St. Paul's College, Hong Kong

St. Paul's College, Hong Kong
Chinese: 聖保羅書院

School Badge of St. Paul's College
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
寅畏上主是為智之本 (Chinese)
Timor Domini Principium Sapientiae (Latin)
Address
69 Bonham Road, Hong Kong
Information
Type DSS, Day
Denomination Anglican
Established 1851
Founder Revd Vincent John Stanton
Principal Father Dennis
Supervisor Mr. Pong Yuen Sun, Louis
Grades Primary 1 – Form 6
Gender Boys
Enrolment 1200 (Secondary)
600 (Primary)
Medium of language English
Campus type Urban
Houses Banyan, Ginkgo, Oak, Pine, Rosewood, Yew
Publication Wayfarer (弘道, school magazine)
Scope (文苑, school newspaper)
Pupils Paulines
Website spc.edu.hk
St. Paul's College, Hong Kong

St. Paul's College campus, as seen from HKU.

Exterior of the North Wing (Classroom Block)
Traditional Chinese 聖保羅書院
Simplified Chinese 圣保罗书院

St. Paul's College (SPC; Traditional Chinese: 聖保羅書院) is an Anglican day school for boys in Hong Kong. Established in 1851, it is the oldest continuously-operated school in Hong Kong. The college opened in 1851 with one tutor and nine pupils. Today, it has 1,200 pupils in the secondary section and nearly 600 pupils in the primary section.[1]

St. Paul's comprises an all-boys primary school section (Primary 1–6) and secondary section (Forms 1–6). The secondary school campus is situated in the Mid-levels area, part of Hong Kong Island's Western District, whilst the primary school operates in a dedicated campus at Pok Fu Lam in the Island's Southern District.

The College Council enjoys a special status in Hong Kong, in that it is a statutory body incorporated by a local ordinance, the St. Paul's College Council Incorporation Ordinance (Cap 1102, Laws of Hong Kong). The aim of the college is to "provide a liberal education to Chinese youths in the English language upon Christian principles."

History

The old campus, now called Bishop's House, Glenealy

Establishment

St. Paul's College is one of the world's earliest Anglo-Chinese schools.[1] Its founder, the Rev. Vincent John Stanton, was the first colonial chaplain of the former Colony of Hong Kong, appointed in 1843. In 1841, Rev. Stanton, raised funds in England to start an Anglo-Chinese school in Hong Kong. The Church of England Anglo-Chinese School opened for the purpose of teaching English to Chinese boys in 1849. St. Paul's College was officially founded in 1851, located at Glenealy in what is today the Central District.

The school opened with James Summers as headmaster, Rev. Edward T. R. Moncrieff as tutor and nine boys. The number of students soon swelled to 33. Rev. Moncrieff, the school's only tutor at the time, travelled to India, where he was killed in 1857 in the Indian Mutiny.

The college was suspended from 1857 to 1862. Bishop Burden turned the building into a school mainly for English-speaking boys, which operated from 1873 to 1878. During this time, St. Paul's College and St. Joseph's College competed in the earliest inter-school football matches ever played in the colony. The college again became an Anglo-Chinese school, under the headmastership of A.T. Fryer in 1878. The college was suspended in 1899, and the building was used as a training school for Chinese Catechists under the leadership of Rev. P.A. Bunbury.

Early 20th century

Students in 1911

The Church Missionary Society took over the school building, and St. Paul's College reopened with Rev. A.D. Stewart as headmaster in 1909. Rev. Stewart's brother Col. E.G. (Evan George) Stewart highlighted the primitive facilities of the school at this time in his article about St. Paul's history. "Some of us can remember the old south wing – two enormous classrooms on the first floor and one on the ground floor – the rest of the space taken up with wide verandas and staircases, the whole constructed of ancient and somewhat worm-eaten wood, which must have caused a headache to the insurance company; the bad lighting and amazing discomforts which would not be tolerated by modern schoolboys."

During this time, the enrolment soared to 300 and extensions became necessary. In 1911, the Wu Ting Fang Hall and St. Paul's Church were erected. In 1914, St. Paul's Girls School (now St. Paul's Co-educational College) was founded by Rev. A.D. Stewart's sister, Kathleen Stewart. Headmaster Rev. A.D. Stewart retired and his brother Colonel E.G. Stewart took charge in 1930.

Japanese occupation

In December 1941, the school closed abruptly when Japan invaded Hong Kong in the Pacific War. Col. Stewart, along with some school staff and students, risked their lives for the defence of the colony. After World War II, Colonel Stewart was awarded Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honours in 1948. He was appointed Royal Hong Kong Regiment, Honorary Colonel.

Post-wars years and the Bonham Road era

Staff in 1957
Lady Howe and Lady Wilson visiting St. Paul's

After the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the school was briefly merged with St. Paul's Girl's College, and renamed St. Paul's Co-educational College. The school resumed its individual status in 1949, known as St. Paul's College once again, when its campus on Bonham Road was completed. St. Paul's Co-educational College remained co-educational. Rev. G.L. Speak was appointed principal in 1959.

