designed to support low-income families through the holiday season.

Upholding the strong tradition of the Saints community, all of the teachers work hard to help the boys recognize and understand how fortunate we are. Ongoing conversations take place in homeroom and classes, and grade fundraising happens across all grades with bake sales, coin drives, hot chocolate sales, ugly sweater competitions, doughnut sales, dress-like-an-elf day, and pajama day, just to name a few. All of the funds raised from these events go toward the gathering or purchase of goodies for our hampers.

With the holidays upon us and the spirit of giving on our minds, we embarked on an adventure: taking 88 Grade 7 boys to No Frills to shop. Armed with Hamper Drive family information, grocery lists galore, and an understanding of our budgets, the boys were excited to make the holidays a little brighter for another family.

Every Grade 7 family sent $20 with their son for their hamper. Each 10 | THE SAINT

Grade 7 class creates hampers for three families. The boys were split into groups and tasked with the job of shopping for “their” family. It was suggested that the boys keep track of the running costs associated with each item they were putting in their shopping cart to ensure they did not blow their allocated budget. Watching the boys try to navigate a grocery store, find specific items on their list, collaborate and communicate with one another, be mindful of strangers doing their weekly grocery shop, and try to stay on a budget was quite a sight!

The boys quickly realized that purchasing all of their necessary items with the money they had was next to impossible—an important lesson that led to a little bit of panic and a whole lot of great conversation. This small exercise gave the boys a glimpse of what it is like to try to feed a family on a very small budget.

Talking to your children about poverty and inequality in the world can be a difficult topic to broach. Exercises like the No Frills grocery shop can help frame the conversation, and provide a great opportunity for the boys to see a bit of someone else’s life and struggles, and ultimately to bring the Saints’ Core Values to the forefront. We talk a lot about Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Humility, Empathy, and Integrity throughout the year, and the Hamper Drive allows us to practice all of them before we enter the new year.

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THREE QUESTIONS WITH

JEREMY LAW The Hamper Drive is an ambitious annual tradition that is deeply woven into the fabric of the St. George’s community.

It would not happen without the full support of the our entire community and the contribution of goods and time by our many generous donors. Jeremy Law and Blundell Seafoods Ltd. have been involved for the past three decades, this year setting a record of donating more than 1500 cases of food to the Hamper Drive and the Adopt-a-School Program.

Mr. Law was gracious enough to lend us his time once more, answering a few questions as to why the Hamper Drive is so important to his family.

Your family has had a long history of giving to St. George’s Hamper Drive. What spurred you to get involved initially?

And what changes have you noticed over the years?

My brother, Jonathan ’97, was Head Boy and School Captain in both the Junior and Senior School. As a tightknit family, we do many things together, so it was a natural fit for us to participate in my brother’s activities while he was a student leader. We are all actively involved in philanthropy and when Geof Stancombe ’62 started the Hamper Drive, he reached out to us as we are in the seafood industry. Geof and I spent many hours on the phone discussing the best strategies to make the Hamper Drive a success and because of Geof’s leadership and drive, we had the privilege of participating in the Hamper Drive not only as a donor but as someone who actually delivered the hampers. Over the years, we have been actively participating in a variety of charities, and what we’ve noticed is that the needs of the community seem to grow each year – the demand for philanthropy seem to increase on a yearly basis.

Philanthropy is a big part of your life, with a lot of emphases put on giving back to the community. Can you expand on some of the benefits you see from your decades of giving?

One of my family’s core values, as instilled by my parents (who were immigrants to Canada), is that we give back to the community that allowed us to thrive and succeed.

The benefits of giving are wide ranging from making sure children aren’t hungry when they’re in school to providing scholarships to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have given out post-secondary education scholarships to young adults who came from families who, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t be able to afford school. We have also been big supporters of health care in BC and we certainly have heard of stories of peoples’ lives being saved from equipment we helped fundraise for.

What would you say is your biggest takeaway after Hamper Drive?

Engagement is everything. We have an obligation to the greater community to give back and philanthropy is one of the ways to do so. Saints has a rich culture of engagement and giving back so we are most fortunate to be able to continue to participate in these traditions.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

CHOICE DAY

FILLED WITH LEARNING, INSPIRATION, AND CONNECTION! BY: DR. KAREN ADDIE

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IN MID-NOVEMBER, OUR JUNIOR SCHOOL WAS ABUZZ WITH EXCITEMENT AS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS COLLABORATIVELY ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE BUSIEST AND MOST INSPIRING DAYS OF THE YEAR. Choice, inspiration, joy, design, authenticity, sharing, making, creating, risking, and challenge are some drivers that shape this special day. One of my Grade 3 students, Jack, shared, “This is my favourite day of the year!” His comment illustrates that this day matters to the boys and it is just the kind of authentic, engaging, and rich learning opportunity that St. George’s School supports.

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Long-term preparations were launched the previous month, as faculty carefully curated Choice Day offerings that would be placed on the learning menu. Student feedback from previous years helped guide our decisions. This annual event invites Grade 1-7 boys to engage in a broad range of activities, side-by-side with their siblings, friends, new peers, and teachers. It is heartwarming to watch a 12-year-old boy support and nurture his 6-year-old partner working toward completing an enjoyable but challenging task. The children truly get to choose what they would like to try and Grade 6s, Tristan and David, noted, “There is really something for everyone and we love the freedom to choose.” James in Grade 4, chimes in, “I work hard all term long and this day represents a time to do something different and be playful.”

The catalogue of workshops is printed and distributed to classes for review. Students eagerly chat, compare, record, and submit their choices, and there is comfort in knowing that every boy gets their actual choice. Teachers’ names are purposefully left off the workshop list so session descriptors are what guide a student’s decision. Most boys try brand new activities, but some have a favourite activity they want to revisit again. The menu changes each year to keep it fresh and add variety for both students and faculty.

Imagine a child’s delight when a student can sew in the morning and join forest games in the afternoon. A session may run with 15 or 100 boys depending on registration. How great is it when you can join a city centre trip to sample food trucks and view street art or conduct a school-wide digital GooseChase mission by scavenger hunt? Board games, building structures, cupcake decorating, multisports, crafts, sculpturing, snap circuits, and Lego are just a few of the 80+ sessions offered in one day. Visit the Mexican Fiesta space or make a trip to the slime lab—it is basically a choose-your-ownadventure day!

Choice Day was initiated when our Principal, Mr. Sturgeon, shared his idea for providing the students with a day of learning and hands-on

fun connected to ArtsWeek. With feedback, the agenda has evolved over the last eight years, and now there is a wide array of choices created to match teacher and student interests and passions. As faculty, we love being able to lead an activity that inspires us or that we have expertise in, as we know we are adding educational value.

The goals for Choice Day align with St. George’s Core Competencies, as this experience strengthens communication, inquiry, leadership, perspective, identity, and creative problem solving. There is tremendous discovery as explorations are designed to foster innovation, design thinking, and creative problem-solving through involvement in diverse hands-on projects and authentic peer experiences. Mr. Murray says “There was electricity in the air,” during his session and he found groups of students shared ideas and inspired each other. Jerry in Grade 6 feels it was “my dream day and I got to express himself”. Walking the hallways, one observes the laughter, energy, talking, and energy of boys sampling something new. Whether indoors or outdoors, there is student perseverance demonstrated as they try a range of enticing offers—and often need several attempts to become skilled and succeed. Students across the grades get to know each other and build new friendships, which in turn builds stronger connections and positively impacts the school culture. Boys greet each other as they see workshop mates in the halls or on the playground. At the heart of the day is the creative ethos that values learning though direct experience and the intellectual and social benefits that accrue from creating something shareable (Martinez and Stager, 2013).

As faculty, I am personally reflecting on my STEAM structures workshop and a Grade 5 student who left at the end of the day, asking me if I would offer this again next year. He enthusiastically told me he already had ideas for what he will do differently, and he wanted to come back again. What a magical ending and a great way to exit a vibrant and energy-filled school day that generated lots of learning, inspiration and imagining for all of us!

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FEATURE STORY

ONE OF THE MOST UPLIFTING ASPECTS OF MY ROLE AS HEADMASTER IS RECEIVING POSITIVE MESSAGES ABOUT OUR STUDENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. This feedback has included everything from a phone call from a senior citizen expressing her appreciation for a Saints boy who carried her groceries from her car into her house through to an email from an Air Canada flight attendant singing the praises of the boys participating in a Rugby Tour.

Most recently, I received a letter from a hockey referee lauding the members of one of our teams participating in a tournament in Chicago. Noting that he had worked three of their games, the referee stated that he and his officiating partners could not think of a team “that could top this one… throughout our 15 years of officiating.” As he explained, “the hockey skill, knowledge, and work ethic the team performed on the ice was great,” but what impressed them most was “their sportsmanship, class, and respect.” Expressing his appreciation to the boys and their coaches “for representing the sport in such a great way,” he concluded that he “will never forget about St. George’s.”

As I explained in Assembly after sharing the referee’s message with the boys, this communication may focus on a particular hockey team, but it could be about any group of St. George’s students involved in a trip or off-campus activity. Moreover, from my perspective, positive comments about our students’ character and behavior are more important to me than any medal, trophy, or championship victory. Our Mission commits us to ‘Building Fine Young Men. One Boy at a Time.’ In other words, our primary purpose is not to win awards or to get our boys into highly competitive or selective post-secondary institutions. Rather, it’s to help students to become better versions of themselves, the very best human beings they are capable of becoming.

Although character education has been one of our Strategic Plan’s three pillars, it is important to recognize that it has been an area of focus for St. George’s since it was founded in 1930. Our definitive Headmaster, John Harker, frequently referred to character education as the hidden curriculum that defined the essence of a St. George’s education. In his speeches, he frequently urged the boys to become what he termed “young men with a purpose.” In his view, young men with a purpose are respectful and able to think for themselves. They hate cruelty and oppression, and they have a strong sense of justice and compassion. Integral to Harker’s vision was the notion of “service above self.” In his words, “service to others is the rent we pay for our room on earth.”

Reflecting on 40 years as a professional educator, I concur fully with John Harker’s assessment. Our most important responsibility is to prepare our students, not only to flourish, but also to make a positive contribution to the world around them. At the Annual Conference of the International Boys Schools Coalition (IBSC) this summer in Montreal, the words of one speaker in particular, psychologist Michael Reichert, struck a deep chord with me. Speaking about the many challenges facing boys as they make their way through their teenage years, he emphasized the importance of community and of engaging them in a variety of positive relationships. In his words: “Holding boys in relationships where they are known and loved is the best way to build good men.”

This issue of The Saint addresses a variety of topics relating to character education. You will learn more about the powerful connection between athletics and character education, along with our Alley Outreach program, the link between Outdoor Education and the Core Values, and the Junior School’s Pictures and Art project. Other articles focus on Syrian refugees and the experiences of one of our students who ‘came out’ during his time at the School. Underlying all of these stories is the notion that character is developed most effectively within the context of a caring community. Relationships are all important, and we must continue our efforts to ensure that St. George’s School is a community where every boy is known and loved.

DR. TOM MATTHEWS HEADMASTER

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

EMPATHY | HUMILITY | INTEGRITY | RESILIENCE | RESPECT | RESPONSIBILITY

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FEATURE STORY

JUNIOR SCHOOL

EMPATHY A St. George’s boy demonstrates empathy when he: • understands what others are feeling.

• sees someone hurt and offers to take him to the nurse’s office.

• tries to comfort someone else who is hurting.

• helps others feel better about themselves.

• identifies the feelings of others.

• stands up for others.

• treats others the way he wants to be treated.

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

JUNIOR SCHOOL

HUMILITY A St. George’s boy demonstrates humility when he: • knows that everyone has a lot to learn.

• recognizes that he is better than no one.

• is gracious after success.

• doesn’t talk down to people.

• accepts winning and losing gracefully.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

INTEGRITY A St. George’s boy demonstrates integrity when he: • tells the truth when he does something wrong.

• follows the rules.

• does the right thing even when no one else is.

• speaks up when he does something wrong.

• shows who he truly is.

• follows his moral compass.

• is loyal.

• includes others.

• keeps his word.

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

JUNIOR SCHOOL

RESILIENCE A St. George’s boy demonstrates resilience when he: • keeps on trying no matter how difficult the situation.

• pushes to the finish and never stops until he has demonstrated effort.

• continues to work on a task he said he would do.

• keeps on going even after a setback.

• finishes his homework even though he is tired.

• tries hard at activities that are not easy for him.

• goes to practice even though there is bad weather.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

RESPECT A St. George’s boy demonstrates respect when he: • asks to use others’ belongings.

• raises his hand to ask a question.

• returns another person’s belongings.

• opens a door for others.

• says please and thank you.

• is polite to other people.

• shares his materials with others.

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

JUNIOR SCHOOL

RESPONSIBILITY A St. George’s boy demonstrates responsibility when he: • hands in his work on time.

• returns what he has borrowed.

• is on time for class.

• keeps his belongings safe.

• comes to class prepared.

• cleans up after himself.

• follows through with his commitments.

• cares for his environment.

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CORE VALUES IN ACTION:

CONNECT 10 CO The Connect 10 cohort strives to learn and act according to the St. George’s Core Values as a way to become global citizens. Over the past four months we have been working to foster these values in our cohort experiences.

BY: JENN TORRY

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FEATURE STORY

VOLUNTEERING AT QUEST FOOD EXCHANGE

DESIGN THINKING FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE AT SAINTS

HUMILITY is a virtue that many desire; however, it is not easy to acquire. The Connect program has offered us many opportunities to connect classroom learning with real life experiences, such as volunteering at Quest Food Exchange. Prior to the volunteer experience, we learned about food insecurity and its prominence in Canada. The most memorable example presented to us described the life of an immigrant family who moved from Japan. The husband was an engineer and proud of moving to the Canadian branch of his company. However, when the abusive work environment of his new job became so unbearable he quit his job, he was unable to find new work, which led to him being behind on bills and his family with an insecure source of food. It humbled us to realize how fortunate we are to not have to deal with this issue. Being able to see the environment people with food insecurities live in and the resources available to them, in person, at Quest, allowed us to be in their shoes and recognize how fortunate we are. This is why Connect 10 is unique: it allows students to learn about issues challenging the local community and offers them a chance to humbly contribute in small ways.

INTEGRITY: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Throughout the first four months of the Connect 10 program, we experienced many different projects with the underlying theme of global responsibility and stewardship. We explored ways to innovate an eco-friendly garden system, we visited forward-thinking farms that taught us about ecosystems, and we volunteered at Quest Foods to experience the ways we can help those challenged by food insecurity. In one of our notable experiences, we spent the day volunteering for a cause that matters to us where we packaged food to be sold to those unable to afford it at retail price. We decided to suppport this after-school volunteering opportunity because we felt it was an important program. Not only did we demonstrate integrity during our field trips, but we also bolstered our principles by learning about food insecurity.

By signing up for the program, Connect 10 students devote their learning experiences to passionately exploring what matters to them and, thus, practicing integrity voluntarily.

RESPONSIBILITY is core to what Connect 10 stands for. During multiple excursions to local organizations such as Sole Food and Southlands Farm, we learned about the interconnectedness of everything around us. In addition, we learned to foster our social 26 | THE SAINT

responsibility of balancing profits with a stable ecosystem. We continuously develop our social responsibility in the classroom by inviting innovative organizations such as Inside Green, Susgrainable, and the National Industrial Symbiosis Program (NISP) Canada to deepen our understanding of complex concepts like economic sustainability and waste reduction. Through their presentations, we learned about the wastefulness of our current economic model and how we might improve upon it by contributing to waste reduction at multiple levels of production and recycling and reusing materials.

Reflecting upon these new insights, we are able to develop a stronger sense of responsibility and apply it to caring for our environment. All of these wonderful experiences strengthen our social responsibility as global stewards, a trait that will be ingrained into our character for years to come.

RESILIENCE is the ability to respond to and persevere through challenges. So far in Connect 10, there have been multiple examples of resilience. One example was the start-of-year project—our community garden. As Connect 10 started up the garden, there were setbacks; however, the Connect group brainstormed new ideas to fix them. For example, during the planning process, we were asked to propose different ideas about composting, which helps plants to grow, and an irrigation system. We found that it was not possible to create an irrigation system using barrels on St. George’s property.

Instead of trying to create an easier but less efficient irrigation system, the irrigation group had to adapt and change their entire workspace to another area: Ms. Potter’s garden. The windmill group of Connect 10 also had their fair share of setbacks. While working on their windmill, they faced a lack of materials, making the process of creating a windmill seem near impossible, and they had a hard time setting it up. Nonetheless, they persevered and finally completed it. Through many rejected ideas, each of us in Connect 10 showed resilience, working hard no matter the challenges we faced. Eventually, we received the approval of the School and were allowed to start working on the garden, demonstrating how our resilience benefited us.

RESPECT is a key part of the way we conduct ourselves and the way we treat each other. The Connect 10 cohort values respect for our environment and our community. We analyzed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how we might use them to better the Saints’ community. In the classroom, we drafted ideas

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

for innovations ranging from minimizing single-use plastic waste to new educational systems to address racism. Through our research and innovations, we have gained a newfound respect for people facing oppression and those who are leading the world in innovation. The Connect 10 program also has a strong connection to environmental sustainability. Through the many field trips to places such as Van Dusen Gardens, Sole Food, Southlands Farm and the UBC Farm, we increased our respect for our larger community and environment. Furthermore, our garden project allowed us to apply this respect to our School’s environment by creating a community garden to share. Apart from the nature aspect of growing food, we also learned to respect our food. We learned that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year, which is up to 40 percent of all global production. To put that into perspective, if this food was not wasted,

PLANTING AT THE UBC FARM

we could feed the entire world population, plus another 2 billion people! Connect is an eye-opener to the problems we face today and marks the beginning of change.

EMPATHY is embedded within all of our Connect projects and discussions. As a cohort, we developed empathy through various field trips. Visiting Sole Food showed us the vastness of food insecurity in Vancouver. When the cohort discovered how many people in Vancouver are affected, we were very shocked and looked for ways to reduce food insecurity in our city. Another trip helped us learn what it takes to build and operate a garden, and we took that advice and applied it to creating our own Connect community garden. The six weeks we spent creating irrigation systems, a wind turbine to power it, and a compost taught us about the difficulties of farming and producing food and allowed us to look at the food production industry from a different perspective.

GOING FORWARD, WE HOPE TO FURTHER EXPLORE THESE VALUES TO ENABLE US TO GROW AS GLOBAL CITIZENS AND FINE YOUNG MEN.

VISITING SOLE FOOD FARMS

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FEATURE STORY

SYRIAN RESPONSE:

HOPE & PROTECTION

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

A cursory glimpse of the news over the past eight years will have certainly shown something about the crisis in Syria: “Explosion in Syrian city kills 30” “ Thousands flee central Syria for Lebanon overnight” “ Syrian war drags into eighth year with no end in sight” The crisis, which began in 2011, has forced over half of the country’s population of 22 million to flee their homes due to widespread violence, destruction of property, and lack of access to basic needs such as food and water. Most of the displaced have sought safety within the country (although many have had to move several times to avoid shifting tides of violence), and an estimated six million have fled Syria altogether, primarily to Syria’s neighbouring countries—Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

For those displaced by war and conflict, daily life presents a series of uncertainties. How long can I stay here?

Will the local community kick me out?

Will the government send me back?

Where will my next meal come from? Will I ever find an income? Will my children ever catch up at school? Will they even go to school?

WILL WE EVER FIND A PLACE TO CALL HOME? BY: AL-RAHIM MOOSA ‘03

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FEATURE STORY

After graduating from St. George’s in 2003, I completed a degree in International Relations concentrated in Conflict and Development, and a law degree focused on International Human Rights Law. I sought to understand the political conditions that gave rise to conflict and war, and to understand what sort of protections could provide safety and security to those affected—or indeed running from—risk to their lives. In 2012, I started working at Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an international non-governmental organization providing emergency relief to people affected by natural disasters and conflict. I was assigned to our Syria response in June 2015, a point in time when the crisis was well underway. Hundreds of thousands of civilians and combatants had been killed. Millions had been displaced. The country was fragmented into chunks of land controlled by either government or non-state armed groups (often referred to as rebels, opposition groups, or terrorists, depending on the context).

The international community was struggling to define its response to Syria. Some countries provided aid, while others provided airstrikes.

Sanctions and destruction of agricultural lands were crippling the Syrian economy, inflating the currency over tenfold, and making normally cheap staples like bread unaffordable. Regional and international actors—the US, Russia, Turkey, the United Nations— fought incessantly over how to tackle the problem, and none was sure whether the solution to the conflict was military or political in essence.

While the collective global response to Syria was anything but clear, one thing certainly was: something had to be done for the millions of Syrians that had been forcibly moved from their homes, with no sign of an enduring solution to end their displacement.

