Inside King's-Edgehill School

Join Mr. Kevin Lakes as he catches up with KES Alumnus Jake Oulton '15 in the latest edition of Connect, Converse, Catch-Up!



It is unique for me to connect with a rapper. What’s even more unusual is to converse with a rapper just moments after he had checked on his herd of cattle!

That’s exactly what transpired recently when I had the opportunity to catch-up with Jake Oulton '15. I had heard a few of his tracks, which are gaining in popularity, and dropped by his farm to chat about the music business and his creative ventures.

“Since graduating from King’s, I’ve done a few things. I was a diesel mechanic, worked on transmissions and, of course, I love farming,” says Jake. “There was a period of time that a lot of bad things were happening, even death, and I started creating with my music. I found peace in the writing, it was an outlet – an escape.”



Jake does not look or dress like a typical rapper, but he sounds like one through every beat. “I never try to be anyone other than myself,’ he says. “When I started, I would stay up all night freestyling, I was doing it for myself. I guess I was a closet rapper.”

Jake is very open about using creativity and rhythms as a channel for his ADHD. “I find freestyling comes naturally for my brain.” he says. Jake admits academics were sometimes not his focus at KES and recalls Mr. Alan Dick saying to him that Jake would do well when he found a passion as an adult.

It is a changing landscape for musical artists in the digital world; however, Jake has managed to capture attention. On YouTube alone, he has had over 188,000 views of his three singles: Life on the Highway, Rodeo, and Until the End.

Dear KES Family:

On Friday, April 29, Grade 11 student Linda Jia competed in the Halifax Brain Bee, hosted by the Dalhousie University Brain Repair Centre. The event brought together 11 students in Grades 10-12 from around Nova Scotia to test their knowledge about the brain and neuroscience research. 

Students were given topics in advance to study including memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, and brain disease – just to name a few!



Once Linda found out about the competition, she got right to work and began reviewing the massive amount of material that Dalhousie had provided. As our students often do, she took notes, made an outline, and forwarded her questions to Mrs. Shari Hadley for extra help – all in addition to her other studies and commitments. As a Grade 11 biology student, she had not yet had the opportunity to study the nervous system, so there was no shortage of effort that went into learning the material.

As the first-ever KES student to participate in this competition, Linda came out strong with a respectable third place finish, proudly putting KES students on the map within the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University. 



After the competition, students were given a tour of the labs and witnessed first-hand the cutting edge research being conducted by grad students. It was a wonderful experience for Linda and a valuable experience for all! We look forward to bringing more interested students to next year's competition. 

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year's event! 

We arrived at school right on time at 4:45 pm today. The students' smiles and buoyant mood said it all: while it was great fun to be away, it's good to be home.

It has been a wonderful trip. We have enjoyed having the opportunity to take learning on the road with our Grade 8 students; their shared memories and experiences will be something they will cherish for years to come.

We extend a special thank you to all the parents who have supported our annual voyage to Quebec City. We know that this year's Grade 7 students are already looking forward to Québec 2023!

Students have the remainder of the weekend to rest up and to work on their travel journal which they will submit soon. They have lots of details of their trip to share with family and friends!



— Michelle Belliveau, Paul Baumann, Paul Hollett

We packed our bags this morning and got ready to say au revoir to Quebec City and begin the final leg of our road trip. The time has certainly flown by! After checking out of the hotel it was a short drive to the Museum of Civilization, where students explored the exhibits at their own pace.

Next, lunch and free time at Les Galeries de la Capitale shopping centre and indoor amusement park provided one final opportunity for retail therapy for our students before leaving Quebec City. 



After taking a group photo, we reluctantly said goodbye to our guide extraordinaire Gilles and thanked him for helping to make our stay such an enjoyable and rewarding one.



The drive to Edmundston, New Brunswick, went smoothly this afternoon. Once again, the weather cooperated fully, reminding us of how fortunate we have been to have had blue skies and sunshine for nearly the full duration of our trip. Upon arriving in Edmundston the first stop was for supper and there was something to suit everyone's tastes on the extensive menu at Maple Leaf Queen's Buffet. It was also very enjoyable to reconnect with the restaurant manager and staff whom we had not seen for three years. We also learned that we were their first bus group since the since the start of the pandemic.

After leaving the restaurant it was a short trip to the hotel where we settled in for the evening. Students enjoyed some social time in their rooms or in the pool until bedtime.

It has been another wonderful day with our group. We will make an early start tomorrow as we start the drive back to campus.

We plan to arrive at the Athletic Centre parking lot between 4:30 and 5:00 pm on Saturday. If there are any major changes to this schedule we will make every effort to update this blog to keep you informed.

Dear KES Family:

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, followed by a short bus ride along the coast to our first activity this morning: a visit to the Basilica of Sainte - Anne - de - Beaupré . Its shrine has been a world - renowned pilgrimage site for over 3 5 0 years and it attracts more than a million visitors annually. The mosaic artwork and stained - glass windows were truly awe - inspiring for our students. They marveled at the pillars inside the entrance that are covered with crutches and canes that represented those who have been healed.

Bonjour!

After a good night’s sleep, our students started the day off right with a sumptuous breakfast at our hotel. We boarded the bus with our driver Steven and guide Gilles at 8:00 am, ready and excited to see what our first full day in Quebec City would bring—1,2,3, on y va!

Wolfe vs. Montcalm: The Battle of Quebec



A memorable and pivotal period of Canadian history came to life during our visit to Battlefields Park and the Plains of Abraham this morning. Students took part in an interactive presentation depicting the battle between the British and the French and gained a better understanding of the events that helped to build and shape this nation. 

Mr. Seagram, Mrs. Shields, Ms. Schafer, Mr. Chandler and parents wished us well this morning as the Grade 8s got set to begin the first leg of the journey to Quebec City. Sunshine and cool temperatures made for a very pleasant start to the day. As we left campus at 7:25 am our enthusiastic group sang “Happy Birthday” to Kohen Wainman!