During the Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots, Form 6 pupil Tsang Tak-sing was expelled from the school and prosecuted for distributing leaflets promoting Communism and public order crime. Tsang was sentenced to two years in prison. He later went on to become a deputy in the National People's Congress of Communist China, a member of the Central Policy Unit and, on 1 July 2007, the Secretary for Home Affairs in the Hong Kong Government. Ha Wing Ho was appointed principal in 1969.

St. Paul's College bloomed quickly in the late 20th century. In 1979, the completion of St. Paul's College Alumni Association Tse Yu Chuen Swimming Pool marked the completion of one of the greatest building projects of the decade. Its construction was made possible by funding from parents, older boys and the Alumni Association. In 1992, St. Paul's College was the first aided school to opt for the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS). However, the scheme was eventually suspended when the government policy changed. Under DSS, the school would have been given maximum freedom with regard to curriculum, school fees and entrance requirements. St. Paul's College Primary School was relocated to Hill Road in 1993, which formerly housed a secondary school. The vacant block at Bonham Road was transformed into a series of special-purpose rooms including an art room, music room, staff room, teaching resource room, computer room and teachers' common room.

2000–present

The year 2001 marked the 150th anniversary of the school. In the same year, the school elected to join the DSS, under which the school was given more freedom in the enrolment of students, appointment of teachers and the design of the curriculum.

In 2006, the college celebrated its 155th anniversary. In that year, Dr. John Richard Kennard was appointed as the 11th principal. In the same year, under the DSS, the new South Wing was opened by Archbishop Peter Kwong. The Wong Ming Him Hall was renovated in 2008 and the College Hall in 2010.

A new SPC Primary School campus was built in Pok Fu Lam. The project resulted in the SPC Primary School relocating from its current site on Hill Road. Located at the corner of Victoria Road and Pok Fu Lam Road, the new campus opened in January 2013.

St. Paul's College celebrated its 160th anniversary during the 2011–2012 academic year. As the first event of the anniversary calendar, the Chapel Choir and Chinese Orchestra visited London in July 2011, and performed at St Paul's Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral and St Martin's-in-the-Fields. The 160th Anniversary Concert was held on 26 October 2011 at the Jockey Club Auditorium of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

In 2014, Mr Yuen Dick Yan, Dennis was appointed as Acting Principal of the College and he was subsequent appointed as Principal on an acting basis in 2015.

The Motto, Missions and Visions

The Entrance to St. Paul's College at Christmas

The school motto is "寅畏上主是為智之本", which is the translation of Proverbs 9:10 in classical Chinese. Its English translation is "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (KJV). ("Timor Domini Principium Sapientiae" in Latin can be found in graduation certificates of earlier days.) The fact that the motto is in Chinese is significant. While it was the fashion at the time to use Latin for such a purpose, the far-sighted founders of the school saw St. Paul's College as a hub to foster bilinguals and to bring together the cultures of the East and the West.

The mission of St. Paul's College is to offer modern, liberal education to Chinese youths in the English language (while including the subject of Chinese language in the curriculum) upon Christian, Protestant and Evangelical principles, as professed by the Sheng Kung Hui.

The educational goals of the college, in accordance with its mission, may be described as:

The School Badge

The School Badge

The Coat of Arms

The college's coat of arms is similar to the coat of arms of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, indicating that St. Paul's College is a school sponsored by the Sheng Kung Hui.

The Scallop Shell

The scallop shell was the emblem of St. James the Great, who was the patron saint of pilgrims. One legend describes how he travelled to Northwest Spain, and preached there for seven years. He was later beheaded in Judea by King Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). According to the legend, his body was eventually taken back to Spain and buried at Santiago de Compostela. From the ninth century to the 16th century, hundreds of thousands of Christians came to Santiago de Compostela on pilgrimages, expeditions made by individuals or groups to places where God had shown His power in some special ways. Often the journeys were long and dangerous. The pilgrims did not mind, because they believed their spiritual lives would be enriched and deepened by their pilgrimage.

Often the pilgrim wore on his hat or cloak a badge indicating his destination. Those going to Santiago de Compostela wore a scallop shell. Perhaps it was a reminder of the small boats in which many of them travelled. Perhaps it had a more practical use as a vessel used in baptism or a drinking vessel. At any rate, the scallop shell eventually became a sign of pilgrimage in general, a symbol of baptism, signifying new life. The pilgrims carried new ways of thinking and of doing things to places that were deeply isolated from the larger world. Pilgrims were people on the move, people on the way to somewhere else. Like the pilgrims of old, Paulines are people on the move. When they leave school, many of them go to other parts of the world, bringing with them new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things. Even those who stay in Hong Kong are also pilgrims of a sort, for life itself is like a journey from childhood to youth, to middle age and beyond.

The Shepherd's Staff

The shepherd's staff was used by the shepherd to keep the sheep on the right path. Jesus often used this illustration in his teaching, so the shepherd's staff has become the symbol of the care and guidance which the church minister (pastor or priest) gives to others. This care involves showing active concern for the physical, social, psychological and spiritual well-being of a person in practical ways. It is not only clergymen who show this kind of care; teachers and social workers often show this level of concern for many.