I was posted to Salamieh, a district in central Syria with a population of 100,000 before the crisis, which had ballooned to 250,000 following the influx of displaced people from all over the country. Though Salamieh straddled an area controlled by both state and non-state armed groups, it was also a safe haven that provided critical aid and safety to people in need, irrespective of where they came from.

I was tasked with coordinating our emergency response, which involved three components. Emergency management involved establishing First Aid and Mass Casualty Management teams, community evacuation plans, and coordination systems to design, train, and respond to emergencies such as explosions, attacks, and incursions by armed groups. Our teams mobilized more than 150 times to an array of emergencies across Syria, providing life-saving aid to affected people. Humanitarian assistance involved providing vulnerable displaced people (approximately 50,000 per year) with food baskets, subsidies for urgent medical care, and school supplies to enable children and university students to remain in school.

The third component was refugee resettlement support. As the number of Syrians fleeing their country began to grow, several countries opened their doors to accept refugees, mostly notably Germany, which committed to receiving one million refugees and asylum-seekers in 2015. Sweden, Belgium, France, and other western European countries also followed suit. Back home, Canada announced a special initiative which, through a concerted effort between private sponsors, government agencies, and a generous, hospitable Canadian public, resettled 40,000 Syrian refugees onto Canadian soil. Our organization established offices in several cities in Europe and the Middle East to support resettlement, including legal consultations to help refugees gain asylum and residency, linking refugees with educational institutions and livelihood opportunities, and facilitating access to healthcare support, including mental health. We also partnered with the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon to support its operations to resettle refugees from Lebanon to Canada, which involved conducting basic interviews with refugees who were referred by the United Nations or sponsored by Canadian citizens.

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Our work, which in the humanitarian sector is known as ‘protection’, is part of a global response to a growing issue—forced displacement.

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide due to conflict or natural disasters is at its highest since the second World War— about 70 million.

It’s not difficult to empathize with people who have been displaced.

It’s not hard to imagine being caught up in widespread violence, losing your home, belongings, and savings, sometimes in the blink of an eye, and being forced to flee to unfamiliar land merely for safety, if nothing else. But what gave me true insight is when I understood that displacement strips us of something so essential to our humanness—hope. Hope allows us think of basic pursuits: a choice of where and what to study, whom and when to marry, what our ambitions could be. Displacement reduces hope to a sliver of what it was, taking away any prospects of a future and forcing us to make choices only for survival. When countries like Germany and Canada open their doors to refugees and grant them legal identities, rights, access to services, and pathways to citizenship and livelihoods, they’re offering renewed hope.

Yet, the recent mass migration from conflict-affected states has polarized the global public. Debates rage across the political spectrum in the form of the traditional, left versus right or the more recent neoliberalist versus populist. Immigration and refugee policies are at the forefront of campaigns and elections, and often polluted by misinformation about numbers and impact of refugees.

In my Social Studies and Human Geography classes at St. George’s, I remember exploring what it meant to be ‘Canadian’. One point in particular stuck with me—the notion that Canada is a mosaic. The idea that the preservation of one’s cultures, norms, and traditions, irrespective of where they come from, actually strengthens Canada’s social fabric, and can always be balanced with the rights, obligations, and freedoms that come with being Canadian. This naturally resonated with me. My father was rendered stateless by the Idi Amin regime of Uganda in 1972, along with thousands of other Ugandans of South Asian descent. Canada accepted my father’s family and others searching for somewhere to restart their lives.

I do believe nations like Canada carry a responsibility to continue helping those in need, whether through international aid or resettlement programs. Canada is built on immigration, and by and large, resettled refugees have only contributed to making Canada stronger. But I also learned what it means to be on the other side— the courage and tenacity needed to leave everything you’re used to in the face of grave danger and begin a new life in a completely foreign culture. Watching that unfold before my eyes at every step in the spectrum of forced migration taught me what it means to be Resilient—and that’s something that the collective ‘we’ can learn from.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

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FEATURE STORY

ALLEY OUTREACH

IMPROVING LIVES BY: ADEN GILL ‘20 AND JORDAN ROSENFELD ‘20

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Founded in 2011, Alley Outreach Project (AOP) is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the lives of the people living in the Downtown Eastside and reduce stigma around mental illness, homelessness, and drug abuse. Shortly after its founding, the organization was introduced to St. George’s School so that the students could see the realities facing those living in the Downtown Eastside. As a group, club members travel to the Downtown Eastside and hand out food, water, and new socks and underwear to hopefully brighten the days of the people living there. Over the years, a number of St. George’s alumni have become part of their Board, which attests to the impact that Alley Outreach has on the lives of its members.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

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WE JOINED AOP AT THE BEGINNING OF GRADE 11. WE WERE NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CLUB, BUT WE WERE EXCITED AT THE PROSPECT OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. We didn’t know that this would just be the surface of what we would experience as members of the Alley Outreach Program (AOP).

Going on an outreach to the Downtown Eastside is a privilege and a very meaningful experience. Through our experiences with the club, we have been able to get around much of the stigma around homeless people. It has been valuable to see that the people living on the streets of the Downtown Eastside are much like any other people. They have families, friends, and lives just like we do. It has been an extremely educational and humbling experience to have conversations with the people we have met, and it has allowed us to develop a sense of empathy for the people who face the daily struggles of homelessness in the Vancouver community.

AOP exposes Saints students to things that they do not see every day, and enlightens them on the daily struggles of the homeless in Vancouver. We take pride in being able to provide such an eye opening and educational experience for our fellow students. More than anything, AOP is a fantastic outlet to bring the St. George’s community together. On our outreaches, we see kids from different backgrounds and friend groups coming together for a good cause.

To us, this is where the Alley Outreach Project holds its true meaning.

In a busy place like Saints, everyone has their own niche, and for the most part, stays in their own lane. Alley Outreach is an opportunity to get students away from that and out of their comfort zone, while doing honest work in the Vancouver community.

AOP isn’t an opportunity to pad one’s resume. Everyone who has the privilege to join us on our outings knows that we truly care about our cause. For us, AOP is about giving back to the community that we live in, and fighting an issue that is going on right in our backyard.

Alley Outreach was introduced to the School so that students could understand the truly abysmal conditions of the people of the Downtown Eastside, and empathize with them. Empathy is not only a core value of the School, but it is also a core reason that

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

Alley Outreach is so effective. Empathy enables us to understand how tough their situations truly are, and gives us a reason to do something about it. Within the School, empathy is the same. We are able to understand the tough situations our friends are in, and with empathy, we do our best to help them. Alley Outreach teaches every boy that goes through the program how hard our world really can be and shows us how privileged so many of us are. Furthermore, the program gives every boy a little fire in his stomach, making him want to do more. Seeing such disparities between our lives and those of the people of the Downtown Eastside is a sobering experience and

we know that Alley Outreach is just the start of our experiences with such injustices.

Alley Outreach Project doesn’t just embody the core value of Empathy. Members of the club must also personify the other Core Values: Humility, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.

As leaders of the club, we take pride in having club members that care about the issues that we are tackling. We are looking forward to growing the club not only this year, but setting it up so that it can succeed in the future.

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FEATURE STORY

“EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH HUMILITY.” The words of Ojibway author Richard Wagamese resonate loudly with our guiding educational principles at St. George’s School.

Humility is one of six core values that make up the foundation of our character education. Our definition of Humility includes a recognition that we all still have a lot to learn. I love this definition because it encourages curiosity at every turn. If we approach life with the understanding that there is always more to learn, we are primed to expect every interaction and every experience to yield something valuable, regardless of where or with whom it takes place. It also paves the way for Resilience, another one of our core values. With the acknowledgment that learning is a life-long process comes the understanding that we will make mistakes. In time spent at the Junior School, you may have seen signs encouraging our students to “Fail early, fail often.” This motto reminds us that there is no shame in failure; in fact, becoming comfortable with failure is essential to achieving mastery. Not only does the motto encourage failure, but it reminds us that achievement requires practice and time.

Together, Humility and Resilience—two essential tools in outdoor education—prepare us to forge on despite the obstacles we will inevitably encounter.

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

HUMBLY, SPEAKING A REFLECTION ON OUTDOOR EDUCATION BY: CLAUDIA LUTES

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WITH HUMILITY IN MIND, I HAVE BEEN REFLECTING ON THE ORIGINS OF THE OUTDOOR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL. The first Head of Outdoor Education, now Director of Operations, Neil Piller ’85, wrote an article in 2010 chronicling the history of outdoor education at St. George’s School. I am humbled by the commitment and dedication from which the program was born. What started as a passion for the outdoors and a desire to see it embedded in curriculum has been nurtured by many over the last 90 years, and grown to become a comprehensive and cutting-edge school-wide program. I owe an incredible debt of gratitude to those who have come before me, who have worked tirelessly with amazing foresight and conviction, to ensure that my dream job existed before I could even conceive of it and that our students have access to the invaluable learning opportunities our programs offer. The sowers of the seeds of our program and its subsequent supporters—some of whom I am honoured to work with today—recognized the value of experiential education before it became a pillar of 21st century learning. These colleagues of mine understood that the outdoors are a perfect venue for character development and that lessons learned in the wilderness are often retained well into adulthood, where they pay untold dividends.

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

With the goal of broadening perspectives and developing social and environmental stewardship, our outdoor education curriculum is rooted in Humility. In a progression from Grade 1 to Grade 10, students learn how to care for themselves, their environment, and each other in breathtaking locations. Our scaffolded progression begins with inquiry and taps into each boy’s natural curiosity. In their primary years, the boys explore the outer reaches of St. George’s backyard. They spend time harvesting wild edibles to make tea in Pacific Spirit Park and mine the shoreline for crabs at Acadia Beach.

We head out on these adventures regardless of the weather, and the boys learn the importance of being prepared by packing their “gobags” with essentials like extra layers, water, and snacks. Early on, students come to recognize the truth in Alfred Wainwright’s words, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”

It’s astonishing and empowering for boys in Grade 3 to realize that playing outside in cold and rainy November is awesome, when they are equipped to do so.

In Grades 4 through 7, students participate in overnight residential camp programs, where they learn to navigate the challenges of being away from home and living in a large community. They are introduced to new activities and skills that they will develop over the years to come. They learn to communicate with each other in order to build trust, and to work together to solve problems and achieve group tasks. Students continue to expand their comfort zones, through challenge by choice, and are often surprised at what they can accomplish. With each accomplishment, the boys begin to recognize and practice their independence and form identity. As their independence grows, so too does their understanding of their value in their community.

