THE DRAGON'S PEN

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 by Henry MacDougall
(click images to enlarge)

It’s July at King George! With the beginning of summer break comes KG year-end traditions such as graduation and KG Rocks. This sunny July issue of The Dragon’s Pen will include such year-end traditions, along with an exclusive interview with a local KG musician, as well as the end of an iconic neighbourhood school.  

GRADUATION 

This year, a total of 126 students graduated from King George Secondary. About 45 of those graduates received scholarships. The 2024/2025 Valedictorians are Neeve and Cheran, who were chosen by popular vote from the graduating class after a speech that grads described as "rousing.”

Congratulations to all graduating students, and the best of luck with whatever’s next!

KG Students performing at KG Rocks! (ALBERT STOYNOV PHOTO)

KG ROCKS

On June 4 and 5, musicians from KG’s music program, taught by Ms. Pearce, put on KG Rocks, the yearly concert that showcases the musical talent present at our school. This year, KG Rocks raised a total of $3,200 in sales. Bravo! 

As always, all profits from KG Rocks ticket sales went back into the music program. The funding is very needed, given the high costs of running a high school music program. Expenses range from replacing guitar picks up to buying or repairing entire instruments.  

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Meet Tarek

This month's student spotlight features Tarek, a graduating student at KG and a musician. You may recognize Tarek if you saw KG Rocks, as he was one of the emcees for the show.  

Here is my conversation with Tarek. 

Tarek, a KG student and local musician.

HM: What is your name? Who are you? 

T: My name is Tarek, it means shooting star in Arabic. Pretty sweet name — shoutout to my parents. I’m also a musician, I go by the name Teek, 10kteek if I’m rapping, but I’d prefer to not talk about that stuff lol. 

HM: How would you describe your music genres, styles, etc.?

T: My music is all over the place. I have a LoFi project out, a jungle/drum & bass album and I’m working on something right now that’s all rock with some punk influences, a couple covers. Hard rock stuff is where I’m trying to go now definitely. 

HM: Who are you most inspired by as a musician? 

T: I’m most inspired by older music. I love Led Zeppelin, greatest band of all time. The Beatles are awesome too. All questionable people, but amazing musicians. 

HM: How long have you been creating music and what influenced you to start? 

T: I’ve been creating music for about four years now. I had a music teacher in elementary school named Mr. Meroniuk. I think that was his last name, first name Michael. He’s a local musician and he’s super cool. He got me into music properly. Also listening to Gorillaz and Astroworld by Travis Scott made me want to create. 

HM: As a musician, what are your plans for after high school? 

T: I’m starting a band with some friends in the summer, @quince.band is our page on Instagram. You should follow us. We’re gonna play at a lot of local venues hopefully, I’m trying to get some shows set up right now. After the summer I’m going to SFU for music and that’s gonna be a lot of fun. 

HM: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?  

T: I’m dropping an EP in July, it’s gonna be called “Crows”. All platforms, SoundCloud included. Check me out on Instagram (see “Related Links” below).

A GOODBYE TO LORD ROBERTS ANNEX

The Lord Roberts Annex, a long-standing school for kindergarten to Grade 3 students held a goodbye party/reunion for alumni on Friday, June 20. The Annex was originally opened in 1972 and has served as a feeder school for Lord Roberts Elementary since then. Many members of the community showed up to have some cake and look at old class photos.  

The sun sets on the Roberts Annex, following the BC Hydro plan to build a substation beneath the site.

A fun fact, the Roberts Annex shares the same principal as Roberts Elementary, although they each have different vice-principals.  

In 2018, the VSB reached a deal with BC Hydro that stated the Annex would be demolished, and a substation would be built beneath it. The money that the VSB received from this operation would be used to construct a new school in Coal Harbour, and a replacement for the Annex once the substation had been fully constructed.  

Now, in 2025, the school in Coal Harbour has finished construction. Although students will return to the Annex in September, they will switch over to the Coal Harbour location only a few months later, when construction (or demolition) will begin.  

This year, the Annex had 147 students enrolled, with 34 of those graduating. Many members of the West End community attended the Roberts Annex. It’s sad to see it go. 

The 2024/2025 KG yearbook.

YEARBOOKS 

This year, the KG yearbook club produced their very own yearbook! Students had the option of ordering softcover or hardcover copies. Surprisingly, the yearbook includes pictures from as recently as two weeks before they were handed out. That’s some quick printing. Impressive!

Thanks to Ms. Cain, the teacher sponsor, for volunteering her time and energy. 

Have a safe and fun summer, King George community! Thanks for reading. 

RELATED LINKS