The Key

The key is symbolic of the words of Jesus to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 16:19). William Barclay, a well-known Christian author, wrote: "The promise that Peter would have the keys to the Kingdom was the promise that Peter would be the means of opening the door to God for thousands upon thousands of people in the days to come. The plain fact is that it is not only Peter who has the keys of the Kingdom, every Christian has, for it is open to every one of us to open the door of the Kingdom to someone, and to enter into the great promise of Jesus Christ."

The Open Book

The open book symbolises the Bible – open for all to read. The Bishop of Guidford wrote: "The whole Bible is a gift of God to the world. He guided its many writers and he watched over its editing and completion during many generations. For many years he has strengthened and guided his people through the pages of the Bible ... He continues to speak to us and our contemporaries as we read and study its pages." The open book also suggests knowledge.

The Crown

Above all of the other symbols is a crown, possibly reminiscent of the tradition that the three wise men, or Magi, who came from the east to worship the infant Jesus, were also kings. Tradition has generally supposed that they came from Persia or Arabia, but they may have come from as far away as China.

The crown may also symbolise the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). "The Christian," wrote William Barclay, "has a royalty that other men have never realised, for, however humble his earthly circumstances, he is nothing less that the child of God."

The Cross

In the school badge, the diocesan emblems are surrounded by a cross, which symbolises self-sacrifice, such as when Jesus died on a cross.

The Motto

The Chinese characters in the motto under the cross are from Proverbs 1:7, translated in English as "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." The Hebrew version could be translated as "The most important part of knowledge is reverence for the Lord."

The fact that the motto is in Chinese is significant. It was more the fashion at that time to use Latin for such a purpose. When St. Paul's College was founded, the primary focus was to offer Chinese youths a modern, liberal education in the English language, while including the subject of Chinese language in the curriculum, upon Christian principles. Bringing together the cultures of East and West and the fostering of bilingualism have been well-established traditions in the school.

List of Principals of Secondary Section and Primary Section

English Name Chinese Name Portrait Tenure Remarks
Secondary Section
1. Rev. Vincent John Stanton (Founder) 史丹頓牧師 1849–1850 Stanton is the Founder of St. Paul's College and also appointed as the First Colonel Chaplain in Hong Kong.
2. Bishop George Smith (Warden) 施美夫主教 1851–1864 The wife of Smith helped establish Diocesan Girls' School
3. Bishop Charles Richard Alford (Warden) 柯爾福主教 1867–1872
4. Bishop John Shaw Burdon (Warden) 包爾騰主教 1874–1897
5. Bishop Joseph Charles Hoare (Warden) 霍約瑟主教 1898–1906 Hoare was shipwrecked along with four other students when they were on a boat to Castle Peak, Tuen Mun for a missionary visit.
6. Bishop Gerard Heath Lander (Warden) 倫義華主教 1906–1909
7. Rev. Arthur Dudley Stewart (Principal) 史超域牧師 1909–1930 The Reverend Stewart's sister, Kathleen Stewart founded St. Paul Girls' College The Stewart Building is named after him and his younger brother Colonel Stewart who took up the principalship after he retired.
8. Col. Evan George Stewart, DSO, OBE, ED (Principal) 史伊尹上校 1930–1958 Colonel Stewart participated in both World War I and World War II The British Government awarded him as colonel because of his contribution in the Battle of Hong Kong.
9. Rev. Geoffrey Lowrey Speak, OBE (Principal) 史璧琦牧師 1958–1967 Speak was asked to be the founder of Island School when Hong Kong embroiled in the 1967 Leftist Riots where there is a clash of Pro-Communist activists and the Hong Kong Government.
Mr. R.G. Wells (Acting Principal) 韋爾思先生 1967–1968 Wells served as the Acting Principal at the interim period.
10. Mr. Timothy W.H. Ha, MBE, JP (Principal) 夏永豪 MBE 太平紳士 1968–2006 Ha is the first local-trained Principal. Unlike many of his most predecessor, he did not attend Oxbridge and he is the longest served principal at St. Paul's College.
11. Dr. John Richard Kennard (Principal) 甘納德博士 2006–2014 Kennard is an Australian British and the only principal with a doctorate qualification. He left the College to Warsaw to take up a principalship at the British School of Warsaw
12. Mr. Dennis D.Y. Yuen (Principal) 源迪恩先生 2014- Yuen was appointed as Acting Principal in the school year of 2014-2015. He will assume the post of principal on an acting basis after September 2015
Primary Section
1. Rev. Chiu Lin Chun (Headmaster) 招練俊牧師 1960–1970
2. Mr. Leung Chung Por, MH (Headmaster) 梁松波先生 MH 1970–2001 Leung was the longest serving headmaster
3. Mrs. Yvonne Chan Chin Mo Chun (Headmistress) 陳陳慕珍女士 2001–2016 Chan was the first headmistress. All her predecessors were men.
4. Mr. Mak Chi Ho, Michael (Headmaster) 麥志豪先生 2016–20 Prior to his appointment, Mak was the Vice Principal of the Secondary Section

Campus

Bishop's House, the campus of St. Paul's before 1941
The Bonham Road Campus in the 1950s
The Bonham Road entrance in the 1960s

The current campus is located at 69 Bonham Road, Western District, Hong Kong.[2]

For 100 years before World War II, St. Paul's College was located in Glenealy (also known as "Tit Kong"), in the Central District, in the buildings currently called Bishop's House, which are presently the headquarters of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The College buildings were occupied during the war, leading to St. Paul's College being merged with St. Paul's Girls' School to form St. Paul's Co-educational College (SPCC).

At the end of the occupation, St. Paul's College was re-established in its own right and granted permission to use the former HKU St. John's College site as its new campus. By the mid-1960s, all of the former St. John's Hall buildings had been replaced.

Current campus at Bonham Road

The land (Inland Lot No. 7935) at Bonham Road on which St. Paul's College now stand was a private property known as "Fairlea" in the early colonial days. In the 1880s, the small boarding school for Chinese girls founded by missionary and educator Margaret Johnstone (莊思端) moved into Fairlea. The boarding school was taken over by the Church Missionary Society in 1886 and named Fairlea Girls' School (飛利女校), and is one of the predecessors of the current Heep Yunn School.[3]

The University of Hong Kong was formed in 1911, and in its early days, it is compulsory for all students to live in a residential hall. Being directly opposite the Main Building of HKU, Fairlea was converted into St. John's Hall, the first hall of the newly founded university. Fairlea Girls' School moved to 4–6 Babington Path as a result. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, St. John's Hall was occupied by an infantry company and also acted as a shelter for local Anglo-Indian and Eurasian refugees, and the Hall was extensively looted after the surrender of Japan. As HKU recommenced classes in 1946, St. John's Hall reopened in 1947 with the aid from the Education Department, with the condition that the latter could use the West Wing of St. John's Hall, location of which is now SPC's Stewart Building. The affiliated primary school of Northcote Training College soon moved in. When SPC regained its independence in 1950, it initially occupied the West Wing as well.[4]

The Anglican Church proposed merging St. John's Hall with St. Stephen's Hall, a female-only hall, into the co-educational St. John's College (SJC). SJC subsequently moved into its new premises at 82 Pokfulam Road in 1955,[4] leaving the whole premises at Bonham Road for St. Paul's College's use. The Wong Ming Him Hall, the oldest building existing in the campus nowadays, was built in 1951. The three-storey, multi-purpose building once housed a table tennis room, art room and music room. The building was renovated in 2007–2008 and now houses a multi-purpose rehearsal room, a board room and the archives.[1] The college swimming pool, known in full as "St. Paul's College Alumni Association Tse Yu Chuen Swimming Pool" (聖保羅書院同學會謝雨川游泳池), was officially opened on 8 November 1979. The pool is next to the Wong Ming Him Hall and was named after the alumnus who initiated the fundraising campaign for its construction.

The original St. John's Hall building as well as Wong Ming Him Hall was deemed inadequate owing to the College's rapid growth, to an extent that AM PM double-shift schooling was adopted in 1961 and 1962. As a result, the College started the planning of a thorough campus redevelopment scheme with alumnus-cum-architect Szeto Wai (司徒惠) in 1962, and construction started in the same year. The old St. John's Hall building was torn down and replaced by four new blocks, namely the North Wing, East Wing and West Wing (now renamed Stewart Building), as well as the now demolished Primary School Block. This layout remained unchanged until the 2000s, when the College carried out a School Improvement programme.[5]

School Improvement Programme

View of St. Paul's College's New South Wing from the University of Hong Kong, 2009

In 2003, the college implemented a School Improvement Programme (SIP) with a view to construct a new administration and teaching block above the swimming pool area. To make way for the new building, the college demolished the former primary school building.

The intake of the New South Wing occurred in October 2006, and was officially opened by Peter Kwong Kong-kit, the then Archbishop of Hong Kong, on 15 December of the same year.[5] It houses the college office, a principal's room, art rooms, music rooms and staff rooms.[6]

Primary school campus

The Primary School's new campus at Victoria Road

In 1993, St. Paul's College Primary School (SPCPS) moved to its own campus at 70 Hill Road, which formerly housed Hill Road Government Primary School (before 1977), Buddhist Chi Hong College (1977–1990) and Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College (1991–1992).

In addition to 18 classrooms, the Hill Road campus included a school hall, conference room, music room, computer room, library, multi-purpose room, English language room, counselling room, first aid room, visual arts and science room, chapel and tuck shop.

A new campus for SPCPS was completed in 2012, and SPCPS moved in subsequently. The new campus is located at the junction of Pok Fu Lam Road and Victoria Road near Wah Fu Estate in Pok Fu Lam. The vacated Hill Road campus is handed over to SKH St. Peter's Primary School, another primary school sponsored by Sheng Kung Hui, enabling the latter's conversion to whole day operation.

