THE HARROVIAN
Student Newspaper
Issue 12
Farewell Interview with the Head Master
Leadership for a better world
by Emma Carter (Y13, Wu) and Michael Reid (Y13, Peel)
It is almost five years since the founding Head Master, Mr Mel Mrowiec, oversaw the opening of Harrow International School Hong Kong in 2012 with 750 students. The School has now grown to over 1175 students. The Harrovian Hong Kong asked Mr Mrowiec for his insights about the School and to reflect on his experiences during this exciting and formative period before he steps down from his post at the end of the Summer Term.
What are some of your happiest memories from your time here? The big events such as Speech Day, inter-House singing and drama, concerts, and Long Ducker, all of which have led to a feel good factor in the community, have certainly been highlights. But most of the happy memories are to do with people. When I wander around the School everyday, I never quite know what I am going to see, who I am going to talk to, what comments I might receive, but I have really enjoyed seeing what is going on around the School. Are there any lessons that you have learned in your time as Head Master here? If a school is anything, it is a place of learning, and so every single day I reflect on what I do; decisions that I make, interactions I have with people, what I say in public. Like many people here, I suppose I have perfectionist tendencies and each day I always consider what I might have done a bit better. I learnt from my experiences as a House Master and as Deputy Head Master at Harrow to expect the unexpected, but that has been taken to another level here - there have been an extraordinary range of issues to deal with! I would be surprised if any of my core beliefs have changed significantly, because I don’t think you can come into a job like this and not be clear about what you think is important. I suspect you will not be surprised, however, to hear me stress the importance of respectful relationships in the School community. If you have an environment in which people feel happy, secure and
June 2017
valued, high levels of achievement will come and we have certainly seen plenty of that. The most important thing I do, therefore, is to appoint the teachers. If you have really high quality teachers, who are dedicated to their role, everything tends to fall into place. Education can sometimes appear to be very complicated, but one thing that has never changed is the lifelong impact that an inspirational teacher can have on a student. I remember sitting in a Russian language lesson in what today is called Year 7 and my teacher, Mr Smith (teaching Russian?!) was absolutely brilliant. I can even remember the layout of the classroom and where I used to sit, but most importantly I remember thinking how much he was really enjoying what he was doing - and so was I! I never seriously considered doing anything other than teaching as a career. Once you have appointed teachers, you have to nurture them, support them and sometimes challenge them, but we have an amazing collection of teachers here and that is the most important reason why the School is where it is five years on. It has been challenging at times, and I think a less resilient and less talented group of teachers would have found it very difficult. What was the most challenging aspect of setting up the school back in 2012? To be quite honest, it is actually a bit of a blur. Until the very last moment before we flew out here, I was doing the transition to my replacement as Deputy Head Master at Harrow. My wife and I got on the plane - and came into a building site! US302 will live in my memory forever, because it was the only habitable room in the School. It had a portable air conditioner and a Wi-Fi hotspot, and was the only place I could do any work; it was extraordinary. My wife and I actually had to live in the Gold Coast Hotel for two months until our apartment was ready and the novelty of that wore off pretty quickly. I certainly got used to the walk down the hill each day late at night, covered in mosquito repellent, and got to know every part of that pavement. It was an incredible challenge getting the building ready for 750 students to arrive and also 80 teachers to come and live here in about three weeks. At the start, I was nothing more than the building inspector, because I felt I had to go around trying to do everything to ensure the building would be completed on time. To this day, I am still amazed at how many parents decided to send their children here and yet had never seen the School. We had to do tours for about two months after the School opened for our current parents before we even started thinking about tours for prospective parents. Another challenge was rats! I remember giving my first ever speech to the parents of boarders the night before the Autumn Term began. At one points, I thought they were laughing at one of my jokes, but the real reason was there was a rat running behind me! Another challenge for the PE department was starting the extra-curricular programme without an astro or a swimming pool. And on the second night, the City Motors’
drivers decided to go on strike! I think we had something like 180 Upper School day students waiting for the buses to arrive and it steadily became obvious they were not going to. Eventually, we took the decision to take them up to the dining hall to feed them and to contact their parents to come and pick them up. That was when I finally realised there were some big logistical issues that would challenge us. What will you miss most about the school and Hong Kong as a country? I think at any school, it is the people. We have a tremendous community here and I love interacting with students of all ages, teachers, parents and our administrative staff. Whenever you leave anywhere, you will miss the people you have got to know well while at the same time being excited about what you are going to do next. As for Hong Kong, it is a safe and a respectful place, with few of the concerns about personal safety that exist in parts of the UK. I know some of the