In my five years at St. George’s School, I have witnessed the transformation of many of our boys, particularly as they learned to navigate the difficulties of self-propelled travel and discovered the pleasures of time spent in wilderness on our longer Grade 9 Explorer and Grade 10 Sea to Sky expedition programs. When students are responsible for cooking meals and setting up shelter for each other, the stakes are high. Burning the rice after a long day of hiking, or erecting the tent in a depression on a rainy night can lead to conflict and discomfort. More often than not, students manage to avoid these pitfalls, but in doing so they learn the value of collaboration and the avoidable misery of trying to go it alone. It may seem inconvenient to them at the time, but on these expeditions our students learn and apply low-impact camping practices and develop an ethic of care for each other and the natural world.

I have read countless journal reflections and university application essays detailing the backcountry mishaps and triumphs of their

authors. I have heard the unbridled enthusiasm and awe in boys’ voices as they describe how they overcame challenging conditions— environmental, physical, or emotional—on expeditions. Certainly, five days in the field will make anyone grateful for the comforts of home. But nothing challenges the mind and the heart like journeying with peers and teachers for 15 days to some of the most remote and wild parts of British Columbia, or enduring the heat and intensity of an Indigenous sweat lodge. These opportunities are so valuable because they offer undeniable evidence of different perspectives and a lived-experience that is often so foreign to our students’ dayto-day routines.

Once students reach Grade 11, they have the opportunity to become student leaders where their learning takes on a new focus and they become mentors and role models. Many of our student leaders remember how fun and impactful their camp experiences were, how much they adored their own student leaders, and they choose to take on this leadership role in order to offer a similar experience to younger students. This year, we had more than a dozen Grade 12s join the Grade 8s at Camp Squeah as student leaders. Their responsibilities included arriving at camp the evening before, participating in a number of training workshops, and then leading their assigned groups from one activity to the next over the course of camp. For the next three days, these student leaders spent every waking (and sleeping) moment with their group. They entertained the boys during mealtimes and transitions, ensured the boys’ safety and comfort during activities and cabin time, and encouraged and challenged their group members when needed. The sacrifices these Grade 12s made in order to be at camp, and the energy they expended in order to provide the best possible experience for the Grade 8s is not to be underestimated. In our final debrief, our Student Leaders acknowledged their total exhaustion and relief in going home, but marveled at the influence they possessed over the boys in their groups and the responsibility they felt in leaving a legacy that was worthy of their trust.

The outdoors has long been a destination for those seeking to test the limits of their skills and character, to commune with nature, and to reflect and gain perspective on the human condition. As our students work their way through each of the phases of our Outdoor Education Program, they become more self-aware and gain a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of the natural world and their place in it. It is my sincerest hope that through this appreciation, the boys are humbled enough to recognize and act on their responsibility toward one another and to protect and preserve our planet, as global stewards.

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FEATURE STORY

“Winning isn’t everything!” Competitive sports here at Saints focuses on the process much more than the outcome. It is highly likely that the high school experience our student-athletes enjoy at Saints will be their last years of competitive and organized sport. We certainly hope that many of them will continue with Basketball, Rowing, Table Tennis, Track & Field etc., so one of our goals is to ensure the boys have the best experience possible while here. That’s why we focus on the environment created at every practice and every game, on every trip and tour, and at every team meeting throughout the year. We want the boys to be able to say, after they graduate, that they had the best time with their team, that their coaches were great, that they enjoyed the challenges and expectations, and that they learned a lot about themselves. Our coaches and the Athletics Department help the boys to work hard and enjoy their experiences whether they win or lose. We focus on the process to ensure as best we can that they have a successful outcome.

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“

I think Humility is important in the game of basketball because you’re part of a team, it’s not an individual sport where it is all about one person. Team sports like basketball need players to have humility in order to have a healthy working team. Why is humility so important?

Humility helps us see that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit, it’s about what the team did together as a whole. Humility helps teams learn and grow because they are open to seeing if there is a better way to do it. Humility is an important element of learning and without it nobody would get better at the task at hand.”

LUCAS BUTLER

“

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

The rowing season is filled with challenges and hardships, which in my experience are balanced with success and victory.

Through these instances our crew and (most) crews around us express humility in winning and losing. In rowing everybody has respect for their competitors because we know how hard it is to train as hard as we do. I see this most in our crews’ relationship with Vancouver College, where, although we feel competitive with them, there is a sense of respect between our crews, because we know how hard each team trains.”

IAN MAK GRADE 11

GRADE 8

“

Rowing requires a connection with your crewmates that is unrivalled.

That sense of community translates into a Respect for not only your team, but also the others you race against. I know, everytime I see another rower, see their calluses, see their posture, that they’ve been through the exact same thing as me. You gain a certain respect and pride, that not only are you a rower, the other person next to you is as well. From the pain and monotony of training, I’ve come to understand that almost everyone has something interesting and difficult they’ve done that deserves respect.

The sport also has instilled a sense of Humility in me. I realized this racing in the Shawnigan Regatta last year. After losing a race we were sure we could win, instead of cursing the people who beat us, I had an even greater respect for them, because the only way to beat someone else in rowing is to train harder. They simply had tried harder, and for that, I could not be angry. Training as hard as we do, it’s impossible to feel hubris when you cross the finish line first, for you know that the people who came second trained just as hard as you. I understand that I am not the be all end all of my boat, that it is the whole crew that decides whether we win or not. I’m not the fastest on the team, and I strive to make the boat the fastest it can be. The greatest thing is that the lessons that rowing has taught me translate into the world outside of the sport.”

ADAM TUNG GRADE 10

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“ “ “ “ In regard to my sports at Saints, Humility means appreciating my teammates on and off the pitch. I understand that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my teammates and I truly do appreciate them.”

To me, Respect is the willingness to always be a helping hand to any teammate who needs it.

Humility means staying grounded and being humble when my team is on winning form.”

BRIAN KIM

JUSTIN CHU

GRADE 11

Humility to me means being humble in victory and defeat, respecting your opponents, and caring for your teammates.

Respect in rugby means respecting your coaches, respecting your teammates, respecting your opponents and having respect for the history of the crest on your chest.”

ANVITH MULPURI

GRADE 11

GRADE 11

Humility in rugby for me is always keeping my head up no matter what the score.

Respect in rugby for me is recognizing the brotherhood of the sport and acknowledging both teams’ efforts to play the game to the best of their ability no matter the circumstances.”

ISAAC BURCH GRADE 11

What Respect means to me in sports is treating everyone the way I want to be treated.”

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When I’m playing hockey, Respect means always shaking the hands of my opponents no matter the outcome and sincerely saying good game.”

SAWYER ADAMS GRADE 10

“

I believe humility is very important in basketball; when you’re winning a game by 30 points but not getting into the opponent’s face, it shows your character. You can score 50 points, but if you brag to your teammates and on social media, does the 50 points really matter?

That is why character and basketball go hand in hand.

Respect is something that is extremely important in basketball. It can lie in every part of the game, whether it is listening to your coaches or cheering on your teammates or even shaking hands with your opponent. If you can’t respect the people who make what you do possible, then you can’t truly love basketball for what it is.”

HAYDEN ROGERS GRADE 9

“

Respect - it means to respect the officials even when the call doesn’t go your way. It means respecting the opposing team; you can be enemies on the pitch but afterward, win or lose, you go over, shake their hands, and you’re friends once again. I have been told many times by coaches, “There are three halves of rugby, the first and the second which we all know, but the most important is the third, the comradery that you show after the final whistle.”

ADAM LEWIS GRADE 11

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

“ “ In rugby, Respect means putting your all into it without excuses, never putting down your teammates or degrading the opposition, while honouring the integrity of the game on and off the field.”

DAVID NEMIROW GRADE 12

“

Respect is an integral concept in rugby. If you respect your opponent, respect your teammates, and respect the game, you can expect success.”

NOLAN SAMMUT GRADE 12

What Humility means to me in regard to sports is making sure that you put your team ahead of yourself. It means fighting for the team you play for rather than self-pride. It means working hard in practice and games as that is what will make the team successful. It means showing good sportsmanship as you know the other athletes are just as important.

What Respect means to me in regard to sports is respecting the time and determination that it takes to to become successful/no shortcuts. It means respecting the referee’s decisions and moving on. It means when a coach gives you an order you respect it and follow it.”

JOSH NEMIROW GRADE 11

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ON SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2019, OVER 100 STUDENTS FROM THE SENIOR SCHOOL PARTICIPATED IN A STRIKE.

CLIMATE STRIKE BY: JONAH EZEKIEL ‘21

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Without context, that may seem like something I should avoid mentioning in the school magazine, but it was for a good cause—to advocate for more progressive climate policies. In the past couple of years, youth climate strikes have become an international movement, and while many consider them to be meaningless acts of typical teenage rebellion, in my mind, they represent something more. Yes, climate change has been on the forefront for years, but never before on such a large scale: it is estimated that over 100,000 people showed up for the strike in Vancouver alone.

Teenagers have almost no political power— peaceful protest is one of the only ways that we can make our voices heard. These youth climate demonstrations are evidence of the scale of student commitment in our generation to engaging in the climate change debate directly. Teenagers as a whole have perhaps never been so passionate about a cause.

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I have noticed this change first-hand at St. George’s since I arrived in Grade 8. Our School has always been progressive and has taken valuable steps to reduce its community’s carbon footprint and to educate its students about environmental issues. While climate change has been a consistent theme, it did not have the prominence that it took on this year, especially when it comes to student activism or interest. To put it simply, what occurred this term at St. George’s was a surprise to me. Student attendance at the strike was impressive, but it goes beyond that. Leading up to the strike, as you walked around the school you would notice interactions between students about climate issues. We hosted a session at lunch about the background behind the strike and to bring people together to build signs for the event. I half expected no one to show up, but the room was full. The excitement even extended to staff and administration. I had multiple teachers approach me to ask for information about the event so they could tell their students where to go and advocate for them to attend, even if it meant missing classes. Dr. Matthews even sent out an email to parents expressing his support for students attending the event.

This year, the Global Perspectives and Community Service Club, or GPACS, started a separate club branch solely for discussing and acting on climate issues. The club spent the first term learning about and discussing climate change itself. Topics have ranged from possible solutions to ways to make one’s own lifestyle more sustainable to the chemical processes involved. This next term, the club will be acting as a working group, analyzing the results from an official environmental audit the School has received, and looking to find ways to make real change within our community.

