Friday, 9 January 2026During the 2024-25 school year, around 140 students participated in the SOW Readathon Reading Challenge, which fosters a love for reading English books while encouraging students to reflect on the values we uphold at our school. A total of 121 students successfully completed at least three mini-tasks and therefore the English Language Education (ELE) Section of the Education Bureau awarded them certificates. Among these 121 students, five exceptional Shungtakians distinguished themselves through their creativity and task-completion, earning the Outstanding Award along with a specially designed SOW Readathon badge as a token of appreciation from the Education Bureau. Four of the participants are eager to share their reflections and experiences from the SOW Readathon:
4J Jeanie Lee & Cheryl Lam
Last year, we joined the SOW Readathon, which is a programme that helped us develop a habit of reading through sharing insights on different genres and inspiring quotes. In this programme, all we had to do was complete at least three mini-tasks in a small booklet. By completing the tasks, we learnt to navigate different messages hidden in the books by reviewing them from different perspectives. Challenges like rewriting the endings and creating a mind-map on the theme of the stories allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the books and the values they promoted to us as readers.
Moreover, the challenges also prompted us to take a step forward to promote the reading environment at school. By sharing the books with classmates and organising activities to promote reading, this programme truly inspired us to explore new worlds and ideas through reading, while utilising the values we have learnt from reading to give back to the community. We enjoyed the process very much, and we learnt a lot from this programme. We had a chance to know more besides from our textbooks, and we could relax ourselves during the process of reading. This was a worthwhile experience and we are happy that we had the opportunity to take part.
6M Iris Ng & Yoshi Law
When we listened to our teacher’s announcement about the SOW Readathon, we were intrigued. SOW Readathon encourages students to read extensively and reflect on values through completing the mini-tasks. We decided to join because we wanted to challenge ourselves, explore more books, and discover the wisdom hidden in stories. Throughout the Readathon, we explored a wide range of books—novels, biographies, and collections of sayings. Some were recommended by teachers and friends, while others we discovered ourselves in the library. Each book opened a new window into different cultures, ideas, and values. The more we read, the more we realised how diverse and inspiring the world of literature can be.
Looking back, the Readathon was more than just a challenge. It was a journey of growth. At first, finishing each book felt like a task, but gradually it became a habit we looked forward to. The mini-tasks in the booklet pushed us to think critically about the stories and connect them to our own lives. We learnt to appreciate not only the language but also the wisdom behind the words. Reading taught us patience, empathy, and resilience. It showed us how characters overcome struggles, how values shape decisions, and how stories can inspire us to be better people.
Receiving the Outstanding Award was a proud moment, but the true reward was discovering how reading can enrich our minds and hearts. As George R.R. Martin once wrote, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Reading allows us to experience countless journeys and lessons. We encourage everyone to pick up a book, join the Readathon, and discover the joy of living many lives through reading.