| Sacred Heart Canossian College | |
|---|---|
| 嘉諾撒聖心書院 | |
| Motto | Via, Veritas, Vita |
| Motto in English | "The Way, The Truth, The Life" |
| Established | 1860 |
| Type | Roman Catholic convent school |
| Location | Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong |
| Website | http://www.shcc.edu.hk/ |
Sacred Heart Canossian College (Chinese: 嘉諾撒聖心書院; abbr: SHCC) is a Roman Catholic girls' school in Pokfulam, Chi Fu Fa Yeun, west Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Founded in 1860, the school currently serves some 1,400 students and 70 teaching staff.
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Sacred Heart Canossian College was founded in 1860 by the Canossian Sisters of Charity. It was Hong Kong's first girls' school. The school was founded by the Canossian Sisters of Charity; the foundress of the order was Saint Magdalen of Canossa. Saint Magdalen 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 Sisters of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by the Marchioness Magdalen of Canossa, later canonized as Saint Magdalen of Canossa, of the House of Canossa from Tuscany, Italy. Another member, Sister Barhita was also canonized as Saint Barhita in 2000s.
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 from other schools in the territory bearing the same name. Originally the school educated girls from aged 3 to 18, it had a kindergarten section, a primary school section and a secondary school section. At that time the site covered a vast stretch of land that spans between Robinson Road and Caine's Road, an affluent area in Hong Kong. Thus, many of its students are from affluent families, including many from the wealthiest and most notable families in Hong Kong. In 1981 the secondary section of the school moved to Pokfulam but the kindergarten and primary sections of the school remain on the original site on Robinson Road. In 1988 roughly half of the land was sold to developers of high rise residential buildings. The kindergarten and primary sections moved to temporary accommodations until the new buildings on Caine's Road became ready for moving-in in 1992. Since 1981 the secondary school took the name Sacred Heart Canossian College while the kindergarten and primary sections were renamed Sacred Heart Canossian School.
Sacred Heart is regarded as one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Hong Kong. Over the years, it has produced many graduates of distinction including the former Associate Governor of Hong Kong; Mrs. Anson Chan, the former Attorney General; Ms. Elsie Leung, the Chairman of the World Health Organisation; Ms. Chan, Mrs. Donald Tsang, wife of the current Governor of Hong Kong; Honorable Donald Tsang, Lady Katy Tse Blair, Sister-in-Law of the Prime Minister Tony Blair of United kingdom, among numerous others. (A few are listed in the Notable Alumnae section below).
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.
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 Sisters 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.
The secondary 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 4 and 5.
In Forms 1 to 3, students are approximately divided into two main groups according to their academic performance in mathematics and language proficiency. Students are then assigned to different classes towards science related or arts related curriculum. 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, 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 are offered a variety of subjects in the secondary curriculum and in particular from Form 4 Form 7 to promote lifelong learning.
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. Historically, SHCC has been known for academic excellence, with an excellent track record in producing students who excel at public examinations. However, in recent years, while the average passing rate of the school remains substantially higher than the territorial average, only a handful of high-achievers have been brought up by the school. This might be explained by the school's recent focus on all-round education, which inevitably played down the importance of academic achievement. Although there have been students scoring 8 or 9 distinctions in the HKCEE, their accomplishments have not been emphasized in the way other schools have publicized their students with 10 distinctions.
Most of SHCC's 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 McGill University, Columbia University in the City of New York, Fordham University School of Law, Cambridge University, University of Chicago, the University of Oxford, the University of London, University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and the University of California, Berkeley. Recently, There have also been cases of students enrolling in alternative courses, embarking on new paths like arts, in institutions like IVE and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts etc.
SHCC counts seven winners of the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards[1] throughout the past 25 years, ranking tenth among all secondary schools in Hong Kong.
The school 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 thereby promoting study and encouraging learning.
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 Debating Society, Science Society, Chinese Culture Society, Maths Club, Economics Society provide the opportunity to students to put their academic knowledge into practice.
Chinese Languages, English Languages, Mathematics, Religious and moral education, Chinese History, Integrated Science, Junior Humanities, Geography (suitable for Form 3), History, Putonghua (bring into Chinese Languages since Form 2), Computer, Music, Physical Education (include P.E and Dance in Form 1 and Form 2), Home Economics (include cooking and sewing), Visual Arts, Drama (for Form 1 and Form 2)
For HKCEE
Chinese Languages, English Languages, Mathematics, Religious and moral education, Chinese History, English Literature, Geography, History, Economics, Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting, Computer, Home Economics, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education
For HKALE
Chinese Languages and Literature, English Languages and Literature, Mathematics, Religious and moral education, Psychology, Geography, History, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Music, Physical Education
| House | Colour |
| House of Keller 毅社 | Purple |
| House of Bronte 思社 | Red |
| House of Curie 智社 | Yellow |
| House of Teresa 愛社 | Turqoise |
| House of Nightingale 德社 | Blue |
| House of Pankhurst 義社 | Burgundy |
The order Canossian Sisters of Charity (嘉諾撒仁愛修會) has founded hospitals and a number of schools in the South East Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and Macau. The following is an inexclusive list: