保良局李城璧中學自1982年創校起始，秉承保良局的辦學宗旨，教導學生以行善，感恩惜德為本，並秉承「愛、敬、勤、誠」之校訓為人生座右銘。我們期望每一個學生，都能在學校、老師以至朋輩的關愛下成長；並相信他們能學懂以尊敬及仁愛之心對待別人。我們期望同學能敬愛長輩，做事認真，敬業而且樂群，知法守規。我們期望同學能勤奮上進，好學不倦，認真學習，待日後學有所成，為社會及國家作出貢獻。同時，我們希望同學能以誠待人，本著至誠態度，待人待己，並承擔責任。
我們的辦學信念是「所有孩子都能夠學習」，不管孩子來自哪一個地區，哪一個家庭，他在保良局李城璧中學都享有充足的學習機會及接受啓導。我們也相信，孩子們可以「在實踐中追求進步」，透過主動嘗試，不斷實踐；配合學校的資源和老師的指導；孩子們能享受學習進程，更能超越自己、不斷進步。
我們的辦學方針是「德智體群美五育並重」，希望同學在五育均衡發展的同時，能做到兼顧全面的學習及發展的同時，並瞭解自我，發展天賦。即我們期望同學在參與多種活動的過程中，能發掘並發展一己的潛能與特長，使之成為終生不渝的志趣及個人專長。
我們亦相信「不以規矩、不成方圓」，我們強調「教管兼備」，即教導學生明辨是非真理、明白一應規則之意義的同時，我們亦要求學生遵守紀律及學會為自己的行為承擔責任；我們期望「教管兼備」的模式，最終能令學生養成自律精神，畢業後，能成為自愛自律，明理守法的公民。
在學生的成長教育方面，我們以「尊重與責任，助我創出前途；以禮待人，美化健康人生路」為教育方針。全體教職員致力培育學生優良品格，鍥而不捨，致力成為學生學習的促導者，成長的同行者。我們期望學生學會尊敬長輩、尊重朋友；勇於承擔個人及社會責任，從而開創璀璨多姿的前途；我們更期望學生能謙恭有禮，善於與人相處，從而為個人成長，學業和前途，開創一條康莊的人生大道，並成為社會楝樑！也帶動學生和家長正面的態度、全情投入、身心健康、建立正面人際關係。學校亦有把藝術教育融入校園生活，務求令所有學生都能享受校園生活，活出精彩人生。。
Message from the Principal
The school motto “Love, Respect, Diligence, Integrity” of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College is in line with the Kuk’s objectives in delivering its educational services in Hong Kong. It is our expectation that every student at Lee Shing Pik College will be able to grow under the love and care of the teachers, staff and peers. We believe that they will learn to treat others with kindness and respect. We hope students can respect their others, be hardworking, responsible and devote themselves to learning throughout their formative years. There is nothing more important than integrity. It is our hope that our students can treat others with sincerity, be truthful and honest with others and themselves in whatever they endeavor throughout their lives and grow to be responsible citizens for the betterment of their society and country.
It is our belief that “every child can learn”. No matter where and what kind of family a student comes from, he or she will have ample opportunities to learn and be inspired in our school. We also believe that children “learn by doing”. Students can learn best and improve themselves through experiential learning activities with the support of school resources and the guidance of teachers; they would become more willing to take the initiative to try out new ideas and to embrace challenges.
In our school, we place strong emphasis on the balanced development of all five educational virtues. It is our vision that through the participation in various activities, our students will be well developed morally, intellectually, physically, socially, aesthetically and be able to realize their full potential. We hope that various qualities and talents they have developed in school will become their unique assets and make them stand out from the rest.
The School advocates the notion of “From Discipline to Excellence”; we also believe that “coaching complemented with discipline” is the best way to develop students’ self-discipline. Students have to learn to tell right from wrong and understand the rationales behind rules. At the same time, they have to comply with the regulations and bear responsibilities for their own behaviour. We hope that our students will be brought up to be upright citizens with a sense of self-respect and self-discipline.
For the personal growth of the students, teaching students the importance of “respect and responsibility” is our fundamental principle. We believe strongly that those who succeed in life are people who are willing to take on responsibilities and can show respect for others. Our teachers are dedicated to become students’ facilitators throughout their learning and self-discovery journey and their coach for personal growth. It is our goal to nurture our students to become humble and courteous individuals equipped with social and leadership skills, who can achieve excellence in life and make outstanding contributions to their community and country.
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
2 September 2024
Good morning, my fellow teachers and staff, boys and girls! Welcome back to school! It has become a tradition for me to ask if you have taken my advice given on the Closing Ceremony to “Seek Knowledge and Find Your Strength”? My dear students, we are living in the era of the Internet and information overload; if you cannot master the ability to seek and authenticate knowledge, you will definitely lose some if not all of your competitive edge and become obsolete and replaceable; would you want that to happen to you?
Before my personal sharing, I’d like to share with you some great news concerning our 2024 cohort of graduates HKDSE results: we have achieved a record high of 98.2% attaining level 2 in all 19 subjects. There was a total of 43 Level 5 or above results, including 1 5** in Maths, and 17 5 * in numerous subjects, including BAFS BM, BAFS Acct, Chemistry, Chinese Lang, Economics, English Lang, Matrhs, M1, Physics, THS and VA. Most of our graduates will pursue further studies in both local, mainland and overseas universities.
This year, I would like to share something that I had never shared in public; it is a local celebrity whom I have grown much admiration… and it is YT, Chau Yan Ting… Let’s take a look at a short clip of his music video before explaining to you the reasons for my admiration and affection!
