King's College, Hong Kong

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**King's College**
"Be careful in your thought and be sedulous in your work." (translated English) "慎思篤行" (Chinese)

Established	1926
School type	Public
Principal	Mr. Ho Yue-shun
Medium of Instruction	English
Campus Size	Approximately 6500m²
School Magazine	The Fig Tree
Location	63A Bonham Road, Sai Wan, Hong Kong
Website	http://www.kings.edu.hk

King’s College (英皇書院) is a secondary school in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, and was founded on its present site in 1926. The premises were damaged in World War II and rebuilt and refurnished after the war. Since then the orthodox structure has reserved its facades of grey granite columns against a background of crimson bricks, arched corridors and cadaverous garden.

The colonial facade of King's College

The address sign of King's College

King's College

1 School mission
2 School history
3 Facilities
4 Activities and achievements
5 Publications
6 School song
7 Notable alumni
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] School mission

King's College is committed to helping each student find out his potential fully, to promoting an unbiased education that takes into contemplation students' moral, academic, physical, social and aesthetic needs, and to providing a learning atmosphere that is disciplined, inspiring and forward looking.

[edit] School history

The name of King's College was first implemented in 1922 when the current site, 63A Bonham Road, was selected for the edifice of a secondary school. At first the school, known as Saiyingpun Anglo-Chinese School, was located on Third Street but was soon after moved to the present site of the Li Sing Primary School on Pokfulam Road. The foundation stone was laid in 1923. The construction work reached over 3 years and was completed in 1926. A quarter of a year later the school was opened, the school edifice was commanded and used as a military camp and hospital for the British Shanghai Defence Force that was sent to protect the British subjects in the British Section of Shanghai Treaty Port. In 1928, the building was returned to the school and it was not until 5th
March, 1928 that the school was authoritatively opened by the Governor H. E. Sir Cecil Clementi, K.G.M.G., LL.D., M.A

Saiyingpun Anglo-Chinese School dates back to 1879, the year in which the administration decided to
set up a Free School at West Point, and appointed Fung Fu, a student returned from America, as headmaster. The School was at first situated on Third Street. Saiyingpun Anglo-Chinese School changed its title and moved to the present site in September 1926.

When the College was first built, it got hold of an enviable fame of being the best school building in the East. It was built around the 3 sides of a square. The whole building comprised a North Wing, a South Wing and an East Wing. The Bell Tower above the main entrance distinguished the overall appearance of King’s while the delicate school garden further enhanced its exquisiteness. In total there were 29 classrooms, 2 laboratories, a library and museum, a Geography Room, a Gymnasium, a great Hall with gallery, a workshop, a Photographic Room, a playground and a swimming pool. Each student was prearranged a numbered desk and there was competence enough for 720 students. The playground was alienated into 3 courts - for basketball, volleyball and tennis. It also contained a jumping pit. The school year commenced on 1st November and ended on 31st July of each year. From 1926 – 1930, it was a whole-day school but by 1930, it was a half-day school with activities in the afternoon.

Ever since its founding, King's had played an overwhelming role in the Colony's education. Its contribution was highly commented on in the St. John's Review, which remarked that "to thousands of former students, many of whom are leaders in commerce and public life of the Colony, to be without King's and Queen's was to be like an Englishman without his Oxford and Cambridge and an American without his Yale and Harvard." The massive success could be attributed to the high capability of the first three Principals – Alfred Morris (1926 – 1934), William Kay (1934 – 1939) and H.G. Wallington (1934 – 1941). While King's was enjoying its flourishing days, the Pacific War broke out after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. King's College was used as a first aid station as it had its St. John's Ambulance paraphernalia set up by the first Principal, A. Morris. Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese on Christmas Day. King's College was used as a military mule and horse stable for the Japanese Army. The teachers, Coxhead, and Ferguson, were taken as prisoners of war, and sent to Sham Shui Po Prisoner-of-War Camp, while the Principal, Wallington, was sent to Stanley Prison. Later Coxhead was sent to a labour camp in Japan.

The tragic war did vast mutilation to Hong Kong and King's College was not spared either. The Japanese occupation was undoubtedly an unhappy intermission, for all usual activities of the school came to a halt and the school building was entirely destroyed by looters. During the last two weeks immediately after the withdrawal of the Japanese Army, the school building was almost wholly shattered, leaving an unfilled red brick skeleton. But, as every cloud has a silver lining, bright days were in store for King's. The tragedy of destruction was soon tagged along by the delight of restoration.

In 1945, a quantity of former teachers, remarkably led by J.J. Ferguson and the old boys, started the renewal of King's as a Primary School by sharing a bi-sessional school on Kennedy Road with Queen's College, Hong Kong. Afterwards it was moved back to Hollywood Road and was called Hollywood Road A.M. School.

