Wah Yan College, Hong Kong
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Wah Yan College, Hong Kong (WYCHK: 香港華仁書院) was founded on December 16, 1919, by Tsui Yan Sau Peter (徐仁夀). It is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys run by the Society of Jesus. Fully subsidized by the Government of Hong Kong, WYCHK is a grammar school using English as the medium of instruction.
Wah Yan has an enrolment of approximately 1,000 with about 50 teachers and some Jesuit Fathers. The campus has about 220,000 square feet (20,000 m²), located on a small hill, Mount Parish, in the middle of Wanchai, Hong Kong. The school has 26 classrooms, 14 special rooms, a hall, a tuck shop, a chapel (previously 2, with one demolished prior to the school development project (SDP)), 3 playgrounds and 2 squash courts.
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[edit] School Badge
The badge of Wah Yan is divided into four quarters by a Cross in red, under which are the words that the Emperor Constantine is said to have seen in the sky the night before he fought his greatest battle.
The words are in Latin and the phrase "In Hoc Signo Vinces" means "In this Sign, you shall conquer"(在這徽號下,汝可克敵). So if we fight the battle of life under Jesus Christ's Standard, we shall, at least in the end, be successful.
The five stars set in the blue represent "Ng Wah" the district from which Mr. Tsui Yan Sau, the founder of Wah Yan, came. They also embody the ideas of Virtue, Wisdom, Sportsmanship, Cooperation and Elegance as well as Benevolence, Justice, Courtesy, Wisdom, and faith.
The blue symbolizes the sea as Hong Kong is surrounded by sea. The Cross in red reminds us of the great love of Jesus Christ for all men since He shed His blood for us on the Cross.
[edit] School Mission Statement
According to our Catholic and Chinese traditions, we aim at the greater development of each student in each of the following areas: moral, intellectual, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual. Through care and concern for each individual person, we seek to form students:
- whose acquisition of knowledge and skills is joined to values.
- who will become reflective and will accept their strengths and limitations.
- who know God's love and practise Christian values especially through serving the poor and working for justice.
- The achievement of the above relies on a spirit of community, co-operation, trust and respect among the supervisor, managers, administrators, the teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents and former students.
[edit] Timeline
1919 Wah Yan College was founded on the second floor of No. 60 Hollywood Road on 16 December by Mr. Tsui Yan Sau Peter (徐仁夀), a former teacher of St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong. There were 4 students on the first day.
1920 In order to accommodate the newcomers, Mr. Tsui rented the second floor of No. 54A, Peel Street and two more teachers, Mr. Shak Cheong On and Mr. Foo Shiu Hong, were engaged in March. The third floor of No. 60, Hollywood Road was secured and Mrs. Hoyune, the first woman teacher, joined the teaching staff. On the re-opening of the school in August, No. 54A, Peel Street was vacated in favour of more spacious premises at No. 33, Mosque Junction. Mr. Lo Kwing, Mr. Lau Lap and Mr. Cheong Man Fai were enlisted.
1921 The school moved to new premises at 2, Robinson Road with 300 students.
1922 Wah Yan became a Grant-in-Aid school on 1 October. Mr. Lim Hoy Lan joined the staff.
1924 Owing to the increase in applications for admission, a branch school (Wah Yan College, Kowloon) was opened in Portland Street, Yau Ma Tei on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.
1926 Mr. Lim Hoy Lan was asked to take over the Headmastership from 1 January.
1927 The first Irish Jesuit Father, Rev. Fr. John Neary, started to work in Wah Yan as a teacher of Religious Knowledge. The hostel in Wah Yan was opened on 5 September with Mr. Wong Tuen Po as its first Warden.
1928 The Kowloon branch school moved to Nelson Street. For the first time in the history of the college, the number of boys on roll reaches the total of 800 - the biggest number in any school in the colony then.
1932 The College was transferred to the care of the Society of Jesus on 22 December. The late Fr. R. W. Gallagher, S.J. was the first Rector. In the records of the Jesuit Order, the school was given a new name : College of Christ the King.
1933 The school magazine, "The Star" (Vol. 1), was first published.
1934 The "House system" was introduced in order to extend the benefits of games and athletics to every boy in the school.
1935 The Wah Yan Past Student Association (taking the place of the former "Old Boys' Union") was set up and the first President was Mr. Ko Fook Sun.
1938 Under Fr. Donnelly's inspiration, Class 2 (Form V) began a Free Night School for the poor children of the neighbourhood which continued until the outbreak of the Pacific War.
1940 The hostel in Wah Yan was closed down.
1941 A branch for Senior students was opened on 8 September in Austin Road, while Junior Classes continued in Nelson Street, under Mr. Lim Hoy Lan. Austin Road branch had a short life as it closed on 9 December, the day after the Japanese invasion.
During the World War II, the basement in Wah Yan was turned into Red Cross Station. School was closed. The whole terrace beyond the college in Robinson Road burned to the ground. Fr. Gallagher and Fr. McAsey were interned.
