St. George's School (Vancouver)

St. George's School (informally, Saints), of Vancouver, Canada is an independent boys' boarding and day university-preparatory school.

History

St. George's was founded in 1930 by Captain J. F. Danby Hunter. John Harker, serving from 1933 to 1962, was its second and longest-serving Headmaster. To the extent practical, he tried to emulate the heritage of his alma mater, Rugby; much of the public-school spirit remains today. Under the headmastership of Nigel R.L. Toy, its current headmaster, the school has achieved tremendous success. It has been regarded as a leading academic school in British Columbia for the last seven years; as the leading athletic school, for the last four.

The original school operated out of a small country house. It has since expanded dramatically, and the school now maintains two campuses; the Senior School on land leased from UBC in 1965 and the Junior School converted from the former Convent of the Sacred Heart, a historic property purchased in 1979. It continues to expand to this day; the senior campus has most recently renovated on much of its classroom space, along with the auditorium and the main entrance.

Admission

St. George's is a highly selective institution, with admission based on standardised testing, academic achievements, and personal interviews. It is a user of the Secondary School Admission Test.

Students

The student body at St. George's comprises 1,100 boys, with approximately 750 boys in the Senior School and the remainder in the Junior School. The Junior Schools runs from grades one to seven. A sizable portion of the student body boards at the school; many of these students are from countries on the Pacific Rim. Like similar schools throughout the Commonwealth, it maintains a system of prefects and mandates the wearing of uniforms. The graduating class wields the bulk of student authority and school leadership, and contributes its head boy, deputy head boys, and a host of other prefects. Past head boys 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. Those who have attended since the earliest grades are termed "Lifers".

Academics

St. George's offers a variety of academic options that include enriched and Advanced Placement classes. Its boys participate and succeed in many regional, national, and international academic contests, in mathematics, the sciences, and the humanities and social sciences. It is universally regarded for academic excellence. Nonetheless, unlike a number of other university-preparatory school, it has a much broader focus than intellectual prowess. It views with critical attention the building of moral character, and the formation of strong, upstanding traits. A mandatory outdoor education program for students from grades one through 10 is a vital part of its vision of all-round, well-balanced, vigorous education.

Performance

The school has been ranked highly by the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver think tank. Its 2007 report lists the school as a leading school of the West Coast . In addition to significantly exceeding the provincial average, its boys consistently attain superior results in Advanced Placement subjects. The school sends its graduates to the leading institutions of post-secondary learning in Canada, as well as to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

Sports

The school mandates that its boys have a recreational or varsity games choice starting from Grade 8. Boys in senior grades may opt out for one term based on past games attendance.

St. George's has a wide variety of sports teams, including:

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Cross country running
• Curling
• Downhill Skiing
• Volleyball

• Field Hockey
• Golf
• Ice hockey
• Rugby
• Rowing
• Ultimate Frisbee

• Soccer
• Squash
• Swimming
• Track and Field
• Triathlon
• Tennis
• Water polo

Clubs and activities

The school offers a variety of extra-curricular clubs:

• Amnesty International
• Business
• British North American Dining Society
• Graphic Novel
• Improv
• Debating
• Destination Imagination
• Food for Thought
• Mah Jong
• Math
• Model United Nations
• Multicultural
• Robotics
• Reach for the Top
• Tea
• Wood Working

The boys publish a student newspaper, the Echo, and literary journal, The Opus, as well as the school yearbook. There are also various student-organised events such as music nights, socials, and mixers with sister schools.

Notable Alumni

Year of Graduation	Name	Description
1947	Peter J.G. Bentley, O.C., LL.D.	Past President and CEO and current Chairman of Canfor, past director and current honorary director of the Bank of Montreal, member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, Chairman of Sierra Mountain Minerals, a director of the Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia Hospital Foundation, past Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia
1958	Peter M. Brown	Founder of Cannaccord Capital, a large publicly-traded Canadian investment management and banking firm. Past Chairman of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Stock Exchange, and BC Place Stadium.
1962	Hon. Donald Brenner, O.C.	Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
1972	Peter R.B. Armstrong	CEO, Rocky Mountain Rail Tours, the largest privately-owned passenger rail service in North America. Chairman of the Board at St. George's School.
1973	Moe Sihota	Canadian broadcaster and former politician with the NDP.
1976	Arthur Griffiths	Former Assistant to the Chairman of the Vancouver Canucks. Owner of the Vancouver Canucks from 1988 to 1997. Led the initiative to build GM Place. Helped Vancouver secure the 2010 Winter Olympic bid.
1977	Alan Best	Canadian animation director and producer
1980	Pat Palmer	17 selections to the Canadian Rugby XV (and now working at Saints as the Head of Grade 8)
1981	Andres Rivero	Local Deputy in the Congress of Colima, member of PAN, and former President of Seguros ING, S.A. de C.V.
1985	Chang-I Jeffrey Chen	CEO, ASE Global, the largest semiconductering company in the field. Leading ASE's revenue approaching $650 million CAD. Also the first Taiwanese student in St.George's School history, who later on went to UBC.
1997	Ben Remocker	2008 Olympian competing in the Men's 49er (sailing) with teammate Gordon Cook
2000	Jay Malinowski	Lead singer and co-founder of the reggae-pop band Bedouin Soundclash.

Notes

• The junior school campus (Convent of the Sacred Heart) is a heritage site.
• St. George's "sister" school is Crofton House School; it also has well-established ties to York House School and Little Flower Academy.
• It has a friendly rivalry with Vancouver College; for example, the Saints' and VC rowing crews compete annually in a regatta in April, named Saints College.
• St.George's School is ranked among the 25 "Top Private Schools in Canada" list made by [TopPrivateSchools.ca]

External links

• St. George's School website
• St. George's Summer Camps