OCTOBER AT KING GEORGE SECONDARY

by Archie Moses
(click images to enlarge)

It’s only the start of October here at King George, and there are a number of things students are thinking of. Clubs are starting up, Flexible Instructional Time is changing, the space given to learners is shrinking, and there are plans for a mock election.

A MAJOR FIT REWORK

Flexible Instructional Time (FIT) at KG has always been more relaxed. In most secondary schools, students are required to stay in classes during FIT time and plan using an app. In past years KG students had the option to go where they wanted to during this time, which taught them the responsibility of planning ahead by themselves. If they had finished their school related assignments, and didn’t need to use FIT in that way, KG students could have gone for a walk to relieve stress, or moved their bodies. However, this year a revamp has taken place.

**A KG Student Showing his Distaste for the New FIT System.** *(Archie Moses PHOTOS)*

Students are now to book their P.M. FIT locations each and every week. Admin may set FIT assemblies and book it in your schedule on the app. Teachers may book you for a FIT session and, to the dismay of students, they will be taking attendance during this time. This is completely different from prior years, but it is important to note that last year they attempted to make a FIT sign up sheet, but students seemed to also dislike that.

At first students believed that they wouldn’t be able to go outside at all during FIT after these changes, and they also assumed that they would have to attend morning FIT all the time, leaving students devastated. However, it was later revealed that if teachers do not book students and they themselves don’t book a FIT session, they can go outside during this time. Also, during morning FIT students will simply just sign in by writing their name in a log. This really helped students feel better about this change, and in fact most don’t mind it anymore.

On top of all this, afternoon FIT was frozen for all of September. During this time students learned important core competencies and goal setting techniques. However, there were many complaints. Students already do this annually and find it quite boring, so making it last for the whole month was not the greatest idea.

As of writing this, the app is also not downloadable at all, and the website alternative that is needed for FIT time planning does not even work on the school’s own wifi. It is blocked. This is troublesome for many students, as not everyone is able to pay for data. Many features on the website also do not currently work. This is all really making the transition to this new system frustrating.

Students have also remarked that there are many indicators to the website’s source code being AI generated. This is important because AI generated code often contains many small but still critical security vulnerabilities that could lead to many security problems down the line.

KG students are not taking this lightly, with many already considering protesting, putting up posters, and flat out not using the clumsy website. The truth is the relaxed environment is what makes KG what it is, and adding extra partially unnecessary steps to FIT doesn’t improve that environment, it diminishes it.

ANNUAL CLUBS DAY

This year, KG’s clubs day is taking place in early October. During clubs day students can explore new clubs and find out more information about the clubs that interest them. There are many clubs at King George, and this is a great way for students to get an insight into what they're about without a big commitment.

Clubs day is organised by KG’s student council, and different clubs can sign up for booths at different times by speaking with them. The time when students visit varies, as they can visit by themselves at lunch, or instead go with their class during one of their last two blocks.

STUDENTS VOTE

With the coming municipal election this October, KG is hosting their own student vote. The designated student voting day is Friday, October 16 (the day before the civic voting). However, the time that KG’s student vote will be taking place is still TBD.

Students in social studies classes will aid in the voting process, either by setting up, putting up posters, guiding the students to the voting booths, or educating them on the voting process. Afterwards, students can volunteer after school by counting the votes.

Stay tuned next month for the results!

HALLWAYS HAVE MORE SPACE
But Classrooms Don’t

This year, KG’s lunch room and hallways seem less cramped. The student body sits roughly at 545, with the fewest students being Grade 10, and the most being Grade 12. Even though the number of learners is lower than the year before, the students seem to have noticed something interesting: Most classes are completely packed.

The most prominent example of this overcrowding is last block gym. There are three different classes and eighty or more students that all share the same small gym space. This is problematic because it could have a major impact on the students. It gives teachers less time to teach students more individually, fit everyone’s learning needs, and actually connect with these learners. Students also have less space and may feel cramped or overwhelmed.

However, there are positives as well. Rehan Rayani, a KG student who’s currently attending this busy gym class, pointed out that, “classes are quite full, but everyone is engaging because they all have their friends in their class, so no one’s left out.” This is important because having people who you enjoy talking to and working with helps you enjoy classes more and finish work more efficiently.

One of the many main reasons behind this sudden class fullness is space limitations. KG is a smaller school and it has many students, so that can be an issue. So whenever the school has to choose between two small classes, or one big one, the limitation makes them choose the larger class without a second thought.

The root reason for the cramming of many students in classes is that more desirable classes, like woodworking, have fewer students in them for safety reasons. Which forces students into other classes. “Did you notice your classes being more cramped than the years before?” I asked KG student Adien James, “Woodworking not so much,” He responded, “but my other classes are completely full, close to or more than thirty kids.”

All in all, this change in the number of students in each classroom will have many negative impacts on students, but it will also improve things as well, so don’t stress too much, as the effect this has on students is all related to preference.

Thank you for reading, and have a great October KG!