Hong Kong International School

Infobox_School
name = Hong Kong International School


motto = "Dedicating our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to service and global understanding."
established = 1966
type = Private Day
affiliation = Lutheran
grades = K-12
head of school = Richard W. Mueller
faculty =
staff =
students =
enrollment = 2600
colors = Burgundy, White, Navy
mascot = Dragon
free_label = High School Principal
free_text = Patricia Klekamp
free_label2 = Middle School Principal
free_text2 = Linda Anderson
free_label3 = Upper Primary Principal
free_text3 = Bruce Kelsh
free_label4 = Lower Primary Principal
free_text4 = Madeleine Heide
free_label5 = Campus surroundings
free_text5 = Large Private Campus
location = Repulse Bay and Tai Tam, Hong Kong
information =
website = http://www.hkis.edu.hk/

Hong Kong International School (HKIS) is an international private school in Tai Tam, Hong Kong. Founded in 1966 by a group of Christian businessmen, HKIS spans from reception one to the twelfth grade. Its Lower and Upper Primary Divisions are located in Repulse Bay, and the Middle and High Schools are located in Tai Tam. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges has continuously accredited Hong Kong International School since 1971. The school was also selected by the "Good Schools Guide International" for review. [http://gsgi.co.uk/countries/china/hong-kong/hong-kong-schools-considered-by-expats]

History

Hong Kong International School was founded in September 1966, its first location consisting of makeshift premises including residential flats in Chung Hom Kok. The founders were the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Hong Kong government and the American business community in Hong Kong. The original school overlooked Repulse Bay and housed 120 students. HKIS continued to expand over time, which led to the creation of a second building in Repulse Bay, and finally an additional campus in Tai Tam. Currently, the school is undergoing its fourth major infrastructure development plan.

Institution

Organization

The school is divided into four divisions, all co-educational: Lower Primary (Grades R1 and R2-Grades 1 and 2), Upper Primary (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12). There are two main campuses. The Repulse Bay campus is for students from pre-kindergarten to the fifth grade. The students at the Tai Tam campus attend grades 6-12.

Each division of the school has its own administration, as well as separate student government organizations. The entire school is overseen by the Head of School, Richard Mueller.

As of 2006, nearly 2600 students and 480 faculty and staff occupy the two separate campuses of HKIS. Four libraries house a total of 110,000 books, periodicals and technological resources.

Academics

The school follows an American-styled curriculum, offering 20 Advanced Placement courses and 4 foreign languages.

Students in the High School division are required to study interdisciplinary Humanities, United States History, Biblical Studies, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and also meet various requirements in Fine Arts, Information Technology, Asian Studies, and Physical Education & Health. As HKIS is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), religious education is a compulsory element of the curriculum.

Independent Study and Senior Option, where students design their own coursework and present their studies to faculty advisors, are also offered.

Fine arts

HKIS has an extensive fine arts program, offering numerous courses in the Performing and Visual arts. At least one arts credit is required for graduation, with at least one half-credit course in performance/studio arts and, if only the minimum requirement is met, a one half-credit fine arts survey course.

In regard to the school band program, HKIS hosts the annual Southeast Asia Honor Band Program and invites several major schools from the region (i.e. Jakarta, Taipei) to participate. HKIS also provides three honor bands of its own: the Middle School band, the Junior Varsity band and a Varsity honor band. In 2005, the High School Wind Ensemble earned first place at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. The entire Middle School band performs twice annually: once publicly, often in Stanley or City Hall, and once privately, usually in the Middle School Gymnasium. Other instrumental programs include the strings program, which also performs twice a year. In 2006, they placed a respectable 3rd in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, in addition to performing in Indiana, USA. HKIS also is home to various choirs. Most notably, the High School Madrigals choir has received awards in various competitions.

The High School visual arts program is well-regarded. In the program's strong emphasis on socially conscientious art, students from the High School art program were invited in 2005 to participate in The Art Miles Mural Project, as well as the 100 People World Portrait Project (100People.org). The film program has also expanded in the past several years, now boasting the Tai Tam Virtual Film Festival, judged by industry professionals as well as media instructors throughout Hong Kong and the Asia region.

