The Opening Ceremony of the Redeveloped DGS Campus

An Afternoon to Remember:
The Opening Ceremony of the
Redeveloped DGS Campus
Newsletter Issue No.11 (January 2013)
School Council
Chairman:
The Rt Revd Andrew Chan
Vice-Chairman:
The Revd John L Menear
Supervisor:
Mrs Doris Ho, JP
Honorary Treasurer:
Mrs Josephine Chang
Members:
Mrs Stella Lau, JP (Headmistress, DGS)
Mrs Emily Dai (Headmistress, DGJS)
Ms Barbara Chan
Mrs Sheilah Chatjaval
Mr Nelson Chen
Mr Ronnie Cheng
Ms Stephanie Cheung
Prof Arthur Li, GBS, JP
Mrs Ng Saw Kheng, JP
Prof Helen Shen
Mrs Susanna Wong
Mr Marco Wu, SBS
Ms Benita Yu
The Hon Madam Justice Yuen, JA
Ms Jane Ng (DOGA President)
Mrs Yvette Ho (PTA Chairman)
DGS Tel : 2277 9100
DGJS Tel: 2277 9200
Address :
1 Jordan Road,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
DGS Website :
http://www.dgs.edu.hk
DGJS Website :
http://www.dgjs.edu.hk
On a sunny 17th January afternoon, the whole Diocesan community gathered together to celebrate the
official opening of the newly redeveloped campus at 1 Jordan Road. With upgraded facilities in the beautiful
new campus such as a modern library with study areas, a heated indoor swimming pool, and a 1400-seat
capacity auditorium, a total of 600 guests were in attendance to celebrate the next chapter in the School’s
153-year history.
The official Campus Redevelopment Opening Ceremony commenced
at 2:30 pm at the DGS Plaza. In keeping with the grandness of the
occasion, the School was lavishly decorated with sparkling ribbons and
tinsel, whilst the stage was adorned with clusters of bright flowers and
greenery to express our sincerest thanks to the donors and guests who
have lent us a helping hand in the School’s redevelopment project.
Guests of Honour, including the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, Archbishop
and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, Mr Hardy Lok, Chairman of
the Building Sub-Committee for the DGS Redevelopment Project and Mr Kenneth Ting, SBS, JP, Chairman
of the Fundraising Campaign Committee, joined hands with the members of the School Council and the
Headmistresses of DGS and DGJS in declaring the campus officially open. Mrs. Doris Ho, Supervisor of the
School then expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the people who had helped make the redevelopment
project possible, and thanked everyone for their love for DGS and their generosity.
The ceremony included a rousing rendition of the celebratory hymn,
the Te Deum, along with other hymns sung by girls decked along
the different levels of the main campus building and around the
DGS Plaza, accompanied by music from the School Orchestra. With
angelic singing coming from all sides of the campus, many were
touched by the occasion. The ceremony then concluded with the
presentation of hand-painted souvenir boxes by girls to guests and a
blessing from Archbishop Paul.
After the ceremony, all the guests were invited on a school tour to
various rooms and special venues within the school campus, where
keys were given to them, providing photo-taking opportunities.
Delicacies were offered for the guests throughout the tour. This
was followed by the 150th Anniversary Celebration Wall Opening
Ceremony at 4 pm, involving the unveiling of the celebration wall
decorated with 150 gold leaf motifs representing 150 years of schooling excellence, and the DGS Alumnae
Wall Opening Ceremony at 4:15 pm.
All girls and teachers were anxious to make the widely anticipated
Opening Ceremony a success. They were all drawn in by their love of
the school and were eager to play host to the many patrons and guests
present. A deep sense of gratitude was felt throughout the campus, as
all recognized the deep impact they have made to the DGS education
for many years into the foreseeable future. This certainly marks one of
the most memorable occasions ever witnessed in the School's history.
A Speech Day to Remember
The evening of the 17th of January 2013 was an
evening of “double happiness” for DGS as she
celebrated the 2011-2012 Annual Speech Day
after the Opening Ceremony of the Redeveloped
Campus, held earlier that afternoon. Archbishop
Paul, Mr. Hardy Lok and Mr. Kenneth Ting were
invited to officiate as Guests of Honour.
The evening commenced with the Headmistress’
report on the events of the past school year. After
congratulating girls on their fine performance in
the last Advanced Level examinations and the first
cohort of Hong Kong’s Diploma for Secondary
Education examinations, she outlined the
importance of “access, coverage and purpose” of
education; citing examples of how DGS is faring in
these respective domains through the provision
of financial aid such as fee remission schemes, scholarships and exhibitions and the provision of a variety of extracurricular activities in sports, music and the arts. Quoting from Professor Darling Hammond’s research at Stanford
University, Mrs. Lau emphasized the importance of education of the whole person. The School also enhanced its
teaching by upgrading its mobile learning platform, for example through the purchase of 50 tablet computers and
the provision of a Wi-Fi network throughout the campus. Mrs. Lau invited the audience to read the reports by different
departments in the Speech Day Booklet.
The Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwong addressed the audience; praising the
School’s accomplishments over the years whilst upholding the virtues of
the Christian faith, before proceeding to remind girls that information in
society should not be taken at face value. He urged girls to apply the critical
thinking skills taught at school in order to make a positive impact on the
world. The three Guests of Honour took it in turn to present the many prizes
to the graduating classes, and to girls of other forms from DGS and DGJS for
their accomplishments in the past academic year. Afterwards, three student
representatives delivered a vote of thanks in English, Cantonese and
Putonghua respectively. There were plenty of chuckles when a
student representative thanked her classmates for “knowing the best
restaurants in Jordan” and having the latest news of celebrities and
teachers, while a strong sense of gratitude was felt when the Cantonese
and the Putonghua student representatives thanked the School for
cultivating their moral values and providing abundant extra-curricular
learning opportunities.
The Speech Day concluded successfully with a beautifully sung School
Hymn and a blessing of all those present by Archbishop Paul. It was
indeed a sweet and wonderful conclusion to a very
special Speech Day in DGS’s 153-year history.
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25 Years of DGS Swimming Glory
For 25 consecutive years, DGS has retained
the championship in the Girls' Division I Interschool Swimming Competition, a remarkable
achievement by any standard. And after so many
years of glorious achievement, one may be led
to believe that winning the competition is a
straightforward and easy thing to accomplish.
‘With greater glory comes harder work.’ as one
of the five swimming team captains puts it. The
secret of the team’s success, according to her, is
pure and simple – hard work and dedication.
Arriving at 6:45 am on the day, the swimming
team started warming up in the School’s indoor
swimming pool before competing at Kowloon
Park. Nervous and anxious about this year’s most
exciting competition, the team was well prepared
to face challenges. “We didn’t have as many new
blood in C-grade as in previous years.” Rachel Leung, our swimming team captain explained, ”Other than that, our
experienced swimmers such as Natasha Tang, Natalie Wong and Teresa Chung left us upon graduation.” Our C-grade
swimmers performed outstandingly well as one girl swam nine seconds faster than her personal best time, which was
a remarkable improvement.
The day bode well from the start. During the A-grade 50m freestyle race, the
incredible occurred. Both representatives of our School came first with the same
finishing time, capturing the championship together. The races went on, and finally,
when it was announced that DGS had swept all the championships, the team was
absolutely overjoyed. Winning the Grand Slam is indeed a huge achievement this
year. “It’s really a perfect ending to my six years contribution to the DGS swimming
team.” Jessie Leung, our swimming team captain commented. To celebrate and to
relax after all the excitements, the swimming team headed off to a pizza party. “We
worked hard and played hard during the celebration,” a swimming team member
joked.
“It’s all due to hard work,” Noel Leung, our swimming team captain said when
asked to comment on capturing the overall champion with a Grand Slam. “We
began way back in the summer holidays to prepare ourselves for this competition.
Two-day camps were organized, and we had plenty of training sessions held
early in the morning and during lunch time.” Our outstanding results were
achieved through 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration of our swimmers. Yet
teamwork and cooperation also played an important role. The team had in place
a great management structure, from the teachers in charge Mrs V. Ma, Miss K.L.
Liu and the inspirational Mrs P Hui to the coaches and team managers. Our
team managers were appointed to take good care of the swimmers and to help
team captains give advice to improve the performance of swimmers. There was
a lot of encouragement given during the
competition from various cheering groups.
All these kept the swimmers motivated to
carry on, and in the end, they managed
to continue the DGS legacy despite all
the pressure they faced. What next for the
swimming team, then? Another 25 years of
glory perhaps?
3
When Merlion meets Bauhinia
Merlion met Bauhinia when 8 girls from the Covent of the Holy
Infant Jesus Secondary School (CHIJ), Singapore, stayed as exchange
students at DGS from 29 October to 3 November, 2012.
Eight Secondary 2 girls from DGS became buddies with eight CHIJ students
and accompanied them for a week of engaging activities and exchanges.
The eight pair of buddies attended an orientation workshop on the first day of
their journey. Two of the CHIJ girls, Niv and Youngsin, especially remembered
the “large-screen TV” game, in which one player had to express a word
without mentioning the word itself, while other players have to guess the
correct word. When it came to the term ‘Justin Bieber’, the Singaporean girls
sang so enthusiastically that everyone laughed. They had lots of fun in various
workshops, including one in Geography and English Literature. During the
English Literature Presentation, they exchanged a collaborative project on the Shakespearean play “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream”, which both parties found to be very intellectually rewarding and stimulating. The CHIJ students also
were able to sample Cantonese cuisine outside the school campus, which was a novel experience for them, as they
tended to eat on-campus.
CHIJ students were generally very positive about the characteristics of DGS girls. Niv and Youngsin originally expected
DGS students to be rather serious and stern. However, they found DGS girls to be very smart, lively, and joyous after
staying together for a week. The large campus also impressed them a lot. Niv told us, ‘Even though getting around the
school is a bit difficult, it is always good to have so many facilities and rooms for students. The learning environment is
really great.’ Moreover, they said that the lesson arrangement was comfortable. ‘I like how there is a break in between
lessons as well as the 1 hour break for lunch,’ said Yangsin.
On the other hand, the atmosphere at DGS was quite different from CHIJ.
Youngsin admitted that the announcement about detention on Monday
was a bit frightening to them. According to them, detention was rarely
implemented unless there were repeated offences in their school.
As the week ended, there was a lot that each school learnt from one another
in terms of teaching pedagogy, views and opinions. Friendships were
developed, contacts were shared and all agreed that it was a very fulfilling
week for both the CHIJ girls and their DGS buddies. We look forward to
reciprocal visits to their school to enhance this mode of learning.
