| Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
| Li Po Chun UWC Logo | |
| Location | |
| Wu Kai Sha, Hong Kong | |
| Information | |
| Type | IB World School |
| Established | 1992 |
| Faculty | 28 |
| Number of students | 250 |
| Affiliation | United World Colleges |
| Website | www.lpcuwc.edu.hk |
Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港李寶椿聯合世界書院), established in 1992, is a sixth-form college in Hong Kong. It is a member of the United World Colleges.
The UWC movement was initiated by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn with a view in promoting international understanding and post-World War II reconciliation in response to the general animosity and revolutionary zeal in the age of the Cold War.
The published exit statement for the College states that "Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong brings together students from all parts of the world to study, live and grow together. Following the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn and the UWC movement, students are encouraged to stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones in every area of their formation, and to go forth into the world as responsible and compassionate young men and women, committed to putting into practice the ideals of peace, internationalism, justice and excellence in all things."
According to the Wall Street Journal it has top university acceptance rates.[1]
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Located in Hong Kong, Li Po Chun UWC states one of its goals as building understanding between students from Chinese cultural backgrounds and those from the rest of the world. The College's links with other parts of China also provide opportunities for students to learn about China first hand.
The school admits students from over 110 countries[2] and from many local Hong Kong schools. The student body is made up of roughly 42% local and 58% overseas students. In the year 2008-2009, students coming from the 6 inhabited continents represented 83 countries in the world (Antarctica the 7th continent does not have a permanent population).
While "overseas" students are selected by the national selection committees of their home countries, Hong Kong students (or "local students") are chosen by a selection committee appointed by the Home Affairs Bureau. Hong Kong selection has 3 rounds. The first short-listing is based on the written applications. Then from those applications, a group of students is chosen to participate in "Challenge Day." Challenge Day consists of group activities and is organized by teachers and students. Afterwards, individual interview will be conducted by the Principal and a committee formed by government official. There will also be an aptitude test on Math and English. Each year, more than 500 students from Hong Kong apply for places, and from these, 50 places are awarded to Li Po Chun UWC plus an extra 12 to 14 places at overseas United World Colleges. [3]
Li Po Chun United World College takes advantage of its location as a meeting place of east and west. The College offers Chinese at all levels, from beginners to advanced literature. Chinese Studies a course to study Chinese history and culture, was designed, developed and is offered at LPC. Li Po Chun's average IB grade has hovered around 38 points in recent years, one of the highest averages world wide. In 2007, 5 students gained perfect scores of 45, which together with the other United World Colleges, represented over 15% of all perfect scorers achieved in the world. Due to these academic achievements LPCUWC is considered one of the top high schools in the World. In late 2007, the Wall Street Journal identified the College as one of the world's top 50 schools for its success in preparing students to enter Ivy League universities, one of only 2 schools located outside the US.[1]
Students at the College undertake a 2-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The classes offered in each Group are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Group 1 Chinese A1 (HL, SL) English A1 (HL, SL) Spanish A1 (HL only)
Self Taught A1 Language (Any other language) (SL only)
Group 2 Chinese A2 (HL, SL) Chinese B (HL, SL) Chinese ab initio (SL only) English A2 (HL, SL) French B (HL, SL) French ab initio (SL only) Spanish B (if numbers permit) Spanish ab initio (SL only)
From the 2011-2012 academic year onwards, the A2 courses will be integrated into the A1 and B courses. The new offerings will be A1 Literature, A1 Literature and Language, A1 Literature and Performance, B and Ab Initio.
Group 3 Business Studies (SL only) Chinese Studies (SL only) Economics (HL, SL) Geography (HL, SL) History (HL, SL) Political Thought (SL only)
Group 4 Biology (HL, SL) Chemistry (HL, SL) Environmental Systems & Societies (SL only) Physics (HL, SL)
Group 5 Further Mathematics (SL only) Mathematics (HL, SL) Mathematical Studies (SL only)
Group 6 Theatre Arts (HL, SL) Visual Arts (HL, SL)
Theory of Knowledge A requirement for the IB diploma, each student attends a TOK class for one year about half as often as any other class, is required to make a formal TOK presentation and in the 2nd year write a paper on one of the topics/questions given by the IBO.
The CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) program is a part of the requirements for an International Baccalaureate diploma. It requires a set number of hours in each of the 3 areas. Li Po Chun's adaptation of this system is called the "Quan Cai" program(meaning "all-round development" in Chinese).[4] The program has 5 components, community service, creativity, action, campus support and global concerns. The services are unique in that students sign up for a service for an entire year, while the other 4 activities are generally only 1 term (half a year) activities. A student is required to officially participate in 4 terms of service, 3 of campus support, 3 of global concerns, 2 of action and 1 term of creativity in their 2 years at LPC. Therefore a first year student in the first term has 5 activities (one of each) then in the 2nd term only 3 (not required to have a Creativity), and so on and so on. It is designed in this way so that as work load increases from the beginning of the 1st year to the end of the 2nd, other commitments such as Quan Cai activities will decrease.
All areas of the Quan Cai program are to be taken seriously, but generally the most emphasis is placed on the community service aspect. Community services include a variety of projects ranging from helping asylum seekers, to visiting nursing homes and aiding the elderly, helping underprivileged children with schooling and the lending of facilities to services outside of Hong Kong such as Initiative for Peace. The school also competes in most of the sports available as Quan Cais. This includes soccer, basketball, athletics, volleyball and badminton. Occasionally there will be exceptionally talented athletes who may compete individually for the school in sports such as squash. These requirements add to a student's complete, well-rounded development. The flexibility of the Quan Cai program allows students to start new activities (called an "initiative") at any time, and if successful the school adopts the activity, making it official.
Global Issues Forum Every Thursday there is a presentation made by students about global and local affairs. Generally the students presenting are from the areas involved or are highly knowledgeable about the subject. Not only is it a chance for community members (students and staff) to learn about events and issues world wide from invaluable sources, but it is also a venue for the sharing of diverse political perspectives, and more often than not debate. The objective is to create an atmosphere of international awareness and motivate students and teachers to learn and keep track of current events that will impact the world and to understand past events that have shaped it.
Cultural Evenings The Chinese Cultural Evening takes place every year, while the other evenings, namely the North American Cultural Evening, Latin American Cultural Evening, Middle East and South Asia Cultural Evening, Asia-Pacific Cultural Evening, African Cultural Evening and European Cultural Evening take place once every two years, with 3 other regions every year. Hence a student in LPC experiences Chinese Cultural Evening in both their years and experiences the other six regions once in their two years; 3 one year and 3 another. It is common for representatives of countries such as Egypt, Turkey or Mexico to participate in 2 cultural evenings. There are also many students who feel they are a part of multiple cultures and may also choose to participate in more than one event.
China Week One of the aspects which sets Li Po Chun apart from the other United World Colleges is its China week project. Every year, first year students travel to China, do community service, and experience everyday Chinese life. Annual China week projects include: Teaching English to children of the She Tribe in China, visiting an elderly home and helping mentally and physically handicapped children in Guangdong province, working with lepers in Yunnan province and working with the Amity Foundation, China, and Habitat for Humanity. An extremely popular trip involves challenging oneself in various physical activities, including hiking, cycling, kayaking and rock climbing, in the stunningly beautiful area around Yangshuo.[5]
Project Week Annual project weeks last nine days in March and are intended to give students the opportunity to lead and work on projects in East, South, and Southeast Asia. Some recent projects have included: Helping rehabilitate a tsunami-struck school in Sri Lanka, performing plays for children in Bangkok, working with children at the Christina Noble Children's Foundation in Ho Chi Minh City and travelling to North Korea to learn about life and affairs in a country that much of the world knows little about, and working in several children's orphanages run by the Happy Tree Organisation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Some students also take on other challenging projects during this time such as travelling to Vietnam overland from Hong Kong and human rights evaluations in Philippines. Some students also stay in Hong Kong, where there are opportunities to do service locally.
Students can choose from several options for post-Li Po Chun experiences. Some graduates receive offers from top universities around the world, with most students earning or qualifying for significant scholarships. Others choose to pursue “3rd year options” which can range from service to traveling, most of which have some sort of cultural immersion. Others go straight into the work force or return to their home countries for a gap year.