administrative staff will disagree with me, but I also think the winters are non-existent. In December and January, I think, “Great, it’s 20 degrees outside! It’s lovely!” while many people who have always lived in Hong Kong are wearing coats! So when it gets to the middle of winter in the UK and it gets dark by about three o’clock on a cloudy day, I will be thinking fondly of Hong Kong. What is your favourite area of the school building? If I ever need a bit of cheering up, I do tend to gravitate towards an area which was completely out of my previous professional experience before I came here: the Early Years Centre. My favourite time of the day is lunch. Every day there is a ‘Marvellous Manners’ award, and one little boy or little girl is given the award on each lunch table each day. How the teachers and TAs come up with different reasons to make this award to different students each day is amazing, but it is so heartening to see three and four year olds learning the importance of manners. Do you have a motto about life in general that you believe others should listen to? A good starting point is the School’s leadership attributes: you will never go never too far wrong if you stick to them and the world would be a much better place if they were role modelled consistently. On a day-to-day basis, and some teachers may groan when they read this, I often talk about ‘the art of the possible’. Starting the School here on such a large scale, it was never going to be possible to do everything at once, so it was important to prioritise and ensure that what we focused on was done really, really well. This has happened in many different parts of the School, as well as with Friends of Harrow. As I said earlier, very good students and teachers tend to have perfectionist tendencies. The important thing, however, is to learn to manage that perfectionism and make it a positive force by aiming high, but focusing on sensible, clear and achievable targets. Who is someone that inspires you, perhaps a role model all students can look up to? Well, all the Houses at Harrow Hong Kong are named after excellent role models, but the impact of Winston Churchill has been highly significant for me for a long time. Every
November at Harrow, in the presence of members of the Churchill family, there is an event called Churchill Songs. The whole School sings Harrow Songs, including a special extra verse of the School Song, Forty Years On, in celebration of his life and there are reflections about him by a guest speaker. He is, therefore embedded in Harrow life. When you think about his role in stopping the world from being taken over by fascism, it is extraordinary, and for him to have been an Old Harrovian (although not a particularly distinguished one when he was at the School) is very special. On a personal level, sport has always been an important part of my life, and football in particular. In that context, I have to mention Sir Bobby Robson, the former England football manager. I was born and brought up in Ipswich, and he was the Ipswich Town manager in my formative years. What he achieved with a small town team before going on to be the England manager was extraordinary. But it was the manner of his communication that set him apart. Every time I see an old clip of him on TV, it makes me feel fantastic. His passion for the game and his players, as well has his knowledge and love of the game, just ooze out of every pore of his body. There have been many famous and successful football coaches, but for me, he was the greatest. Actually, every time I hear recordings of him speaking now that he is dead, it brings tears to my eyes. He was such a powerful and charismatic communicator. Do you have any advice you wish to give to leaving students? Over and above treasuring the memories of what you have done in the School, I would probably say, do not lose contact with the School in the future. The grammar school I went to, and loved, as a boy does not exist anymore and I think that is really sad. The lifelong association that Old Harrovians have with their old school, promoted by the Harrow Association, is something very special. It is an amazing force for bringing people who have shared similar experiences together, but it is also a tremendous networking group. I have been encouraged by the number of former Harrow Hong Kong students (and we do not have that many yet), who come back to visit the School at the end of every term to catch up with teachers as well as students they knew in younger years. As time goes on, there will be a more formal Harrow Hong Kong Alumni structure and I would encourage all Leavers to take an active role in it. The years that students will have spent at Harrow Hong Kong are very important ones, and many students will have developed strong friendships, which I hope will be life-long. What has been your greatest or proudest achievement in your time at Harrow Hong Kong? Our greatest achievement is the community that everyone has played a part in building, has committed to and been involved in. It has been a very powerful one. I don’t think we should forget, however, that there is still a lot to do, but I think the early development of our community has provided a good foundation for what will become an outstanding school. What do you wish your legacy at Harrow Hong Kong to be? The aim of the School is to embed elements of philosophy, tradition and practice from Harrow School with its rich
heritage and history, and bring it into the internationally diverse community of Hong Kong in the 21st century. I think it is extraordinary to think back to the legacy of John Lyon since his death in 1572, which in the last five years has been extended to a completely different part of the world with boys and girls from ages 3 through to 18. I hope that so far we have done this in a balanced and sophisticated way, and blended the right level of ‘Harrowness’ with respect for the culture and needs of people living in this particular part of the world. I would like to think it has been a pretty good start on what will continue to be an exciting journey.