As you can obviously see, YT’s remarkable musical talent and beautiful physical appearance…, but there’s much more of him than meets the eye; in my opinion, YT is incredible in a lot of ways:
YT Chow was born in Hong Kong and raised in Singapore, where the vibrant music and entertainment culture profoundly influenced his childhood. Growing up in a family that appreciated the arts, he often found himself drawn to music, spending hours listening to various genres, from Cantopop to Western rock. His journey into music began in his teenage years. He started performing at local talent shows and school events, quickly gaining recognition for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. Inspired by legendary artists, he began writing songs, blending traditional Hong Kong melodies with modern sounds.
After years of hard work and numerous talent shows, YT entered his first record contract in 2015; unfortunately, through no fault of his own, 2018 his record company postponed his music work, and his career ended. He returned to Singapore and thought of ending his music career in 2020. Through perseverance and will, YT decided to hold fast to his dreams and re-enter the competitive music industry in 2021. During tough times, he took a step back to reflect on his musical direction and personal values. This period of introspection led to a more mature sound and a deeper connection with his audience. As YT Chow continues to evolve as an artist, he remains dedicated to his craft. His journey reflects his passion for music and his resilience in facing life’s challenges. He aims to inspire others with each new project, proving that dreams can be chased and achieved, no matter the obstacles.
His personal story is a testimony to how determination and talent can make success; YT Chow’s story is one of talent, perseverance, and a deep love for music. He stands as a symbol of hope for aspiring artists in Hong Kong and beyond, reminding them that with dedication and authenticity, anything is possible.
Another aspect of him worth our appreciation is that YT has expressed his thoughtful approach to philosophy, reflecting on the deeper meanings of life and art. Here are some key points that encapsulate his views:
He stands by the values of “Stoicism, ” an ancient Greek philosophy that emphasizes virtue, reason, and self-control to achieve a good life. The four cardinal virtues of Stoicism are:
‘Courage’: The strength to face challenges and adversity with bravery. This virtue encompasses physical courage and moral courage to stand up for what is right.
‘Justice’: The commitment to fairness and integrity in dealings with others. It involves treating others with respect and ensuring that one’s actions contribute to the common good.
‘Temperance’: The practice of self-control and moderation. This virtue encourages balance in all aspects of life, avoiding excess and maintaining harmony in desires and actions.
‘Wisdom’: The ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on knowledge and understanding. It involves discernment and the application of reason in daily life.
These virtues are highly relevant to modern challenges:
‘Courage’: Today’s world often presents social and political challenges that require standing up for one’s beliefs. Courage empowers individuals to confront fears, advocate for justice, and take decisive action in the face of adversity, whether in personal life or public activism.
‘Justice’: With increasing awareness of social inequalities, the pursuit of justice is more important than ever. This virtue encourages individuals to advocate for fairness, equity, and the rights of others, fostering community engagement and ethical responsibility.
‘Temperance’: Temperance promotes moderation and self-discipline in a society marked by excess—whether through consumerism, social media, or unhealthy habits. It helps individuals maintain balance, prioritize well-being, and make mindful choices that align with their values. By applying these Stoic virtues, individuals can better navigate modern complexities, cultivate resilience, and contribute positively to society.
And finally, ‘Wisdom’: In an age of information overload, the ability to discern credible sources and make informed decisions is crucial. Wisdom helps individuals navigate complex issues, from personal dilemmas to global events, promoting critical thinking and rationality.
Through these perspectives, YT Chow demonstrates a deep appreciation for the interplay between philosophy and art, using both to inspire himself and his audience. By now, I hope you have got to know him a bit more, and hopefully, we can all benefit and be inspired by his success.
To start this academic year of 2024 to 2025, I’d like all of you to work harder than before, especially, try to unleash your potentials; to get to know what you don’t know and be a better version of yourself!
Thank you.
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
4 September 2023
Good morning, my fellow teachers and staff, boys and girls! Welcome back to school! It has become a tradition for me to ask if you have taken my advice given on the Closing Ceremony to allocate your time wisely between your own physical wellbeing, your intellectual development and contributing to the harmony of your own family. I am sure that if you had really tried hard to follow my advice, you must have given yourself a meaningful Summer Holiday. It is my firm belief that life does become more meaningful if you can help yourself to improve, help others and make a positive contribution, no matter how big or small.
To start my sharing with you this morning, I would like to share with you a glimpse of my Summer Holiday; I was lucky to have gone on a trip to the UK with my family in August. We don’t take long haul holidays often as it requires much planning and savings! The trip was hardly relaxing as I need to plan an itinerary that can appeal to members of this trip whose age ranged from 16 to 76! Of all the places we visited, I found the Seven Sisters Cliffs most spectacular. The Seven Sisters Cliffs are a series of white chalk sea cliffs on the English Channel coast, and are a stretch of the sea-eroded section of the South Downs range of hills, in the county of East Sussex, in south-east England. The majestic view is truly sensational and while I immersed myself in the magnificence of the natural beauty, it has indeed reminded me of the immensity of nature and time; the contour of the Seven Sisters cliffs sequence is among the most spectacular natural scenes in the British Isles. Sculpted by melt-water and heavy rain during recent ice ages, and the erosive power of the sea more recently, the present-day cliffs mark the end of a series of natural inland gulleys. The Chalk cliffs and foreshore at Seven Sisters reveals a diverse ecosystem dating from the Late Cretaceous epoch, 84-87 million years ago. Comparing to the average human life span of a mere 100 years, the scene you are looking at ought to make you look at your daily life problems with a different perspective. If our existence is a mere spot of dust when compared with the earth’s known history and nature, our problems or worries must be as light as feathers comparatively. Drawing yourself away from the often self-centered point of view, but towards to a broader prospective would give you more clarity.
Knowing how vulnerable and minute human beings are would not shake my views on my life; I think life is definitely precious and worth living to the fullest and in the best possible way. I firmly believe that we are lucky enough to be alive, we must make it more meaningful. Life will become more meaningful if people can make a positive contribution to their own goals, and to the people around them including their class, schools, companies, community or even the world at large. The meaningfulness of our lives can be evidenced by our contributions no matter how big or small.
