2022-2023

The first blood donation days 2022-2023, on the Blood Donation Coach, was successfully held in early November with 49 units of blood collected. From registration to donating blood, each step followed the additional protocol required under COVID-19. Donating blood is the most valuable gift we can give. The decision to donate blood can save a life or keep supporting the drive. The next blood donation day will be in May 2023.

When I was in S4, I was honoured to be nominated to join the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award by my school. Established in 1985, HKOSA recognises promising students with outstanding academic, extracurricular, and community service achievements and morality. All Finalists of the Award are invited to join the HKOSA Association, which has evolved into a diverse community of more than 1,000 Award Alumni, including social leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals. ‘Giving is Outstanding’ is the slogan of the award, which encourages us to contribute to society. I have learned so much and broadened my horizons on this one and a half-year journey. From the 400 candidates that sat the written test to the final 20 individual interviews, I have met so many different OSArs. Each stage of the award interview is unforgettable and will definitely be a lifelong memory for me. One highlight was the assessment camp which was held in June 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, the usual overnight camp was not possible, so a two-day camp was held instead. Even though it was not overnight, we had enough time to be with the other participants and learn about each other. Being an OSAr does not only require our academic abilities, but also calls upon our personalities, actions, and understanding of society. We formed teams and played different games to train our team spirit as well as show our own uniqueness. My team colour was green, and my team was called ‘Greenish Green’. Although we didn’t know whether we would meet again in the future, we treasured the moments we had at that time. We were all genuine with our peers and showed the real version of ourselves during the camp. After passing the assessment camp, we became official OSArs. There was a wide variety of ‘enrichment programmes’ provided by the Youth Arch Foundation, such as excursions sharings about different topics from past members of OSA. We could ask questions and chat with them to share opinions at dinner or lunch gatherings. Moreover, past members were paired up with students who are interested in studying overseas, to act as their mentors. In the programmes, we would learn more about real experiences from past OSArs and get their genuine and valuable opinions. In the finalist sharing session, I chose to present on “Special Educational Need Students”. “Every kid is unique” was my presentation title. Every student has their own personality and hobby and no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. I also heard some brilliant talks from other OSArs. Some of them who are also secondary school students had organised NGOs and were even representatives of the Hong Kong girl’s football team. Most of them targeted education inequality and even organised different enterprises like second-hand book shops and tutoring platforms. Seeing these outstanding performers, I truly understood the meaning of the term – “There is always a taller mountain”. We may think we are strong already, but we should never be overconfident or arrogant. On the other hand, we should not look down on ourselves or others because everyone has hidden talents and abilities. In a nutshell, I learned so much and broadened my horizons with the HKOSA, and I am glad to have been a part of it. I still couldn’t believe that I have been through so many stages and interviews, and it has been a blessing for me at each stage. The OSAr family is very special. There is a bond between present and past members and they are all willing to share and give opinions to each other. I met truly talented peers in society, and I was able to interact with them. This was undoubtedly a rare and precious experience and now, I have a brand-new interpretation for the meaning of ‘outstanding’. I hope whoever is reading this can also step out of their comfort zone and remember that ‘outstanding is giving’. Contribute to society while being excellent with your own skills!

With the weather noticeably warming up, you may recall, on a cooler, more drizzly day last December, our annual Operation Santa Claus (OSC) was held on a dreary but cheerful Friday afternoon. Our efforts and charitable spirit have now been acknowledged by RTHK and SCMP, the joint organizers of the fundraising event. Shung Tak Catholic English School has been recognized and awarded as the ‘Most Creative School Fundraiser’ this year.
This award certainly demonstrates that our school has the common spirit of helping those in need as well as being creative in the methods of raising funds.
Operation Santa Claus (OSC) is an annual charity campaign with the aims of making a difference in the community and to spread joy and goodwill. 15 local charities and organizations were chosen by RTHK and the SCMP as the beneficiaries of OSC 2022. In keeping with our STC tradition, we choose one of the 15 to focus on so that our students can gain more insights about the beneficiary. Pathways Foundation, who help local children with learning challenges complicated by dyslexia, was chosen by the Organizing Committee. After the charity’s visit and sharing at the school in December last year, our students and staff had a better understanding about the work of this organization and had a clearer picture of how the money raised would be utilized.
The day was yet another one to remember. It was clearly seen in the enthusiasm and the way that both the PTA and student groups provided mouth-watering food for all participants; it was also seen in the many varied and fun game booths that had to be set up in the hall due to the wet weather; and it could be seen in our students’ faces as they were enjoying the festivities of the day and tucking into the tasty treats and delicious drinks. The festive and enjoyable atmosphere brought in a staggering HK$73,888 in support of OSC 2022.
Well done, Shung Tak and thank you to all those responsible for making it run smoothly, effectively, and creatively! We hope you had an absolutely fantastic time at this year’s OSC@STC!
The award is certainly the icing on the (Christmas) cake for the school!