‘School: An institution for educating children.’ by Sophie Haik (Y11, Gellhorn)
The Oxford dictionary’s definition of a ‘school’ is by all means correct, but is lacking. It paints a mundane picture of ‘an institution’, a factory which receives young minds then moulds and refines their way of thinking until they have produced an end product. However, the definition of a school is much more complex than that. The dictionary definition fails to recognise the individuality that each school expresses through symbolic rituals which serve as distinguishing features throughout the school community. It is these traditions which establish a school’s identity and illustrate what the school values. Today, most schools view traditions as a way of by Katrina Tse (Y10, Keller) retaining their unique DNA. They vary from country to country and school to school, but all carry a significance that is recognized throughout the school community. Every year, about 1.8 billion children start a new school year, and different countries have an array of traditions to celebrate the special occasion. In Germany, students are gifted with schultutes - coned shaped containers filled with sugary snacks or stationary, items that will be used throughout the coming school year. Meanwhile, halfway across the globe in Japan, children take part in a similar ritual where they receive randoseru: backpacks which will last them through their primary school years. Other countries commemorate this Following last year’s successful Revolver concert, Harrow special day in a completely different fashion, using objects to Hong Kong has once again successfully taken another Beatles’ symbolise future success. In nations throughout central Asia, album to the stage to celebrate its 50th anniversary. This year, each pupil brings a single flower for their new teacher. While a mixture of different Upper School bands and ensembles combining all flowers, the teacher forms a beautiful bouquet, performed the 14 songs from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts symbolic of growth and fresh hopes for the coming year. In addition to taking part in school traditions native Club Band in its entirety. to their own specific country, most schools around the world Younger students took on a more significant role in this concert as many older musicians were on study leave. celebrate their own traditions. The students participate in This also allowed groups such as the Rock Jam ECA to a range of different symbolic rituals throughout the year, feature as part of the concert, allowing the audience to witness celebrating their values and commemorating their rich many new faces on stage. This event also had elements of history. Institutions all over the United Kingdom are famous drama integrated into it, as some Year 9 students performed a for not only their academic excellence but also their school short play integrated between the pieces of music. Particular customs. One of the most well known public school traditions mention must go to Michael Reid (Y13, Peel) for writing began in 1766 at Eton College, known as the ‘Wall Game’. the humourous script about the Beatles’ battle for leadership With a set of endlessly complex rules and a competition and the ultimate resolution where they manage to solve their which draws parallels to rugby, the Wall Game is unique to Eton, and therefore has become an annual tradition for the problems creatively and collaboratively! A particularly interesting track of the night was When last 200 years. Another fascinating tradition that students at I’m Sixty Four, performed by the Jazz Band. Instead of having Westminster School celebrate on Shrove Tuesday is ‘The someone sing the vocal part, it was arranged to be played on Greaze’. It involves the cook tossing a pancake over a high the saxophone, bringing a slightly different feel to the song. It bar, and the pupils then fighting over the biggest possible was also impressive to see the Upper School Orchestra come piece of the pancake for one minute. This unique custom together to play music which generally would not be written first began in 1753, but is so widely recognised throughout for such a setting, unleashing a renewed sense of freshness Britain that often distinguished royal guests take part in the to it whilst keeping the overall authenticity of the original festivities. sound. Hearing the string section on tracks such as Within You Here at Harrow Hong Kong, we tip our boaters to a Without You and A Day in the Life was spine tinglingly good. number of traditions that originated from Harrow School, as The night was a celebration of music, drama and well as creating a number of our own customs. Music is an also art. With a little help from some of his friends (Prep integral part of life at all Harrow family schools, demonstrated ECA students), Mr Stratton curated the visual display that by our wide range of music related ECAs and our enthusiasm added an extra dimension to the performances and it was for singing, since the first Harrow song was written over 150 certainly enjoyed by the audience. Thanks must be given to years ago. Ergo, we have adopted this love for music and all the teachers and students for working so hard to put this made it our own, with songs like New Harrow and A Thousand thoroughly entertaining concert together. Voices, both containing lyrics about distinctive features of