Owing to the number of years that I have lived, my experience has allowed me to appreciate that Self-Discipline is the one single most important key to any success. We are often set back or give up our plans prematurely by the seemingly imbalance between how much effort we paid and the reward we received in return; and yet, if you persist in believing in Self Discipline and determined to improve and to become the best version of yourself and life may reward you with some deferred gratification and satisfaction in time. You can start by valuing yourself and valuing the people around you. One way to show that you value yourself is to make more conscious choice of how you spend your time. Another advice I have for yon on Self Discipline is to take an honest self-dialogue and identify your good and bad habits. Some psychologists suggest that it is easy to keep a good habit if it has been practiced for more than 21 days; and to quit a bad habit is actually easier than you would imagine. Psychologists also suggest that it is easier to make new habits or quit bad habits with a fresh start of something else, like a new school year! If you are spending too much time on your phone but spending too little time on reading, today is good day to change that. Also if you spending too much time on your online game and spending too little time on exercising or having good quality and adequate amount of sleep, today is also a good day to change that.
It is not easy to quit a bad habit but if I let you visualize the following concepts; it may encourage you to make better use of your precious time to be spent in your lifetime.
- Discipline vs Regret
- Relying on motivation vs Relying on discipline
- Time vs Focus
Apart from building good habits and quitting bad ones, I would like you draw your attention to the slogan stated on the poster outside the School Hall; the school expects its students to:
Be Confident, Be Excellent and Be Kind
You may wonder how to achieve these apparently abstract virtues; let me share with you my own practices:
‘Confidence’ is the hardest as I know most of us are humble and have much self-doubt. I try to make self-affirmation to gain more confidence when I am about to make speeches or before taking exams. Think hard and affirm yourself of a quality or a value about you as a human being, it must be something you firmly believe in, for me, I know I am a diligent person. I will remind myself of my diligence and tell myself even if I fail at my speech or exam, I will continue to be a diligent person and no one can take that away from me.
For ‘Excellence’, please take on an approach explained by having a Growth Mindset listed on the posters outside the School Hall too. Don’t try to compare your results with others, but to compare with yourself only. Together with learning to learn from mistakes, quitting bad habits and more importantly, taking actions; you can be excellent too!
As for ‘Kindness’, it should be the easiest and needing the least effort compared with the others. We can be kind with our words, with a smile, with saying thank you to everyone, including your family members. We can also help others and help others to succeed to practice kindness. Instead of complaining about everything all the time, we can put on more empathy towards others. Believe me, the kinder you are, the better luck you can get!
Before I end my speech, I would like to give you another advice for a better life, that is, to practice Gratitude. Please take a look at our campus, you may realize much renovation work was carried out during the Summer Holiday. it is the collective effort of our teachers and staff. We have contributed in improving campus facilities. You can start to practice gratitude by saying thank you to teachers, office staff and janitors who have all worked very hard for the betterment of the school.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Let’s make this academic year a successful one!
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
1st September 2022
Good morning, teachers, boys and girls! Welcome back from a shorter than usual Summer Holiday! I hope you have taken my advice and had used your time wisely over the Summer Holiday. To start today’s speech, I need to give the sincerest appreciation to our team of teachers, staff and janitors who have worked almost non-stop during your holiday, it is because our preparation work had to be carried out in a much shorter period of time. As though the task seemed tough, I am proud to tell you that we had made it.
As usual, I would like to share in this opening speech something that has touched my heart, this year, I want to share with a metaphor that had inspired me and hopefully, it would inspire you too! The metaphor is called the ‘Hedgehog’s Dilemma’. Do you know what is a Hedgehog? It is also known as a porcupine. As you can see, hedgehogs are covered with quills or spikes; the dilemma lies with the fact that if you’re a hedgehog hanging out with your array (that’s what a group of hedgehogs is called) and it’s a cold day and you’re all searching for warmth; naturally you start grouping together, it is because as you get closer to each other, you will feel warmer. But something else happens. you start getting pricked by others’ spikes, then you would back away, but of course then you will feel cold.
The dilemma is this, what can you do to stay warm and without being pricked? This metaphor was created by Arthur Schopenhauer and later used by Freud to reflect human relationships: We want to be close to others but when we are too close together, we may dislike and be driven away by each other’s unpleasant qualities. it articulates that being close to people isn’t always easy, that makes the metaphor interesting.
One possible solution is this; we can find a middle ground so we get close enough for a little warmth but not so close that the pricking becomes unbearable. Schopenhauer is a rather pessimistic and lonely guy, he describes being very close to another person is generally unpleasant because people are full of flaws and repulsive qualities and people are often driven apart after they get closer and closer to each other! He seems to be someone who really did not like people!
Another possible solution to this dilemma would be that hedgehogs only hang around with turtles whose shells protect them from the hedgehogs’ quills, that is, humans should only be close to the right persons. But it is easier said than done, as there is simply no perfect person to fully match our own characteristics and expectations. You may have already experienced that sometimes it is quite challenging for us to get too close to our friends or even our own family members, as the more familiar you are with them, their flaws become more obvious to you and likewise, your friends or family members may also dislike some of your qualities. There is no such thing as a perfect match, no one is perfect as we all have some flaws; what you can try to do is to control over how much others’ flaws bother you. You can try to understand that your friends don’t realize their flaws are bothering you or maybe your appreciation for your friend outweighs his or her unpleasant qualities. We all need our family members, friends, companions, teammates and partners; we all need to understand that genuine relationships are when you care for someone despite seeing their flaws, this makes your love for them all the more admirable and being cared for by someone despite your own flaws and that makes their love for you all the more meaningful!
A final solution to the dilemma is perhaps compassion. We all need to be compassionate and grateful for all the relationships that we have. My advice is that we can try to set some ground rules in all of our relationships, for example, we can be polite and accept others as they are, we should listen when others are speaking actively and patiently, we should allow others to be themselves, we should take our own responsibility more seriously, we should build the habit of not blaming others nor attacking others when things don’t go as planned, we should not retreat or sulk. and more importantly, we should be brave enough to apologize and admit our own mistakes.
