Methodist College (Kowloon)

Methodist College (Chinese: 循道中學), known as MCKLN or MC, which is one of the grant schools under The Methodist Church, Hong Kong, is a coed school in Hong Kong. The school is current location at Gascoigne Road, Kowloon. The College was officially opened on 1 November 1958 by the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Robert Black, K.C.M.G. The school curriculum uses English as the medium of instruction in all subjects, with the exception of Chinese-related subjects.

School Mission

Develop whole-person education based on Christian principles, Nurture wholesome life through preaching of the gospel.

School History

Methodist College was the first established of eight secondary schools of the Chinese Methodist Church. A group of church leaders conceived the idea of building a secondary school way back in the early 1950s to provide continued education for the graduates of Methodist School. After putting a great deal of effort into the planning and fund-raising, a school building with only 12 classrooms was completed in 1958. The first school year commenced in September 1958 with an enrolment of 312 students in 8 classes ranging from Form 1 to Form 4. There were 12 members on the teaching staff under the leadership of our first principal, Mr. Lee Lin Chi. The original planners envisaged a small, well-equipped and cosy school that would form a close-knit community in which both teachers and students knew each other well.

The College was accorded status as a grant school from the very beginning. This placed the College on equal footing with some of the most established schools in Hong Kong. The College was officially opened on 1 November 1958 by the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Robert Black, K.C.M.G. Since 1959, the 1st of November has been observed as our Founders' Day. Our annual Speech Day has been traditionally held on the same day until recent years. The event is now held on the first Saturday of November.

Our first class of Form 5 students took the Hong Kong School Leaving Certificate Examination (now known as the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination) in May, 1960 and our first Lower Form 6 began in September of the same year.

As enrolment increased over the years, the range of extra-curricular activities widened. Many clubs and societies were formed. Our Student Union came into being and was inaugurated on April 4, 1960, with Lam Kiu Sum, a Form 5 student, as the first president. The Student Christian Fellowship also gradually assumed its present structure. The first school magazine of the College was published in 1961. On the is the familiar picture of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, on horseback. The magazine was also given the name "Wesley" which sums up the spirit of the school. As the school expanded over the years, there was the need for additional classrooms. An annexe, which is now our North Wing, was subsequently built adjacent to the basketball court. This became ready for occupation in September, 1963. The annexe provided the College with 5 additional standard-sized classrooms which were bright and airy. A new standard-sized classroom was added on the second floor of the wing in September, 1994.

The College operated 19 classes with 3 streams in each form from Form 1 to Form 5 and 2 each in Lower and Upper Form 6 until September, 1976. As a result of the government's expansion policy of secondary education, the College began to take in an additional stream in Form 1. Over the next 5 years, the College gradually expanded to its maximum enrolment of over 900 students in 26 classes with 4 streams from Form 1 to Form 5 and 3 streams in Form 6 and Form 7. With the onset of the 3-3-4 New Academic Structure, the College now runs on 4 streams from Form 1 up to Form 6.

To alleviate the effects of traffic noise, the College installed air-conditioners in some classrooms and special rooms with funds raised by our Silver Jubilee Fund-Raising Campaign in 1983. The number of air-conditioned rooms increased gradually as more funds became available. Now all classrooms and special rooms are air-conditioned. The Lower Hall is also air-conditioned thanks to funds donated by students, parents and alumni in 1996.

To accommodate the additional classes, the library and the geography room were relocated while some rooms were re-constructed in 1987 and 1994. To meet the new demands of the education reforms, the facilities and technology of the school are improved continuously.

Into the new millennium, the College experienced rapid expansion in space. With the School Improvement Project (SIP) of the government, a new extension, now our South Wing, was built on top of the previous football field. Though much delayed, the project was completed in October, 2005, providing three classrooms and special rooms, as well as a spacious Student Activity Centre. Starting from 2002, the vacated campus of the previous Grantham College of Education at 42 Gascoigne Road was handed over to Methodist College and Methodist School for temporary joint tenancy. Renovation was carried out with our own funds to turn parts of the otherwise dilapidated premises into active use. The extended campus benefits the College greatly in terms of sports facilities, including a basketball court, an indoor stadium and a fitness gym. The lecture theatre and the Student Activity Room provide good venues for interclass activities, while curriculum diversity is achieved through the English Fun Room and the Pottery Workshop. In 2011, with the relocation of Methodist School to its brand new campus on Wylie Road, the College gained occupancy of its SIP Block, which became our East Wing with 6 classrooms, one brand new Computer Room, 3 split-class teaching rooms and one Student Learning Commons. Senior classes were moved to the East Wing, which released space on the second floor of the Main Building to house a brand new multi-purpose area, where students enjoy meals and share the fun of school life together as when the school was first built in 1958. To catch up with the technological demands of the digital era, internet access is now available throughout the whole campus through wireless LAN.

School Principals

• Mr. Lee Lin Chi(1958–1965)
• Mr. Watt Hoi Kee(1965–1973)
• Rev. Man Kwok Wai(1973–1980)
• Miss Sito Suk Han Helena(1980–1994)
• Mr. Kan Ki Leung(1994–2005)
• Miss Pang Shuk Mei(2005–2008)
• Miss Wong Pui Yi Emily(2008–present)

House system

There are five Houses, named by the five elements in ancient Chinese philosophy and fortune-telling.

Orange (Venus)

Green (Jupiter)

Blue (Mercury)

Red (Mars)

Yellow (Saturn)

School Song

1. In old Kowloon there stands Ts'un To, a School beloved by all Her name and fame we loved to sing, her praises to recall.

2. With work and play and worship here, we fill each useful day and seek to follow Him who is the Life, the Truth, the Way.

3. With Christian training forth we go, but memory's golden chain shall bind us still with links of love, and prompt the old refrain.

Refrain

Ts'un To, Ts'un To, to her we bring, with hearts and voices blending the love and praise of youthful days, a song that knows no ending.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Methodist College (Kowloon).

• Methodist College website