Celebrating Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at 50
Harrow Hong Kong. Another school tradition which students from all Harrow family schools take part in is Long Ducker, a ten mile run (or walk in my case) to raise funds for our six nominated charities. Here at Harrow Hong Kong, we go a step further - organising a fair to celebrate the diversity of our school community. Speech Day is another important tradition that we have adopted from Harrow School, consisting of student performances, prize-giving, the Head Master’s speech and Bill. Speech Day is an important opportunity for all students to look back on the school year and reflect on our achievements both individually and as a school. At Harrow Hong Kong, we use the final day to celebrate our school community and its values, as well as recognising the role each of us play to make Harrow Hong Kong the thriving institution that it is. Ceremonies like Speech Day embody what a school tradition serves to do. It involves the whole community coming together and celebrating the most important part of the School: the people. One might argue that school traditions are, in fact, unnecessary and even frivolous, but they serve a function more important than providing light-hearted fun. With a school community as diverse as ours, the social glue of these traditions is important for fostering community, and promoting inclusiveness, as well as celebrating our school pride.
Netball Champions by Catrina Kean (Y8, Fry)
Netball has been a huge part of our school since day one and now, Harrow Hong Kong has the pleasure of announcing that the U14 Girl’s Division 2 netball team came first in the ISSFHK Netball Tournament 2017. The final of the competition took place on Wednesday 7th June and the opposing team was from Canadian International School Hong Kong. It was a fatiguing and fast paced match in which goals were scored for both teams. However, the Canadian International School’s team was no match for Harrow Hong Kong as the netball practically flew down the court to our shooters, Ava Grylewicz (Y8, Fry) and Daisy Ledger (Y8, Nightingale), who scored goals with ease, allowed Harrow Hong Kong to win the match with a tremendous score of 25–5. The atmosphere during the final match was incredible. Parents, teachers and students alike were cheering the team on and shouts filled the air whenever our shooters scored. Nonetheless, there were tense parts of the match where the ball got too close to the opposition’s goal but our players in defence were always poised and ready to intercept passes and
stop the opponent from scoring. It was a brilliant moment when we realized that we had won the tournament and we wish the best of luck to all of Harrow Hong Kong’s sporting teams next term!
England Football Tour
by Barnaby Bilney (Y9, Sun) and Scott Murray (Y9, Sun)
Over the Easter break, 28 students seized the opportunity to go on tour with Harrow Hong Kong to Manchester and take part in amazing activities ranging from playing against local schools to watching the England team play at Wembley stadium. It was a very intense match with some of my favourite English national players on show. If that was not enough, we went on to watch Burnley take on Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor. The highlight of my trip was the numerous stadium tours that we were fortunate enough to experience. The Manchester City stadium tour stood out for me as the most interesting and exciting as the tour guide explained in depth the rise of the club from the Championship in 2002 to being crowned 2013/14 Premier League champions. We also had the opportunity to visit Old Trafford, one of the most well known stadiums in the world, which Director of Sport, Mr Thomson, thoroughly enjoyed as he is a Manchester United supporter. As if all the sport on offer was not enough to keep us busy and interested, we also had to take turns, one by one, to sing a song in front of our fellow students and teachers which was good fun and improved our self confidence throughout the tour greatly. A few days into the tour, we were soon able to test all the skills that we had learnt in a game situation. We played two local teams, drawing one and losing one. Outside of the football, we had great fun when the whole group went go-karting which was a great experience and I would definitely do it again, especially as we beat the teachers! I am certain that all the students would agree that one of the highlights was training at Manchester City’s training ground and seeing some of the professional players in action. We learnt many new skills and techniques thanks to the amazing Manchester City coaches. On behalf of the students, we would like to thank Mr Hancock, Mr Moss, Mr Thomson, Mr Hamon, Mr Zoeller and Mr Furniss for taking us on this fantastic trip which was definitely an unforgettable experience.
