THE DRAGON'S PEN
/CHANGES AT THE START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR
by Henry MacDougall
(Photos by Henry MacDougall / click images to enlarge)
It’s October at King George, and with the fall season comes the start of clubs, changes to the curriculum, and finally, the settling of class schedules with counsellors.
DEFIBRILLATORS & NALOXONE NOW IN VSB SCHOOLS
After years of campaigning by Point Grey student Tobias Zhang, Vancouver School Board (VSB) schools are now receiving AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machines — devices that can save the life of a person going through cardiac arrest. Tobias, now in Grade12, began his campaign after a 2022 basketball try-out when a friend passed away from cardiac arrest. Point Grey Secondary was not equipped with an AED at the time.
Mr. Campbell, King George P.E. teacher, next to the New AED machine. (Henry Macdougall photos)
Since 2019, three separate provincial bills (see “Related Links” below) have been proposed aiming to require AEDs in public places. However, none of those attempts have passed as of now.
At King George (KG), an AED is now installed in the school, near the gymnasium on the first floor, close to the water fountain. This comes six years after the first proposed bill regarding defibrillators, and three years after the death of a student at a school very similar to KG.
One of the many considerations that may have delayed the rollout of AEDs was budgeting, with the cost of each AED totalling roughly $2,000. Costs increase with upkeep and maintenance. Add this up over the VSB’s total of 107 schools, and the cost reaches over $200,000. Moreover, the VSB budget didn’t increase for this school year (it actually went down by $650,000). Adding this necessary, but expensive, project while shrinking the overall budget doesn’t bode well for a school as historically underfunded and overcrowded as KG.
Along with the AED itself, KG is now also equipped with curriculum to teach 10th grade P.E. students how to use defibrillators, as well as CPR, and naloxone kits for overdose prevention.
The district-wide introduction of lessons on CPR and Naloxone in Vancouver schools comes at the recommendation of a jury, following the prominent fentanyl overdose death of UVic student Sidney McIntyre-Starko. KG began teaching CPR in its 10th grade P.E. classes ahead of the mandate, starting last school year.
I spoke with Scott Campbell, a KG P.E. teacher, and asked for his thoughts on the brand-new additions to the curriculum, going into a year where these changes will take effect. Here is our conversation:
Henry MacDougall: How does this addition impact the rest of your P.E. 10 curriculum for the students?
Campbell: Not much. Last year we were really intentional about delivering CPR in the curriculum, of course, with the caveat that we didn’t have an AED. The closest AED would’ve been at the community centre. Now it’s great, because we have one in house. Our school also has CPR dummies, and some 1980s practice training AEDs.
HM: And so did you, as a teacher, receive any special training for the new curriculum?
Campbell: Yes, we went through the ACT Foundation. The ACT Foundation is specialized in providing this training to high school organizations. And so what they specialize specifically in is something called breathless CPR, which is a type of CPR that’s a lot more suited to the city, since help is much closer than elsewhere. That training took a day, but what we find is that most of us, for example, one of our staff is a former lifeguard, and I had my wilderness First Aid. So oftentimes people working in P.E. spaces are very highly trained in basic First Aid.
HM: I’ve seen articles recently that say the VSB might have trouble with budgeting this year, following the costs related to the AEDs. Have you seen any kind of a financial strain within your department so far?
Campbell: That’s a really good question. I haven’t seen any as of yet. According to budgetary restraints, it should not affect funding for our P.E. programming. But whether or not that happens is uncertain.
HM: Sometimes later in the day, I will walk past the school gymnasium and see people who are a lot older than the average KG student using the gym. Is it being rented out?
Campbell: That’s correct. Anything that is not involved at the school level is rented out by the School Board. And sometimes it’s rented to the community centre, and they have groups that come in and use it. And so we as the school have no say in how the board runs that infrastructure.
HM: But also the addition of the AED would benefit the community centre in that use of the gym too.
Campbell Without question, yes.
A graph taken from the VSB financial plan. See Link Below.
During the 2024/25 school year, the VSB brought in roughly $7.7 million in revenue from renting out spaces like the KG gym.
CONFLICTING SCHEDULES
Students removed from their classes
As is normal with the start of the school year, the school counsellors saw a flood of students wanting to change their courses this September. Students often want their courses changed for a variety of reasons, that might include not being given their first pick, wanting to have classes with friends, or even just disliking their class and wanting to drop it. All of this is normal, but this year, with KG’s student population reaching numbers as high as 625, students saw a lot more free blocks in their schedule, and a lot less luck while requesting a class switch.
Eric Stoynov, a Grade 12 student, said he was “unexpectedly taken off the attendance list” for his 20th Century History class, and placed in Food Studies instead. This was without any request from Eric, who received no explanation from the administration, even after the issue was resolved three days later.
Eric Stoynov, who was unexpectedly removed from his 20th Century History class for three days.
“I asked the office if they knew why I was moved,” Eric recounted. “They said they didn’t know; it was likely done by a counsellor because of a request.”
Eric continued attending his 20th Century History class with permission from both his Food Studies teacher and his history teacher. This continued for three days, until the situation was ultimately resolved with the office.
Overall, these kinds of experience are not uncommon among students at King George this year. Many students aren’t happy with their course selections, and some are less lucky than Eric, unable to keep the classes they like.
The green irrigation system box, Noticeably dented after a collision with a garbage truck.
IRRIGATION BOX DAMAGED BY
GARBAGE TRUCK
KG’s famous irrigation box, located next to the soccer field, has been noticeably damaged this year after a garbage truck backed into it last school year.
This occurred shortly after the irrigation system was fully installed, making this quite a disappointing turn of events. The irrigation system remains partially functional, with repairs planned in the future, says Mr. Evans, our school’s principal. Watch out for garbage trucks!
Fences and mounds of gravel at local elementary school, Lord Roberts.
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Developments at Lord Roberts & Annex
Recently, local school Lord Roberts Elementary saw the start of some construction, fixing pipes and drainage to stop issues that caused rainwater to enter the school.
Renovations on the basketball court are also in the works for the future KG Dragons.
At the soon-to-be shuttered Lord Roberts Annex, a sign has been put up on the front door that reads “New School at Coal Harbour”.
Front door of the Roberts Annex, with a sign that reads “New School at Coal Harbour”
Of course, this relates to the replacement school for students of the Annex, for use during and beyond the construction of the Hydro Substation beneath the site of the Roberts Annex.
It seems that the official name for the Coal Harbour school happens to actually be “New School at Coal Harbour,” or at least for the time being, until a real name is announced.
Thanks for reading, and have a studious October, KG!