It is my belief that schools should provide training for students to become socially pleasant and good team players, that is why one of the school’s major concerns in the coming three years is:
“To promote Values Education through nurturing students’ interpersonal skills, courteousness. respect for others, law-abidingness and perseverance.”
All teachers would design activities and lessons to train all of you to improve in the above mentioned qualities. And I am asking all of you to start and reflect on your own attitude in these aspects, please try to build new habits and to become a more courteousness and presentable person from now on.
A last note, as I have recently suffered from losing a significant family member, it makes me reflect on life; life is fragile and unpredictable, we need to cherish every moment in our lives, we must make our life meaningful by working hard in achieving worth-while life goals and to treasure all the relationships we have while they are still here because none of us are here forever. After all, we will live forever only in the hearts of those who love us!
I would again like to end my speech with a quote from the book, ‘Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter’ written by Simone de Beauvoir, to conclude my expectation of what I would like you to achieve in life:
‘Be loved, be admired, be necessary; be somebody!’
Let’s make this 2022/23 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you.
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
1st September 2021
Good morning every one, I am thrilled and excited to welcome you all back to this newly renovated School Hall, though its renovation work is not quite completed yet! As you would understand, to follow prescribed social distancing guidelines laid by the Authorities, the school cannot accommodate all of you in the hall, so our senior students are watching us in their home rooms this morning with the help of our Campus TV team. When you come back to school today, you would probably realize that our homerooms assignment is amended, air-conditioners in some classrooms have been replaced and so on, there will still be further refurbishment, such as the installation of white boards and new projectors in classrooms, the English Room to be relocated to the ground floor, the completion of the Wellness Hub at the covered playground of the new annex, and so on, these work done on campus were made to improve your learning environment. And such work is done with the dedicated effort made by our dutiful teaching and non-teaching staff, working non-stop during your summer holiday!
To look back at the last academic year, I am extremely pleased with the record-breaking HKDSE performance of our Graduates, apart from the individual excellent results of the top students, I am proud to share with you that the cohort had made record in the achieving a 72% JUPAS offer and an overall 97% in achieving Level 2 or above from all subjects attempted. This is not an easy accomplishment in normal times, let alone the severe disruptions and class suspension we had experienced from the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to the hard work from teachers and students, they have really demonstrated the saying, “If there is a WILL, there is a WAY.” I think you would all agree with me that they showed us that their Passion to pursuit their goals in life and had made them work insistently; they had also demonstrated their tremendous will power in executing their revision plans successfully! My dear F.6 students, it is now your turn to follow suit and to put in your greatest effort in all of your deeds, starting from now!
This summer, many of us in Hong Kong were moved and touched by the performance of Hong Kong athletics at the Tokyo Olympic Games. They had made unprecedented achievements at the Games, I am sure many of you had watched and were overjoyed at the outstanding performance by our athletes, especially when fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long won Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal in 25 years and swimmer Siobhan Haughey claimed two silver medals. While their victory was being celebrated, we should always reflect on what constituted their success; Ms. Haughey once told reporters in her recent interview that, as athletes, they train many, many hours. She trains over 30 hours a week, on average, so it’s definitely a lot on her body, especially during Covid-19 when she was training and most competitions were cancelled; she felt like she didn’t even know if she was making any progress and the never had a chance to compete to see where she was. Mentally that’s very tough. She also claimed that, definitely she had those days when she was too tired to go to the pool or didn’t feel like training. That’s when she went go back to her long-term goals, and asked herself why she was doing that. And why she had spent all those early hours at the pool and had to reconfirm the importance of the goals she had wanted to achieve. She continued to state that it was also important to surround herself with the positive people who cheered her on and supported her throughout the whole journey. I think it is with her strong will power and positive mindset that had led her thus far, I’m sure we can all learn from her and to bring just that little difference in all of our lives. In this school, you should be able to feel that you are not alone, your schoolmates and teachers are here to learn and grow with you together!
Like sportsmanship, life is not all about enjoying the sweetness of winning, it is equally important for us to learn to deal with failures without wilting as the important part of Olympic philosophy is embodied in the Olympic Motto which we can easily adapt to our daily endeavor; can we be “Faster, Higher, Stronger….Together.” than how we were yesterday? The important thing in the Olympic Games is not so much to win but to take part, just as the important thing in life is not the victory but the struggle; it is a true celebration of humanity.
This year marks the third of our school’s development cycle. All teachers have reached consensus on our two major concerns; one of them is to promote active learning amongst students; and the other is to strengthen our values education. It is our agreed goal to see students to play a more active role in their learning and to nurture a more positive values and upright qualities in students. We would continue our effort in bringing you an eventful and meaningful education through organizing various Life Wide Learning activities. Although our overseas cultural exchange trips had all been reluctantly put on hold, our teachers have organized mass activities for students during the summer holiday. For instance, there a total of 293 students took part in the PLK Flag Day, 132 students enjoyed a movie show together with a surprised Star-studded ending, 110 students enjoyed their Chinese writing workshop at the Disneyland, 103 students witnessed schoolmates performing at the Ocean Park, various leadership training workshops organized by the CCA committee and countless school teams’ training….. All these demonstrated that we are not just a school for academic excellence but we are devoted to the whole-person development of every one of you by organizing meaningful activities for you to enrich yourself.
In the coming few days, our guidance prefect team will continue to serve our new F1 students and to assist and guide them in their smooth transformation from a primary student and becoming a secondary student. All these are concerted effort of each and every one of our faculty members. So, thank you teachers!
I would like to end my speech with a quote from the book, ‘Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter’ written by Simone de Beauvoir, to conclude my expectation of what I would like you to achieve in life:
‘Be loved, be admired, be necessary; be somebody!’
