Dear Hong Kong Academy Community,


Learning, growing and understanding. These concepts are so important to us at HKA that we have put them on the wall of the Theatre Lobby in large, bright letters as a reminder of who we are and what we work to achieve.


How we learn, grow and understand are questions that we at Hong Kong Academy are always asking ourselves. And our answers to these questions say a lot about how we define success. In this issue, a diverse group of contributors explore these questions from different perspectives – Primary School, Secondary School, alumni, faculty, staff and educators. The reflections on art, teamwork, volunteering, giving and graduation spark us both to think creatively about lifelong learning and to reflect on the sorts of successes that make life meaningful.


With that thought: welcome back for another school year at HKA! We look forward to another year of learning, growing and understanding together as a dynamic, diverse community.


Happy reading,


Laura Mitchell Advancement and Communications Director


CONTRIBUTORS


CARTER & PAIGE G4 Grade 4 Students Carter and Paige interviewed Dale Willetts, HKA’s Finance and Operations Director, to learn about what his job entails and why he likes working at HKA.


PRENCISS CANTIGA Prenciss Cantiga, Class of 2014, graduated from Hong Kong Academy in May. She completed the IB Diploma in Art and will be continuing her art studies in the Fall.


ALYSON DOTY Alyson Doty joined the HKA community in 2013 as a secondary English and Humanities teacher. She works with mostly grade 6 and 7 students. Originally from Minnesota, USA, Hong Kong Academy is her third international school aſter previous stops in Dubai, UAE and Guangzhou, China.


KIMBERLEY FUNG Kimberley Fung has been working in Hong Kong Academy’s Learner Support department for the past four years. She was originally trained in classical music, but work and study both here and in Hong Kong and in the UK led her to look into opportunities to integrate music into community work. This led her to pursue further study towards working in special education. She is particularly passionate about supporting successful inclusive education environments. Outside the classroom, she enjoys good food, traveling and being out on the water, whether it’s on a surf board or a dragon boat.


STEPHEN DARE Stephen Dare is the Head of School at Hong Kong Academy. He has worked in international schools in North and South America and South East Asia. For the last five years, Stephen has been a co-trainer for the Principal’s Training Center Summer Institutes for Curriculum and Leadership and, more recently, for Leadership and Group Dynamics. He currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Next Frontier Inclusion Project and is a member of the ACAMIS Board. He originally leſt the UK for a couple of years to explore the world of international education and to travel to Machu Picchu. He never made it to Peru and is still working overseas 25 years later.


IAN GILBERT Guest Contributor Ian Gilbert is an award-winning educational writer, publisher, speaker and entrepreneur who is currently living and working in Hong Kong. In 2013 he was named by the IB Organisation as one of a handful of ‘visionaries’ working in education today. His latest book, ‘Independent Thinking’, was published last year by Crown House Publishing.


JUDITH JONKERS Judith Jonkers, Grade 6, is a talented creative writer who shares with us her story, “Would I have a Twin?”.


HILARY LAU Hilary Lau is a Grade 10 student at HKA. Hilary joined HKA in Grade 6. For her IB Middle Years Programme Personal Project, Hilary wrote a children’s book about her dog, Machi, that incorporates many of Hong Kong’s famous landmarks.


LAURA MITCHELL Laura Mitchell is HKA’s Advancement and Communications Director. She and her family have been a part of the HKA community since 2007. From 2007-2009, her daughters attended HKA at the Stubbs Road campus. From 2009-2013 aſter leaving Hong Kong, she stayed connected to HKA as a consultant on HKA’s programme to raise funds to build the Sai Kung Campus. In August 2013, HKA asked her to return to lead the advancement and communications department.


ROBIN MULLER Robin Muller has taught Secondary School art at HKA since 2012. She is a graduate of The Rhode Island School of Design and brought with her 14 years of teaching experience both in the United States and abroad. She frequently reminds her students that art is more about hard work and practice than “innate” talent and challenges them to explore their world through a wide variety of media.


RUBY RANKIN Ruby Rankin, alum of the Class of 2019, attended HKA from 2005 to 2012, through Grade 5. She now lives in London with her parents and her younger brother.


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