Video Link of OSC Awards: Youtube Link

The Competitive Spirit in Track and Field By 5P Tiffany Cho Sports Day 2022 was an event worth waiting for. It was great that Shungtakians could once again get onto the track and field and get some exercise as the Annual Athletic Meet 2022 was planned and held this year. On the two-day event, Shungtakians shone in various events, fighting for the championship for their classes and houses. Evident were the spirit of sportsmanship and the cheers from the different houses as athletes raced to the finish line. We were thrilled that Blue House has got the overall champion this year! On behalf of Blue House, I would like to thank all house members for their contributions. I felt very excited and grateful when I saw my house members trying their best to finish their races. Some did not get a prize, but neither did they give up. We can truly see the relentless passion from all the athletes. Ex-principal and ex-supervisor, Mr. Malcolm Long, reminded us of STC and to be smart, trained companions of each other as we walk the road of life. We also learned that Mr. Long, the principal of STC for thirty-four years, was the person who introduced our traditional “Three Cheers” and we were truly blessed to have him ‘cheer’ in the real Malcom Long booming way, the three cheers. “Alone, we go faster. Together, we go further.” May all the Shungtakians share joy, success and team spirits, and continue to run further in life!

Robomaster Youth Tournament 2022-2023 Another conquest for Shungtakians and this time congratulations go to our Robomaster Team. Again we walked away as a champion, a remarkable achievement for the team winning the division championship in the RoboMaster Competition! Surely the win is a testament of the hard work, dedication, and teamwork of our 20 student members who started their training during the post-exam period 2022 and the summer holidays 2022. Modification made to our robot to meet the competition’s requirements is a tribute to our team for their technical skills and creativity. It’s clear that our team members worked together effectively, combining the individual strengths to achieve a common goal. Congrats to the Robomaster Team!

Visiting an Animal Shelter In late May, 16 Shungtakians participated in a volunteer activity at the animal shelter ‘House of Joy and Mercy’. It was a great chance to serve and to be giving back to our community. The activity saw students helping clean the dog kennels and spending some time with the dogs. Despite the hot weather and even no air conditioning, the participants took up the task of cleaning the kennels the best they could. They were later first given time to interact with the animals, the time to bond, something they had to do as the dogs needed special attention as they were strays which were abandoned and even injured. After this, Shungtakians had the opportunity to take the dogs for a walk outdoors. Shungtakians spirit of love and giving stood out and won the admiration of not just our teachers and the social workers but also the founder of the animal shelter. Their dedication to every single task, their positivity and hard work really made a difference.

Learn more about our Chinese Culture – Cong Bao Yang Rou Cooking Demonstration

Prior to knocking on the door of the Technology and Living Room, although I knew that I would be a part of the process of concocting a dish of mutton with scallions, I had absolutely no idea how fun the experience would be. I enjoyed my one-afternoon apprenticeship with Mrs. Wong, a PTA member and volunteer cookery chef, and my fellow English Society members!

Mrs. Wong kindly and patiently went through all the steps needed to make a dish of mutton and scallions. As we tried our best to follow the steps taught, she was there ready to assist whenever we showed signs of inexperience. (A note – none of the participating students had ever cooked before!) One of the challenges was deducing the amount of seasoning needed “by experience”. Despite adding too many herbs in the dish, which made the dish a little bit punchy, the overall taste and fragrance was on par with our teacher’s dish and she and other visiting English teachers gave us a lot of thumbs up.

I felt the importance of teamwork once again. During the process, we never worked on our own and instead, we watched out for the smallest difficulties and gave help whenever it was needed. All in all, I am grateful to be a part of the cooking demonstration because I was rewarded with not only a mouth-watering dish, but also a valuable learning experience. Looking out already for the next similar activity. Learning English through Cooking! Way to go STC!

Learning more about Chinese Food Cuisine Through Cong Bao Yang Rou x Gua Bao

The day finally arrived. After the bell rang at 12:15 sharp, a cascade of students rushed down to the badminton court to get the fragrant, scrumptious mutton with scallions Cong Bao Yang Rou accompanied by a lovely gua bao, a type of lotus leaf bun. Served hot and packed right next to the stove, the buns immediately captured the hearts of students with its layers of flavors and exploding juiciness.

Besides indulging themselves with the tasty buns, students also found themselves attracted by two exhibition boards made by English Society members—one introducing the origin and the fame of this renowned dish, the other explaining the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the effort put by rescuers from China and Hong Kong to save the lives there. With the generous effort and support from students, parents, and staff, a total of HK $8,888 was raised for Save the Children Hong Kong to support their ongoing rescue work in Turkey.

It was a great experience to help with this meaningful activity. Not only could we deliver the importance of sharing Chinese cultural values, a part of National Security Education, by showcasing a well-known dish in China, we also successfully raised students’ awareness of the needy around the globe.

Activities like this one surely benefit all involved as we got to learn to cook and to eat delicious food and understand different aspects of Chinese culture!

4J Matthew Wong

The OLE workshop —- Beyond What We Wear, was an eye-opening experience which heightened our awareness of environmental protection and taught us valuable upcycling skills. During the lesson, the tutor introduced the process of making clothes to us. It dawned on me that clothing production contributes significantly to pollution and resource depletion with around 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted during the transportation of clothes alone each year. And that is not all. In fact, water consumption in clothing manufacturing is approximately 19.61 billion tons per year. That is a lot of resources. It is clear that the higher the demand for fast fashion, the worse pollution becomes. To address this problem, we should cut down on our clothing consumption or upcycle old garments instead of buying new ones. This brings us to another lesson learned. How to do so? We were also taught how to transform old or ill-fitting clothing into recycled bags. Not many of us think of this but it is a great and simple way to upcycle. The activity was not only captivating but it also offered us a practical way to upcycle garments. We need to all be mindful of our consumption to reduce the burden on the planet. Let us all take the next steps together!