Let’s make this 2021/22 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you.
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
1st September 2020
Good morning every one, normally, I would start my speech with a heartfelt “welcome” but that phrase is now inappropriate because clearly, you are not “back” yet. In fact, if you have a habit of counting days, 2020 may be a year that you had spent the fewest days in school since you have reached the age of three when you started nursery school. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has quickly grown into a global pandemic, schools and universities across the world have hastened to curb its spread by transitioning to online classes. The transition has caught every one off guard at the beginning. But all faculty members and supporting staff here have worked together to create a Distance Learning Plan which could best preserve our school’s spirit, values, and commitment to exceptional education. But even with the school’s best planning, nothing would work unless all students are willing to take responsibilities of their own learning.
My dear students, have you developed a strange tinge of eagerness and preference for school or have you fully adapted to the whole “Learn at Home” lifestyle?? Just like all other facets in life, some people would always prevail and some would fall farther behind, have you ever wondered why? In my opinion, those of us who are Passionate about their work responsibility, and also, those who are blessed with a tremendous Will Power to Execute and those who have a higher regard of their reputation would often excel no matter what life has decided to throw at them. As some local historians predict Hong Kong is now facing the greatest challenge since the 2nd World War. The reality is there’s no room nor tolerance for us to put in anything less than our greatest effort in all of our deeds, not ever, especially not now!
Just like you, I also felt that I have spent more time at home than ever this summer as many meetings, functions, gatherings, overseas trips, beach side or pool side events to enjoy the sunshine and lovely weather… were regretfully canceled; I had given in to a common past time, that was to indulge myself into the world of Korean TV drama. A drama series that I would like to share with you is called, “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” The series tells an unusual romance story between two people who end up healing each other’s emotional and psychological wounds. The main character is an orphaned caregiver working at OK Psychiatric Hospital. While empathetic to everyone around him, he struggles to give himself love as a result of his past experiences in life and avoids having close relationships with anyone other than his older brother who is autistic. Because of his brother’s conditions, he has given him the greatest compassion and patience that anyone can have for an elder brother. It was of course a story with a happy ending; the young lovers finding their true love and the slightly disadvantaged older brother became independent and building his own successfully career!
What made me enjoyed the show is the fact that everyone has problems in life and how people deal with their issues really make much difference. And what I also find interesting was how it shines a light on mental health and depression that it’s okay to be atypical and special. What makes me happy about the story was it showed how we should treat people around us who are different to us! And I would like such inclusiveness can be cultured in our school as well. It is through the selfless acts of some that enables others to flourish and shine. Unfortunately, I can’t really see that such atmosphere developed in our school, let alone our society. The only way to stop brutality is start from oneself. All kinds of violence and injustice originates from selfishness.
If you are not satisfied with a system or political regime, ask yourself, how would you done differently? Do you have the same weaknesses or vice that you are accusing others of? Can your rudeness or violent acts really bring an effective change to the current situation? These are the questions I would like to leave with you.
It has come to my attention that, there are occasionally reports of students having been bullied by others in school. Bullying is usually defined as repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their characteristics, race, religion, gender or any other aspect such as appearance or disability. You may not be aware of the impact of your occasional mean comments against a classmate on Instagram or an isolation of a certain classmate in group work may have caused. The truth is, you may have already destroyed their confidence and self-esteem, you may have even caused them tremendous pressure and sadness in those who are vulnerable. To address this issue, the school will launch a “Positive Education” program this year, with a large focus on F.1 students. They will learn more about positive psychology through music therapy, art therapy and mindfulness practices; we will even construct a “Wellness Hub” in the covered playground at the new wing. Let’s us work together for a more harmonious and caring campus for all that resembles the fairytale like environment that the Korean TV drama portrayed.
By the time, when you resume lessons on campus, you will find a very suave and stylish newly renovated front entrance foyer, and partitions being erected around our covered playgrounds. Unfortunately, the school hall would probably still be messy as it will undergo yet another round of renovation. All the work is done in preparation of our forth coming 40th Anniversary Celebration to be held in the school year of 2021/22. I wish all your achievements can be celebrated at this very joyous occasion.
I am glad to share with you that, during the summer holiday, our own JA Company, the Creator had swept 7 major prizes, in the final stage of the JA Company Program 2020: including champion for the Grand prize of Best Company and Best Products and Services. This is the highest recognition of our students’ talents and perseverance as they were up against contestants from famous local and international schools. Their success should serve as a reminder to all of us that we are second best to none if we put our utmost in our endeavor. Let us show gratitude and be grateful of our very favorable learning environment that is carefully constructed by all faculty members. They have successfully provided you with a drive to go to a higher plane. Success would only come from failure if you are reflective and committed to refining your practice. I wish this drive would sustain in our school. Let us thrive and shine through these challenging times
This year marks the second year of our school’s development cycle. All teachers have reached consensus on our two major concerns; one of them is to promote active learning amongst students; and the other is to strengthen our values education. It is our agreed goal to see students to play a more active role in their learning and to nurture a more positive values and upright qualities in students. We would continue our effort in bringing you an eventful and meaningful education through organizing various Life Wide Learning activities as such the school based F4 Seoul Study Tour, though we are not sure on when we can go. Our guidance prefect team will continue to serve our new F1 students and to assist and guide them in their smooth transformation from a primary student and becoming a secondary student. All these are concerted effort of each and every one of our faculty members. So, thank you teachers!
There will be some Form Teachers period to facilitate your smooth adaption to a new form of learning, to learn at home.