Students' Organisation

The Prefects' Council

The Prefects' Council is an independent organisation which is authorised by the principal to help maintain school discipline. A prefect presents himself as a role model to others. Prefects are privileged, entitled to wear the prefects' tie and read Bible at the school morning assembly, which is regarded as a prestige. The prefect's main duties include maintaining discipline at the school and promoting harmony among Paulines. The Prefects' Council runs a committee system under the direction of the head prefect and two-second head prefects. The council is also responsible for co-ordinating all functions held by the school and students' association upon request. Prefects have the right to issue warning sheets according to the seriousness of the offence. Outstanding Prefects are chosen each year based on their general routine and performance of external duties.

Students' Association

The logo of the Students' Association

The St. Paul's College Students' Association (abbreviated as SA) is the students' organisation of the college. It is the main body which conducts matters concerning students' welfare and communication with the school. The SA is the oldest students' organisation in all secondary schools in Hong Kong.

The Executive Council (ExCo) is the decision-making body of the Students' Association. ExCo committees include:

The Students' Association is led by the SA president. At the beginning of each school year, an SA presidential election is held. All students vote for a candidate, and the term of office for each president is one school year.

Affiliated Clubs of the Students' Association

The Students’ Association (S.A.) organises a Sponsored Walk each year to raise funds for financing the activities of its 53 affiliated clubs, which are grouped under six unions: Arts Union, Science Union, Sports Union, Music Union, Recreation Union and Service Union.

The Arts Union and the Science Union organise the Arts Week and the Science Week respectively, with such programmes as book and club exhibitions, and inter-class competitions. In addition, the Science Union participates in the Joint School Science Exhibition during the summer holidays every year.

The school provides many opportunities for students to participate in community services through the service clubs or groups such as the Interact Club, the Community Youth Club, the Junior Police Call, the Youth Red Cross and the Scout Group. Social services include collecting toys and second-hand clothes, participating in fundraising walkathons and flag-selling activities for charitable purposes, organising funfairs for the mentally disabled, and paying visits to the homes for the aged.

The Recreation Union comprises many clubs for students with various interests, including Green Club, Transport Club, Photography Club and Bridge Club.

Arts Union
Sports Union
  • Archery Club 射箭學會
  • Badminton Club 羽毛球學會
  • Basketball Club 籃球學會
  • Bowling Club 保齡球學會
  • Football Club 足球學會
  • Hockey Club 曲棍球學會
  • Judo Club 柔道學會
  • Table-tennis Club 乒乓球學會
  • Tennis Club 網球學會
  • Water Sports Club 水上運動學會
　

Recreation Union
　 　

Science Union
  • Astronomy Club 天文學會
  • Biology Society 生物學會
  • Chemistry Society 化學學會
  • Computer Society 電腦學會
  • Mathematics Society 數學學會
  • Physics Society 物理學會
　

Music Union
  • Digital Music Club 數碼音樂學會
  • Popular Music Club 流行音樂學會
  • School Orchestra 管弦樂團
  • Chinese Orchestra 中樂團
  • Senior Choir 高級合唱團
  • Intermediate Choir 中級合唱團
  • Junior Choir 童聲合唱團（前稱Treble Choir[7]）
  • Chapel Choir 福音合唱團
  • Stage Management Team
  • Pianist Team
　

Service Union
　

House system

The House System was first introduced in 1975. The college offers students additional opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, in the form of the House System, which aims at bridging the gap between junior and senior students, and moving the students beyond the limit of class spirit.[8]

Membership of each house comes from all parts of the school so that within each class there are members of six houses, which are designated as Banyan, Ginkgo, Oak, Pine, Rosewood and Yew. The system facilitates inter-house ball games and competitions in the Swimming Gala and the Sport Days. Apart from participating in sports competitions, members of the six houses also show their talents in inter-house music, debating and drama contests.

House Colour
Banyan (榕) Blue
Ginkgo (銀杏) Green
Oak (橡) Orange
Pine (松) Purple
Rosewood (紫檀) Red
Yew (紫杉) Yellow

The colour of each house corresponds with the first letter of the house name.

Each house is led by a house master, and a number of assistant house masters/mistresses. The events at the Annual Sports Day and Swimming Gala are mostly inter-house events, with the exception of a few inter-class events. Most competitions between the houses are sports competitions, while academic ones are rare.

Newly admitted F.1 students are randomly distributed among the six houses. House members may purchase and wear house badges on a voluntary basis.

College Song and Hymn

St. Paul's College School Song

Once again we here foregather,
pledge obedience to this rule:
That we ever will be faithful
to the teachings of our School.
Justice, Honour, Truth and Virtue
shall the watchwords be for all.
We thy sons who learnt these precepts
in the College of St. Paul,
Brothers here we stand together
all for each and each for all.
Down the years we will be faithful
to the College of St. Paul.

The old college song was titled The Old St. Paul's College, based on the 18th century ballad "John Peel".

