2022-2023

2022-2023 Year Morning Assembly

“Self-reflection is the key for improvement.”, and the speaking practice with Heung Yee Kuk precisely provided me with a golden opportunity to polish my speaking skills. Before the practice, I felt quite unprepared for my DSE speaking examination as I felt unprepared for the unknown. In this experience, not only was I given valuable feedback from group mates who are not my school mates and people I know well, but I was also provided with practice advice from them for improvement. An instance, was when I was reminded to speak up as I did not even realise I wasn’t loud enough. To me, this is a very important piece of advice because despite how articulate I am, I won’t be able to impress the markers if they cannot hear me. Another thing I found this experience helpful with was that I got to meet candidates of different English levels. The oral examination is not an individual presentation, instead it is a discussion that requires you to show empathy to your group mates. Hence, as I’ve encountered both strong and mediocre speakers during the experience, I knew how to sustain the conversation in both circumstances. This is particularly important when it comes to group discussion as you won’t want the teachers to view you as an egocentric candidate who isn’t willing to help the weaker ones. This experience has equipped me with additional useful speaking skills and has boosted my confidence.

Guide Light Award Presentation Ceremony and Leadership Workshop In 2022-2023, S.4 members of ‘Guide Light’ led an adjustment programme for S.1 students which included mental health activities with the aim of creating a caring and positive atmosphere on the school campus. To show appreciation for their efforts, the school thanked members for their contribution at the Award Presentation Ceremony. This was followed by a Leadership Workshop run by Ms Irene Tsang, who has years of management experience in multi-national organizations and in coaching leaders. She was invited to share with members some leadership and interview skills and social etiquette.

Make Memories with Your Feet The pandemic has affected all of us. Fortunately, with the passage of time, we see improvements in the situation and things going back to the way they were. With this, many activities have resumed. And with this, the Dance Club had the chance to promote dance and bring joyful experiences to all schoolmates. In mid-December, we held the MV Imitation Competition. In the competition, students have to learn the choreography for the songs they can decide to do a whole creative and choreograph themselves. It was a pleasure to give our schoolmates an opportunity to challenge themselves and display their talent in dancing. Contestants certainly gained precious experience in how to perform well. The competition brought unforgettable memories to students, including the participants and the audience. Gleefully, our Club has created delightful moments for the schoolmates. We’ll do our best to continue promoting dance at school. Dance with us and enjoy each step along the way !

We Draw Drawing Competition and Poetry Remake Competition organized by the EDB gave our students the opportunity to put their skills to the test. Shungtakians, Sophia Kwok from 5J and Alice Chan from 5P walked away with the Commendable Award in the Senior Secondary Division of We Learn · We Draw Drawing Competition. For the Poetry Remake Competition, Sophia Leung from 3L and Rainbow So from 5L have also won the Outstanding Awards in the Junior and Senior Secondary Division respectively. The Competition have given the chance to students to show not their knowledge and abilities in painting, but they were also able to display their passion for figure sketching, botanical art and even an understanding of English Poetry. Various research about the theme have been carried out together with the development of the skills of drawing plants and flowers to present the beauty of nature. There was also a chance to study the two authors of the poems ‘Mother and Child’ and ‘Vanilla in the Stars’ to find out their personal background and artist work statement. The opportunity to participate in the competitions were indeed an honour as it offered participants the chance to broaden their horizons and show appreciation of all artworks on display. With the Principal Dr Tang and the Visual Arts Teacher, Ms Chong, accompanying students to the prize presentation ceremony, awards were received with a great sense of gratitude!

