ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES


“I never wanted to miss a day of school.”


BY RUBY RANKIN, HKA ALUMNI


Ruby Rankin, Class of 2019, attended HKA from 2005 to 2012. She now lives in London with her parents and her younger brother. This photo was taken at the HKA London Alumni Event in January.


My parents moved from Australia to Hong Kong in 2000, and I was born not long aſter in 2001. My HKA journey began in 2005, when I joined Mrs Sherry’s K4 year at the Stubbs Road campus. I vividly remember the steep ascent, the smell of Eucalyptus trees and holding tight to the coloured railings to reach my classroom, which was festooned with colourful art and a wooden cubby house in the corner.


At HKA we were truly imbued with the core values of being an enquirer, risk taker, caring and balanced. The excellent teachers at HKA lead by example; we


weren’t told, we were shown. Students were always valued and respected. The diverse HKA community was open-minded and always inclusive. New students were well integrated and supported.


Hong Kong Academy’s greatest achievement was to give me a love of learning. Whilst we covered the required material of the PYP to help us become knowledgeable and thinkers, we also had fun. I learnt my maths facts, but I can also moonwalk, thanks to Miss Lawler. I never wanted to miss a day at school.


At the end of grade 5 in June 2012 my family and I moved to the UK. I was extremely sad to leave HKA and the wonderful friends I had made there. I started the new school year in grade 7 in a school with an English curriculum, which is very different from the IB. The biggest changes were writing with a fountain pen and learning French and Latin. The school does not offer Mandarin, so I am pursuing learning with a tutor at home. I really value the Mandarin progress I had made over the years at HKA and do not want to lose it.


I still miss HKA though am pleased to see that the friendships I made there are enduring and have withstood the test of time and distance. I miss Mr Ryan’s stories, casual dress day, Chinese New Year celebrations, the size and intimacy of the school and much more. The values gained at HKA helped me cope with the transition to a different school with a different system. Confidence I had gained in myself, not fearing risk and change, has enabled me to make new friends. The approachability of the teachers at HKA has helped me engage with my new teachers to bridge the differences from the global IB to a more Anglo- centric education.


I am grateful for the opportunities that I received at HKA and know that the core values instilled in me will assist me with my lifelong learning.


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