Students love school

Despite the significant sense of accomplishment that all involved with the King David High School (KDHS) have felt in the past seven months, principal Perry Seidelman said it hasn't been all fun and games.

"We lost our old building at the very beginning of July and we didn't have our new building until the end of August," he explained. "When we finally moved in, we also had this huge increase in enrolment that caught us by surprise. It hasn't been easy."

However, Seidelman said, the one consistent attribute of the school has been its commitment to academic excellence – something that hasn't been lost on either the administration or student body of the school.

"We were inspected by the government in late November and they asked the kids what they liked best about KDHS," he said. "[The students] said that the teachers were the best thing about the school. They said that the teachers really cared about them and gave them the time they needed to learn."

Seidelman said he was only shocked by the students' response to the inspection because he was expecting the school's brand new facilities to top the students' popularity list.

"What we had before was one science lab that was barely adequate and some old computers that had been donated to us," he said. "What we have now are wide open rooms, two brand new science labs and state-of-the-art computers in every classroom.

"But while the kids used to come to this school because their parents wanted them to, now the majority of them are here because they want to be," he continued. "And that has shown in the enrolment numbers."

Many extra-curricular programs have also had the chance to grow in the new facility, adding to the wealth of opportunity KDHS students have to for learning.

Whether they are making pyjama bottoms in the home economics lab or cooking up a lasagna lunch for the staff in the foods lab, Seidelman believes that academic excellence will continue to flourish at the school.

"If you combine a staff that is second to none and a building that is second to none, you get a real positive energy here," he said. "We also have a full athletics program and a full fine arts program."

And this is all on top of the emphasis on Judaics that the school already fosters.

"When Chanukah is here, we celebrate it," Seidelman said. "We will celebrate all the Jewish holidays and still acknowledge regular Canadian holidays like Remembrance Day."

To enrol for the 2006/2007 school year, call 604-263-9700.

Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer living in Richmond.