Sacred Heart Canossian College
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| Motto | Via Veritas Vita (Way, Truth, Life) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1860 |
| Location | Hong Kong SAR, China |
| Address | Sacred Heart Canossian College, 2, Chi Fu Close, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China. |
| Religious denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | http://www.shcc.edu.hk/ |
Sacred Heart Canossian College (嘉諾撒聖心書院; abbr: SHCC) is a Catholic girls' school founded in 1860. The school's campus is located in Pokfulam, Hong Kong; in the western part of Hong Kong Island. The school currently serves some 1,400 students and 70 teaching staff.
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[edit] History
Sacred Heart Canossian College was founded in 1860 by the Canossian Daughter of Charity. It was Hong Kong's second girls' school. The school was founded by the Canossian Daughter of Charity; the foundress of the order was St. Magdalena of Canossa. St Magdalena was quoted as saying "Canossian educators should try to handle each one in the way she is made, valuing the benefit of education in the formation of the heart." - a founding and continuing principle of the school today. Magdalena of Canossa was canonized on 2 October 1988 and became St. Magdalen of Canossa; her feast day is celebrated on 8 May.
The Canossian Daughters of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Marchioness Magdalene of Canossa, now St. Magdalene of Canossa, from the House of Canossa in Tuscany, Italy.
Soon after the first Canossian sisters arrived from Italy in 1860, they established a school for girls. The school, originally called Italian Convent School had 40 students. The medium of instruction varied, including Chinese, English and Portuguese. The first headmistress of the school was Sister Emily Aloysia Bowring, daughter of the fourth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Bowring. She served from 1860 to 1870.
In 1960 the school's name changed to the Sacred Heart School (after the Sacred Heart of Jesus), and in 1960, to its current name, Sacred Heart Canossian College, in order to differentiate it from other schools in the territory bearing the same name.
SHCC is regarded as one of best secondary schools in Hong Kong. Over the years, it has produced many graduates of distinction (see Alumni section).
[edit] Mission
SHCC aims to "provide an all-rounded education of Christian virtues and the formation of heart to empower our youth to be women of integrity and versatility".
SHCC is "committed to the principle that all students can develop to their full capacity"; and "adopts a liberal approach to teaching and learning which encourages self-motivation, understanding, creativity and character development; an approach which stresses not so much getting a good grade per se but more the development of the students in academic, social, artistic, physical, spiritual and psychological skills, knowledge and attitude".
[edit] Campus
The original campus was in Caine Road, Central. In 1981 the secondary school moved to its present location in Pokfulam. The Campus occupies an area of 6400 square metres on a verdant hillside, overlooking East Lamma Channel.
The Campus consists of three blocks of buildings and three playgrounds. The school has 34 classrooms, 7 laboratories, one multi-media laboratory, one audio visual room, a Teachers' Learning & Resources Centre, a Students' Learning & Research Centre, 3 computer rooms, 9 special rooms, 2 counselling rooms, a Student Council office, a health care room, reception area, school hall, library, car park, tuck shop, chapel, and Sisters' residence.
[edit] Administration
SHCC is partially funded by the Government as a Grant-in-Aid School. Under the School Management Initiative, the school is managed by a School Management Committee, which consists of members of the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity Inc., the Principal, a teacher representative, a representative from the Alumnae Association, and a parent representative. This committee is ultimately responsible for all school policies.
[edit] Curriculum
The school has a total of 38 classes: 6 classes at each level from Form 1 to 5; plus two arts-stream classes and two science-stream classes in Forms 6 and 7. There are an average of 42 students per class in Forms One to Three, and approximately 35-40 students per class in Forms Four and Five.
In Forms One to Three, students are roughly divided into two main groups according to their academic performance in mathematics, and these students are assigned to different classes. This is not to discriminate against the academically less-inclined students, but to enable the better use of resources and teaching strategies. To meet the needs of students, for instance, remedial classes are conducted with smaller class size to facilitate maximum teacher-student interaction so as to attain a higher educational efficiency.
The spirit of collaborative learning is encouraged in all classes. Students engage in group projects to foster their peer and team learning attitude and competence. Students' ranking is not printed on the report card, nor is it revealed to the homeroom teachers to eliminate unnecessary anxiety and competitiveness in students' own advancement.