Let’s make this 2020/21 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
2nd September 2019
Good morning and welcome back, my dear students! Normally, I would start my opening speech by asking you if you had rested well and had spent your Summer holiday wisely, but 2019 summer is not ordinary in any right; in fact, in the view of many, this summer would probably leave with you something that you will be sharing with your children or even grandchildren in the future. If I avoid talking to you about it today, it would be like turning a blind eye on an elephant in the room; but have you not heard enough and seen enough of all the upheaval in the society? Maybe you were present or even witnessed some of the turmoil in your very close community. To have experienced that, you may feel lonely and helpless as the adults you have trusted most and respected most have suddenly stopped supporting your ideals… and so on..
Now, as the new school year begins, your teachers and I would like to create the school as a platform to hear from you, in particular, if you feel that you are under a lot of stress or feel despair, do not be afraid to let out your thoughts to your teachers. But you need to bear one very important guideline in mind when you are expressing yourself in any forms: Please ask yourself if you had been sensitive to the feelings of others. We enjoy our freedom in expression but that is certainly not a justification for your hurting others’ feelings, agitating grievances, imposing threats or fears in others or affronting, insulting or humiliating anyone, and so on….
Before my resuming to the regular content in my opening ceremony speeches, I would like share with you the opinions of a famous journalist, the former editor of Ming Pao, Mr. Kevin Lau Chun-To, who was brutally attacked for apparently no reason except for what he had done in his capacity of a journalist. In an interview, he was asked of his opinions on the current social unrest. He said,
“Do not let hatred grow, I condemn all kinds of violence…I had the highest respect for humanity..…
For the Authority, I would like to say that young people can’t be our enemy, if they have violated the law, arrest them, prosecute them! But don’t take away their civil rights as humans and you certainly cannot take away their dignity as humans, it is a wrongful act to label them as cockroaches and trying to exterminate them!
Unvaryingly, as for the young people, the valiant frontier, they can persist in perusing their course, their claims and their ideals. They have the right to persist and to fight for justice and to resist fate…. But they should never let hatred sew its roots in their hearts. Do not let your anger overshadow your reasons, your clarity. When you expose yourself in violence, one of the consequences is to become a victim yourself; such damage causes scars on your body as well as your mind. Violence would only bring on more violence and would never solve any conflicts. The power of influence and appeal of civil disobedience was never a direct result of any acts of violence; but from noble, courageous, selfless and non-violent acts of sacrifices……”
He would not have admitted to the fact that he had said the above words if he was present today, do you know why? It’s because he had said the above in Chinese and I had taken the liberty in translating it into English for you today.
If I had one advice to you, my students, it would be to advise to make a pledge to put in your utmost effort in learning English and to make it one of your top priorities. As English is the only, truly, international language; if you are not comfortable or capable in using it, you would miss out many precious opportunities to comprehend any news reports from all around the world. It would undoubtedly restrict yourself to the local or Chinese dominated media! The only way to read and understand the truth is through extensive reading from many different sources. So pay an extra effort in learning and using English as from today. You wouldn’t know how it would help you in the future.
Moving on to the normal parts of my speech, I am glad to share with you that during the summer holiday, we had received some very good news; our graduates of the year 2018 had managed to score a record-breaking 40.8% of candidates gaining Level 4 or above and 96.8% of level 2 or above in their HKDSE, resulting in another record-breaking JUPAS offer rate of nearly 70%. I tell you this is not to boost about or to feed any ego; I tell you this because we need to show gratitude and be grateful of our very favorable learning environment that is carefully constructed by all faculty members. They have successfully provided you with a drive to go to a higher plane. Success would only come from failure if you are reflective and committed to refining your practices. I wish this drive would sustain in our school.
This year marks the first year of our school’s development cycle from 2019 to 2022. All teachers have reached a consensus on our two major concerns; one of them is to promote active learning amongst students; and the other is to strengthen our values education programs. It is our agreed goals to see students in playing a more active role in their learning and to nurture more positive values and upright qualities in students.
We would continue our effort in bringing you an eventful and meaningful education through organizing various Life Wide Learning activities as such the school based F.4 Seoul Study Tour. The teachers’ devotion in enhancing leadership skills training for students has also taken on a new page: In order to create more posts and positions for students, we have expanded the number of Clubs and Societies and CCA bodies; and had also introduced a new team of student leaders, that is, our guidance prefect team. The team is set up to serve the needs of our new F1 students and to assist and guide them in their smooth transformation from a primary student and becoming a secondary student. All these are concerted effort of each and every one of our faculty members. So, thank you teachers!
There will be some special assemblies arranged in view of the current social issue with the main focus of counselling and providing an elegant platform for you to express your fears and hopes.
Let’s make this 2019/20 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you!
Principal’s Speech for the Opening Ceremony 2018
Good morning. Teachers and students, a very warm welcome to all of you, especially my Form One students. Let me introduce myself to you first, I am your Principal Fung Nga Sze Agnes. This is my second year serving as the principal of this school, it brings me great pleasure to be here today for the opening ceremony for the academic year 2018-19 of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College. This is the second time that I made a speech as a School Principal; it actually makes me feel excited, even more excited than last year! Like this morning, new students and old students alike greeted me with smiles, and even waving of their hands. With these warm gestures, I feel that this is a warm and friendly school, and I am a warm and friendly person, I feel that I am right at home! From this day onwards, there will be many chances when we shall bump into each other around campus or in various functions. Please feel free to share with me whatever you are thinking or feeling about your studies, your school and so on. Of course, a simple word of greeting, a smile or even a nod would also be taken as a sign of connectedness.
As some of you may have heard it last year already, but I think it is worthwhile for me to share with you again why I wanted to become a teacher many years ago, it is very simple, I wanted to make a difference. I want to change the world and the people around me. Like my own teachers who inspired me when I was at school, I wanted all my students to become not only knowledgeable but also dedicated, compassionate, wise, humorous, liberal, imaginative, balanced, reflective and thorough. When you become a young person with a career, what people would notice is not your exam grades but the kind of person you are. I am not telling you that your studies were not important (because they were). Rather, I wanted you to see your academic performance as part of a bigger picture, that it is a part of, but not the whole of your whole person development, which is fundamentally more important and long lasting.