The extra touch wight ECA Activities
THE EXTRA TOUCH WITH ECA ACTIVITIES Fourth Formers have joined 6 lessons of extra-circular activities, from late October to early November. Based on interest, S.4 students were able to choose from 10 different activities. These included classes to help with language, that of Spanish; to skill classes like latte art class, guitar class and even a dart-throwing workshop. For those of us who wanted to give service, we can join the Social Service Group, Guidelight. To improve our knowledge, we had the hydroponics workshop, sign language class, and a STEM class. And for those who wanted that extra touch, we had the etiquette and cosmetology class. These classes all aimed to further enhance the generic skills of Shungtakians and explore their potential in different areas. Here is what Shungtakians felt: Spanish Class：Trilingual is never a full stop “Muy bien”—means “very good” in Spanish. Through lessons, students can learn simple vocabulary. “Picking up a new language must be hard” has always been a misconception for students. However, the statement has been proven wrong as can be seen from S4 students’ feedback. With interesting and interactive activities in lessons, students surely can have an unforgettable experience. Latte Art Class：Art and Life Most of the students have never tried latte art before. It may seem easy from the teacher’s demonstration, but it requires many techniques. Students felt satisfied when they were able to create art with milk on coffee and the best part was that they can enjoy a steaming hot coffee with their created masterpieces on top at the end of the class. Hydroponics Workshop ：Life and Love Through lessons, students can have a short experience of being a farmer and giving birth to the life of new plants. They also had to nurture the seedlings. It was never easy keeping them hydrated and absorbing enough nutrients and sunshine. Although some seedlings died during the process, students can learn from their mistakes. Life can be vulnerable, but it can also be strong. With the growth of plants, students can learn a life lesson while enjoying a delicious harvest.

The time has come for the start of the school year. Students are all excited to come to school again after the holiday. The highlight of the opening day is the handover ceremony. It is when the former student leaders pass the torch to the upcoming student leaders, continuing the spirit of servant leadership. It marks the start of their duty to serve, but not to be served. Bearing the name and duty of a student leader is never easy. However, it is certain that all of them are more than willing to give all they have and work together to create a better school atmosphere. Let us all look forward to having a fruitful and unforgettable 2022-2023 school year!

By 4L Matthew Cheung Have you ever noticed that some monuments in Hong Kong are closely related to the judicial system of our homeland? The North Kowloon Magistracy, a magistrates’ court, that was closed in 2005, is one of these monuments and we, STC’s Mock Trial team, had the chance to explore and learn more about our history. The Magistracy was erected in 1960 and served the community for over 44 years handling cases of the Kowloon district. It is a 7-storey building made of granite ashlar blocks and features a neo-classical architecture combined with stripped classicism which is a form of neo-classicism from which most of the traditional mouldings, ornament and details have been elided, visually emphasizing the structural and proportional systems. It is one of the only surviving examples of this building type. Another interesting fact is that after the closure of the court, it was converted into the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2009 until the government reclaimed it in 2020. What also makes this court unique are the cases that were adjudicated here. The Kwai Bing Hong case is an example of one of the three major criminals in Hong Kong who stood on trial here for assaulting two police officers and for the illegal possession of firearms. Members of our Mock Trial team had the opportunity to visit the cells and walk up the staircase to reach the defendant’s dock – an incredible feature of the Court where prisoners are held as they wait for a judge or jury to decide their fate. We also listened to accounts of thought-provoking cases and even participated in the judgement of a case of familicide, serving in the role of a jury. This experience provided us with basic understanding of the jury system and the severity of murder. Later on, an experienced judge shared insights closely related to the responsibilities that Hong Kong citizens should uphold. An ex-inmate shared his journey of reform since his release from jail, emphasizing the importance of obeying the law. This was a significant event for our students as we had an opportunity to interact with an ex-judge and an ex-inmate. As technology advances, law changes and we teenagers need to increasingly keep abreast of these changes so that we are fully aware of what constitutes a crime. It is, therefore, crucial to supplement textbook knowledge with out-of-classroom experiences which can provide a broader perspective on societal issues. Learning more about our home Hong Kong and the beauty of it in the forms of buildings was also a bonus in the journey.

Biology Field Trip to Ho Koon Nature Education Cum Astronomical Centre
In late November, S5 and S6 students studying Biology joined a field trip to the Ho Koon Nature Education Cum Astronomical Centre. S5 students learnt to use the ‘Biobliz’ method to estimate the biodiversity in Tai Mo Shan and S6 students studied different microhabitats in the garden of the Centre. The experiences paid off as was evident with their smiles.