| South Island School | |
|---|---|
| South Island School | |
| Location | |
| 50 Nam Fung Road Aberdeen Hong Kong |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private, comprehensive, international, secondary, co-educational. |
| Established | 1977 |
| Principal | Mr. Graham Silverthorne |
| Enrollment | approx. 1,400[1] |
| Grades | 7 - 13 |
| Website | http://www.sis.edu.hk/ |
South Island School (Chinese: 南島中學) is an international school founded by the English Schools Foundation of Hong Kong, located at 50 Nam Fung Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. The motto is Making a Difference.
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In 1977, South Island School was founded as a nucleus of additional classes to accommodate students within the ages of 11 and 18 from Island School, a fellow English Schools Foundation School. The school moved to its current location at 50 Nam Fung Road in 1983. The first version of the school consisted of the Ching Ling Soong Block and an outdoor swimming pool.[2]
As the school grew in size, more facilities were required. The next big change to the school came with the construction of the Stephen Hawking Building (named after physicist Stephen Hawking), and the swimming pool became an indoor one, allowing all-year round swimming lessons.[3]
By 2003, the increase in student population warranted the construction of a new school block. Construction began on a new eight-storey building that would accompany the C-block and the S-block. By 2004, the new block was completed, and was designated the Da Vinci Building.
The school year of 2007 - 2008 marked the opening of the Diploma Centre, a section of the school designated for International Baccalaureate students in Years 12 and 13. This was renamed the Diploma Center in the school year of 2009-2010.
Just recently, in November 2010, the new John Wray Atrium, named after previous principal, John Wray, has opened up to students from years 7 to 11.
Students in Years 10 and 11 usually complete a GCSE or iGCSE qualification, whereas students in Years 7 through 9 complete a course which outlines the fundamentals of GCSE (Key Stage 4).
The Class of 2008 was the last cohort to sit the A Level exams. The Year 13 class of 2009 will become the first cohort to enter the International Baccalaureate Diploma. An alternative to the IB program is the BTEC National Certificate which is starting to be popular in the United Kingdom. Newly introduced to South Island and (equivalent to 3 A- levels)they offer the BTEC Business course, BTEC Art and Design (Fashion and Clothing), BTEC Media and the BTEC Sport (Development, Coaching and Fitness) courses. There are also AS/GCE subjects available within the school's INternational Diploma in which students can combine AS/GCE courses in Global Perspectives, Drama, Art and Literature with IB subjects.
At the end of each academic year, Awards are given out to recognize achievement in all areas of school life. Great emphasis is placed on students' personal best. The awards are chosen by teachers, and are usually given to the two best students in each year for each subject. There are also commendations generally awarded to a few students per class, for effort, progress, and achievement.
There is a wide curriculum, and teachers are trained in active learning techniques. Maths, English and Science are standard. Subjects include Physical Education, Learning Futures (New), Food Technology, Design and Technology, Textiles, Music, Art, Drama, Chinese, French/Spanish/German, Geography, Religious Studies, Philosophy, History which are all compulsory during the KS3 Stage. Media Studies, Economics and Business Studies are then introduced at GCSE, where students have a selection of four subjects to study and qualify in (not including Math, English, or Science) and must choose based on four categories: Creativity, Humanities, Language, and one Extra from any category. Economics and Business Studies can not be chosen in conjunction.
South Island School operated a House System, whereby all students were allocated into one of the seven houses. The members of each house competed against each other in athletics, swimming, music and debating, etc. Each house was awarded points depending on the finishing place in each sport. At the end of the year, the House cup was presented to the house with the highest score in the last Assembly before the summer holidays
Each house was named after a notable person and is represented by a different colour:
Upon the new school year, information has been released about the new houses which will follow Graham Silverthorne's new "family system". The houses are as follows, (all different translations of the word 'house'. New Houses:
How these Houses will be different from the previous system has yet to be worked out.
Over the past years, South Island School has developed a good deal of emphasis on the use of technology. The school's classrooms were upgraded with the installation of interactive whiteboards, while the renovation of the C-block continued. South Island school has started its 1: 1 laptop programme, where students are required to bring a laptop to school, and MacBooks are required.[4]
Extra curricular activities at the school include squash, netball, basketball, football, debating, swimming, chess, tennis, singing, rugby, field hockey and cricket. Every student is obliged to take part in inter-house athletics and interhouse swimming. As well as inter-house competitions, South Island School competes in various inter-school competitions such as basketball and football. The school also has a demonstration team of two Asian martial arts: Taekwondo and Kendo. There are also thriving musical activities culminating in a range of performances throughout the year.[5]
The school stresses the importance of extracurricular activity, and each student must participate in at least one Creative, Service and Action-related activity. The school aims to create well-rounded "Rainbow Warriors of Tomorrow" G Silverthorne.
The school also organizes Innovations Fashion Show, International Evening, Diwali Night etc. annually, where one gets to experience different cultures. Such events are wholly managed by the student body, who create an electrifying presentation which doesn't fail to stun the audience.
On Sundays, the school hall is used by Faith Community Church to hold its services at 10:30 AM.
"The vision of turning the rooftop refectory into a covered multi-purpose learning atrium dated back two years ago from our former excellent Principal, Mr John Wray. The concept started in November 2008 and the actual construction commenced in November 2009 after one year of planning and public consultation. On November 29th 2010, the John Wray Atrium was officially opened. The Opening Ceremony started at 4.30 pm with out Principal Mr Silverthorne giving a brief introduction of the project and a slide show on the making of the Atrium. Mr John Wray also sent his greetings from Canada via a video clip. Ms Heather Du Quesnay (Chief Executive of English Schools Foundation (ESF), Mr Chris Erving (Vice Chairman of SIS School Council) and Ms Gabrielle Sanchez (Year 12 student and winner of the Atrium Logo design competition) all joined Mr Silverthorne in the curtain opening ceremony of the John Wray Atrium plaque. The student Lion Dance team joined the party by surprise and amazed all the guests with their lively lion dance performance by Mr Jonny Yuen and Mr Jonathan Got.
The John Wray Atrium is a refectory outlet during break and lunch times, and is also designed for small group teaching. The spectacular outdoor balcony has become the most popular corner for students and staff to relax under the warm sun and breeze. The Atrium is also fully equipped with projectors and professional public address system to cater for seminars and assemblies. The sustainable design minimizes the need for artificial ventilation and lighting and thus reduces energy consumption. We hope all students will respect the hardware and interior in the John Wray Atrium and keep the area in its best condition in the many years to come."[6]
Scenes from the movie Connected[7] 保持通話 [2] (Asian version of Cellular) were shot at South Island School.
Some students coined the 'John Wray Atrium' as the 'Wraytrium' (or a similarly spelt homophone), which is a portmanteau of the former principal John Wray, and Atrium. Phil Wallace coined Jefferson as the "Purple People Eater".
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