Compassionate Leadership Talk by Tom Lewis-Evans (Y10, Sun)
On Wednesday 24th June, the Upper School was delighted to receive a talk from two very passionate and dedicated speakers, Tom Franz and Roy Njuabe, the CEO and RAS
Ministry Lead Pastor respectively, from the organisation Vine Community Services Limited (VCSL), an organisation founded with the principal aim to help refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong in dire need. VCSL provides aid to small minorities within Hong Kong - refugees and victims of human trafficking. The people that they assist are often fleeing issues such as war, tribal violence, economic hardship, political and religious persecution. He imparted to the students that VCSL serves 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers throughout Hong Kong from places such as Africa or South East Asia. You may ask, why choose Hong Kong? Mr Franz explained why these victims of hardship have chosen to flee to Hong Kong. In the findings that VCSL procured, they discovered that Hong Kong was not the final destination for many of these people. Other reasons were that they did not require a visa to enter Hong Kong, that there was a strong history of human rights and it was safe and stable in terms of its economy and crime rate. The simplest of these reasons was that Hong Kong was just far away from the places where people were facing persecution or harm. Mr Roy Njuabe portrayed the stories of those who had fallen prey to issues such as war or persecution with stories ranging from those of a young Indian boy all alone in Hong Kong who came by their office one day after sleeping on the streets in Hong Kong for many months alone without assistance and how through VCSL’s efforts, he received the aid. There was then a story of an Egyptian family who couldn’t find a home as they only had 6000HKD a month between them and they were forced to sleep on the street too. VCSL assisted them to find an affordable place to live. Ms Yang also talked about her experiences with refugees and asylum speakers, organising free lessons for refugees. People of all places, religions, and nationalities came together and started to build a genuine relationship with each other. Overall, the talk showed us that it was important to support this organisation and that there were small things that we could do in order to aid people in need of support.
India House Building Trip by Mei Law (Y10, Wu)
Building houses in India is one of those things that I knew I would find worthwhile, but did not consider myself brave enough to do. Nevertheless, I signed up, somewhat excited for the challenge that I was to embark on. The trip in July will involve 14 students travelling to Kerala, India, where we will spend two weeks building houses and immersing ourselves in the rich south Indian culture. This summer was therefore spent with the looming and rather ominous question of how we were going to raise the money (around 7,500HKD each). With only a month
before school started, I began to give it some serious thought. I settled on the idea of a beach cleanup when seeing the appalling state of the Gold Coast Marina after a merciless typhoon. I coordinated with Sino Land, which runs Gold Coast to produce posters, buy bin bags and gloves and check that we would not impinge on any laws or regulations. On the day of the cleanup we filled over 30 bin bags of debris on the beach. I was incredibly grateful for the peers that gave up their last day of the summer holidays to participate and we even attracted a few local beachgoers to join us. It was a great way to get together and give back to the community while raising money. Other successful fundraising efforts from the group included distributing and selling Jack Wills bears and bags by Morgan Jack (Y11, Gellhorn), which went down very well in the run up to Christmas, and a sponsored kayak by Milly Phipps (Y10, Wu). As a result of our efforts, we reached the target a couple of months ago, and have since been preparing for the trip. It surprised me how difficult it was to raise the money, but also how good it felt to know that we would not only build the houses, but pay for them as well. During the summer, being confronted with a challenge like this almost scared me off, but now I find myself fulfilled and pleased that we have pulled it off, and I can’t wait for India. How bad could it be?
