St. George's School (Vancouver)

St. George's School is an independent boarding and day university-preparatory school for boys in the Dunbar area of Vancouver, British Columbia.

History
St. George's was founded in 1931 by Captain F.J. Danby-Hunter.

The original school operated out of a large country manor house. It has since expanded, 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.

Students
The student body at St. George's comprises 1,151 students from 22 countries, with approximately 750 at the senior school and the remainder in the junior school. As of June 2016, 109 students were boarding students. Like other independent schools, it maintains a system of prefects and mandates the wearing of uniforms. The school captain and other prefects are elected by the faculty and their fellow students to provide the school with student leaders.

Athletics
Sports is a major part of the student experience at St. George's School. Approximately 80% of students play in a competitive team. 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.

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


 * Badminton
 * Basketball
 * Cricket
 * Cross country running
 * Curling
 * Downhill Skiing
 * Snowboarding
 * Volleyball
 * Field Hockey
 * Golf
 * Ice hockey
 * Rugby
 * Ultimate
 * Rowing
 * Soccer
 * Squash
 * Swimming
 * Table Tennis
 * Track and Field
 * Triathlon
 * Tennis
 * Water polo
 * Rock Climbing

Outdoor education
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).

Clubs and activities
The school offers a variety of extra-curricular clubs:


 * Amnesty International
 * Anime Comics and Games Club
 * Art Club
 * Athletic Trainers
 * Beekeeping and Organic Gardening
 * Book Club
 * Brass Ensemble
 * Business
 * Jazz Combo
 * Ceramics
 * Chinese Culture Club
 * Debate Club
 * Destination Imagination
 * History Club
 * Gender and Sexuality Alliance
 * Improv
 * Jazz Band
 * Investment Club
 * Maker Club
 * Math
 * Model United Nations (MUN)
 * Robotics
 * Wood Working
 * Percussion Ensemble
 * Photography
 * Guitar
 * Language clubs (Russian, German, Japanese, Mandarin)
 * Saints Sprouts
 * Saints Stylus
 * Green Machine
 * Georgian Yearbook
 * STEM Club
 * Wind Ensemble

Students publish a school yearbook, the Georgian; a magazine, the Saint; and 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.