Diocesan Girls' School
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| Image:Schpro-miss1.jpg | |
| Headmistress | Mrs. Stella Lau |
| School type | DSS, Grant School, Girls' School |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican (Episcopal) |
| Founded | 1860 |
| Location | Kowloon, Hong Kong |
| School colour(s) | Blue |
Diocesan Girls' School (DGS; 拔萃女書院), founded in 1860, is one of the earliest Anglican girls' schools in Hong Kong. DGS is currently located at 1 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Administered under the Grant Code and using English as the medium of instruction, it is also one of the most outstanding and all-rounded schools in Hong Kong.
DGS has most recently joined the Direct Subsidy Scheme in Hong Kong.
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[edit] Early history
It was originally Diocesan Native Female Training School in 1860, when it was founded at Bonham Road and Eastern Street on Hong Kong Island. The school was set up by Mrs. Smith, wife of Bishop Smith the first Bishop of Victoria who was sent by the Society for the Promotion of Female Education in the East, a sub-society of the London Missionary Society. At first, it took only girls. In 1866, it was renamed Diocesan Female School. In 1869 the School had to confine its service to orphans and destitute Chinese girls due to financial problems. Later, it became the Diocesan Home and Orphanage and accepted boys as well.
Despite its humble beginnings, the School quickly became an educational success. The School first received government financial assistance in 1878 and was placed under the Grant-in-aid scheme, officially limiting its intake to girls only. The boys were to continue their study at the newly founded Diocesan Boys' School.
In 1913, the School finally moved to its present site in Kowloon, a former a rice paddy field. In the 1920s, the school motto, Daily Giving Service, was adopted. During the Japanese occupation in World War II, the School was taken over as headquarters of the Japanese gendarmerie until it was re-opened in September 1945 by Ms. Gibbins, then headmistress, an intern at Stanley camp during the occupation. To her credit, she hurried back to reclaim the School premises immediately upon her release despite difficulty in crossing the harbour, thus saving the building from being looted by angry residents.
[edit] Modern History
In the 1950s, with the closure of the adjacent town-gas depot, the school made its timely expansion. The old Edwardian edifice was pulled down and three school blocks were constructed to accommodate the enlarged student body. Recently, the School embarked on a large scale school expansion project and two extension blocks were opened respectively in 1993 and 1996. A new phase of expansion is currently underway and a new gymnasium block has been added for the Secondary section.
Recently, the school celebrated her 145th Anniversary, and a musical production "The DGS Girl" was staged at the Shatin Town Hall, which tells the history of a DGS through to life of a student-turned-teacher.
They go by the school motto, "Daily Giving Service" (an adaptation of the motto was coined by former Headmistress Dr. Joyce Symons for DGJS to be "Daily Giving Joyful Service".
[edit] Academics
Diocesan Girls' School is locally known to be one of the best girls' schools, with students receiving top results in the HKCEE and the HKALE continuously throughout the years. The highlight in the past century has to be in 1999, when 6 girls scored the prestigious 10As in the HKCEE, under the leadership of Mrs. E Lau.
Students continued their tertiary education at local and overseas universities, while not infrequently they may find themselves landing in institutions such as
(HK) The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
(UK) Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics
(US) Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of California, Berkeley, Brown University, Duke University, Tufts University, Johns Hopkins University
Girls also participate in internationally-acclaimed competitions such as ThinkQuest. Many have been placed in such events. DGS is an EMI school which is acclaimed for its high standard of English. It emphasizes on the development of bilingual and triliterate abilities, and provides the girls with education in oral and written English, written Chinese. While most girls speak Cantonese as their mother tongue, they also receive training in Standard Mandarin (Putonghua).
[edit] Extra-curricular Activities
The school places special emphasis not only on the intellectual growth of the students, but also on the character growth of students. Morning assemblies with Christian teachings are conducted every morning before lessons in both English and Putonghua. DGS girls are often regarded as formidable opponents at various choral, music and debating competitions. The school is well known for her accomplishments in various areas of Hong Kong Division I sports and music. Their sports teams, along with their choirs and orchestras, are of the highest standard in Hong Kong, receiving outstanding results in the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation Inter-school competitions and Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, as well as in the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival. Among their students are Olympic swimmers, Inter-port runners and a Gold-medal recipient choir in the International Choir Olympics. Those were interschool successes.
[edit] Music
DGS is acclaimed for her wide range of fine school musical groups including the Junior Choir, the Intermediate Choir, the Senior Choir, the madrigal teams (with DBS), the Full Orchestra as well as the String Orchestra. The students also join with their fraternal school Diocesan Boys' School to form the Diocesan Schools Choral Society with a Junior Mixed Choir and a Senior Mixed Choir. These musical groups are well known locally as well as internationally for their accomplishments in local and international festivals. Chinese Music is also a part of music life in DGS which also boasts a fine Chinese Orchestra, numerous chinese ensembles and a diverse system of instrumental lessons.
[edit] School Hymn
Our Father, by whose servants
Our house was built of old,
Whose hand hath crowned her children
With blessings manifold,
For thine unfailing mercies
Far-strewn along our way,
With all who passed before us,
We praise thy name to-day.
The changeful years unresting
Their silent course have sped,
New comrades ever bringing
In comrades' steps to tread;
And some are long forgotten,
Long spent their hopes and fears;
Safe rest they in thy keeping,
Who changest not with years.
They reap not where they laboured,
We reap what they have sown;
Our harvest may be garnered
By ages yet unknown.
The days of old have dowered us
With gifts beyond all praise:
Our Father, make us faithful
To serve the coming days.
Before us and beside us,
Still holden in thine hand,
A cloud unseen of witness,
Our elder comrades stand:
One family unbroken,
We join, with one acclaim,
One heart, one voice uplifting,
To glorify thy name.
(Click here for a midi version of the school hymn.)
[edit] Sports
Being an all-rounded institution, DGS also excels in many sports. They have a wealth of school sports teams, including Athletics, Swimming, Life-saving, Orienteering, Tennis, Badminton, Table-tennis, Fencing, Netball and Hockey, which all come top in the Hong Kong Inter-school competitions. They have captured a number of top awards, such as the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Bauhinia Bowl (previously known as the Omega Rose Bowl), as well as its associate - Bauhinia Bowl Sportsgirl of the Year. Arguably, the school's strongest sport is swimming. In the past 20 years, they have produced such well-known swimmers such as Robyn Lamsam (伍紹斌), Snowie Pang (彭蘊瑤), Katie Lau (劉敬亭), Sherry Tsai (蔡曉慧) and Sandy Chan (陳詠雪). Most importantly, the school's emphasis on morals has led the girls to display great skill and sportsmanship, both as an individual and as a team member.
[edit] Houses
- Skipton (Blue)
- Sawyer (Green)
- Hurrell (Red)
- Gibbins (Yellow)
- Symons (Pink) --created in 1990.
[edit] Other Related Associations
DGS has an Old Girl Association named Diocesan Old Girls Association (DOGA). St. Andrews Church of the SKH West-Kowloon Diocese is the local parish church of DGS.
[edit] Well-known alumni
- Dr. Catherine Joyce Symons, CBE, JP, headmistress (1953-1985), former member of the Urban Council, Legislative and Executive Councils
- Dr. Sarah Liao, JP, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, HKSAR
- Mrs. Rebecca Lai, JP,Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service (Special Duties), HKSAR
- Karen Morris, aka Karen Mok, singer and movie actress
- Elaine Sung, the first Miss Hong Kong, 1973
- Pauline Yeung, Miss Hong Kong, 1987
- Johanna Ho, fashion designer
- Robyn Lamsam, Olympic swimmer representing Hong Kong in 1990s
- Solina Chau, Associate of Li Ka-Shing, major shareholder of Tom.com
- Nina Chai Nga Chuen, cellist and pianist
- Sylvia Hui, AP Hong Kong Correspondent