Plastic Oceans Foundation by Mei Law (Y10, Wu)
On 25th April, Years 6-9 attended a talk from Craig Leeson from the Plastic Ocean Foundation, which opened our eyes to the severity of our plastic crisis. Craig Leeson is a filmmaker who has spent the past seven years directing and writing a film designed to educate the public about plastic pollution. The film itself begins with a sequence of videos capturing the majestic and rather mystical blue whale, contrasted with the shocking impacts of plastic. Craig told us of the plastic reality: the fact that plastic never really breaks down. The best and worst thing about plastic is its durability, so every bit of plastic that has ever existed is still on our planet. Even worse, when plankton and krill mistake the tiny plastic pieces for algae, the toxic chemicals bioaccumulate to the top of the food chain: us, and this has some nasty consequences. Sealife often pays the price, often choking seabirds and turtles. And although we can’t see it at first glance, plastic resides in every inch of the ocean in smaller, invisible pieces. Despite the ugly truth and the seemingly doom and gloom situation, there are solutions. We currently use over 300 million tonnes of plastic every year, half of which are single use. By adjusting simple everyday tasks, we can cut back on our plastic usage. Don’t ask for a straw, avoid heavily wrapped plastic foods in supermarkets and bring your own reusable bag - if we can address the problem as a community, we can begin to solve it.
Kenya Expedition by Will Seade Cabrera (Y10, Peel)
This expedition was an intense but very exciting trip to Kenya. The trip was organised by Mr Murphy and I was one of the
lucky twenty students that went on it. On March 25th, I finally set foot on the African continent. Upon landing in Nairobi, home to 3.5 million people, we headed to our hotel. Later on, we visited the Giraffe Center where we fed the giraffes either by hand or mouth (which they called a kiss). The next day we visited the elephant orphanage, The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organisation that rehabilitates orphaned elephants. Interestingly, the elephants stop to smell you. Scientists say African elephants have the best sense of smell in the animal kingdom. In the afternoon, we continued on to Lake Naivasha, where we enjoyed an amazing boat ride. On our third day, we visited Naivasha Highway Primary School. We had the opportunity to meet the principal of the school and taught the children how to introduce themselves in our different native languages - Chinese, Spanish and French. It was an unforgettable experience sharing a day with local primary students. We then visited the beautiful Hell’s Gate National Park and Hell’s Gate Gorge, where we saw giraffes, buffalos, gazelles and zebras. One of the best things about coming to Africa is having the chance to get a closer look at the wild animals that I’ve always dreamed about. On our fifth day, we visited a private primary school, where we gained a better understanding of the big differences in lifestyle and education between an African school and Harrow Hong Kong. We met the Headmaster, who by coincidence was a good friend of Mr Morris. The school has its own church, which was actually built by the children - amazing, isn’t it? We ended that day visiting an archaeological site where we learnt about stones used by our ancestors and how they made those tools. On the sixth day, in two Jeeps, we headed for Lake Nakuru National Park. Ornithologists often describe Lake Nakuru as “the most fabulous bird spectacle in the world”. It is home to one hundred mammal species including lions, leopards, white rhinos and more than two hundred species of bird. After lunch, we were overrun by baboons. They climbed onto our cars and tried to enter our jeeps. Fortunately, they failed. On the seventh day, we set off for a safari drive in the Maasai Mara, a large game reserve in Narok, along the Tanzanian border. The drive took six hours in total! Fortunately, we had some stops where we had the opportunity to talk with local people and visit and buy amazing souvenirs. We enjoyed another safari in the Maasai Mara; at one point, we even got chased by a herd of Striped Mongooses! We also
visited a Maasai tribe. The people welcomed us very warmly and showed us how they lived, and even invited us into their houses. They showed us some of their traditional dances; one for men and the other one for women. On our last safari tour of the trip, we were lucky enough to see our third leopard, hyenas, a pod of hippos and a beautiful sunset with giraffes in the background. We spent most evenings sitting around a bonfire where we discussed the amazing work of the conservation organisations that help the wild animals survive drought, predators and human pressure as well as supporting primary schools. This trip allowed us to gain an understanding of Kenya’s culture and environment, giving us some amazing and unforgettable memories.
