Hong Kong International School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hong Kong International School | |
 |
|
|
Dedicating our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to service and global understanding.
|
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Repulse Bay and Tai Tam, Hong Kong |
|
| Information | |
| Affiliation(s) | Lutheran |
| Head of school | Richard W. Mueller |
| Enrollment |
2600 |
| Type | Private Day |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Mascot | Dragon |
| Color(s) | Red, White, and Blue |
| Established | 1966 |
| High School Principal | Patricia Klekamp |
| Middle School Principal | Wil Chan |
| Upper Primary Principal | Bruce Kelsh |
| Lower Primary Principal | Madeleine Heide |
| Campus surroundings | Large Private Campus |
| Homepage | http://www.hkis.edu.hk/ |
Hong Kong International School (HKIS) is an international private school in Hong Kong, and Tai Tam. Founded in 1966 by a group of Christian businessmen, HKIS spans from reception one to the twelfth grade. Its Lower and Upper Primary Divisions are located in Repulse Bay, and the Middle and High Schools are located in Tai Tam. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges has continuously accredited Hong Kong International School since 1971.
Contents |
[edit] History
Hong Kong International School was founded in September 1966, its first location consisting of makeshift premises including residential flats in Chung Hom Kok. The founders were the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Hong Kong government and the American business community in Hong Kong. The original school overlooked Repulse Bay and housed 120 students. HKIS continued to expand over time, which led to the creation of a second building in Repulse Bay, and finally an additional campus in Tai Tam. Currently, the school is undergoing its fourth major infrastructure development plan.
[edit] Institution
[edit] Organization
The school is divided into five divisions, all co-educational: Lower Primary (Grades R1 and R2-Grades 1 and 2), Upper Primary (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12). There are two main campuses. The Repulse Bay campus is for students from pre-kindergarten to the fifth grade. The students at the Tai Tam campus attend grades 6-12.
Each division of the school has its own administration, as well as separate student government organizations. The entire school is overseen by the Head of School, Richard Mueller.
As of 2006, nearly 2600 students and 480 faculty and staff occupy the two separate campuses of HKIS. Four libraries house a total of 110,000 books, periodicals and technological resources.
[edit] Academics
The school follows an American-styled curriculum, offering 20 Advanced Placement courses and 4 foreign languages.
Students in the High School division are required to study interdisciplinary Humanities, United States History, Biblical Studies, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and also meet various requirements in Fine Arts, Information Technology, Asian Studies, and Physical Education & Health. As HKIS is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), religious education is a compulsory element of the curriculum.
Independent Study and Senior Option, where students design their own coursework and present their studies to faculty advisors, are also offered.
[edit] Fine arts
HKIS has an extensive fine arts program, offering numerous courses in the Performing and Visual arts. At least one arts credit is required for graduation, with at least one half-credit course in performance/studio arts and, if only the minimum requirement is met, a one half-credit fine arts survey course.
In regard to the school band program, HKIS hosts the annual Southeast Asia Honor Band Program and invites several major schools from the region (i.e. Jakarta, Taipei) to participate. HKIS also provides three honor bands of its own: the Middle School band, the Junior Varsity band and a Varsity honor band. In 2005, the High School Wind Ensemble earned first place at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. The entire Middle School band performs twice annually: once publicly, often in Stanley or City Hall, and once privately, usually in the Middle School Gymnasium. Other instrumental programs include the strings program, which also performs twice a year. In 2006, they placed a respectable 3rd in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, in addition to performing in Indiana, USA. HKIS also is home to various choirs. Most notably, the High School Madrigals choir has received awards in various competitions.
The High School visual arts program is well-regarded. In the program's strong emphasis on socially conscientious art, students from the High School art program were invited in 2005 to participate in The Art Miles Mural Project, as well as the 100 People World Portrait Project (100People.org). The film program has also expanded in the past several years, now boasting the Tai Tam Virtual Film Festival, judged by industry professionals as well as media instructors throughout Hong Kong and the Asia region.
Aside from conventional art forms such as painting and sculpting, the Middle School also offers classes in lifeskills, such as cooking, web publishing, and movie editing. Whether it be acting, stage building or costume design, students in both High School and Middle School are also able to participate in the quarterly school plays and yearly musicals. Students may also take courses in drama and speech.
[edit] Student life
Students are involved in many extra-curricular activities, the diverse offerings including student government, various publications, social activism, and the performing arts program.
[edit] Clubs
Club involvement is considered an "integral aspect of the educational experience" at Hong Kong International School.[1] As of the 2007-2008 school year, HKIS has a total of 70 registered clubs, with an especially strong focus in community service. Students in the High School are able to form their own official clubs with the approval of the faculty and student government. Prominent clubs include:
|
|
|
[edit] Student publications
Junto Magazine, Hong Kong International School's student-run newsmagazine, is published regularly throughout the academic year.
Orientale is Hong Kong International School's yearbook. Graduates receive half a page to customize, with their own personal quote, portrait, description, and collage.
Ambrosia Magazine, currently in its 23rd volume, is an annually-published arts and literary magazine featuring poetry, prose, and artwork by members of the HKIS community. Every year, the publication names a Poet Laureate to honor the best poetry submission.
Chuan Long Magazine is Hong Kong International School's bilingual publication. Released regularly, the magazine features articles written both in English and Chinese, maintaining a focus on Asian culture.
[edit] Student government
The main body of student government is the Student Senate, which consists of mostly elected student representatives and several faculty advisors. The High School annually elects an Executive Council, comprised of the Presiding Officer, the Senator of Student Life, the Senator of Academics, the Senator of Public Relations, the Senator of Interim and Athletics, the Senator of Discipline, Senate Treasurer, and Senate Secretary. Additionally, each grade elects a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer to act as class representatives.
[edit] Athletics
HKIS fields sports 31 teams at the High School level (both Varsity and Junior Varsity) and 12 teams at the Middle School level. HKIS has historically participated in the Hong Kong School Sports Federation, but several of HKIS' teams have opted to drop out of the league.
The main sports offered at HKIS include soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, swimming, volleyball, rugby, table tennis, golf, track, and baseball. The HKIS C-Grade basketball team recently won the HKSSF Division 3 championship, 21-0, and the C-Grade Boys soccer won the ISSFHK Championship and the HKSSF Division 2 Championship.
[edit] Recent developments
During the 2006-2007 academic year, HKIS celebrated its 40th year anniversary. One of the biggest events included the 40th Anniversary Reunion held in Hong Kong during the long weekend of June 15-19, 2007.
Additionally, the Middle School and High School were renovated to add an additional floor for the 2007-2008 school year. This is to meet the growing demand of the science, music and art departments as well as the growing number of students. The project cost over $66 million HKD. HKIS also plans to build six new floors for classrooms and further expansion. The project completion date is unknown.
[edit] Notable alumni/attendees
- David Begbie '94, founder of Crossroads International
- Edison Chen , famous for his Chinese salami-gate scandal
- Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest
- Eliza Orlins, From Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia
- Juno Mak
- Mark Shostrom, Emmy-winning makeup artist
- Nicholas Tse
- Taku Hirano percussionist for Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks
