Then and Now
Class of 2003 Reflections + Support for Class of 2020 We reached out to the Class of 2003 (which lived through SARS during its senior year) to see what words of encouragement, advice and wisdom they could share with the Class of 2020. Here’s what alums told our seniors to encourage them through the remainder of the school year, and into their future!
Hang in there all of you! SARS wasn’t a lot of fun, but it was a learning experience that helped me, Hong Kong and the rest of the world get through this COVID-19 crisis. It really sucked to have Interim cancelled and not be able to see your friends for 3-4 weeks, but looking back I can understand why this was necessary. Back in 2003, I felt at the time that people were overreacting, but now that I am a 35-year old dealing with elderly parents/grandparents (i.e. vulnerable populations), I can see we were definitely not overreacting. Measures to close schools, borders, social distancing aren’t a lot of fun, but the alternative seems worse. So please stay safe! It’s frustrating to be confined to home, but think of it this way – this is an opportunity to explore some of your other interests and do some of the other things you’ve wanted but never found the time to. As a senior, you probably don’t have that much work to do (senioritis, unlike Covid-19, is a perennial phenomenon) and just saving on the morning and afternoon bus ride frees up a lot of time for you. There’s a lot of hobbies you can pursue here – try to find a productive one you like and pursue it! I was (and still am) a nerd so I spent my time reading about AP World History and eventually took the AP Exam for it and did well, even though I never took the class. I know others spent the time getting to know their family members better, pursued activities online, learned to code, home workouts, read dense yet interesting novels, etc. The possibilities are endless. But if you’re not going to do any of that, please make sure you get some sleep! When you get older you realize how valuable sleep is, and High Schoolers are perennially deprived of it. I am still friends with many classmates from HKIS 2003 and we still see each other regularly (current crisis excepted). I look back at High School and still have very fond memories. And on occasion when we do talk about SARS, we look at it as a challenge that as a class we overcame together. So will you. Hang in there, we will overcome this. Albert Lui ’03
Hello! Sending warm greetings from my office in Norway! I remember SARS well, my mother has very weak lungs, so we were particularly worried. I remember that during SARS she would wash the milk carton after shopping just to make sure we didn’t bring it into our home. Usually time off school would be great! But AP exams were coming up, and I was worried missing class would make me get a bad result. I am what you call a late bloomer. But one of my favorite memories is sitting by the pool and studying on my own, making flashcards to remember facts. I remember it well, because I kind of liked it. I didn’t know it then, but that experience would give me great confidence when it came to self-study (which there is a lot of in college). I learned to trust in my own abilities to teach myself, to plan and to conquer. Best of luck, and try to think of this is an opportunity for self-development and self-discipline. You may surprise yourself. Jeanneth Nodland ’03
I remember SARS as actually being a really fun out of the ordinary time :) When things in life change unexpectedly, don’t get trapped in a struggle of complaining how it’s so different, but rather completely embrace the chance to do what you normally could not. Grasp this moment to go deep into a passion, create works for your portfolio, prepare gifts and letters for loved ones, things we always wish we had time for. Life is going to continue to change and if you can meet it with an open mind, you will learn how to adapt and have fun no matter what. When you graduate and really live in the outside world, you will realize what a privilege the precious bubble and safety of HKIS is, we are so lucky. Liz Belfer ’03
I remember how hard it was to stay motivated without the day to day of seeing your peers and working inside a classroom. Having everything online (not to mention painfully slow dial-up internet in 2003!) made it very challenging to keep up with the course-load. As seniors getting ready to graduate, this became a problem because we weren’t able to fulfill our credits to graduate and ended up having to do a lot of extra credit! So my advice to all seniors is to make sure you stay on top of your work! Organize small study sessions with your classmates during this time and hold each other accountable for meeting deadlines. Though we should avoid large group gatherings, small groups should be fine if we exercise adequate precautionary measures. If there are concerns, video conferencing would also be effective! Anonymous ’03
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DRAGONTALES SUMMER 2020