Football News Girls’ Football
by Sophie Haik (Y11, Gellhorn)
On Tuesday 2nd May, our girls’ football team endured the long and arduous journey from School to Tai Tam to compete in the semi-final match against HKIS. After the four-day long weekend and another public holiday to come, the team was feeling well rested and ready to give their all. It had been a very successful first season, with Harrow Hong Kong performing well during the group stage despite a narrow loss to Christian Alliance International School. Finishing second in our group resulted in the team playing the winners of Pool B, Hong Kong International School. From the moment the first whistle blew, Harrow Hong Kong fought aggressively for possession, while displaying sportsmanship and respect for their strong opposition. HKIS were excellent at moving the ball around the pitch, but the Harrow Hong Kong defenders were always first to the ball and regained possession quickly, before redistributing it to the midfielders. Despite a few shots on target from both teams, Harrow Hong Kong opened the scoring with an impressive strike landing in the top of the net. HKIS responded quickly with a goal from a free kick, and by halftime both teams were exhausted but eager to fight for a chance to play in the final. Despite a strong performance and a fantastic display of teamwork, the match finished 3-1 to HKIS. One week later, the girls only had one thing standing between them and the bronze medal: Discovery College. The team gave one hundred percent and our accurate passing,
is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. It is also the first opportunity for students to be able to coach other children. Before we are sent out onto the prized pitch, we attend coaching education sessions. During our classes, we learn the characteristics and tendencies of smaller children, drills to engage the children and different teaching styles. Our coaches can also make up their own drills allowing them to apply their knowledge. The main aim is to have fun and to spread the love for the art of football to everyone that attends the sessions.
Art Exhibition
by Nicole Pullinger (Y11, Gellhorn)
strong tackles and formidable shots landed us in a 2-0 winning position by the end of the first half. With an uplifting team talk at half-time and a positive attitude, our team came into the second half with all guns blazing, firing shots from all over the pitch and leaving the opposition quaking in their football boots. The Harrow Hong Kong Girls’ football team had a very strong finish to their successful first season, with an 8-0 win. A huge thank you to Mr Thompson, Mr Zoeller and Mr Putman for coaching and supporting us throughout our first season. It has been lots of fun. Premier League Players Visit Harrow Hong Kong by Lily Haik (Y8, Fry)
On Friday 26th May, 11 Premier League players came and visited Harrow Hong Kong. Enthusiastic players from Years 6 to 8 had the chance to play alongside and be taught by these former professionals: David James, Emile Heskey, Phil Babb, Mikael Silvestre, Regi Blinker, Colin Hendry, Des Walker, Paul Dickov, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Lee Hendrie and Michael Hughes. It was definitely an unforgettable experience for all of us, meeting these top players and getting some tips and advice from them. Everton Football Coaching Sessions by Lily Haik (Y8, Fry)
Every Friday, a group of young coaches have the opportunity to share their love and knowledge for the wonderful art of football. In our well known shade of blue, we learn and experience the wonder of teaching young children new skills and knowledge of the game. Not only does this group of charismatic children learn new things every week, we, as coaches and current players, learn as much as they do from this experience. It is an opportunity to put leadership into action and build links and relationships between us and other children. The group of children we coach attend local schools in Tuen Muen. The children are from a range of different backgrounds from the United States to China. Their skill level and experience varies but they all share one common interest: love for the game of football. As coaches, we have the opportunity to give back and contribute positively to the community. Everton Football Club is in association with Harrow International School Hong Kong to create a free training programme for children from the ages of six to ten years old. Our hope is to develop the sporting environment here in Tuen Muen and to find the next Romelu Lukaku or Ross Barkley. The Everton Soccer Schools Community Programme
On Wednesday 26th April, the annual IGCSE and A Level Art Exhibition took place, displaying the coursework and final examination pieces of students studying Art at those levels. The pieces were centered around varied and thought-provoking topics, from straightforward themes like ‘street seller’ to more abstract ideas like ‘pulled apart’. It was captivating to see how pupils interpreted the themes in different ways; a good deal of thinking outside the box was involved in our creative processes. The IGCSE final pieces on display were produced in our exams - one took four hours and the other eight hours. Although this seems like a long time, we only produced a fraction of the work to be submitted - most of it was already done when preparing our prep sheets. The exhibition only provided a snapshot of students’ work as there was so much interesting and creative art produced during the course. The exhibition provided an opportunity for us to reflect on our courses - we could take some time to appreciate what others had achieved, as well as ourselves. The exhibition reminded us that we had all worked hard, and that our effort had been worth it.