Yet, even with a newfound level of interest, it is not like the GPACS Climate Club is lined up out the door on Thursdays, nor were the school halls empty on the afternoon of September 27th. I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine leading up to the strike in which he asked me, “How can I warrant missing school, and having to catch up with such a busy schedule, just to be one of thousands of people there?” It is a valid question that has implications not only at

school but in the real world. How can a CEO justify increasing costs to recycle when he has quarterly earnings reports and investors to please? How can an impoverished country justify the costs of renewable energy when people are starving? Climate change is an issue that will likely have dire consequences for the world in the long run, but there are so many other issues with serious immediate implications. Additionally, it’s an abstract, almost surreal concept.

You cannot see climate change, at least not in the same way that you can see homelessness or hunger. It is so easy to look past, especially at a place like St. George’s. For many in our community, the worst impacts of climate change may hardly be felt in their lifetimes and the School is a busy place—people have sports and tests to worry about.

This is where one of the School’s Core Values, Integrity, can guide us.

Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It is a quality that is required, perhaps more than anywhere else, in climate advocacy. The primary justification to give up one’s time to come to Climate Club, or to attend the strike, cannot be derived from self-interest. The only reason one would be willing to make sacrifices for climate change activism is because of a duty towards future generations and the natural world. Integrity requires that we be honest with ourselves about what is truly important for everyone, including the environment and those not yet born, to whom we owe a responsibility. It requires us to have a strong enough moral compass to look past our own personal desires, and stand up for those who cannot yet stand up for themselves.

When I first came to St. George’s the six Core Values were just a list of fancy words to me, but as I have progressed through the years, I have come to see their meaning. They represent the “how” of the School’s goal for its students. A “fine young man” to me is someone who exemplifies the values. So perhaps, the change in climate consciousness and activism at St. George’s this year represents even more: an advancement of the goal of the School—evidence of student accomplishment in the value of Integrity.

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FEATURE STORY

I RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED ONE OF THOSE DARK MOMENTS OF THE SOUL YOU HIT AS A VOLUNTEER FOR THE ST. GEORGE’S COMMUNITY, OR ANY OTHER VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. As a member of the Old Boys Association Board, I was drumming up interest in the November 11th Service at the School, letting my ’76 classmates know the service details. The service is a key contact point that annually brings alumni and the School together. After the service, the Old Boys gather at a reception and perfunctory Annual General Meeting, followed by touch rugby between alumni and students. I thought I was performing a useful service to my classmates but the email response from one hit me hard.

RUDDER FOR THE SOUL BY: JOHN WESTON ’76

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FEATURE STORY

“WHAT I LEARNED AT ST. GEORGE’S WAS A DISLIKE OF INSTITUTIONS.” Okay, so my role had been denigrated as the unthinking slave of an organization, mechanically issuing emails to persons I’d never contact but for the fact we shared a scholastic heritage. Why should I return to a school I left over 40 years ago? Would I even speak to current students? What was the relevance of Remembrance Day to them or me? (The very question addressed by Headmaster Tom Matthews in his remarks that day). Why should I take time from a busy schedule to serve on the Board of the Old Boys Association, a name that sounds a bit weary and antiquated?

In the end, I’m glad I attended the service. It was rich in reminder of traditions we share as members of the St. George’s community, such as singing For All the Saints. More importantly, Headmaster Matthews reminded us of the key role of certain values in how we live our lives, values like Integrity.

The worth of an institution relates directly to its values. Values are honed through the cauldrons of history, inter-generational conflict, and existential change to our civilization. The worthiness of values emerges over time, defined by how they survive when tested.

Values have a universal sense about them, providing guidance like the North Star, enabling people in times of tumult to determine how to lead their lives, pursue their faith, and develop their care for fellow human beings.

Ever since the School’s founding in 1930, character and education have been its keystones. Most readers know the School’s motto: Sine timore aut favore (Without fear or favour). But how many know the School’s articulated values? While the School has heralded well-known values since its founding, the most recent articulation of its values was in 2011. Then, as part of the School’s newest Strategic Plan, it spelled out the values for which it stands: Empathy, Humility, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.

As Member of Parliament for West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country, I operated four busy offices in two time zones, with 48 | THE SAINT

an array of employees and volunteers. Given that I was apart from each staff member more than I was with her or him, it was critical for us to articulate our values. We wrote them out and posted them on the walls of each of our offices. In our weekly all-staff meetings, we regularly referred to our values as rudders, to guide our decisions and words. People on the team were empowered independently to make decisions—as long as they depended on our values for guidance.

Of St. George’s six stated values, Integrity may have had the most impact over the generations. The School defines Integrity as “an extension of honesty; it is doing the right thing even if no one is watching.” That value has increased in importance given that, in our digital age, it’s easier and easier to believe that “no one is watching” what we do. Yes, there’s an irony here. Digital surveillance has increased the ability of authorities and crooks to watch what we’re doing. But, at the same time, computer connectivity allows us to operate in physical isolation from other people, at least with the perception that “no one is watching”.

So what factors can drive us to do the right thing when no one’s watching?

Institutions like St. George’s develop collective memories that mold character. On Remembrance Day, Headmaster Matthews told us that 170 of 200 boys at the Senior School in 1939 served in

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World War II. Tragically, 24 of those boys and 3 faculty members never returned. That was a heroic stand against tyranny by the St. George’s community. November 11th was a vivid reminder that our School bears a noble tradition of doing the right thing.

(Dr. Matthews’ message and the rest of the 2019 Remembrance Day Service—well worth watching—is available to view at: www.stgeorges.bc.ca/remembranceday).

I entered Grade 8 at the School in 1971, the year the School ushered in Alan Brown as Headmaster. During his colourful term, he triggered an era of collective self-assessment and infrastructure expansion.

He had us mark a day of community engagement; I recall helping to build an access ramp for wheelchair-bound residents at their home.

Beyond any benefit we conferred on the residents, the exercise got us off the School property making a conscious effort to do good for the community, regardless of “who was watching”.

Another initiative of Alan Brown’s was more personal to me.

Knowing that I participated in Young Life, a young people’s Christian movement, he asked me to address the School Assembly, to relate my experience. For Alan, this was an attempt to get young men to think about the spiritual aspect of their lives—a classic aspect of what you do “when no one’s watching”. For me, it was an excruciating challenge—how un-cool was it for a rugby-playing teenager to talk about his faith in front of several hundred peers?

I recall another case of what we did “when no one was watching”. As Editor of The Georgian, the School’s yearbook, my editorial team and I were given the chance to reduce the budget by processing photo imagery in-house. The School encouraged our team to innovate.

Some of my talented classmates helped and we broke the mold,

departing from a tradition in which previous yearbooks had relied on outside professional imaging. That saved money for the School and reduced the yearbook cost. Saving other people’s money— even when people weren’t really watching—became a theme in my life. As a Member of Parliament, I could have flown business class between Ottawa and Vancouver, at the taxpayer’s expense. But, for the most part, I chose economy. No one was really watching, but it was a chance to save more than $20,000 a year, and I’m a lean guy who could fit into the smaller seat.

After being “liberated by the voters” in 2015, I took notes from my eight years in the House of Commons and combined them into a book on leadership that focuses on values (On! Achieving Excellence in Leadership). Soon to be published in Chinese, the book argues that a focus on values helps us reach beyond our immediate environments—family, the community, and even the country—to promote excellence in ourselves and others. Values like Integrity are key, but they don’t survive in a vacuum. They thrive when active, relevant institutions like St. George’s promote them every day, in thought, word, and deed.

“Doing the right thing” sometimes flies in the face of other perceptions of St. George’s. By its very nature as an independent school, St. George’s is often associated with rank and privilege.

Should the School ever renounce Integrity and its other values, yielding to the temptation of commercial or other influences, its relevance, its significance, and its brand will quickly ebb away. The School must be known for people who “do the right thing even if no one is watching”. Only then will it attract good young men and make them great, a relevant institution which contributes positively to the community, the country, and the world.

John Weston ‘76 practises law at Pan Pacific Law Corporation, specializing in Government Relations and Indigenous Affairs (www.johnweston.ca). In addition to serving on the OBA Board, he is the volunteer leader of the National Health and Fitness Institute, whose vision is “To Make Canada the Fittest Nation on Earth by 2030.” (www.nhfi-insap.ca)

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FEATURE STORY

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

RESILIENCE A FUNDAMENTAL INGREDIENT IN SCIENCE BY: KATHRYN MURRAY

Two weeks had passed and the lab kits from the States hadn’t come in yet and we were growing frantic. Being a termed course meant we didn’t have the luxury of rearranging our curriculum and beginning a new unit of study in Science 10 and then returning to our long experiment. I sat down with my students, 20 Grade 10s, and laid out the problem. We had ten classes left in term, we needed six to run a really cool lab involving CRISPR, we needed four classes for our unit test and final Harkness discussion, and, in order to finish in time, we needed to begin the lab today. What were we to do?

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THIS IS WHO WE ARE

This CRISPR lab was the final activity of the term in Biology 10, before students rotated to learn Chemistry or Earth Science. Intensely technical, the students would learn a host of biotechnical skills: how to streak an agar plate, how to care for bacteria, how to prepare a culture, how to pipette, and how to use CRISPR—a cutting-edge gene-editing tool—to alter the DNA of bacteria to transform them into being antibiotic resistant. We were using non-pathogenic E.coli, so the students were not at risk. The boys were excited about learning these skills and getting to try such advanced science.

My 15- and 16-year-olds listened to the parameters I laid out. I asked them what we should do and how we could move forward. This lab was central to meeting one of our core biology learning objectives on applied biotechnology. After some reflection, the class decided that it would be better to move our unit test and Harkness discussion earlier as those could be completed before the lab was done, thereby freeing a couple of precious days for the kits to come in.

We were lucky. The people running the supply store were very accommodating and rushed our order overnight, getting us the supplies we so desperately needed. All of us were delighted. Mr. Tran made up the agar, we swabbed our plates, grew our parental generations of bacteria and things were looking good!

After the weekend, the students and I rushed in, eager to see if the plates had grown and produced bacteria over the weekend. A quick glance at our crowded plates showed us that the initial populations were thriving with thousands upon thousands of happy E.coli bacteria. We carefully read the instructions and requirements. We had just enough time to modify their DNA to see if we could turn them into antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This is quite a technical process, involving different solutions being added with micro-pipettes in precise amounts in a particular order, having the solution heated up to precisely 42oC for two minutes before adding the next components, and then letting them rest before plating them. There are many, many areas where things can go wrong.

