St. George's School (Vancouver)

St. George's Junior School

St. George's was founded in 1930 by a group of Englishmen recently arrived in British Columbia. Captain John Harker, serving from 1943 to 1962, was its second and one of the most influential headmasters of St. George's School.[3]

The original school operated out of a large country manor house. It has since expanded dramatically, and the school now maintains two campuses; the Senior School, on land leased from UBC in 1925, and the Junior School, converted from the former Convent of the Sacred Heart, a historic property purchased in 1979, which had formerly served as a Catholic all-girls school. The school continues to expand to this day, the most recent updates being the renovation of the Junior School Campus. Currently, there is a campus "masterplan" set which includes the demolition of the current Senior School Building and creating a completely redesigned Senior campus.

The student body at St. George's comprises 1,151 boys from 22 countries, with approximately 750 boys in the Senior School and the remainder in the Junior School. As of June 2016, 109 students were boarding students.[4] Like other independent schools, it maintains a system of prefects and mandates the wearing of uniforms. School Captain and other prefects are elected by the faculty and their fellow students to provide student leaders with the School. Past School Captains and other prefects have included Rhodes Scholars, diplomats, prominent lawyers and businessmen, and professional athletes. The uniform, as is frequently the case in similar Canadian schools, includes an emblazoned blazer, grey flannels, and the wearing of the appropriate school tie. The school ties vary depending on extracurricular achievement and on grade. Students in grades 1–6 wear a striped red, white, and black tie, students in grade 7 wear a blue one, those in grades 8–11 wear a darker blue one with the school's crest on it, and those in grade 12 wear a red tie. Those who have attended since Grade 1 are called "Lifers".

St. George's School emphasizes academic performance as well as the building of moral character, and the formation of strong, upstanding traits. The school offers a variety of academic options that include enriched and advanced-placement classes. Advanced Placement courses from the College Board are generally offered starting in 11th Grade. In the 2016-2017 school year, senior school students wrote 357 AP Exams, and 159 students wrote at least one exam.[4] Its boys participate in many regional, national, and international academic contests, in mathematics, the sciences, and in the humanities and social sciences.[4] Here is a list of Advanced Placement courses offered at St. George's School:

St. George's School frequently places its graduates in universities in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Of its 155 students in the 2017 graduating class, virtually all of its students enter post-secondary education. In 2016, St. George's School students received $1.5 million in merit-based scholarships, received 720 offers from 140 universities, including 10 offers from US Ivy League universities. About 100 of students chose a university in Canada, around 40 attend American universities, and 5 students attended university overseas. The most popular universities for students were the University of British Columbia, Queen's University, and the University of Toronto.[4]

Senior School Campus

Sports is a major part of the student experience at St. George's School. Approximately 80% of students play in a competitive team.[6] To encourage students to live a healthy life and build character, the school mandates that its boys select a recreational or competitive sport starting from Grade 8. Boys in Grades 11-12 may opt out for one term based on past games attendance.[7] St George's sports teams have done extremely well in the last decades, especially with the high quantity and often quality of athleticism and high level of competency in the coaching staff. St. George's has a wide variety of sports teams, including:

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

Great Hall

The school offers a variety of extra-curricular clubs:[8]

Students publish a school yearbook—the Georgian, a magazine—the Saint, as well as a literary and artistic journal—the Opus. There are also various student-organized events such as music nights, socials, and mixers with sister schools Crofton House and York House.

• The junior school campus (Convent of the Sacred Heart) is a heritage site.
• St. George's "sister" schools are York House School in Vancouver BC, St. Margaret's School in Victoria BC and Crofton House School, also in Vancouver.
• The school has a rivalry with Vancouver College; for example, the Saints' and VC rowing crews compete annually in a regatta in April, the "Saints College Boat Race".

• Official website
• St. George's Summer Camps
• St. George's School Profile By OurKids.net: Canada's Private School Guide