INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE CANADIANS FELT AT VIC HIGH
On the 70th anniversary of this terrible injustice, it’s comforting to note that students at the time (including those at Vic High) behaved better than their civic leaders. As a school board trustee noted in 1942, “to date there have been no signs of anti-Japanese feelings in our schools. This is to the credit of our boys and girls and to the credit of the Japanese children, whose conduct is exemplary.” The case of Vic High student Yon Shimizu is part of the Times Colonist article (26 February 2012): click here to read it.
VICTORIA ARTIST HOME FOR A HOLIDAY VISIT
Starting in Victoria’s Chinatown in the 1970s, artist Kerry Joe Kelly (VHS ’64) has developed an international reputation for his glass installations. He now serves a broad-based clientele from his home in Portugal. Click here to read the Times Colonist article (7 January 2012).
RIGHTING A HISTORIC WRONG
In April 1942, just two months before his graduation day, Japanese-Canadian student Yon Shimizu was pulled out of Vic High and sent to an internment camp in Ontario. Your Alumni Association is currently working with school and district staff to award Mr. Shimizu his diploma this June — 70 years later! Click here to read the Globe and Mail article (27 December 2011), and click here to read the journalist’s blog on this fascinating story.
VIC HIGH GRAD A HERO IN CHINA
Medical missionary Dr. Victoria Chung (VHS ’16) is far better known in China than in her home town of Victoria. A bronze statue of Dr. Chung in the Jiangmen Central Hospital pays tribute to her trailblazing achievements. Click here to read the Times Colonist article of 23 October 2011.
VIC HIGH MEMORIAL TREES REPLANTED
A row of memorial trees along the school’s Vining Street entrance, originally planted during World War I, was replanted and re-dedicated in a public ceremony on November 10, 2011. Click here to read the Times Colonist story (September 28, 2011). Click here to view photos of the re-dedication ceremony.
VIC HIGH STUDENT HONOURED FOR RIGHTS EFFORTS
Vic High’s heritage includes a long tradition of embracing cultural diversity. Here is a current example, featuring a Vic High student from the Philippines who recently received a prestigious award. Click here to read the Times Colonist story (14 October 2011) and click here to read the Globe and Mail story.
NEW FAIREY TECH OPENS
Over 200 people attended the Open House on June 25, 2011, to bid farewell to the old Fairey Tech building. The event was hosted by current and past Fairey Tech staff and supported by the Alumni Association. Click here to see CHEK TV’s coverage of the Open House and click here to see coverage filmed by A News.
A new wing to replace Fairey Tech, located on the former playing field north of the Andrews (New) Gym, opened in September 2011, and the old Fairey Tech building has been demolished. Click here for a brief history of Fairey Tech and Col. F.T. Fairey.
TOMMY MAYNE IN THE NEWS AGAIN
Vic High grad and longtime teacher Tommy Mayne recently made a generous donation to fund a new theatre apprenticeship program for Victoria’s Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Click here to read the story from the Times Colonist (June 9, 2011).
R & B BAND ROCKS
Vic High’s music program has made us all proud with the renown of the Rhythm & Blues Band. This remarkable group of students, under the direction of teacher Eric Emde, has made a mark for themselves in Victoria and beyond.
The band has formed a special relationship with Motown Legend Martha Reeves. That relationship is featured in a recent documentary called Motown High. A one-hour version was broadcast on Bravo: click here to read the story.
More information is available on the Vic High R&B Band’s website. Or click here to read the Times Colonist review of the band’s concert with Martha Reeves at Victoria’s Royal Theatre.
FAIREY TECH VOLUNTEER
The Toronto Globe and Mail’s columnist Roy MacGregor wrote a fascinating story about one volunteer’s commitment to Vic High and the difference that he is making in students’ lives.
Read the story (PDF 18kb)