Imagine our horror at the beginning of the lab where we make an awful discovery: we had been sent 10uL of solution instead of 50uL!

Some containers didn’t even have 10uL (the minimum amount of solution required to alter our bacteria). This was an unmitigated disaster. The lab was almost certainly compromised as we couldn’t run it as planned.

Carefully, we pipetted and re-pipetted the solutions, wishing that we could miraculously make the required amounts appear. They did not.

I turned to my students and framed this new road block: what could we do to salvage this lab?

My students were amazing. As we had just enough supplies to make two sets of plates instead of ten sets, the students suggested that we take the two best plates from the class and choose those bacterial cultures to be the ones transformed. In order for everyone to take part, they split up the steps so that each pair was able to do one small step instead of two people doing the entire process. They were supportive and understanding of one another. Students who were more skilled in pipetting mentored those who were still developing their skills. The boys were calm, cool, and collected.

At the end of the school day, they returned to my room to complete the final stage of the lab, transferring the now (hopefully) transformed bacteria onto new agar plates to grow and flourish. They came back in willingly and cheerfully, meticulously spreading their plates before heading off to basketball and curling.

After the weekend, they came in for our last class together and we checked our plates. Despite the time crunch, the rearranged schedule, the delayed supplies, and then the insufficient materials, the lab worked! The students had successfully transformed the E. coli bacteria into being antibiotic resistant. Little round, white colonies were dotted all over the agar plates. The students were so proud of having overcome all these challenges and actually completing the objectives of the lab.

I was humbled by their resilience. Despite all the curve balls, they simply got on with the tasks at hand that they could do and didn’t seem to fuss over the parts that were out of their control. Their maturity and grace were incredible to behold, and I don’t think I could be prouder of our students.

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FEATURE STORY

A mother and son’s perspective on being authentic while unhooking the anchors that hold us back.

COMING OUT SAINTS BY: EVAN LORANT ‘20 AND JESSICA HOTZ

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I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD SOMEONE USE THE WORD “GAY”: IT WAS IN GRADE 3.

I was eight years old and, while I knew that I was different from some of the other people in my grade, I couldn’t put my finger on it. As I stood in the coatroom of my Grade 3 classroom, I heard those words spoken. It wasn’t a significant comment, the kind that should have stuck with me years later. It wasn’t even directed at a person; it was about meaningless playground games. My first exposure to the word was pejorative.

I don’t think I understood what sexuality was back then, let alone what “gay” meant, but it was clear to my Grade 3 self that it was not a good thing. You wouldn’t want to be gay. You wouldn’t want to be equated to worthlessness.

I certainly didn’t.

I spent so long feeling like I was wrong for being different.

The message came from all around me—not only peers, but also authority figures and media. My identity became an anchor keeping me in place.

Before Grade 6, I never thought that homophobia existed in my sheltered world. I knew I had gay teachers and they were treated just the same as any other. My parents’ gay friends were happy together and there was no awkwardness around them. The only time I had ever seen someone targeted for being gay was in fiction. TV and movies informed my knowledge of homophobia and I thought that it only existed in the deep South and in the early 2000s.

But as Grade 6 rolled around, I learned otherwise. One of my fellow students began targeting me for being gay.

He hadn’t seen me kissing a boy or heard me confess my deep, dark secret. He targeted me for my mannerisms: how I spoke and interacted with my friends. I wish I could say that I took the beratements calmly, letting them slide off my back as I might today. At the very least, I wish I could tell you that I had a witty comeback or laughed my bully’s comments off, pulling his power out from under him like a rug under his feet. But I didn’t. And years later, when I tried to pull up my anchor, to take my identity with me and move on, I realized that it had rusted in place.

It took a long time for me to wrench my anchor out of the floor and move on. But I did. And I’m so glad that I have. I still carry my anchor. It’s a weight that I have to bear a lot of the time, but it grounds me while I keep moving. And without it, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

EVAN

WHEN MY SON EVAN CAME OUT TO ME ON THE SLOPES OF SACRÉ COEUR IN PARIS ON JULY 14, 2015, I WAS PROUD THAT HE HAD THE SELF-AWARENESS TO KNOW HIMSELF AT THE AGE OF 13.

I am relieved that Evan is lucky enough to live in a time of openness and acceptance. The gay men and women of my generation and before suffered personally, professionally, physically, and emotionally to pave the way for the generations that followed, enabling them to be authentic and safe.

As time passed, Evan grew more and more comfortable with expressing his identity. He’s a fine young man living a normal, teenage life, being authentic to himself. What more could I want for my son?

It was Pride Week at school: a new, annual event that Evan had helped create, organized by the GSA, a school club that Evan had worked to rejuvenate. As he walked out the door to school on the first day of Pride Week, I glanced down at his feet. He was wearing four-inch black leather pumps. I called him out for not adhering to the school dress code and he said: “What do you mean? I’m wearing black, polishable shoes.” Well, he had me there, but I still wasn’t comfortable with how he was leaving our home. I struggled with what to say to convince him to change his shoes. He wouldn’t budge. Then I told him he should at least wear comfortable shoes for the bus ride to school. Nope. Under any other circumstance when parental guidance failed, I would at least have had the comfort of natural consequences to help with the lesson. But this time, while he strode down the front path, I realized I wasn’t really worried about what the School’s uniform police would say.

Rather, I was afraid of what the people in the street would think, say, or do. How would his peers react? Would they whisper behind his back?

Would they openly tease him? How would he be judged? How would I comfort him if he came home sad and defeated?

The end of school seemed to take forever that day. I heard the key in the lock and braced myself. Tentatively, I asked how his day was. “Good.” I couldn’t read his tone. Then he clicked his way across the mud room, still in the pumps. I hoped he would feel the question was asked with the same intent of every other day. But truly, I was relieved that he was still wearing the shoes. It meant that all was well in his world. I plucked up my courage and told him that when I tried to convince him to not wear the shoes, it was not because I was ashamed of him, it was because I was trying to protect him from less open-minded people. But he had the confidence and the will to jump in with both feet and deal with how the chips may fall.

Evan wrestled with articulating his identity, to himself, to his family, and to the outside world for a long time. He faced taunting and teasing at school. He was even advised by some adults that he should keep his identity to himself to avoid the slurs and insults. Evan is all the stronger for it. He picked himself up and dusted himself off many times, to the point that he could proudly walk out the door in high heels and think nothing of it.

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FEATURE STORY

A CULTURE OF RESPECT BY: MATTHEW HUGH ‘20

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GROWING UP IN A COUNTRY LIKE JAMAICA, I HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT RESPECT—RESPECT IS WHAT THE COUNTRY REVOLVES AROUND.

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If you want to receive respect from others, you have to show respect first. Respect is taught and modeled to you by parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, teachers, neighbors—literally everyone around you. Not showing respect is cause for punishment—being locked out of the house, sent out from class, publically shamed, and even beaten!

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Respect is found in many forms in Jamaica: simply saying good morning and good night, please and thank you; and not talking while somebody else is (especially if they are older than you, otherwise you might get the belt!). As well, whomever you are talking to—as long as they are older than you—must be addressed by Miss, Sir, Aunty or Uncle (it still feels strange hearing teachers being called by their first name here in Canada). Athletics is also a field that required respect for me back home. With a background of playing team sports in my home country, thoughtfulness and consideration of oneself and one’s teammates is crucial to the functionality and chemistry of the team.

Whilst living in Jamaica, I learnt these three things: that it is incredibly important to respect your elders because they know more than you do, and they know what is best for you (and what is not!). It is also important to respect your peers, and use personal experience to give thoughtful advice. Finally, it is equally important to respect the property of people, because the consequences of not doing so can be negative. These forms of respect have helped me approach various situations, both in Jamaica and in Canada, with consideration and with confidence.

keeping our rooms clean. It is important for others to take care of the Common Rooms, for example. I wish that everyone would do their own dishes and clean up their own mess, as it is disrespectful to expect that others will clean up after you. Maintaining a tidy room shows respect to the custodial staff, who come in daily to clean.

Little things like these can go a long way in maintaining positive relationships with those around you, which in return enables you to have a more enjoyable time in boarding.

Reflecting on my years in St. George’s and Harker Hall, I have grown as a communicator, problem-solver, and leader. These attributes will surely help me throughout university and in my career; however, it is respect that is the most meaningful to me. Just like trust, respect is something that has to be gained, and I now know the value of the lessons taught to me from home.

In moving to St. George’s School three years ago and living in a house with more than 100 other students, respect has played a very important role. Sharing rooms, bathrooms, and common spaces is not easy when others have not been taught respect the way that I was. There are many arguments between roommates, closing of the common rooms, and students taking things that are not theirs. Even before becoming a student leader, I felt it was important to address issues of respect with my peers. Many students have complained of their roommates or friends, for example. I always encourage them to go and talk to the person directly, as only then can solutions to problems be found.

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5TH BLOCK

BEING RESPONSIBLE

How do you teach 775 adolescent boys to be responsible? St. George’s is a busy place and the demands on our students are significant.

Students miss class for athletics, competitions, arts, field trips, and service opportunities on a regular basis. Being a teenager, hanging out and being with friends is also motivating. Being responsible is a challenge.

BY: GARY KERN

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TWO YEARS AGO, THE SENIOR SCHOOL CHOSE TO TEACH THE VALUE OF RESPONSIBILITY

BY THE ACT OF BEING RESPONSIBLE. What we mean is that rather than lecturing the boys or providing guest speakers, we chose to hold them accountable to those things that were most important to their success. Thus, 5th Block was invented as a way to support the busyness of our students while reinforcing the responsibilities required to be a St. George’s student.

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5th Block provides a time and a place dedicated to supporting the academic responsibilities of all students. It occurs after school, and all students are welcome to drop-in for a quiet place to work or for academic support from a peer tutor or a faculty member. Through the integration of technology—including the aggregation of student data from a multitude of applications—Heads of Grade and advisors are getting a better understanding of students’ needs and challenges. The process also allows us to communicate seamlessly with students and their parents to assign the 5th Block for a quiet place to complete a late assignment or a missed test.

Knowing the areas where our boys face challenges with their responsibilities is the key to teaching them responsibility. Ideally, we want them to take the initiative to make sure their responsibilities are met. But, teenagers sometimes need reminders. 5th Block helps our faculty stay coordinated and ensure the various demands on individual students are known. Heads of Grade are able to circle back to students and teach them about responsibility within the context of being irresponsible. This structure makes it significantly harder for a student to not fulfill their duties. Some of the boys find this a challenge, but the key outcome is that all the boys end their terms with their responsibilities met. Staying on top of their learning and meeting those responsibilities are essential for student success.