The current college song was composed in the 1970s by Rev. Moses Wu, the music teacher at the time, with lyrics by C.F. Miles. It is generally sung during major college events such as Speech Day, the Swimming Gala and Sports Day. The college song is played by the college orchestra at Speech Day.

The College Hymn, We Build Our School on Thee, O Lord, is also sung during important services and at morning assemblies.

College Song Clapping Controversy

It is a habit for the boys at St. Paul's when singing the college song to clap at the penultimate sentence of the College Song (i.e. after "be faithful", labelled at the "fermata" on the musical notes). This habit was rumored to be originated in the early 1980s, where this has been originated from the Primary Section and later transferred to the Secondary Section.

According to Careers Master Mr. William Francis Ryan, at around 1986 one of the student forgot the lyrics of the College song and he sang the College song by clapping instead. Other students then emulated. The Head of Music Department from 1981 to 2013, Mr. Raymond Y.K. Fu has been opposing to such practices as he deemed this habit as "disrespectful". The practice nevertheless continued from the 1990s until 2006. Dr. John Richard Kennard, on his first morning assembly, that this clapping practices must be banned. He stressed that this habit is not in line with any tradition of "St. Paul's".

Dr Kennard averted that there is nothing wrong with clapping. In fact, it shows the passion and the sense of belongings of the boys. The ban was the only things that the Alumni's Association requested him when he assumed the principleship of St. Paul's. Dr Kennard showed a "St. Paul's history," a history book prepared starting from the 1900s, to turn the page of the school song. He noted, "there isn't any indication of clapping," Therefore, it should not be violated.

Meanwhile, Dr Kennard said that the ban would only be effective in public events, such as Sports Day and Speech Day. He would not interfere in any private events or occasions. After five years, Dr Kennard, on July 8, 2011, at the End-of-term Assembly, expressed that he would not prohibit students to clap this time. He stressed that this was because this was the end of the school year and he emphasises the ban would only be lifted once only. However, in the 2012-13 academic year, students continued to clap and the principal did not reprimand any students who clapped. At present, the principal does not expressly prohibit or allow students to clap the school song after the penultimate sentence, but the principal only claps after the school song has been sung completely.

Class structure and curriculum

Class structure

There are six classes in each form (Form 1–6). St. Paul's College is one of a limited number of schools in Hong Kong where instruction is in English, with the exception of Chinese subjects.

The college traditionally followed a system of education similar to Britain. In 2009, the New Senior Secondary system was introduced across the Hong Kong SAR. This involved moving away from the English model of seven years secondary schooling to the Chinese model of three years of junior secondary plus three years of senior secondary. The two public examinations HKCEE and HKALE are now replaced by a single public examination called the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). In addition to the HKDSE, the college also offers the IGCSE and GCE A-Level examinations to provide more opportunities for students.

Curriculum

For the first three years of school (Form 1- Form 3), various subjects are introduced to students, including English, Chinese language, Putonghua, Mathematics, Integrated Humanities (which replaced the subjects of Geography, History, and Economics and public affairs), Religious studies, Music and visual arts. To raise students' awareness in moral, Guidance & P.A.T.H. was recently introduced. Integrated Science is introduced in Form 1 to 2 and, by Form 3, Physics, Chemistry and Biology are available to students.

Under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) educational structure, senior form students now choose three to four elective subjects in which to specialise, together with the compulsory subjects of Chinese language, English language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies. As of the 2010–11 academic year, Economics, BAFS (Business, Accounting and Financial Studies), Geography, History, Chinese History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Combined Science, ICT (information and Communication Technology), Chinese Literature, Music and Visual Arts are offered by the college as elective subjects.

Previously, under the old education structure, classes from Form 4 onwards were traditionally three-stream classes, i.e. arts, business or science. Form 4 and 5 students would prepare for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and all students must take English, Chinese, Mathematics and Religious Studies as their core subjects. History, Chinese History, Geography, Economics, Principles of Accounts, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Additional Mathematics and CIT (Computer & Information Technology) were offered according to the streaming. Matriculation classes (Lower and Upper Six) were three-stream classes (arts, mathematics or biology). Use of English, Chinese Language and Culture, Chinese Literature, Economics, History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Pure mathematics, applied mathematics, Mathematics & Statistics and Computer Application were also offered. Students would take Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE or A-level) at the end of matriculation. The last batch of students under this educational structure graduated from the college in 2012.

The college also runs a summer tuition course (known as "bridging course") for newly admitted Form 1 students to improve their foundation in English. There are also remedial classes in Chinese, English and mathematics for students requiring additional assistance.

College Publications

Cover of Issue 46 (2007–2008) of Wayfarer
The School Report published in 1931

The College's Student Publications Council (學生出版社) is responsible for the publication of Wayfarer, the college magazine, and Scope, the college newspaper. Formerly regarded as part of the Students' Association, the council has always been a separate entity.

Wayfarer

Wayfarer (Chinese: 弘道; pinyin: Hóngdào; Jyutping: Wang4 dou3) is the school magazine of St. Paul's College, serving the function as a yearbook. The issue for each academic year is published in December of the following school year.