If you want to become outstanding in your surroundings, you should start to understand what is professionalism; it is to equip yourself with problem solving skills, communication skills and teamwork spirit in order to survive and stay competitive in the work environment. My dear students, if you are a part of any school team or if you are assigned with any duties or projects, please see them as opportunities to train yourself in becoming a successful person in the future.
While you were enjoying your summer holiday, many teachers and staff were busy preparing for the forth coming school year. As you will soon notice, thanks to the incredible effort of our teachers and janitors, the floor tiles on the 3rd floor as well as all the interior walls of the school premises have all been renovated. I hope you would appreciate their hard work in bringing the school into a more desirable and accommodating place.
Have you spent your summer holiday wisely and meaningfully? I have to tell you, I did. As many of you know, together with Ms. Koo, and Mr Ng, I have participated with 10 students in the school trip to Kenya, in east Africa. It was truly a memorable experience for me, and I hope the students have learnt and grown from the trip too. I can’t wait for their interesting sharing with you soon! Other trips held during the summer included the one to Singapore and many other local activities which are also very impressive, such as the Form 1 orientation parents’ talk, the PLK flag day, Form 1 orientation program; Form 4 student leaders participating in a free movie treat last weekend; all these activities had certainly brought colours to our summer break!
Our 2018 HKDSE results has improved significantly, with an overall passing rate of 94.3%. in particular, we saw a record high passing rate of 99.2% and 97.7% in English language and Chinese language. 3 subjects obtained 100% rate as well. So, well done everyone. The percentage of students gaining the 3322 benchmark for university entrance has increased from 38.2% to 53.8%; and the percentage of students gaining a JUPAS offer has increased from 44.7% to 58.3%; this is very encouraging and I hope our F6 students could be inspired and motivated by the success of their predecessors. Remember, your teachers are here to help you get through your upcoming challenges.
The most outstanding highflyer, 何耀昇 achieved 2 level 5* and 3 level 5, he will study Engineering at HKU; closely followed by 梁綺珊 achieving 1 Level 5** and 3 level 5, she will study Business and Management at the HKUST; and 蕭哲謙achieving 2 Level 5* and 2 level 5 who will study Science at HKU.
Highlights of the coming month include the F4 Beijing Study Tour being sponsored by our sponsoring body, the Po Leung Kuk. A total of nearly 130 teachers and students of our school will be joined with 3 other PLK schools making a total of 600 people visiting Beijing from 16 to 20 of September. In addition, our football team, together with teams from other PLK affiliated schools will enter a tournament in Panyu with teams from Taiwan, Guangdong and Macau.
This year would be the third year of our school’s 3-year School Development Plan, we have two major concerns throughout these three years. One of them is about the promotion of Careers and Life Planning education for both teachers and students; and the other one is to promote English learning further through collaboration among different subjects in the junior secondary levels
As what I always share with teachers and students, Career and Life Planning is an important aspect and we should start planning as soon as possible. As a student, Career and Life Planning is a process of career decision making, from understanding oneself to developing, researching, followed by connecting oneself to exploration of study or training opportunities. All students can plan ahead better for their future and goals they want to actualize in life. As a result of our effort, I am pleased to share with that our JUPAS offer rate for the 2018 graduates has hit a record breaking rate of 58% compared with 44.7% in 2017.
Apart from this, enhancing students’ language proficiency is always our goal. With good command of language, we could learn a lot of knowledge from reading and communicating with others. Over these years, our school has been introducing a lot of measures to enhance the English Language proficiency for our students. For the following three academic years, our school has an intention of collaborating different subject groups to introduce some interesting and innovative measures for you to learn the subject content on the one hand; and polish your English proficiency on the other.
Apart from these two major concerns, we also intend to strengthen the scientific and technological development in school. It is our belief that we should do something more on science and technology in order to equip our students with all the 21st century work-ready skills. We hope that students could be nurtured to be creative, innovative, far-sighted and persistent in problem solving. These are the qualities people need in the 21st century. We hope that we could help develop our students towards these aspects. Hope you all enjoy your life in our school.
Teachers are sometimes referred as ‘gardeners’ as it is their job to help you develop and grow into the best that nature has installed in you. I hope that you could cooperate well with our 1 and let them help you to shine and grow during your years in school.
Finally, I have to share with you quote of one of my teenage idol, Madonna, she said, “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always become a better version of yourself.”
We all are a continual work in progress, so we can’t beat ourselves up for not being where we want to be in this very moment. It takes hard work, dedication, and serious soul-searching to become the best versions of ourselves, but we can always keep striving for better. We can always rise above our self-imposed limits and accept more than mediocrity. In no matter what you are doing, if you haven’t given up yet, then you should be extremely proud of yourself. No one promises us that life is a piece of cake, and it takes a true warrior to see it through to the end.
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” ― a phrase so beautifully put by Dr. Brené Brown, a social scientist who is being sought after by millions of followers on Youtube.
Welcome back, my dear students, next time, when you pick up your mobile phone to check onto your favorite social media or online game, can you please remember that your competitors in life may be using their time more wisely and therefore will always be ahead of you. Let’s make it a good start!
Make this a rewarding and fruitful year by making the right Choice, take the Chance and make the Change you want in your life!
Thank you very much.
Principal’s Speech for the Opening Ceremony 2017
Good morning. Teachers and students, I am your new Principal Fung Nga Sze Agnes. It brings me great pleasure to be here today for the opening ceremony for the academic year 2017-18 of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College. This is the first time that I made a speech as a School Principal; it actually makes me feel excited and slightly nervous. I feel excited because I am deeply honoured to serve as the fourth Principal of this school of 35 years. This school feels both familiar and strange to me as I have served in another Po Leung Kuk school for the last 20 years. While you were enjoying your summer holiday, I have participated in several activities in this school already, such as the Form 1 orientation parents’ talk, PLK flag day, Form 1 orientation program; I was greeted by students and staff with smiles, and even waving of their hands. With these warm gestures, I feel that this is a warm and friendly school, and I am a warm and friendly person, I feel that I am right at home! From this day onwards, there will be many chances when we shall bump into each other around campus or in various functions. Please feel free to share with me whatever you are thinking or feeling about your studies, your school and so on. Of course, a simple word of greeting, a smile or even a nod would also be taken as a sign of connectedness.
