St. George's School, Vancouver - Review #7

Twelve years at St. George's. 2013 to 2025. That's a long time anywhere. I was a day kid. What made it different is they let you lead without a title. I ended up as Prefect of School Spirit. That role didn't exist before me. They just said "go make stuff happen." So I did.

Being Prefect of School Spirit. Not because of the title. Because I got to make things fun. Wing Festival was my project. Seeing the whole school get into it, laughing, competing, that felt good. I'm proud of that. And I'm proud I stuck with rugby. Could've quit when it got hard. Didn't. That taught me something about showing up.

I would've done more stuff earlier. Chinese Culture Club started in grade eleven. Should've done it in grade ten. Also would've talked to more teachers outside class. Not about grades. Just about what they knew. Some of them had interesting lives. Advice for someone new: say yes to things. Even the dumb stuff. Wing Festival, Mario Kart, whatever. That's where the memories are.

The freedom to build. That's what I liked. St. George's didn't hand me a script. They said here's the stage, go do something. I ran a spirit program. Started a club. Played rugby. None of it was assigned. All of it was mine.

The Mario Kart tournaments at lunch. Best chaos of the week. The snack bar had these protein bars that got me through practice. Grab one. And the top of the Junior School field at night. Go there once before you graduate. Just to see the city quiet.

Honours with Distinction. That's what my diploma says. But here's what I actually remember. Small classes. Teachers who pushed back when you gave a lazy answer. The workload was real but you figured it out. I took business courses when I could. That's where I'm headed now. Trinity College Dublin for Global Business. The school helped me see that path.

Rugby was the main sport. First XV is serious. Practices, travel, weekend games. The team bond was something else. Basketball was more casual for me. Just a way to stay busy in winter. The school has good facilities. Pool, weight room, fields. The hockey guys used UBC. But for rugby, we had what we needed. Coaches were solid. Pushed hard but fair.

I'll be honest. I went to a couple shows. Friends were in them. The productions were good. Full sets, decent acting, packed auditorium. The music kids had their thing. Band concerts in the chapel. I respected it. Just wasn't for me.

Chinese Culture Club. I started that with a friend. We wanted a space to talk about our backgrounds without it being a big deal. Got maybe fifteen guys showing up regularly. The school let us use a classroom, gave us a small budget for food. That was cool. And the Spirit stuff took up a lot of time. Wing Festival was chaos in the best way. Mario Kart during lunch. Silly stuff but guys loved it.

Day student. Didn't board. But I spent time at Harker Hall. Friends lived there. The common room was always active. Video games, homework, just hanging. The boarding parents were present but not annoying. What I noticed was the boarders had this independence that day kids didn't. They had to manage their own time, their own stuff. I envied that a little.

Ate at the dining hall sometimes. Food was fine. Nothing special. The Pancakes, eggs, bacon. The cookies were popular. Gone in ten minutes. Best part was just sitting with your team after a game. That hit different.

Vancouver. You're in a city. That's not nothing. Dunbar Village is walking distance. Coffee shops, sushi places. Downtown is a short bus ride. I spent weekends at the beach sometimes. Jericho, Kits. Just being outside. The mountains are right there. You forget when you're in school all week. But on a Saturday? Go look at them.

The school is big enough that you find your people. About 1,100 kids total. I had my rugby guys. But I also knew music kids, art kids, boarders. The groups mixed. Nobody was weird about it. Being Prefect of School Spirit meant I talked to everyone. That was the best part. I knew guys from every grade, every group.