DGS Quest
Thank You For
Your Unfailing Support
Fundraising Target: HK$380 million
HK$380
million
Donations Received: HK$267 million
HK$267
million
(up to 31st December 2012)
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Enquiries: (852) 2277 9165
Email: development@dgs.edu.hk
Website: www.dgs.edu.hk/development
Contact: Ms. Shirley Ping
DGJS
Diocesan Cincinnati Choir 2012
The Diocesan Cincinnati Choir – comprising sixty girls, and accompanied by over forty adults – left Hong Kong on July 9,
flying to Chicago.
We arrived the next day in Cincinnati at the 2012 World Choir Games. That afternoon was the Games’ first big event: the
Parade of Nations. The girls were fighting jetlag, but as they burst into the sunny Cincinnati afternoon, their smiles
widened as they heard the crowd cheering. Even after the parade, the girls were applauded and pulled aside for
photos, and a beautiful photo of the DCC headlined Cincinnati’s newspaper the second day.
The second day was full of intensive practice, brightened by a tour of the breathtaking Cathedral Basilica of the
Assumption in Covington, Kentucky.
Competition day then dawned, beginning with a breakfast more focused on hairdressing than eating.
The DCC performed magnificently that afternoon, singing four songs – ‘Ya Ba Bom’; ‘Mountain Nights’; ‘宛城老景，
買頂花帽’; and ‘採茶’ – with precision and feeling. The audience was especially impressed by the way our girls turned their
western style costume into a colourful Chinese apron to match the two Chinese songs. A parent, Mrs. Deidre Tcheng,
was the costume designer as well as the choreographer of the dance that brought much delight to the song ‘採茶’. The
dancers and soloists were flawless. Spirits were high after the competition: Mrs Chiang said the girls had done their best,
and all evidence supported her.
The next day the girls performed at an informal, outdoor ‘friendship concert’. The DCC sang five songs: ‘Come and
Praise the Lord’; ‘The Alphabet’; ‘Alleluia’; ‘歌聲與微笑’; and ‘Shalom to You, My Friend’. The girls achieved a remarkable
emotional connection with the large audience, many of whom had teary eyes as ‘Shalom’ sounded out.
The girls were again superb ambassadors for DGJS. Innumerable photos went home with audience members who
sought out the girls in their brightly-coloured blouses shining like jewels in the crowd.
That evening we attended the awards ceremony. The Young Children’s category was announced first, and after several
choirs received bronze and silver medals, DCC was called. The girls earned a gold medal rating – mission accomplished!
After this, the tour was more relaxed. We enjoyed the WCG’s Champions’ Concert showcasing thirteen choirs. The closing
ceremony was also spectacular, featuring Broadway and opera stars, and a mass choir.
Another unexpected highlight came at dinner one evening. Some girls began to sing a choir song. The restaurant staff
then asked them to sing for the other diners. They readily agreed, performing ‘The Alphabet’ and ‘Shalom to You, My
Friend’ to cheers and applause.
Our last day in Cincinnati was a Sunday, so the girls joined in worshipping God at Christ Church Cathedral, singing
‘Come and Praise the Lord’ and ‘Alleluia’. Afterwards, Christ Church members served us a delicious
‘Thanksgiving-style’ lunch. That afternoon we
learned about God’s work at the Creation
Museum.
The following day we returned to Chicago,
where we sampled many Chicago highlights,
including deep-dish pizza, the Legoland
Discovery Centre, Michigan Avenue, the Field
Museum, and a performance by the renowned
Blue Man Group.
The tour’s final day was then upon us. Our
journey was over, but all of us have fond
memories of this excellent trip, which
was so carefully planned and successfully
guided by the chairperson of the parent
organizing committee, Mrs. Teresa Shieh
and our Music Director, Mrs. C. Chiang.
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Sports Achievements
A Splashing Success at
the Kowloon Area
Inter-Primary School
Swimming Competition
Our DGJS swimmers reaped the reward of their
intensive training at the Kowloon West Area InterPrimary School Swimming Competition. Our
swimmers captured the Champion title in both
the Girls’ A and B Grade divisions. Of particular
noteworthy mention is our swimmers’ recordsetting performance in the A Grade division’s
4 x 50M freestyle relay event.
A Smash Hit at the Jing Ying Table
Tennis Tournament
Each year the Hong Kong School Sports Federation invites every school to nominate two of their best players to take
part in the All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Table Tennis Tournament. This year, Karissa Lee of Pr. 5 came first in the Girls’
Single event and Jocelyn Ho of Pr. 6 was the 2nd runner-up. With their joint effort, they also captured the championship
in the Girls’ Double event.
Organic Gardening at DGJS for a
Cleaner, Greener School Environment
The DGJS Gardening Club had another busy yet fruitful first
term under the blazing sun and drizzling rain. This year the
club proudly presents the organic herb garden that is now
situated in the Middle Garden. Fresh mint, rue, peppermint,
lemon balm and basil have blossomed with the hard work
and loving care of the club. A range of organic plants and
vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, radish and
pumpkin have also been planted and the club members
eagerly await a successful harvest in the winter and spring.
A hearty thanks to Mrs J. Holdefer, Mrs E. Au and Mrs L. Chan
whose guidance has sprouted little green thumbs in all
the club members and developed within them a growing
awareness of nature and horticulture.
