ASBESTOS CONCERNS, VOLUNTEERISM, AND A FUN WATER GUN GAME

by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

Welcome to May at King George! In the final stretch of the school year, students are preparing for exams, volunteering in the community, and enjoying the increasingly good weather.

ASBESTOS AT KG?

In the last few months some students may have noticed a missing ceiling tile above the bench on the third floor, exposing pipes worryingly labelled “ASBESTOS”. After some looking around the school, several more of these pipes could be found, covered in similar yellow tape, also reading “ASBESTOS”.

Obviously, this could be very worrying, as asbestos is widely known beyond its insulant uses to be a carcinogen when aerated and inhaled. For this reason, asbestos has been phased out fully in Canada since the 1990s, and fully banned since 2018.

Although the third-floor ceiling tile has since been put back in place, my curiosity and self-preservation got the better of me, and I asked Principal Tyler Evans about the nature of the pipes.

His response would be a comforting one to the health-mindful KG student, a demographic I would include myself in.

The first thing Mr. Evans told me was that the ominous yellow tape on the pipes did not signal the confirmed presence of asbestos, but rather a possibility of one, as the pipes are used to carry hot water, meaning that there is a possibility of asbestos being used, with its nature as an insulant.

Previously, the boiler room at KG was fully redone, removing any presence of the harmful fibers. This is comforting, as it shows that progress is being made.

An important note to include is that the presence of asbestos on its own is not harmful, it only becomes harmful when disturbed, broken down, or aerated, when it could enter your lungs and cause damage and even some types of cancer.

KG & STRATHCONA INTERACT COLLABAORATION

An Interact Club is a service-oriented club for youth, sponsored by Rotary International. There are over 20,000 Interact Clubs around the world as of 2025.

Interact at KG is best known for the fundraisers and volunteering projects they operate throughout the school year, a notable example being the fourth annual winter sock & toque drive that concluded in January, a many months-long campaign of collecting warm winter clothing for the unhoused people living in Vancouver parks.

**Strathcona and King George Interact Club members in the Britannia Secondary School Cafeteria before setting off to distribute their care packages.**

On Saturday, April 11, King George and Strathcona Interact Club members met early in the morning at Britannia high school to assemble 1,200 care packages. These included essentials like shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and granola bars. The care packages were sourced from TELUS donations, as well as supplies bought with funds raised by both the Strathcona and King George clubs in the form of snack sales and community grants.

Strathcona and King George Interact Club members met in the Britannia Secondary School Cafeteria before setting off to distribute their care packages.

Four wagons were loaded with care packages, to be walked from Britannia to Hastings Street, with a stop at Oppenheimer Park, then West towards Main. The rest of the packages were fit into several cars, generously driven by parents of volunteers and Rotarians, stopping to park every so often to open up the trunk and refill the volunteers’ wagons.

After only a few hours, all of the 1,200 care packages were handed out. The group debriefed at around 3:15 p.m. in front of International Village mall, after a day that for some had started earlier than a reguilar school day. A big thanks to all of those who made this happen, namely Nina and IP, the co-presidents of the Strathcona Interact Club.

This month, the King George Interact Club will be celebrating the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development from the 18th to 22nd, giving out unique foods from around the world every day at lunch in the foyer, embracing the diverse nature of the King George community and surrounding area.

KG ROCKS 2026

This year’s KG Rocks performances will be taking place on June 10 and 11. To those who aren’t familiar, KG Rocks is the yearly music performance put on by Ms. Pearce’s music program. Each of the two performances will feature completely different lineups of performers from all different ages, levels of experience, and genres. Tickets will be available closer to the dates, purchasable from students enrolled in the music program or at the door.

As always, all funds that are raised go back into the music program, paying for instrument repairs, new instruments, and other equipment expenses not covered by the school’s meagre music program budget.

KG DRAMA DEPARTMENT

During March break, some students in the King George Drama Department travelled to London, England, immersing themselves in theatre workshops, watching plays in London’s West End, and seeing the sights of the city. It was a fun and successful trip for those involved.

This year’s school play, The Doctor in Wonderland was a witty mashup of Doctor Who and Alice in Wonderland. The play ran from Tuesday, April 28 through Friday, May 1. Tickets were $7 for students and alumni, and $15 for adults.

SENIOR SPLASH ‘26

This year’s graduating class is competing in Senior Splash, an intense, multiple-week long water gun fight for a prize of roughly $1,000. Seventy Grade 12 students paid $15 to compete to be the last one standing, in a complex water gun fight where each player is targeting a specific player while also being targeted by an unknown player.

Players are safe while at school or work, but are vulnerable to be eliminated out in public, unless wearing their “safety”. Safeties rotate on a weekly basis, and they often look like an unusual piece of clothing. If you’re seeing a lot of students wearing cowboy hats, crowns, tiaras, Hawaiian lei necklaces, or even pool floaties, the chances are they are competing in this game. Good luck to everyone involved!

Thanks for reading and have an amazing May at KG!