Grade 8 boys, girls at South Surrey secondary school tear up the track
Published 1:15 pm Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Student athletes at Saint John Paul II Academy in South Surrey have been tearing up the track lately, after winning four track and field banners for their school.
Officially opened in September of 2025, the small, co-ed Catholic school has proved themselves competitive in several areas, including in track and field events, with the Grade 8 boys and Grade 8 girls both winning the Surrey championships as well as the South Fraser (regional) championships.
Grade 8 girls also won the 4×1 event at provincials, noted Saint John Paul II athletic director Mark Wilkie.
“The the biggest thing for me is that they have a positive experience,” Wilkie said, adding he hopes the younger athletes stay with it through their Grade 12 year. “That’s the big goal, is to have to be able to develop as an athlete and go from Grade 8, 9, 10 and up, and hopefully, look forward to the same success when they get to Grade 11 and 12 … that’s the of long game.”
Because it’s a brand-new school, everyone started off the school year from scratch, Wilkie said, noting SJPII received “a good contingent of kids” from other schools in the area.
“You need the stars to align a little bit … you need the ingredients in a strong group of athletes, and then a coaching staff that knows how to put those people in the right places.”
Each athlete can do a maximum of three events, so he and his coaches tried to get their athletes into as many events as possible, especially the events that are a little bit more challenging or harder to coach, such as hurdles or triple jump, Wilkie said.
Participating in athletics is also an excellent way for students to grow and learn, he added.
“Character development is huge. It’s all important … and that’s actually one of the biggest things we’ve seen this year is the overall attitude of the Grade 8s. They’re so positive, and they cheer each other on … that’s that’s been a pleasure to see all year long. I haven’t seen a kind of group like that in a while.”