6
ANZ Money-minded Workshops
The Senior School and the Junior School have reunited once again at the Jordan Road Campus. The unification
empowers their collaboration and brought forth the ANZ Money-minded Workshops. The interactive workshops run
by accredited Senior School girls and supported by ANZ Bank employees were designed especially for Primary Four
students to instill financial literacy in their young minds. Through the workshops, the girls learned to be responsible
managers of their money, appreciated the importance of wants versus needs and developed wise spending habits.
Junior School Model
United Nations
Conference
Dates: 7th November 2012 and
9th November 2012
We are all becoming more aware that our world is a
global world. Political and geographical boundaries
mean nothing when finance is globalized and we are all
affected by climate change. In November 2012, DGS,
DGJS and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School joined hands
to enhance the global dimension in their teaching
and learning by embracing education that concerns
international, intercultural, and more precisely, global
elements. Nothing can be more global and educational
than hosting a Model United Nations (MUN) Conference
organized by DGS MUN Society in collaboration with
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School for Primary Six students
of DGJS. 20 students from DGJS were invited to
participate in this conference in which global issues, such
as world peace and security, human rights, sustainable
living and development, were explored and discussed.
Besides learning about the goals and operation of the
United Nations through the conference, students were
able to gain multiple inter-cultural perspectives on world
events and affairs. We hope that this Model United
Nations Conference inspires young people to become
partners of the United Nations in the global effort to
shape this world into a better place for all.
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第一屆「中國書畫班」
傳統的中國畫是本校罕有的學習科目。在２０１１年１２月，初次在
本校中國文化室試辦了四次單獨的「認識中國國畫」活動，讓高年級
學生參加，以初步認識國畫概念為主。這四次試金石行動得到良好
反應，於是本校繼續把這個活動發展成一個正規的校外課程，
邀請趙起蛟老師為導師。
根據趙老師的理念，繪傳統中國畫應與書法一
起學習，所謂「書畫同源」，書法練得好有助
繪畫的技巧，因此這個課程是書法與繪畫
相結合的。
課程為五、六年級學生而設，前半部先學習中國書法，
除了臨摹楷書之外，還讓學生認識中國不同的字體如
隸書、草書、篆書……或各著名書法家如王羲之、顏
真 卿 …… 的 字 體 ， 擴 闊 學 生 的 眼 界 ﹔ 後 半 部 則 注 重
國畫學習，先習工筆描摹，以意趣為主。
為方便學習，除了毛筆是學生自備之
外，其餘紙張、用墨、用具及稿件均由
學校或老師提供。目前學生興趣濃厚，
漸入佳境，希望這個活動能觸發學生的
潛能，發揮個人的創意，宏揚中國的
文化。
「茶道興趣小組」
茶道是中國「飲的文化」，是一門累積千年經驗的學問，自古茶通
「六藝」，除了「琴、棋、書、畫、詩、曲」之外，茶道早已成為中國人生
活上的另一種藝術。不但有益健康，並能怡情養性。
本校的「茶道興趣小組」為五年級而設，一方面配合語文課程，另一方面以
推廣中國文化，增強學生對中國文化的認識為目的。為了引發學習興趣，
先以文靜優雅的泡茶活動開始，讓學生親身體驗中國泡茶的方式。
小組活動利用午膳時間進行，每次參加茶聚的人數限4至6人，確保每個
組員能親手運作一次，並親嘗自已泡出來的茶湯，實踐以茶款客之道，
讓學生自己分辨中國茶藝與西式喝茶的分別。
參與泡茶的學生都充滿好奇，初次接觸雖然有點手忙腳亂，組員卻興趣
濃厚，樂此不疲。有些喜歡奉茶待客的過程，有些更自言愛上喝中國茶。
此外，我們希望組員學以致用，將來在公開活動中實踐，弘揚中
國的文化。
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PTA’s Celebratory Donation to the School
In celebration of 100 years at Jordan Road, a special donation of over
HK$500,000 has been made to DGS and DGJS by the PTA this year.
PTA 61st Annual General Meeting
27th September, 2012
PTA Executive Committee
2012-2013
Supervisor:
Mrs. Doris Ho, J.P.
Headmistresses:
Mrs. Stella Lau
Mrs. Emily Dai
Teachers:
Miss Rachel Wong
Mrs. Brenda Lam
Chairman:
Mrs. Yvette Ho
Vice-Chairmen:
Ms. Winnie Cheung
Mrs. Yvonne Chiu
Hon. Secretary:
Mrs. Audrey Tam
Hon. Treasurer:
Mrs. Londa Fung
Hon. Auditor:
Mr. Andy Ngan
Members:
Mrs. Janice Chan
Mrs. Priscilla Chan
Mrs. Cecilia Cheng
Mrs. Viola Cheong
Mrs. Conny Ching
Ms. Jacqueline Kwan
Ms. Sylvia Leung
Ms. Vanessa Leung
Mrs. Stella Ma
Mrs. Emmy Mong
Mrs. Esther Ng
Mrs. Chlorophyll So
Mrs. Bianca Tan
Ms. Deirdre Fu Tcheng
The School Auditorium was filled with over 1200 parents and
teachers attending our PTA 61st Annual General Meeting on
the evening of 27th September, 2012. Prior to the start to
the AGM, the parents and teachers were treated to a special
performance by the Diocesan Girls’ Choir (DGS) and Diocesan
Cincinnati Choir (DGJS). Under the Guidance of Mrs. Christina
Chiang and Ms. Grace Chiang, the two choirs travelled to
Cincinnati USA this summer to compete in the World Choir
Games. It was a great honor for both choirs to win the Gold
Medal Award in this prestigious competition. Our Chairman,
Mrs. Yvette Ho complemented the girls for their talent and
hard work and gave thanks to Mrs. Chiang, Ms. Chiang, and
all parent helpers who coordinated and supervised the choirs
on their trips to the USA. This experience was a wonderful
example of the home-school cooperation that enhances the
lives of our students.