1945 Wah Yan College reopened on 8 September. Later in the year a Chinese stream (Wah Yan Middle School) was added.
1946 In March the organisation of the Wah Yan Dramatic Society commenced. The first production was "The Thrice Promised Bride", performed in the French Convent Theatre. The Society was formally established in 1947. On 8 September the school at Nelson Street reopened, with 560 pupils on the roll. The Kowloon Branch was handed over to the Jesuit Fathers from Mr. Lim Hoy Lan. Fr. Grogan was appointed as superior and was assisted by Fr. Kelly. Fr. Howatson began the Wah Yan Poor Boys' Club on 15 November, with 19 boys. With the help of Mr. Joseph Cheung he collected from the lanes and side-walks of the city an army of shoe-shine boys.
1948 The Night School was started on 17 February.
1949 An afternoon school opened under the leadership of Fr. Maguire, with more than 700 boys enrolled. The school time for the afternoon school was from 2:00 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. On 10 October the site for the new College in Waterloo Road was blessed.
1950 The Chinese Section of the school was closed down.
1951 The classes were renamed. Class 1 was renamed as Form 6 and Class 6 was renamed as Form 1. Class 7 and 8 were renamed as Primary 6 and Primary 5 respectively.
1952 The Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Alexander Grantham, opened Wah Yan College, Kowloon, 56 Waterloo Road, on 12 December. The Afternoon School in Wah Yan College, Hong Kong closed.
1953 The contract for the site formation at Mount Parish was signed on 16 September.
1954 On 7 October the foundation stone of Wah Yan College, Queen's Road East was blessed and laid.
1955 Formal opening of Wah Yan College, 281 Queen's Road East, was performed on 27th September by His Excellency the Governor, Sir Alexander Grantham. The Form 6 classes were divided into two streams, the Science Stream and the Arts Stream.
1960 Our basketball and football teams made a trip to Taiwan.
1964 Fr. Ryan, S.J. received the Hon. Degree of Doctor of Letters from the Governor. The school newspaper, "Starlet", was born. Chon Chi Yu set the record of 9 distinctions and 1 credit in the HKCEE.
1966 - Monthly assembly was introduced as a regular event in school. The Student Association of Wah Yan College was formed.
1968 Two teachers, Mr. Raymond Yu and Mr. Chau Sui Hay, were appointed to become the first ever Assistant Principals of Wah Yan.
1971 The taking over of "Pun U Primary School" by the Jesuits. It was named as "Pun U Wah Yan Primary School".
1972 Opening of the Ma Ying Library after the renovation work sponsored by Mr. Ma Ying.
1973-1975 The students grasped the championship of the Inter-school Chinese Debate Contest.
1976 Economics was introduced in Form 4.
1977 Robert Wong Tuen Po who joined Wah Yan in 1922 and was in charge of the hostel in Wah Yan until it was closed down, died. He was a Link-Man at the change of management to the Jesuit Fathers. He was the man with the Wah Yan Afternoon School until his retirement in 1961. One extra Form 1 class was added to meet the need of the expansion of secondary education.
1981 Founder of Wah Yan, Mr. Peter Tsui Yan Sau, died in Hong Kong on 19 February, age 93.
1984 The students grasped both the championships of the Interschool Chinese Debate Contest and the Interschool English Debate Contest. The Wah Yan English Evening School was closed.
1985 Mr. Raymond Yu left Wah Yan after a service of 24 years for Canada and Mr. Cheung Man Sun took his place as one of the Assistant Principals. Wah Yan College proceeded into the computer age. The computer group was set up and the Report Cards, HKCEE results and the school magazine were processed with the help of the computer. The models of microcomputers used by the school were Apple II and Laser.
1986 The Streaming to Arts and Science started in Form 4 and the Form 4 classes were renamed as 4S1, 4S2, 4S3, 4A1 and 4A2. Computer Studies was introduced in Form 4.
1987 The new annex, Gordan Wu Hall, was officially opened on 12 April. Lo Chun Kai set the record of 10 distinctions in HKCEE.
1988 The students got championships of two inter-school Chinese Debate Contests. The first WYPSA international conference was held.
1990 Wah Yan celebrated its 70th Anniversary with an enrolment of 950.
1991 Two new Assistant Principals, Mr. George Tam and Mr. P. T. Chan were appointed. The counselling Room which is located at the ground floor of the new annex was opened.
1992 On 8 May, there was a severe landslide at the junction between Kennedy Road and Queen's Road East, taking the life of a driver passing by together with his car, owing to heavy rainfall. The back door and the stairs were closed and the basement was evacuated. The Scouts Room and the Table Tennis Gym were relocated to the vacant space under the junior lab. The Laboratory wing was sinking owing to the mud slip and there were cracks all over the playground. The well-known 'crack' in the Classroom wing was worsening. Stainless steel plates were used to cover it up. Wah Yan got three "10 A's" in HKCEE. A new subject, Principle of Accountancy, was introduced in Form 4 and Form 6. The new geography room was opened. New audio-visual equipment was installed to facilitate the teaching of the subject.