Aside from conventional art forms such as painting and sculpting, the Middle School also offers classes in lifeskills, such as cooking, web publishing, and movie editing. Whether it be acting, stage building or costume design, students in both High School and Middle School are also able to participate in the quarterly school plays and yearly musicals. Students may also take courses in drama and speech.

Also some students are very talented in our school, and has performed in various musicals, such as Oliver! Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, Annie! and King and I. Some of these great students include, Jayne Ng, Tiffiny Sun, Hiu Hiu Sau, Nicholas Cheong, Delaney Hughes, Georgia, and some others. HKIS is very glad to have them.

tudent life

Students are involved in many extracurricular activities, the diverse offerings including student government, various publications, social activism, and the performing arts program.

Clubs

Club involvement is considered an "integral aspect of the educational experience" at Hong Kong International School. [ [http://dragonnet.hkis.edu.hk/hs/dragonnews/clubs/info.html HKIS School Clubs ] ] As of the 2007-2008 school year, HKIS has a total of 70 registered clubs, with an especially strong focus in community service. Students in the High School are able to form their own official clubs with the approval of the faculty and student government. Prominent clubs include:

tudent publications

Junto Magazine, Hong Kong International School's student-run newsmagazine, is published regularly throughout the academic year.

Orientale is Hong Kong International School's yearbook. Graduates receive half a page to customize, with their own personal quote, portrait, description, and collage.

Ambrosia Magazine, currently in its 23rd volume, is an annually-published arts and literary magazine featuring poetry, prose, and artwork by members of the HKIS community. Every year, the publication names a Poet Laureate to honor the best poetry submission.

Chuan Long Magazine is Hong Kong International School's bilingual publication. Released regularly, the magazine features articles written both in English and Chinese, maintaining a focus on Asian culture.

tudent government

The main body of student government is the Student Senate, which consists of mostly elected student representatives and several faculty advisors. The High School annually elects an Executive Council, comprised of the Presiding Officer, the Senator of Student Life, the Senator of Academics, the Senator of Public Relations, the Senator of Interim and Athletics, the Senator of Discipline, Senate Treasurer, and Senate Secretary. Additionally, each grade elects a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer to act as class representatives.

Athletics

Rugby is the premier sport at HKIS. The school hosts the annual Tai Tam Tens Rugby Tournament, in which rugby teams from across Asia participate. The winning team of the Tai Tam Tens is awarded the Fullterton Cup, named after former HKIS rugby player Jodi Fullerton, who died during a New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Lan Kwai Fong. HKIS Rugby is frequently invited to participate in tournaments hosted IASAS schools such as Singapore American School and International School Kuala Lumpur; which HKIS generally wins.

HKIS fields sports 31 teams at the High School level (both Varsity and Junior Varsity) and 12 teams at the Middle School level. HKIS has historically participated in the Hong Kong School Sports Federation, but several of HKIS' teams have opted to drop out of the league.

The main sports offered at HKIS include rugby. soccer, basketball, tennis, field hockey, badminton, swimming, volleyball, table tennis, golf, track, and baseball. The HKIS C-Grade basketball team recently won the HKSSF Division 3 championship, 21-0, and the C-Grade Boys soccer won the ISSFHK Championship and the HKSSF Division 2 Championship.

Recent developments

During the 2006-2007 academic year, HKIS celebrated its 40th year anniversary. One of the biggest events included the 40th Anniversary Reunion held in Hong Kong during the long weekend of June 15-19, 2007.

Additionally, the Middle School and High School were renovated to add an additional floor for the 2007-2008 school year. This is to meet the growing demand of the science, music and art departments as well as the growing number of students. The project cost over $66 million HKD. HKIS also plans to build six new floors for classrooms and further expansion. The project completion date is unknown. HKIS middle school raised a total of near 270,000 dollars HKD for the Sichuan and Myanmar disasters.

Notable alumni/attendees

*David Begbie '94, founder of Crossroads International
*Edison Chen , famous for his Chinese salami-gate scandal
*Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest
*Eliza Orlins, From Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia
*Juno Mak
*Kevin Cheng, actor
*Mark Shostrom, Emmy-winning makeup artist
*Nicholas Tse
*Taku Hirano percussionist for Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks
*Ivan Chau
*Joe Alexander, 8th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

References

External links

* [http://www.hkis.edu.hk/ Hong Kong International School]
* [http://dragonnet.hkis.edu.hk/ Hong Kong International School DragonNet]