The AGM was presided by Mrs. Yvette Ho, our PTA Chairman, Mrs. Doris Ho, our
School Supervisor, Mrs. Stella Lau, our Senior School Headmistress, and Mrs.
Emily Dai, our Junior School Headmistress. During the Chairman’s report for
the year 2011-2012, Mrs. Ho reported that in celebration of 100 years at Jordan,
a special donation in the amount of HK$520,000 has been made to DGS and
DGJS by the PTA this year.
This amount was made to further enhance the overall learning environment
of the new campus. For the DGS campus, additional outdoor furniture such as
tables, chairs and stools have been purchased to enable students and teachers
to carry out small group discussions out of the classroom and to facilitate
outdoor dining areas and to provide additional dining space. A special sum
was also allocated for tuck shop refurbishment. In addition, allowance has also
been made for the installation of a canopy on the 6th Floor to provide shading
in case of adverse weather conditions.
For the DGJS campus, part of the donation has been allocated for
refurbishment of the DGJS tuck shop, provision of outdoor furniture, upgrade
of the gardening plot in the Middle Garden and provision of a drama stage.
Mrs. Ho then thanked all parents for their generous support which was
instrumental to enable the PTA to carry out its role of aiding and benefiting the
ultimate learning experience of the student body.
Mrs. Londa Fung, our PTA’s Honorary Treasurer, then presented the PTA
accounts for the year ended 31st July 2012. This was followed by an election
of Executive Committee members for the year 2012-2013, and addresses from
Mrs. Lau and Mrs. Dai.
The evening concluded with small parent-teacher sessions where all parents
present were invited to meet their daughters’ class teachers for a discussion of
their general progress.
9
PTA Educational Visits
On 15 June 2012, the PTA arranged a series of educational visits for our Primary 1 to 6 girls with specific focuses for
different age groups. The purpose of these visits was to enrich our students’ knowledge of different aspects of their daily
lives through learning beyond classrooms.
Over 80 parent volunteers have helped in supervising and guiding our girls during the visits that day. A big thank you to
all of them!
Primary 1
– Health Education Exhibition and Resource Centre
Primary 1 girls visited this exhibition centre run by the Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department and learnt about food safety, GM food, additives and
labelling through interactive talks and displays.
Pr.1 girls learnt about food safety,
additives through interactive talks
and displays.
Primary 2 – Hong Kong Science Museum
We took our girls for a visit to the Science Museum where they had a guided tour on the topics of
light and electricity/magnetic force. They also watched an interesting movie on food science and
participated in interactive games at the Children’s Gallery.
Primary 3 – Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Pr.2 girls participated
in games during the
guided tour on lights and
magnetic force.
Primary 3 girls had a special time at the Heritage Museum,
seeing a temporary exhibition of the great works of Picasso.
They also took a guided tour to the New Territories Heritage
Hall, learning history through reconstructed scenes and
multimedia programmes that depict the natural environment
and social changes that have taken place in the New
Territories.
Primary 4 – Crossroads International
Pr.4 girls had a meaningful day at
CrossRoads International, giving a
lending hand to the less fortunate.
Pr.3 girls saw an exhibition of the
great works of Picasso before going
on a tour to the New Territories
Heritage Hall.
This charity organisation houses and arranges for used items to be sent to needy
people around the globe. Through participation in interactive games, the girls
learnt about the mission and history of Crossroads, and most importantly the need
to give a lending hand to the less fortunate.
Primary 5 – Buddhist Li Ka Shing Care &
Attention Home for the Elderly
As an introduction to community service, our P5 girls paid a
morning visit to the elderly and brought along their hand-made
gifts and musical and drama performances. They were introduced
to the operation of an elderly home, and also had the precious
opportunity to chat with the elderly, hearing about their past
youthful days and learning about their current needs.
Primary 6 – St Mary’s Home for the Aged
Sisters at St. Mary’s Home
presented souvenir to our
Pr.6 representatives after an
enthralling musical performance.
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As a continuation of their community service experience, P6 visited a
Catholic run Home for the Aged in Wong Chuk Hang. After giving the
elderly residents and the Sisters an enthralling musical performance,
our girls learnt the ways in which they could contribute towards this
community through a guided tour of the facilities.
Our Pr.5 girls had the
precious opportunity
to chat with the elderly,
hearing about their past
youthful days.
UNIFORM SUBCOMMITTEE
The uniform subcommittee handles all matters
related to the school uniform. We work closely
with the school and uniform suppliers, ensuring
that our school uniforms remain affordable. We
also assist the suppliers in the sale of certain
school uniform items (such as PE track suits), and
hold fitting sessions for students to try them on
campus.