The name Wayfarer, which means "a traveller on foot," symbolises achieving dreams by eliminating obstacles; the Chinese name, 弘道, is derived from the quote "人能弘道，非道弘人" (A man can enlarge the principles which he follows; those principles do not enlarge the man.) taken from the Book of Wei Ling Kung in the Confucian Analects.

The aims of publishing Wayfarer, as stated in its inaugural issue (1957–58), are:

Wayfarer was first published in 1958, but was subsequently suspended until 1963, when the college started to publish Wayfarer annually. Each issue is prepared by an editorial board formed by students, under the supervision of teacher advisors, since the 4th issue (1965–66) – the first three issues were prepared entirely by teachers.[9]

Printed in black-and-white for more than 40 years, the first Wayfarer in colour, Issue 45, was published for the 2006–2007 academic year (155th Anniversary of the college). As of December 2013, Wayfarer has published 51 issues.

Wayfarer is a bilingual publication. Contents include college report, photographs of classes and groups, club reports, features and contributions.

Scope

Scope (Chinese: 文苑; pinyin: Wényuàn; Jyutping: Man4 jyun2) is the school newspaper of St. Paul's College. It is published once or twice each academic year.

Paulines'

Paulines' was published by the Students' Association starting from its establishment, but was subsequently shelved afterwards. In the 2009–10 academic year, the then-SA cabinet reintroduced Paulines' (Chinese: 保羅連綫; pinyin: Băoluó Liánxiàn; Jyutping: Bou2 lo4 lin4 sin3) and published two issues. However, it was suspended again.

Published and distributed by the Students' Association Executive Council, Paulines' is mainly about activities and functions organised by the S.A.

Activities and achievements

Academic

The HKCEE and HKALE results of the school are sound with a very high percentage of students reaching the entrance requirements for local university and matriculation degrees.[10] With the start of new examination, HKDSE, there is still a very high percentage of students meeting general requirements (33222) for local undergraduate university programmes.[11] Besides local universities, the school provides chances to apply international examinations, like IGCSE, GCE.[12] Students are able to enter foreign universities through international examination.

Sports

Sports activities at the inter-class, inter-house and inter-school levels range from track and field, cross-country racing, swimming, lifesaving, canoeing, gymnastics and judo, to basketball, football, handball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, hockey and squash. The Annual Sports Day and the Swimming Gala are held every academic year.

Sports Team

  1. Swimming Team
  2. Life-saving Team
  3. Tennis Team
  4. Table Tennis Team
  5. Football Team

Music and Speech

Many students attend instrumental classes after school each day. The Music Union organises regular assembly concerts, the annual Music Contest and the Annual Concert. The school music teams including the choirs, the full symphony orchestra, and the Chinese orchestra, participate actively in the annual Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Students also take part actively in groups, as well as individually, in the annual Schools Speech Festival.

An Artist-in-Residence programme was established in 2007–08 with Dr. Stephen Ng (USA: tenor) as the inaugural artist. Subsequent artists-in-residence have included Branko Stark (2008–09, Croatia: composer-conductor), Peter Walmsley (2009–10, Australia: brass-conductor), and Clive Harries (2010–11, England: organist-choir-conductor).

The Global Classroom Programme

St. Paul’s College launched the Global Classroom programme in 1995. Each year, a comprehensive programme of overseas visits are organised. Under the Direct Subsidy Scheme, opportunities for overseas visits have been enhanced. The Global Classroom programme usually incorporated a variety of academic themes such as language, music or sports exchange activities to encourage students to broaden their horizons and exposure to different cultures around. As of 2015, the school has organised tours to the mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Northern Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc.In addition to the Global Classroom, student exchange programmes are arranged with twin schools in China and overseas. Since 2008, Community Awareness Project, with a view to encouraging students to participate in voluntary work to serve the community and helping the disadvantaged, has been launched in the mainland. Pupils has been visiting in Luoyang, Harbin and other places in China.

Student Exchange Programme

In the Student exchange programme in 21 September 2012 to 29 September 2012, twelve students from Christ Church Grammar School went to St. Paul's College, Hong Kong.

St. Paul's College Alumni Association

St. Paul's College Alumni Association was established in 1920. There was no official name by the time it was established. By 1930, It was recorded that more than 100 alumni and the management of school was in a restaurant in the Sheung Wan to discuss the establishment of "Old Pauline Union", followed by students in Guangzhou and Shanghai and other places setting up a branch with a view to contacting alumni. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Macao was the temporarily place where alumni gatherings took place. Until 1950, the Bonham Road school complex was completed, students were to be given a formal name for the "St. Paul's College Alumni Association" (SPCAA). The role of the SPCAA had also changed, been taking a leading role in addition to serve merely as the links between the alumni, the SPCAA will also continue to maintain contact with the school, there are four alumni representative in the College Council, together for the deliberations in school affairs.

Past Students had been actively support the alma mater of the building over the years, and had repeatedly launched campaign donations. Without the alumni support the new library, swimming pool, school auditorium air conditioning works at the Bonham Road Campus would not have been that successful. The strong alumni donations has made the new school expansion in the 1950s and 2000s possible with the professional advice by alumni of the famous architect (Patrick Lau, etc.).