1993 Six classrooms were demolished due to the effect of the landslide. An additional Science Lower 6 class was opened. The opening ceremony of the 75th Anniversary was held on 21 December and the Wah Yan Archive was also officially opened. The 75th Anniversary Redevelopment Campaign took place.
1994 Wah Yan celebrates its 75th Anniversary with an enrolment of 961. Computer Literacy was introduced in Form 1. The Wah Yan College Home Page on the World Wide Web was first prepared by Dr. Ashley Cheng.
1995 The theme "Growth Through Respect" was adopted for the year. The Jesuit Society announced the retirement of Fr. J.C. Coghlan, S.J. in September, 1996. Mr. George Tam was appointed the Principal.
1996 The theme 'Wahyanite, Hong Kong Sentiments, Chinese Heart, Global View' was adopted for the year. The first exchange student came from Italy.
1998 Start of the 80th Anniversary programme & opening of the 6-classroom block on 22 December. All classrooms and special rooms installed with air-conditioners. Cultural exchange programme to Mainland China began.
1999 80th Anniversary programmes reached its climax by a mass gathering at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The IT infrastructure began.
2000 Wah Yan got two students who gain "10 A's" in HKCEE, one of them is Choi Chung Hang, Jonathan, who went to Stanford University in USA afterwards.
2001 The first ever Wah Yan Family Day was held at the College on 7 January. Over two thousand present and past students and their family members took part in this memorable activity.
2002 The first summer course in New Zealand by the Parent-Teacher Association was organized. The campus had a thorough renovation.
2003 The School Development Project (SDP) officially started on 25 May, with Phases I & II scheduled to be finished by December 2004. In December, The Wah Yan One Family Concert was organized by a group of alumni of both Wah Yan College, Hong Kong & Kowloon in HKCEC. Upon realizing the needs of their Alma Mater, they had gotten together to plan, produce and perform on that wonderful occasion to raise much needed fund for both schools.
2004 The same group of alumni, with further support and contribution from other Wahyanites, has formed The Wah Yan One Family Foundation.
2005 The school celebrated its 85th Anniversary and held an open day on 5 March. The Phase I and Phase II of the SDP were completed in late June. Teachers' room and library were moved to the new annex.
[edit] School Song
To our beloved Fathers:
This is the dear school where we learn how to treasure
And keep for a lifetime all that's noble and true,
To serve the Lord God in the love of our neighbour,
O Wah Yan, we are proud of and grateful to you.
In all that we do whether duty or pleasure,
We count not the cost, but unselfishly strive,
What's mean and unmanly we shun with displeasure,
Come praise or come blame, we hold our heads high.
Old Boys of Wah Yan cherish fond recollections
Of those who here taught us the best things to choose;
Home of our friendships, our hopes, and affections,
O Wah Yan all our lives we'll be worthy of you.
[edit] Wah Yan Archive
As part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Wah Yan, the archive was set up opposite the telephone room at the school entrance. The exhibits include Mr. Peter Tsui's (Founder of Wah Yan) log book, the first student registry with the names of the 4 original students, wartime newspapers, a biology textbook written by Fr. Cryan, and bookmarks commemorating students activities. Many old boys have been extremely generous in donating their old photos, student cards, etc. to add to the collection. Part of the exhibits are being changed from time to time in themes, so whenever you are in Hong Kong, take a visit to the archive and learn more about the past of our school !
[edit] Miscellaneous
A student of Wah Yan College, including Wah Yan College, Kowloon, is known as a "Wahyanite".
[edit] Famous Old Boys
- Donald Tsang Yam Kuen GBM JP KBE (Chinese: 曾蔭權), Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR
- Hacken Lee, Hong Kong singer-songwriter-actor
- Michael Wong, Hong Kong singer-drummer
- Sir Gordon Wu, founder of Hopewell Holdings Limited (合和實業有限公司)1
- Patrick Yu Shuk-siu, barrister-at-law, the first Chinese Crown Counsel and Life Member of the Hong Kong Bar Association
- Anthony Wu JP, Chairman of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, former Chairman of Ernst & Young Far East and former Chairman of Ernst & Young Hong Kong/China
- Mr Justice Patrick Chan (Chinese:陳兆愷法官), Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong
- Michael Suen Ming-yeung GBS, JP (Chinese:孫明揚) Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands of Hong Kong
- Stephen Lam Sui-lung JP (Chinese:林瑞麟), Secretary for Constitutional Affairs of Hong Kong
- Stephen Ng Tin-hoi(Chinese:吳天海), Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Wharf Holdings Limited(九龍倉集團有限公司)1, chairman, president and chief executive officer of i-CABLE Communications Limited (有線寬頻通訊有限公司)1,2, deputy chairman of Wheelock and Company Limited(會德豐有限公司)1, director of Joyce Boutique Holdings Limited1 and Modern Terminals Limited(現代貨箱碼頭有限公司), chairman, president and chief executive officer of Wharf T&T Limited(九倉電訊有限公司)
- 1:a listed company in HKEx
- 2:a listed company in NASDAQ
[edit] See also
- Wah Yan College, Kowloon
- Education in Hong Kong
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- List of schools in Hong Kong