Primary Battle of the Books by Kate Pullinger (Ox, 5S)
On 4th May 2017, the Primary Battle of the Books took place. The Battle of the Books is a competition where you have to read 20 books and memorise the titles, authors and facts about the books. The books are of different genres and my three favourites were Fuzzy Mud, El Defo and Book Scavenger. When the questioner asked a question, you had to answer with the title and author of the book. A group of Harrow Hong Kong students, ranging from Years 5 to 6, travelled to Shatin Junior School to compete. When the team arrived, we were led to a big room with the participants from
other international schools. As the teams waited for the first round, everyone was filled with mixed emotions. Everyone felt nervous and excited at the same time. Each team consists of six members for all the rounds. Nearly all of the teams lost some points because of pronunciation, conferring with the team once the chosen person spoke or still talking with others when the chosen person was speaking. Sometimes, some teams thought the questions were incredibly hard, while the other teams thought they were ridiculously easy. There was a tie for first place between Shatin Junior School and Hong Kong Academy. After the winners, Hong Kong Academy, were announced, everyone was delighted that the tension and stress had passed. Overall, I thought the Primary Battle of the Books was a fantastic experience for everyone and I am glad that I took this wonderful opportunity to go to compete with the other schools. I look forward to participating again next year.
and we got to try a variety of French delicacies. The trip also required a lot of responsibility as we had some free time and were asked to spend money wisely. There were many shopping opportunities that ranged from well-known brands to French souvenirs and homemade items (such as jam and desserts). We were also introdued to many French and Swiss specialties. Overall, this trip is definitely worth signing up for as it teaches you about different cultures and the importance of languages.
Languages Trip to France and Switzerland By Matilde Mesquita De Milo (Y8, Fry) and Harriet Green (Y8, Fry)
{ The French trip was definitely a trip to remember. It took place during the Easter holidays from the 24th March to 2nd April, led by Madame Morel and Monsieur Simms. The group met on Friday night, the last day of the Spring Term at Hong Kong International Airport and we waved goodbye to our parents, excited about the journey ahead. On the trip, we were introduced to various activities. Some were challenging and some were educational, but they were all fun. The first full day in France was our first day in snow. We visited the oldest glacier in France (Le Mer de Glace) and then we had snow games and afterwards, we were rewarded with free time around the village. We also had a survival day in the snow and learnt about dangers in the wild as well as how to stay safe (for example: build a fire in the snow). An activity that everyone enjoyed was the dog walking. Unfortunately, due to the lack of snow, we weren’t able to dog sled, but thankfully we had an alternative: the dogs were attached around your waist instead of being held. Multiple people ending up sliding down slopes and being dragged across the snow! It was good fun. We visited a cheese farm where we learned how the French make their famous cheeses and we had to speak in French only. Finally, we had five French lessons throughout the trip in which we practised our writing in a book (in French of course). It was really fun to use French in a different way compared to school. The accommodation (les cabrioles) was very cosy
Humans of Harrow Hong Kong
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A photographic census of the Harrow community, one story at a time. Inspired by Humans of New York. by Louisa Cho (Y11, Gellhorn)
“I am half British and half Filipino so take a picture of me jumping between the two flags!” Edited by Nicole Pullinger (Y11, Gellhorn) If you would like to contact the newspaper team, write to us at harrovian@harrowschool.hk