Besides striving for reasonable pricing, we
manage to improve the material and style of our
school uniform as well. In the past year, we have
introduced two new items – the winter trench
coat and the white PE fleece vest, which were well received by our students for their practicality and stylishness. This year,
we have launched a new school accessory – the chair pouch. The blue-colored bag has a few pockets for the girls to put
their books and water bottles in. As expected, this accessory item is extremely popular. We will soon see more than half
of our classroom chairs putting on their new coats!
As responsible environmental citizens, we strongly encourage recycling of our school
uniforms. We hold school uniform exchange programs twice a year, whereby used
and outgrown uniforms can be exchanged and recycled rather than being thrown
away. In doing so, we feel that we can educate our children the importance of
environmental protection and reinforce the idea of recycling. The response to these
programs is overwhelming, thanks to the support of our environmentally-conscious
parents and eco-friendly students!
Lastly, we would like to thank our parent volunteer helpers who spend their time and
efforts in helping us. Without their support, our subcommittee’s work would not be
possible and successful. Going forward, we will continue to try our best to serve our
fellow parents and the school!
2012 Read-A-Thon
This year marks the fifth anniversary of our School Read-A-Thon. A total of
456 students from DGJS participated in the Read-A-Thon over the summer
holiday, reaping a total of HK$726,024.80 in donations to the School.
Ranking
Class
Name
1
4B
Wong Hiu Yu
2
3C
Ko Ashley Ria
3
5C
Chan Ching Yan Andreana
4
1B
Wong Tiffany Ka Man
4
2D
Chan Valerie
A pizza party was held for Primary 3C, the top class
fundraiser, and book coupons were presented to the
top individual fundraisers during Assembly. Thank
you to everyone who helped to make our Read-AThon a big success year after year!!
11
DOGA
50th Reunion
for the Class of 1962
To seize the opportunity to tour the new DGS campus,
the class of 1962 returned to Hong Kong for its golden
anniversary. From 25th-28th October, 36 of us from
three continents gathered at the Pearl of the Orient
to commemorate our past, celebrate our present, and
continue to co-create good memories for the future.
12 of us first attended the 20th October DOGA Annual
Dinner. It was simply exhilarating to dine with over 600
old girls representing 67 generations of DGS alumni. At
least half of us from abroad, our class would have won an
award if The Most Miles Travelled were a category.
Our class reunion was a time for nostalgia. Whether it
Tour of the new DGS campus
was banqueting in grand style on top of the i-Square
where the old Hyatt Hotel used to stand; sharing a
vegetarian meal in the serene Chi Lin Nunnery at no-longer-so-remote Diamond Hill; strolling around the Peak from
which one can no longer see much of the sea; remembering the eight of us who have left this world; or visiting the
food and heritage museums in which the Hong Kong we grew up in is now on permanent display - every activity
brought back precious memories. Thank you, Organising Committee.
It was a time for appreciation. We were treated to special conducted tours of the new, state-of-the-art campus, and
received in the DOGA Room a personal welcome from Headmistress Mrs. Stella Lau. To “give back” to the School that
has so wonderfully shaped us, our class is actively engaged in a fundraising project with a goal of 100% participation.
Most of all, the reunion was a time for reconnecting. Although it was the first time some of us have seen one another
in five decades, it took no time to get reacquainted. It was like yesterday as if time had stood still and instantly we were
back to our former, carefree selves, laughing until our sides hurt and singing our hearts out.
Our class has kept in close touch as a group for exactly ten years, having tracked down all but a handful of our 90
classmates, held four formal reunions to date, published our own mini biographies entitled, “Outstanding Women;
Extraordinary Lives;” compiled our own songbook comprising of our favorites old and new, and recorded our collective
DGS memories. Whether calling this phase of our life “sunset” (albeit a splendid one) or “the dawn of the third stage,”
we all have desired and striven for lives that are well lived. 50 years later, we are no longer merely former classmates
but lifelong friends who have been with one another through life’s ups and downs and who can truly claim that we
have learned to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”
We are honoured to have become those “who have gone before.” We are privileged to have been part of the DGS
tradition. We are and will be forever grateful for the DGS legacy, which has molded us into the healthy, strong women
we are today.
Reunion dinner at Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong
12
Those Good Old Days (Part II)
We hope you enjoyed reading in our last issue some questions about school life and answers from old girls of different
eras. Below are some more interesting responses on other questions. Happy reminiscence!!
(These series of questions will be continued in the next few issues of the Kaleidoscope).
Q: What games did you play during break time?
1950s
1980s
“We only had time for snacks, did not really play any
games.” (Hester Tan ‘58)
“Netball. In order to ‘save’ the court for breaks, one of
us would climb out the window onto the court. From
2A classroom was the corner room on the site of where
the chapel was built with the new building in 1960.”
(Anonymous)
“Chips and candies; soy sauce chicken wings if I was really
hungry. Also, warm Vitasoy milk in glass bottles in the
winter.” (Anonymous)
“Hot Vitasoy in a bottle.” (Anonymous)
1960s
“We played who can spit the furthest!!” (Anonymous)
“Those minced sausages that came in orange tubes – not
too flavorsome now that I think of it!” (Adeline Cheng ‘91)
1970s
2000s
“I seldom played any games during break time. I used to
chit-chat with my classmates.” (Bernadette Liu ‘76)
“Jumping on the elastic (rubber band) rope, playing on
the swing and netball in junior school, a variety of things
including school work such as projects, comparing notes,
chatting etc. in senior school.” (Lily Wong ‘76)
“We seldom played games, usually chatted with
classmates or spent time in the library.” (Hazel Lui ‘76)
“Egg sandwich, 童星點心麵, 媽咪麵, 糖癡豆“
(Junes Shek ‘06)
1980s
“I remember playing 十字架豆腐 and 狐狸小姐幾多點 in
primary school.” (Anonymous)
1950s
“Hopscotch.” (Mabel Ng ‘86)
“Touching the yellow poles at the DGJS Garden.”
