2022-2023

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!

S3 Leadership Training Programme – Day Camp Our S3 leaders, alongside their mentors, joined a 2-day leadership training programme where they were challenged to think on their feet as they dealt with different situations. Soon after their arrival at the Shatin Breakthrough Youth Village on 31st January, they were put to a test of resilience as well as team spirit. The morning activity was indoor climbing. On the verge of giving up, students were reminded to power through negative thinking and reach new heights. In the afternoon, students were asked to find their balance in a rope course. Being meters above the ground, shaky limbs turned out to be inevitable before students could regain composure and finish the task. The team ventured into outdoor cooking and orienteering in Tai Tong the day after. In face of all the problems, all the trials and errors only spiced up the adventurers’ experience, if not empowered them to take on different roles to serve their team.

Singing a Tune – The A cappella Team 6M Jackie Cho It’s been so long since we performed on stage and we were so excited to get this opportunity to do just that for Halloween. On that day, we chose to sing two songs “Nobody Like You” and “La La Latch” since these melodies are captivating and they suit the atmosphere of Halloween. They aren’t easy songs to do but we worked hard to get it right as we juggled our studies with the practices. It was worth the time and we made it happen and in tune. We enjoyed sharing our voices and the audience were also very engaged. A cappella music lives on! The Marching Band Marches On 6L Jovi Lau This is our first performance in this academic year and with the few chances we have had over the years due to the pandemic, you can imagine just how excited we were. The chance came in a show for the public at the carnival, where we were able to spread joy through music. WE did our best to share our passion in music and with the marching band formations, the audience got into the spirit of the music. Good show and great experience!

Sunshine of My Life “Sunshine of My Life” is a semi-autobiographical drama depicting the life of a teenage girl whose parents are both blind. The producer and the director of the film, Miss Judy Chu Fung Han, shared her inspirations for the film and her journey while pursuing her dream. A short film “Undernourished?”, which was also produced by Miss Chu, was played in the Lecture Theatre for S.2 students on 3rd March in the OLE period. “Undernourished?” shares a similar synopsis with “Sunshine of My Life” telling a story of a young girl who grows up in a family with visually impaired parents. The short film showcases the parents’ optimistic view towards life despite their disabilities and highlights the importance of having a positive mindset while facing struggles in life. Disability does not define one’s ability. The director’s main message to Shungtakians is ‘having a positive attitude towards life is the key to success’. Ms. Chu also went on to share her childhood life with her visually impaired parents. Through experiencing different ups and downs, she realised how important perseverance was and that as long as we have hope, there would be a way. At the same time, she reminded Shungtakians to treasure the support and love from their families. Ms. Chu’s sharing was truly inspiring and a lesson we should act on.

DJI HK Inter-School Drone Competition 2023(Secondary Division) The DJI Hong Kong Inter-School Drone Competition is an exciting event that not only provides a platform for students from different schools to showcase their skills and creativity in the field of drone technology, but it also challenges students to think out of the box as they push their limits. The task is to program our own drones to work through a series of complex tasks and obstacles. Participating in the DJI Hong Kong Inter-School Drone Competition has been an enriching experience for our team, a great challenge that won them the 1st Runner-Up position. A great start for the team in the field of drone technology. The Competition has allowed us to explore our passion for technology and has inspired us to pursue further studies in the field of STEM.

Embodying the core value of empathy, the school volunteer team, Permeance, brought together with other fellow Shungtakians visited the elderly in Long Ping Estate. With the expert advice and help from the Yuen Long Caritas District Elderly Centre, we had chances to meet and chat with the elders in the estates, handing out gifts including rice and even flowers as we celebrated Mother’s Day. This was a valuable experience for us students to connect with individuals we rarely talk to. Chatting with them made us realize that the lives of the people of the previous generations were filled with hardships. Yet it seems that they had vivid and very fond memories of the times. The smile emulating was deep and so very genuine. Simplicity leads to happiness, is what they taught us. Just a few fish for their fish tank or spending a bit of time with their children can already give them a great sense of joy. For the few who bore sorrowful stories, we were there to offer support and encouragement. Remember it is never too late to do your part for our community. Take the first step and you too can find a great sense of joy and accomplishment from giving back. Keep yourself updated with future events organized by Permeance.