The final piece to the puzzle was the creation of the Student Profile.

We want our boys to be well rounded and to contribute to the School in a number of ways, including co-curricular, service, leadership, and community. It had been a challenge to know how all of the boys were doing in each of these areas because there was no way to keep track of the many things they do. With the creation of the Student Profile, various data is aggregated into a central location that captures the breadth of each student’s experience. This data includes academic achievement, 5th Block referrals, and a host of other information related to service, leadership, and co-curricular both within and outside of the School. In a perfect world, we can nudge students into different areas of responsibility within the School, knowing that they will benefit from more service or more leadership experiences.

Responsibility is one of the most important Core Values, and education aimed at facilitating the growth and awareness of it in students has lasting effects beyond the School’s walls. Having a strong sense of responsibility can lead to better time management skills, which in turn help students with their work-life balance and well-being as they move into post-secondary. And, while we hope your son goes through his time at Saints without having to attend 5th Block, we are certain that the lessons he learns in being responsible will serve him well in the future.

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FEATURE STORY

CORE VALUE:

RESPONSIBILITY I started at St. George’s in Grade 6 and played Soccer, Rugby, and the trumpet in Band, and I joined the model-building club with Mr. Alford. It was an excellent year and all-around start to my next five years at Saints. In Grade 7, I got Mr. Shin as my homeroom teacher. As many of his students will tell you, when you meet Mr. Shin, you are bonded for life. In Grade 7, I played Rugby once again and also began tackling our big projects like ‘Wonder Expo’ with great interest and effort. At Sports Day, Outdoor Ed trips and other events, my leadership skills started to grow. At the end of Grade 7 on Prize Day, I was rewarded for my growing efforts with the St. George’s School Parent’s Association (SGPA) award for “leading by example and embodying the School’s Core Values.” These experiences in the Junior School helped grow my confidence and overall set up our grade up nicely for the start of Grade 8, Senior School, and outside extracurricular leadership opportunities.

BY: AIDAN HARTLEY ‘21

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IN GRADE 8, I HAD THE GREAT FORTUNE OF BEING ASSIGNED MR. BECOTT AS MY ADVISOR. TO SAY MR. BECOTT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN MY SENIOR SCHOOL LIFE WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

He has taught me so much about so many things, and I can’t thank him enough for continuing to help me strive harder to reach my goals and potential.

Outside of school, it is also important for us to embrace leadership and responsibility growth opportunities. In Grade 8, I worked hard to make Captain with my Vancouver Thunderbirds Hockey team.

This taught me discipline, responsibility, and what it takes to be a leader. Since Grade 7, I have also been very involved as a camper at Keats Camp, with fellow St. George’s boys. I’m now up to about 400 service hours just from being a Keats Camp Counsellor, and this has really led to me being more responsible and helped guide who I am today.

In Grade 9, as a student at St. George’s, the need to be organized and responsible really amps up. It is a time where we also need to find ways to help boys who might need a little assistance in finding their peer group, give a little extra encouragement on the basketball court, that sort of thing. Mr. Figueroa (Figs) has been instrumental in providing boys with opportunities to become more responsible.

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Hockey, for example. Generally getting involved in extracurriculars helps us to become more responsible and better leaders, on and off the bench. In Grade 9 I was again bestowed with a SGPA Award for embodying the core values and leading by example. It is something I have continually worked at—to become more of a leader through Grade 10 and now into Grade 11.

I mentioned Keats Camp and being a Keats Camp Counsellor.

Part of what is great about being at summer camp is, of course, the great outdoors. I’m an avid outdoors enthusiast, so naturally when the opportunity to apply for Discovery 10 came up, I jumped on it. Being in the Discovery 10 cohort last year was pivotal in my road to becoming more responsible. Our trips were sometimes quite challenging and tested us on so many levels: we had to do our own grocery shopping and that is very particular to the remote wilderness; we were packing, unpacking, and cleaning 60+ pounds of gear; we were responsible for other boys’ safety when rock

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

climbing and kayaking—the list goes on and on. Needless to say, Discovery 10 matured us. The 2021 Disco boys are now friends for life. There were many lessons we learned, and Ms. Lutes, Mr. Allen, and Doc Web were instrumental in helping us steer through and grow from the challenges we faced.

Thanks to my enjoyment helping younger children in the great outdoors and at camp at Keats, it was a natural fit for me to volunteer for the Junior School’s Outdoor Ed camps. I’ve had the privilege of being a camp leader for the Grade 4 and Grade 7 Outdoor Ed camps.

It was super fun, I enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with Mr. Shin again, and learned even more from the Outdoor Ed teachers.

All of these experiences in school and in extracurriculars have led me to be more responsible and has given me confidence to try new things. Now as a Grade 11, I’m honoured to be part of the “Each One Teach One” program at Saints. “Each One Teach One” is a mentorship initiative between our School and children attending schools in the Downtown Eastside. The program provides us, as mentors, with the opportunity to spend time with children with diverse and sometimes challenging backgrounds. The boy that I am mentoring is really terrific. I’m thoroughly enjoying being his buddy and trying my best to be a positive role model.

This year I also started working at the Cyclone Taylor Sports.

Working a regular job has taught me the value of working for your hard-earned money and watching where you spend it, among many other things. We all know we have a lot going on at school, keeping our grades up most importantly, and so I’m working to find that balance as we all are, of time split between academics, extracurricular activities, and now, working. I started by working at Cylone Taylor both Saturdays and Sundays because I enjoy it so much, but after a couple of months of working all weekend I decided I could only do one day on the weekend to make sure I had enough

time for homework and studying. This was not my parents telling me this or looking over my schedule, this was my responsibility; as I’m ultimately held accountable for my marks, and how I choose to spend my time.

What it comes down to is this: decisions. We are faced with decisions every day: how much effort we are going to put into an assignment or presentation, how we are going to treat another person, how we are going to respond to a tough challenge. Being deeply involved in school life and embracing the opportunities given to us provides us with great experiences and also forces us to make decisions on how much we can take on and where and who we really want to be.

In Grade 10 I had the opportunity to go on the Rugby Tour to the UK. It was an amazing experience. But later in the year, I suffered a bad concussion and couldn’t compete in provincials. This year, I had to make the decision that I needed to take a year off Rugby and therefore could not go on tour. This was a tough decision. So instead I tried out for the Second Varsity Basketball Team. And I made it! We must embrace these opportunities, and when faced with decisions, make the right choices.

We are so fortunate at St. George’s to have our advisors and faculty to help guide us down our respective paths. Not making decisions for us, not paving the way for us, but showing us the opportunities and simply being there when we need them. I’m also very thankful to my parents for being involved in our school community and being present and active in my extracurricular activities.

I can always work at being more responsible, but I’m blessed to be on this journey and thankful for all that the School and the St. George’s community has done for me. I’m proud to represent my School and take this honour very seriously. I’m excited for what the future holds for me, and for all the boys in the Class of 2021.

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FEATURE STORY

BLOOD DRIVE

IT’S IN US TO GIVE BY: JOSHUA NEMIROW ‘21 AND LUC DIXON ‘21

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LAST YEAR, WE DECIDED TO HOST A BLOOD DRIVE AFTER VISITING ONE OF OUR FRIENDS. A FAMILY MEMBER OF HIS HAD RETURNED FROM WORK, AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT SHE HAS HAD A VERY DIFFICULT DAY, SO WE ASKED HER WHY SHE WAS UPSET. She told us she worked for Canadian Blood Drive Services and that a young patient had passed away before he was able to receive the blood he needed. We were in shock and right away we asked, “How can we help?” It did not take long before we realized that we could host a blood drive here, at St. George’s Senior School. We have a large school community and appealing to them would help increase both awareness and the opportunity for people to donate blood. And, it would provide a great way for students to demonstrate some of the School’s Core Values, especially Responsibility. Donating blood is something that the majority of people are capable of doing to help others and a terrific way to be responsible to the community. After some research, we discovered Saints had hosted successful blood drives in the past.

We met with the Headmaster the next day. Dr. Matthews was very supportive and encouraged us to work with a group of teachers so we could make the drive a reality. We then met with Mr. Kern to determine scheduling, and this September when Luc and I reminded Mr. Kern about the blood drive, and he jumped right in to help us—it was definitely “go time!” Mr. Tweedle and Ms. Konopaki joined in, and we worked together as a team. Mr. Kern researched whether it was feasible to host the blood drive at the school, and Mr. Tweedle scheduled us to speak at the senior grade assembly. Ms. Konopaki was helpful in supporting us during the process of contacting and making arrangements with Canadian Blood Services.

After the assembly presentation, we received many emails expressing support and willingness to donate. This motivated us to make final arrangements with Canadian Blood Services. We organized a shuttle to take students to the Canadian Blood Services building on Oak Street after school on Friday, November 1st. We thought that the blood drive would be successful because so many students and faculty were interested. We had no idea how challenging it would be to follow through. We did not consider how family histories can affect people’s ability to donate blood, and we didn’t think about last-minute cancellations or to mention that people needed to bring their ID.

With 48 hours until the blood drive, we had 18 people signed up to participate. This number slowly dwindled as we learned that some students were no-shows; a couple of donors had conflicting arrangements; and one person could not participate because of family history. In the end, we had three participants. We were somewhat disheartened because we had been expecting a larger turnout. That said, we have learned where we would make improvements to make future blood drives sucessful.

We decided that in the future, we would reach out to St. George’s families, as well as St. George’s alumni. We also considered scheduling an entire week for the blood drive to avoid conflicts with other appointments. We would book an entire week where individuals would be able to donate whenever works for them, as well as have the shuttle run after school on Friday. We are also going to discuss with Canadian Blood Services the feasibility of them coming to school one day.

We really enjoyed learning about Canadian Blood Services and the importance of blood donation. The experience has fostered greater interest in future St. George’s blood drives. We look forward to encouraging and educating more students and faculty about how important blood donation is, so we can help many more people in need.

Remember, the good thing about blood is, it’s in us all to give.

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OLD BOYS

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CANADA V USA RUGBY

This past September, over 50 Saints rugby fans gathered in the OBA-hosted suite at BC Place to cheer on Canada in their last game against the USA before the Rugby World Cup.

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2019 JOHN AISENSTAT GENTLEMAN’S LUNCH

In late November, more than 80 Old Boys met for their annual holiday networking lunch at Hy’s Steakhouse and honoured the late John Aisenstat ’79, founder of the event.