(Anonymous)
1990s
“I was only here in secondary school, so we didn’t really
play games anymore. We’re often busy preparing for
events, working on projects and rehearsing during nonclass time.” (Michelle Kwock ‘94)
“Hopscotch with bean bags.” (Adeline Cheng ‘91)
“Playing ‘tag’ at the columns.” (Anonymous)
2000s
“In DGJS, we used to play ‘British Bulldog 1 2 3’ and ‘1 2 3
Traffic Lights’. In Senior School, we seldom played games.
We just visited the tuck shop and chatted with friends.”
(Junes Shek ‘06)
Q: What kind of snacks did you buy from the tuck
shop during break time?
1930s
“I do not remember there being a tuck shop.”
(Mabel Lim ‘33)
1950s
“There was no tuck shop when I entered school in 1949.”
(Hester Tan ‘58)
1970s
“Ice popsicle, vegetarian duck gizzet, Vitasoy.”
(Lily Wong ‘76)
1990s
“時興隆辣味卷 and Vitasoy (Malt).”
(Michelle Kwock ‘94)
Q: At lunch time, how did you spend your free time
after eating?
1930s
“Lunch was provided for by the school and we did not
have much time after we ate lunch.” (Mable Lim ‘33)
“My lunch was sent to school by my domestic helper,
and after 20 minutes lunch, my friends and I chatted
and sometimes we walked the side streets behind DGS.”
(Hester Tan ‘58)
“I used to go home for lunch, so there wasn’t much free
time left afterwards.” (Anonymous)
1970s
“Catching up with friends, doing projects or revising,
depending on the need.” (Lily Wong ‘76)
“Chatting with classmates or studying when there were
tests in the afternoon!” (Hazel Lui ‘76)
1980s
“Played games in primary school; a post-lunch stroll
around the school’s neighborhood in secondary school.”
(Anonymous)
“Usually swimming training, and at some point, cross
country running to RSPCC and back…” (Anonymous)
1990s
“I chatted with friends, and we sometimes browsed
around shops in the area. One of our favorite stores was
Paper and Things. We were quite fascinated by nice
stationery at that stage.” (Michelle Kwock ‘94)
“After eating, I would hurry out to shop for ‘scratch n’ sniff’
stickers at Hang Fung Centre in Jordan.” (Adeline Cheng ‘91)
“Running around on the field.” (Anonymous)
2000s
“Choir practice, attending clubs general meetings,
chatting with friends.” (Junes Shek ‘06)
13
Activities
The Art of Children and Family
Photography – June 2012
Social Sub-Committee
It is fun to capture precious moments of your children growing up, but it is
sometimes difficult to find the perfect shot from thousands of photo files. On
9th June, Dr. Patrick Au presented to our old girls the do’s and don’ts in everyday
life photo taking. He provided us with a series of skills on how to capture quality
instead of quantity. From ideas of what to wear to tips on making it comfortable
for children during photo-taking sessions, Dr. Au shared with us his many years
of photo-taking experiences with children, families and animals.
Shirley Chan presented a souvenir to our
speaker Dr. Patrick Au
Summer Splash
Party – July 2012
Sports Sub-Committee
The first Summer Splash Party, jointly
organised by DOGA and DGS, was held
on 7th July, 2012. Although the number
of participants was lower than expected,
the feedback received from those
DOGA President, Jane Ng,
Ex-DGS Swimming Team members
who attended was generally positive
presented medals to winners
came back for the
and encouraging. A total of 36 DOGA
of the family relay
Summer Splash Party
members and their immediate family
members participated in the event. There were five relay races and one individual race held. For each race, the champion,
first and second runners-up were awarded medals. Participants also had fun in the pool during free pool sessions and
enjoyed refreshments at the DOGA place.
Beach Bag Making Workshop
– July 2012
Art Club
To welcome the summer days, old girls and their children gathered
on a lovely afternoon and had great fun decorating bags, visors
and fans with colors, stickers and shells. We had our imagination
run wild with pirates, flips flops, mermaids, princesses and Picassothemed artwork. Everyone brought home lovely beach bags and
accessories.
Fun afternoon at the
Beach Bag Making Workshop
Interhouse Netball Tournament
– May & July 2012
Sports Sub-Committee
The first DOGA Inter-house Netball Tournament was successfully held
on 26th May and 14th July, 2012. There were a total of 65 players and 25
spectators at the 2-day event. Congratulations to Sawyer on becoming the
champion, Symons and Hurrell as first and second runners-up respectively.
Both Skipton and Gibbins played very well too with Skipton being ranked
fourth whilst Gibbins fifth this time.
Sawyer was the champion in the
DOGA Inter-house Netball Tournament
14
Lantern Decoration Workshop
– September 2012
Art Club
Participants enjoying the lantern-making session
Lantern making, a Chinese tradition that can be traced back to the sixth century,
was enjoyed by DOGA members in a Lantern Decoration workshop on 22nd
September. More than 50 participants, many of whom were children of DOGA
members, shared in the fun of lantern making and decoration with colourful
paper cut-outs and stickers. To emphasise the Chinese theme, the Art Club also
demonstrated how the traditional folk art Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) was
done, thus making this event an amazing crossover of the timeless Chinese Art and
the traditional Chinese celebration!