In 1950, invigorated and renewed, King's was reopened as a two-sessional co-educational Primary School, and was offered the name King's College Primary School. It then stood in its earliest site again. H.T. Woo was appointed headmaster. This lasted for only one year. In the following years, the school was restored as a Secondary A.M. school with C.W. Sargison as Principal. For the first time in its history, girls were admitted. The first phase of lean-to of the school building was completed by 1953 with the totting-up of two laboratories, a Preparation Room, a Lecture Room, an Art Room and five classrooms in the South Wing and East Wing. The enrolment figure soared to 750.

In 1954, Sargison was succeeded by F.K. Leung, an old boy and a pupil of A. Morris, who made history for being the first Chinese Principal of the school. In the same year, an extra Secondary Upper Six was operated to make available for students who planned to sit for the revised Hong Kong University Matriculation Examination. 1955 witnessed the first group of King's graduates, 14 in total, entering University after the war.

The pressing need for further expansion of the school finally received a positive response from the government. An additional floor was added to the South Wing and the two floors above the gymnasium were restored. Additionally, an extra floor was added on top of the East Wing in the front of the Hall gallery, which later became the library. The final stage of construction work was completed by December 1959 and furnishing of the new premises followed in the next few months.

It was during Coxhead's tenure of office (1960 - 1967) that King's College entered a new stage of alteration and progress. In 1963, Secondary Lower Six Arts classes were opened after a tumble of quite a few years. It restored the balance between Science and Arts classes though the demand for entrance to Science or Medicine classes was still greater. From 1966 onwards, girls were admitted only in Secondary 6.

In 1967, H.W. Clarke succeeded Coxhead as Principal and it was during the next three years that King's witnessed a climax of academic attainment. In 1968, 64 distinctions were obtained by King’s College students in the Hong Kong University Matriculation Examination, an unprecedented achievement. By 1971, D.R. Madan was appointed Principal and King's summoned the seventies by upholding its laurels in both the academic and extra-curricular fields.

In October 1977, K.F. Chu, an old boy who graduated in 1938, became Principal. The fountain of the school garden was repaired and its pedestal was turned into a gorgeous pond for the breeding of goldfish and various species of carps. A Bauhinia tree was planted in the northern corner of the school garden even as the palm tree planted in 1971 had grown to 3 storeys tall. In April 1986, a time capsule was buried in the school garden.

In September 1986, W.T. Poon succeeded Chu Ka Fai as Principal and the entire enrolment soared to 1200. Poon is famous for being a lively and enthusiastic person in the Education Department. With him came some great improvements in the school. A public address system was installed in the playground, which proved to be effectual in serving develop a brawny sense of unity in students. Under Poon's leadership, the students won the International Mathematics Olympiad Championship.

For the first time in the history of the school, a Study Tour to Singapore and Malaysia was organized with part of the funds sponsored by the K.C.O.B.A.. Since then, the Study Tour has proven to be the most eminent yearly out-of-doors event for King's students. In March 1992 the first K.C. Student Union was formed after a democratic election.

The intermediary year of 1997, when Hong Kong returned to the cradle of its motherland, provided King's College a golden chance to refurbish her oath in continuing to flourish and play a major role in the community of Hong Kong and China. This year was also worth remembering as a year in which King’s College eminent graduates' achievements were highly recognized by Hong Kong society. King’s College old boy, Dr. Simon Li Fook Sean, received the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GMB) from the HKSAR Government in acknowledgment of his stupendous contributions to Hong Kong and China. Dr. Li is among the first recipients of this credit. Dr. Law Chi Kwong also became one of the Uncontested Candidates elected to the First Legislative Council (1998) of the HKSAR.

Following the appointment of a new principal, Ho Yue Shun, in 1998, King's College has undergone massive changes in the information technology front. King's was enlisted as one of the few secondary schools participants of the education pilot scheme in application of IT. A sum of HK$6M was granted for the acquisition of hardware and the installation of King's College own intranet. An Information Technology Open Day was launched, which was followed by the launch of the school website, school intranet and a renovated IT room complete with modern computer facilities.

On January 29, 2000, two well-known old boys, the Hon. Dr. C.Y. Leung of the Executive Council, and Dr. Simon F.S. Li, graced us with their presence as special Guests of Honour to carve up the historical moment of the opening of the West Wing. The equally elegant red brick addition to King’s College current campus was not simply another accommodation of new, well-resourced classrooms and laboratories, but indeed an initiation of an auxiliary stage in the evolution of King's College.

[edit] Facilities

The campus was put up all over a central all-weather playground. Teaching and learning come to pass in 34 classrooms and a variety of special rooms, counting a multi-media learning centre, an IT room, a computer room, a scouts room, 2 student activities rooms, 6 laboratories, 3 special rooms, a library, a lecture room, a hall, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. Throughout the year, with hold-up from the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Architectural Services Department, all the floors in the old wing were re-laid and the classrooms rewired. A central air-conditioning system was installed in the school hall. Every teacher's desk in all the staff rooms was endowed with a desktop computer and a digital display board was placed close to the doorway of the school. More contemporary and brighter lighting, together with fans, was installed in the covered playground, likewise the gymnasium.