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OLD BOYS

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REMEMBRANCE DAY

On November 11th, the OBA held its Annual General Meeting and Old Boys’ Games. The alumni challenged Grade 11s and 12s in Basketball and Touch Rugby and were able to sneak out wins in both sports.

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OBA HOCKEY

Last June, the OBA held its annual Hockey game at UBC to welcome the newest members into the Association. More than 20 Georgians, old and new, came out to play and catch up with each other.

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OLD BOYS

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REUNION WEEKEND

This year’s Reunion Weekend honoured all classes ending in 4s and 9s, and we welcomed more than 200 Old Boys to the Great Hall for the Friday reception. Dr. Matthews hosted an intimate dinner in McLean Hall with the Class of 1969, celebrating their 50th Reunion!

The Photo Gallery can be viewed at: www.stgeorges.bc.ca/reunion2019

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SAINTS’ NOTES

1996

JUSTIN THOUIN ’96 and his company, lowestrates.ca, has won the Startup Canada’s Ontario High Growth Entrepreneurship Award.

SAINTS’ NOTES 1946

RONALD CLIFF ’46 has been awarded the 2019 Order of Canada for his work as an invaluable volunteer and philanthropist who for decades has applied himself to the betterment of the community.

1972

PETER BULL ’72 was inducted into UBC Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder.

PETER ARMSTRONG ’72 has become a Director on the Nature Trust of British Columbia.

1961

THOMAS J. SADLER ’61 received the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA) Lifetime Achievement Award for 2018-2019 for Exceptional Career.

1964

PETER HEAP ’64 has published a new novel FULL RIP NINE: A Story of Political and Seismic Upheaval. You can find it on Amazon and Kindle.

74 | THE SAINT

1967

AL HUDSON ’67 was named to the Judicial Chair at the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo.

SAINTS’ NOTES

1980

On January 11th, PAT PALMER ’80 was inducted into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame in the Builder category.

1985

DOUG TENNANT ’85 became the new Board Chair of the Surrey Board of Trade on June 19th. The role of Board Chair serves as Chief Governance Officer for the Surrey Board of Trade to ensure that the Board of Directors have a visionary future of not only the organization but also for city building initiatives in Surrey.

MICHAEL SKENE ’85 has been inducted into the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers. On October 3, 2019 Michael Skene became Chair of the Society of St. George’s School.

JONATHAN KING ’85 has become a partner with BNKC Architecture + Urban Design. His designs have included a range of unique projects in Toronto, including 77 Wade Avenue, a signature tall wood-mass timber commercial building located in Toronto’s Junction Triangle Neighbourhood.

1987

IAN DICKEY ’87, took on the role of Creative Project Manager to complete a 37-yearlong dream to bring a new series of engraved Newman guitars to fruition with two models: the Sancti Georgii and Topside. Read the next edition of The Saint to find out the whole story.

1987

DAVID CRERAR ‘87 was named a judge on the British Columbia Supreme Court.

2001

1995

HOWARD CHIANG ’01 has been awarded the Best Book in the Humanities by the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) for After Eunuchs.

BEN COOPER ’95 has accepted the role of Head Coach for the Herning Blue Fox Hockey club in the Metal Ligaen, Denmark’s premier Hockey League.

MICHAEL FEDER ’95 has been named one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers, based on his pro bono work for people with disabilities.

2006 1999

DAVID CARTER ’99 has been nominated for the FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey) Goalkeeper of the Year.

HAFIZ KASSAM ’06 was invited by HRH Princess Katherine to speak at the National Serbian Diaspora Medical Conference on the role of biologics in rotator cuff surgery.

SHANE FENNESSEY ’06 has recently executive-produced the film Inmate #1:The Danny Trejo Story, which had its world premiere in September at the Calgary Film Festival.

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SAINTS’ NOTES

2015 2007

DR. JUSTIN S YANG ’07 successfully defended his PhD thesis at King’s College, London.

His thesis focused on researching the interactions between the ICC legal regime and the inherent plurality in the domestic prosecutions of international crimes.

BEN SCHER ’15 presented at the 5th Annual Contemporary Drug Problems Conference in Prato, Italy . His presentation focused on his MA research on ‘Police Practices in Relation to Supervised Consumption Site Users in Vancouver: An Ethnographic Study’.

BEN SCHER ’15 received the Sally Weaver Award at the University of Waterloo for Public Issues Anthropology.

NICK WICAKSONO ’15 was selected as a Yale Schwarzman Scholar for 2021. Schwarzman Scholars, one of the world’s most prestigious graduate fellowships, are selected through a rigorous application process on the basis of their academic ability, leadership potential, and strength of character from more than 4700 applicants worldwide.

2016 2007

SAM TURNER ’16 was selected for the Canadian University All-Star Rugby Team in the Pacific Nations Cup this summer. The team played against an all-star American colligate team.

CONOR TRAINOR ’07 and THEO SAUDER ’14 were part of the Canada RWC Team in Tokyo.

2008

BEN TISCHLER ’08 was part of the second place team at the inaugural NYC Life Science Case Competition. The team focused on identifying commercial issues of CAR-T cell therapy and strategies to alleviate roadblocks.

2010

BRAYDEN JAW ’10 is proud to be representing HC Kunlun Red Star for another year.

2014

THEO SAUDER ’14 made his HSBC Sevens Debut with Canada at the Dubai Sevens.

2014

PHIL BERNA ’14 won a silver medal with Canada’s Sevens team at the Pan AM Games in Lima, Peru.

SPENCER COOPER ’16 and DENVER FATT ’18 were part of the University of Victoria Rugby Team that won the National University Rugby Championships. JACK SCHER ’17 and FRASER HURST ’15 were part of UBC’s silver medal team. CONNOR JAQUES ’17, NOAH KING ’17, CHRIS WELLS ’17 and RUAIRIDH MACPHAIL ’15 placed third with Queen’s team.

76 | THE SAINT

SAINTS’ NOTES

2017

DEVON MUSSIO ’17 has committed to Anchorage Alaska in the NCAA Division I for the 2020-2021 season.

JAMIE CATLIFF ’17, CHRIS WELLS ’17, JOE SOURISSEAU 15’, and JACK SCHER ’17 coached the Van West U14 team to a bronze at this year PRCs!

2018

JACKSON MUNRO ’18 has committed to play ice hockey for Brown University.

2019

JULIAN BLACK ’19 has been named to the Rowing Canada Junior World Championships Team.

THOMAS KIRKWOOD ’19 was selected to be on the Team White for Canada’s U18 Men’s Sevens Can-Am Sevens.

JACOB BOURNE ’19 and DILLON HAMILTON ’19 were both selected to represent the BC Rugby Union this summer.

BEN STEINER ’19 has joined the online news source MLSMULTIPLEX.COM and will covering everything Canadian soccer, with a focus on MLS. AHMED M ALGHAMDI ‘19 has been named the Youth Player of the Year By BC Soccer.

2018

MATTHEW TERRY ’18 and PIERS VON VON DADSZELEN ’18 were part of the U-19 Canadian Rugby Championship team from Newfoundland, the Atlantic Rock.

BIRTHS ADAM COTTERALL ’00 and his wife Lyndsay are excited to share that baby Kate (“Katie”) Sydney Cotterall joined them on May 28th at 3:45 pm. She was born at Royal Columbian Hospital, weighing in at 8 lbs 5.6 oz!

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SAINTS’ NOTES

WEDDINGS ZACH WITTENBERG ’03 married Danielle Dufaut on June 22, 2019 at 50th Parallel Winery in Lake Country, BC. Members of the Class of 2008 in attendance included ZANDRE NEMETZSINCHEIN (Best Man), THOMAS COBB (Groomsman), JAMES POTTER (Groomsman), ANDREW HAMILTON, DAVID CARVALHO, as well as DANIEL LIPETZ ‘92.

SCOTT TINDLE ’08 to Jemima Steen on May 18, 2019. The Class of 2003 turned out to help celebrate: TYLER HOTSON, BEN LUTES, JORDAN COSULICH, TRISTAN ARMSTRONG, JASON HAMILTON, CHRIS REYNOLDS, TOM MASTERSON, DOUG GRANT, JEFF TING, LOUIS ORIEUX, and GLENDON YIP.

OLD BOYS WHO HAVE PASSED…

On June 23, 2019, JUSTIN L. SEGAL ’08 to Yael Segal (née Chastny) at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. Old Boys in attendance included ADAM SEGAL ’02 (Best Man), JEFF UPPAL ’07 (Groomsman), TAYLOR SEKHON ’08, JONATHAN LERCHER ’07, and FAIZAL SHIVJI ’08.

78 | THE SAINT

PETER STANTON FREER ’60 Peter was born in Vancouver, BC on December 4, 1941 and passed away on July 12, 2019. Guided by his loving parents and by the teachers at St. George’s School in Vancouver, Peter grew into a man of intelligence, character, and impeccable manners. As a youth, his summers were spent on Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island with his beloved grandparents and his brother, Richard, cultivating what would become a life-long passion for boating.

After college, Peter became a teacher in Anaheim, CA and he produced and starred in a Social Studies themed TV program that was televised throughout the Anaheim elementary school system. In the 80s Peter worked for Brother Corporation, enjoyed a successful sales career, and invested in real estate. In the late 90s he founded Insite Technologies, Inc., which manufactured and sold surveying equipment internationally; some of his technology was patented.

Upon retiring in 2009, Peter moved to La Quinta and volunteered as a docent at the Palm Springs Air Museum. In 2013 he married Jan Duncan; their life was magical, loving, adventurous and easy. They were best friends and soulmates, cherishing the time spent together on their boat on Flathead Lake and travelling around the world.

He will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Jan, his stepson Jeremy (Jill), and stepdaughter Jodi (John) and his brother, Richard, and his numerous nieces and nephews.

EMPATHY | HUMILITY | INTEGRITY | RESILIENCE | RESPECT | RESPONSIBILITY

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

THE ANNUAL FUND 2019-20

THRIVE STGEORGES.BC.CA/ANNUALFUND

To help our boys thrive, we need every family to support the Annual Fund.

If you gave last year - thank you! - and please consider giving again. If you have never given before, please make this your first year.

YOUR GENEROSITY HELPS EACH BOY AT ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL ENJOY EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES EVERY DAY. You can give online at: www.stgeorges.bc.ca/Annualfund or by cheque at either the Junior or Senior School.

RETURN ALL UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:

3851 West 29th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6S 1T6

40580507