Health Advice for Ladies Luncheon Seminar
– September 2012
Social Sub-Committee
Shirley Chan, Chairlady of Social Sub-committee,
presented a souvenir to Louisa Wong
Following the success of the seminar given by Louisa Wong Tak Yu, registered Chinese
medical practitioner (註冊中醫師) on general women’s health, the Social Sub-committee
encored another ladies’ luncheon on 27th September. This time, Louisa spoke to 30 attendees
on overall women’s well-being and ways to combat menopause. The luncheon was very
spirited and informative with plenty of demonstrations by Louisa. She shared her knowledge
on the various use of Chinese herbs and recipes to stay youthful and healthy, and tips on how
to age gracefully.
DOGA Annual Dinner – October 2012
Social Sub-Committee
Best Turnout Class – Class of 1988
The 2012 DOGA Annual Dinner took place at King’s Cuisine in Tsim Sha Tsui on 20th October.
With this year’s theme of “One Family”, a school tour was organised for participating old girls
to reunite at the new, state-of-the-art campus. Around 626 girls spanning from class of 1943
– 2006 gathered at the dinner. The Class of 1988 was awarded the Best Turnout Class with a
total of 44 girls attending the event. It was a very cheerful evening as old friends reconnected.
Many specially designed souvenir items were for sale and 86 lucky draw prize winners were
drawn.
Upcoming Events
16th March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
July 2013
September 2013
October 2013
December 2013
Class Rep & New Members Tea Gathering
Art Club Event
Netball Sports Festival
Art Club Event; DOGA AGM; Dr Symons Scholarship Interview
Careers Talk
Art Club Event
DOGA Annual Dinner
Art Club Event; Careers Talk; DGS Mini-Bazaar
Details of the events will be updated periodically. Please visit www.doga.org.hk to obtain the latest information.
DOGA Office: 1 Jordan Road. Tel: 2771 5881, Email: doga.info@gmail.com
Joining DOGA
Any old girl of DGS or DGJS (whether resident or
abroad) who has completed at least one academic
year at DGS or DGJS is eligible to apply for
membership of DOGA Ltd. Details of the application
can be found at www.doga.org.hk.
Class Reunion Gathering
Alumnae who are interested in organising their class
reunion gathering at the School, please contact
DOGA office for further information.
15
Redevelopment
IT Facilities at DGS
All buildings are connected
to the school network via a 10
Gbps optical fibre backbone
and 802.11n Wi-Fi system.
The bandwidth of Broadband
Internet access is increased to
100 Mbps. Totally there are 1,700
date nodes in both Schools.
The VoIP system provides
a unified communications
platform for both Schools. More
than 100 IP phone sets have
been installed in all offices,
necessary classrooms and special
rooms for staff use and along
the corridors for student use.
The school telephone system
is now more customizable with
improved efficiency to facilitate
administrative work.
IT Facilities
for Student Use
16
Almost 200 Cisco Aironet 1142 and 1262
Wi-Fi access points have been installed to cover all
classrooms, special rooms and open spaces in the
campus.
Network Infrastructure
The backbone of IT
facilities was the most
important wholeschool system in the
Redevelopment Project because any form
of replacement is
extremely difficult,
requiring time and
enormous effort.
Hence, resources have
Cisco Catalyst 6509 core
been put into building
switch and 2960S switches
a network infrastrucin the Server Room
ture that is perceived
to serve the redeveloped school campus for
as long as possible.
As one combined system for DGS and DGJS
in the redeveloped school campus, the network infrastructure is supported by the Cisco
Catalyst 6509 core switch and 2960S switches,
providing an integrated platform for the wired
network, wireless network, Voice over IP (VoIP)
system, and videoconferencing systems.
students using iMac computers in
the Library during break
students doing Internet research
during a History lesson in MMLC
IT facilities for student use are
mostly set up in the Library,
Multimedia Learning Centre
(MMLC), and Computer Rooms.
There are 7 Apple iMac Core i7
27” computers in the Library on
Level 3. Students like to use them
for group work because of their
large monitor displays.
The MMLC is located inside the Library. There are
44 student computers and 1 teacher computer
in the room. They are equipped with up-todate software like Microsoft Office 2010, Adobe
Design Premium CS 5.5, Corel Video Studio Pro
X4, etc. The room can be booked by teachers for
lessons that require each student using a desktop
computer on her own. The room is also open
during lunch and after-school for students to use
desktop computers to do their assignments and
projects.
Two Cisco C40 videoconferencing
systems, each with two HD
cameras and a highly sensitive
ceiling mic, are installed in Modern
Language Centre and Chinese
Cultural Centre for activities with
overseas sister schools.
IT Facilities
for Teaching
and Learning
Activities
students using iPads in IT lesson
50 Apple iPads and accessories
have been procured for the School
Improvement Project “Migration
towards Mobile Learning”. In the
three-year project period, each
teacher is requested to use iPads
in one learning activity in class,
and each subject department will
design some learning activities
using iPads on one topic for one
level of students.
A desktop computer, visualizer
and projector are installed in each
classroom or special room for
teaching and learning activities.