Subjects offered for students from Form Four to Form Seven are listed below. The options serve to widen the scope of knowledge of our students, and enable them to be well-rounded in their learning for life.
[edit] Academic performance
To encourage well-rounded development of its students, SHCC does not encourage students to take 10 subjects at the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). In most cases, students take nine subjects at the HKCEE level. Overall, SHCC students perform well academically. SHCC has an excellent track record in producing students who excel at public examinations. Almost all of its graduates continue their studies at the university level. Over the years, an admirable number of its graduates have been admitted to some of the world's most prestigious universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of London, the University of Chicago, University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and the University of Hong Kong.
[edit] Schemes to enhance academic performance
The school has employed a number of measures to boost students' academic competence and motivation to learn. One of them is the Reading Enhancement Scheme, which enhances students' self-monitored reading habit and encourages their parents to be involved in the reading process by sharing their experience of reading with their children. The school library is well-stocked with up-to-date reading materials and is set to provide a cozy and resourceful study and learning environment.
Thanks to the generosity of various local organizations and past students, a great number of scholarships are offered to students with good academic performance. Clubs such as the Speech and Debating Society, Science Society, Chinese Culture Society, Maths Club, Economics Society further provide the opportunity for students to put their academic knowledge into practice.
[edit] School song
The lyrics of the school song was written by a student in the 1960s.[1]
In voices strong we sing together;
United in the Sacred Heart;
Enduring union that asunder;
No power of earth should ever part.
Refrain:
Come let us form a spirit gay and strong;
For life is great, a gift of beauty rare;
A wondrous way of winsome grace for us;
To make us joyous, virtuous, nobly fair.
With books and comrades true we pass;
Our happy days of sinless joy;
We'll ever keep in the morass;
Of life their mem'ry unalloyed.
Refrain:
Our dearest school gives guidance due;
To virtue real and wisdom kind;
That both together go to hew;
A perfect character and mind.
Refrain:
In friendship true, in mutual love;
Our common end let us attain;
Of Sacred Heart School worthy prove;
In all the trials, in every strain.
[edit] Alumni
- DR. THE HON. MRS. ANSON CHAN,J.P. (陳方安生) - The first Chinese female Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region Government and Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Committee for the UNICEF.
- THE HON. MISS ELSIE LEUNG,J.P. - Former Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong
Special Administration Region Government.
- MRS. LILY YAM KWAN PUI-YING (任關佩英) - Former Commissioner, independent Commission Against Corruption
of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
- PROFESSOR ROSIE YOUNG, C.B.E., J.P. - Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, Member of the Hospital Authority, and Council Member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians.
- MRS. MEI NG - Director of Friends of the Earth (HK).
- Miss Yuen Siu Yee, Kitty (阮小儀, 原名阮佩儀). A radio DJ of Commercial Radio Hong Kong, whose programmes are widely accepted among teenagers and young adults.[2]
- Alice Mak (麥家碧), artist and cartoonist. She is one of the two creators of the cartoon characters McMug (麥嘜) and McDull (麥兜). Although now an accompanished cartoonist, she admitted in an interview that she used to have her art subject schoolwork done for her by her mother and classmates.
- Amy Kwok Oi Ming (郭藹明), actress and the winner of 1991 Miss Hong Kong Pageant.
- Candy Wu (胡詠絲), one half of a local band named Pixel Toy. She took Art when she was in SHCC. Apart from music related work she designs drama production booklets, for instance 梁祝下世傳奇.
[edit] Associated schools
The order Canossian Daughters and Sons of Charity has founded a number of schools in the South East Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and Macau. The following is an inexclusive list:
- St. Francis' Canossian College (嘉諾撒聖方濟各書院)
- St. Mary's Canossian College (嘉諾撒聖瑪利書院)
- Holy Family Canossian College
- Sacred Heart Canossian College of Commerce [1]
- St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School [2]
- The Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired [3]
[edit] References
- ^ School song of the Sacred Heart Canossian College. Sacred Heart Canossian College. Retrieved on 25 September 2006.
- ^ "豪語錄: 沒有女主角的女配角-小儀", 壹週刊 (Next Magazine) 第 863 期, published 21/09/2005. Next Media Interactive Limited. Retrieved on 25 September 2006.