Many alumni and students will also contribute to the school to set up multiple scholarships and awards funds to reward academic achievement and excellent performance of the students. In addition, SPCAA has published "From Devotion at the 150th anniversary celebration to Plurality: A full history of St . Paul's College 1851-2001 "a book to commemorate the school 150 years of development.

Since 2005, SPCAA has been organising mentorship program for matriculation students (after the implementation of the new academic structure this service is provided for the form five students) They arranged the city celebrity alumni and students form a group to participate in various activities to broaden Students of social vision and enhance different years to graduate students in the St. Paul's alumni contact.

St. Paul's College Parent Teacher Association

St. Paul's College Parent Teacher Association (also known as PTA) was established in 1994, aims to promote the relationship between the school and the student's family. Have been organising activities include book fairs, seminars and visits to the newspaper, etc., PTA each year parents sends teams to participate in the school's yearly Sports Day. PTA Annual General Meeting will be held once a year to elect the President and Director of the year.

St. Paul's College Foundation

St. Paul's College Foundation Ltd. was established in 2008, aims to raise funds for the school and outside the government-funded tuition in order to provide a first-class learning environment for students. Foundation supports projects include scholarships, campus to promote e-learning, the establishment of schools in Church archives historical documents and so on. In addition, the Foundation also play an important role in the primary school relocation to new premises at Victoria Road by raising campaign funds.

Linked schools and alliances

In line with the vision of the Global Classroom, the college formally established a Twin-school Programme which aimed at widening students' global perspectives and building links between teachers and students of leading schools around the world through various exchange activities and mutual visits. St. Paul's College is a member school of the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC). Dr. John Richard Kennard sits on the Board of Trustees (2008–2017) as vice-president (Asia). Major IBSC member schools include fellow Anglican schools Eton College (London) and The King's School (Sydney).

Schools linked by exchanges with St. Paul's College include:

  1. High School Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
  2. High School Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
  3. Barker College, Sydney, Australia
  4. Heimschule Lender, Sasbach, Germany
  5. St. Mark's School of Texas, Dallas, USA
  6. Mayo College, Ajmer, India
  7. Senri International School, Osaka, Japan
  8. Trinity Pawling School, New York State, USA
  9. Anglican High School, Singapore

Anecdote

Being the first school established by the Anglican Church of England in Hong Kong, St Paul's has a close relationship with many other religious schools in the city.

Notable alumni

The older alumni Wu Tingfang, Wang Ch'ung-hui, SK Yee and Chung Sze-yuen are known as the "Four doctors of St. Paul's" (聖保羅四博士) by the older generation of old boys, whilst Tse Yu Chuen (謝雨川), Ho Siu-lau (何家鎏) and Wong Cheuk Um (黃焯菴) are regarded as the "Three Kings of St. Paul's" (聖保羅三王).

Politics and civil service

Politicians before the World Wars

Government officials and Legislators

Mr. T.S. Tsang

Architecture

Mr. I.M. Pei

Religious

Medical

Academia

Hui Shu Yuen Ron (許樹源) Chair Professor, Power Electronics, Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, HKU & Imperial College.[14] http://ethw.org/Shu_Yuen_Ron_Hui Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK.

Liang Hin Suen Raymond (梁憲孫) Emeritus Professor, Chair of Haematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, HKU http://hub.hku.hk/cris/rp/rp00345

Social service

Entertainment and mass media

Mr. Ching Cheong

Music and cultural

Sports

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About us – History". Official website of St. Paul's College. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Contact us". Official website of St. Paul's College. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "About the school – Milestones". Official website of Heep Yunn School. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "About St. John's – History". Official website of St. John's College, University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 Samson C.H. Tam (December 2012), "St. Paul's Now and Then: A comparison in photos (舊貌新顏話保羅－－校園新舊照片對照)", Wayfarer – St. Paul's College 2011–2012 (in Chinese), 50
  6. ↑ "School Improvement Programme". Official website of St. Paul's College (older version). Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  7. ↑ 在2008-09學年開始，為免與新成立之福音合唱團（Chapel Choir）的相近英文發音混淆，故將原有英文名稱Treble Choir改為Junior Choir。
  8. ↑ "Students – House System". Official website of St. Paul's College. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 Victor C.H. Chung (December 2012), "Wayfarer 50 – A Golden Jubilee review (弘道五十－－校刊《弘道》金禧號回顧)", Wayfarer – St. Paul's College 2011–2012 (in Chinese), 50
  10. ↑ http://www.spc.edu.hk/docs/cr_report.pdf
  11. ↑ (PDF) http://www.spc.edu.hk/upload_files/editor_image/spc_jupas_offer_result_2013.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ http://www.spc.edu.hk/news_detail.php?type=notice&na_id=1907&year=2013&mid=2-25. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ "About HKIEd – History". Official website of The Hong Kong Institute of Education. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  14. ↑ http://www.eee.hku.hk/people/ronhui/
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