Secondary Soars BY DOUG MUSCO, SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL


When I first came to Hong Kong Academy, the school didn’t even have a senior class. Now two members of the Class of 2014 are applying early action to Oxford. We have come a long way as a Secondary School! But even as we celebrate these milestones and enjoy the fantastic features of our new campus, we know that HKA has never been about the building. What makes HKA a lead school is its programmes, its ethos, and most importantly its students. Whether on Stubbs Road, in Kennedy Town or now in Sai Kung, HKA’s primary commitment has been and remains to educate, nurture, and support its students as they pursue their own pathways to individual excellence. To make this possible, the academic programme offers numerous options, and the co-curricular programme challenges students in a wide variety of activities, including sports, debate, and the fine and performing arts.


The Secondary School has grown and matured in a number of ways in recent years. Now a fully authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programme school, HKA has graduated two classes. Seniors at HKA have more than risen to the challenge of the IB Diploma Programme. In 2013, one of our students even achieved a perfect score on the Diploma exam! Community service at HKA has also evolved, especially in 2013 with the implementation of a new Service Learning programme that nurtures student leadership and empowerment. Students are active service learners, both locally in Sai Kung as well as internationally through the Global Issues Network (GIN) programme.


While HKA is still not about the building, the new campus does allow the school to significantly expand its programmes and offerings. HKA’s student athletes compete at the local and regional levels, and the school will play host to the 2015 GIN 852 Conference. These sorts of opportunities are possible now that the school enjoys a full gymnasium, a 350-seat theatre, spacious classrooms, and state-of-the-art audiovisual capacities. Equally importantly these activities allow the students to develop their sense of global citizenship and service.


The new building at HKA is dramatically different than the school’s


former premises, and the work that went


into creating the new space is extraordinary! However, as an educator, what strikes me even more is how hard HKA students and staff have worked to build a culture that embraces and nurtures the development of adolescents and young adults. Just walking the hallways and listening to the casual discourse amongst students, as well as in the formal classroom setting, is as impressive as the 24,000 GSM facility! And importantly, all of HKA remains under one roof — Primary School and Secondary School share the same campus and form a community school. The Secondary School has a unique personality, but has very consciously remained intricately linked to the primary school. We are one school.


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