The name ‘ Shing Pik’ has a literal Chinese meaning of ‘Gem of a City’ and indeed it is a gem. Its tranquil campus houses a vibrant community of learners and teachers, and its innovative education model and curriculum design was quite well known in the education sector in Hong Kong. The school’s success is a result of its past Principals, teachers, staff and students. It is my greatest honour to become the fourth Principal of the school and I have the greatest admiration for my predecessor, Mr. Au Yeung who retires as from this year and I wish the best in his retirement life.
If I were to name an experience that has the most profound impact in my life, it would be my boarding school life in the UK during my secondary school years. My school teachers and friends not only opened me up to the wonders of a wide range of human knowledge through what they taught. They also shaped my character through what they were: dedicated, compassionate, wise, humorous, liberal, imaginative, balanced, reflective and thorough. When you become a young person with a career, what people would notice is not your exam grades but the kind of person you are. I am not telling you that your studies were not important (because they are of crucial importance). Rather, I wanted you to see your academic performance as part of a bigger picture, that it is a part of, but not the whole of your whole person development, which is fundamentally more important and long lasting.
After graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University many many years ago, I joined an international accounting firm and started my career as an accountant. But very soon, I lost interest in money, I wanted to affect changes and impact in people, especially, young people’s lives. So I became a teacher who teaches people rather than just teaching contents in textbooks. My experience in the business sector enabled me to look at education from a different angle, as I would also demand my students to understand what professionalism is, and to equip themselves with problem solving skills, communication skills and teamwork spirit in order to survive and stay competitive in the work environment. My dear students, if you are a part of any school team or if you are assigned with any duties or projects, please see them as opportunities to train yourself in becoming a successful person in the future.
In my brief reading of the school’s records, our HKDSE results were satisfactory with an overall passing rate of 92%. 6 subjects obtained 100% rate as well. So, well done everyone! The most outstanding highflyer, 黃悦兒 of 6E achieved 1 level5 ** 2 level 5* and 3 level 4; closely followed by 朱穎芝 achieving 4 level 5* and 2 level 5 and 1 level 4.
Apart from I am impressed with what the school has achieved last year, for instance there were several successful and meaningful study tours held, students have traveled to the Czechs Republic, Hungry, Taiwan, Singapore and the Mainland. These trips have surely broaden your prospective and exposure. Two of our teachers Ms. Lo and Ms. Siu have also represented the school and Hong Kong to participate in an international teachers’ exchange program in Tokyo a few days ago, I urge you to follow their suits and make this coming year a meaningful one, it is up to you to make it worthwhile.
Highlights of the coming month include the F4 Beijing Study Tour being sponsored by our sponsoring body, the Po Leung Kuk. A total of 111 teachers and students of our school will be joined with 4 other PLK schools making a total of 680 people visiting Beijing from 17th to 21st of September. All Form 5 students will participate in an overnight adventure based camp from 8th to 9th in September. The purpose of the camp is to continue the strengthening of team spirit amongst students as well as self-confidence within our F5 students who will face much challenge ahead as they approach the final years of secondary school lives.
This year would be the second year of our school’s 3-year School Development Plan, We have two major concerns throughout these three years. One of them is about the promotion of Careers and Life Planning education for both teachers and students; and the other one is to promote English learning further through collaboration among different subjects in the junior secondary levels
As we all know, Career and Life Planning is an important aspect and we should start planning as soon as possible. As a student, Career and Life Planning is a process of career decision making, from understanding oneself to developing, researching, followed by connecting oneself to exploration of study or training opportunities; this approach would enable students in planning ahead better for their future and actualizing meaningful goals in their lives.
In addition, to enhance students’ language proficiency is always our goal. With good command of language, we could learn a lot of knowledge from reading and communicate effectively with others. Over these years, our school has been introducing a lot of measures to enhance the English Language proficiency for our students. For the following two academic years, our school has an intention of collaborating different subject groups to introduce some interesting and innovative measures for you to learn subject content on the one hand; and polish your English proficiency on the other.
Apart from these two major concerns, we also intend to advance the scientific and technological development in school. It is our belief that we should do something more in science and technology in order to equip our students with all the 21st century work-ready skills. We hope that students could be nurtured to be creative, innovative, far-sighted and persistent in problem solving. These are the qualities people need in the 21st century. We hope that we could help develop our students towards these aspects. Hope you all enjoy your life in our school.
Teachers are sometimes referred as ‘gardeners’ in Chinese, as it is their job to help you develop and grow into the best that nature has installed in you. I hope that you could cooperate well with our teachers and let them help you to shine and grow during your years in school.
Finally, I have to tell you my motto in life, ‘Do yourself justice’; it was actually a phrase handed down to me by my favourite teacher, Mrs. Breward. I remember she would always say this phrase to me instead of saying ‘Good luck’ to me right before each time when I sat any exams or entering any interviews. What she meant was that we should all do our best with our talents and potentials but not to be wasteful of our talents, our gifts or our interests, and everything we have got and especially our precious and limited time on earth. Be fair to yourself; don’t waste anything that you own, because, quite sadly, everything passes away, including your youth.
My dear students, next time, when you pick up your mobile phone to check onto your favorite social media or online game, can you please remember that your competitors in life may be using their time more wisely and therefore will always be ahead of you.
Let’s make today a good start, Let’s be productive and effective!
Make the right Choice, take the Chance and make the Change you want in your life!
Thank you very much.