2017 Term 1
C SPC
Back to School Issue
LIBRARY
Monthly Special Summer Reading
Monthly Updates
Content Page Monthly Updates
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What did the Librarians read?
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Symbolism Exhibition
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Message from the librarians Dear schoolmates, Welcome back to school after a long summer holiday! During the summer, some of our librarians have read some very good books, and they would like to share them with you. In the meantime, we are hosting the Symbolism Artwork exhibition by the F4 IB students, so be sure to find out more in this issue! We wish you happy reading! Duncan Yuen, Head Librarian
Quote of the Month
"Books are a uniquely portable magic."
Stephen King
Monthly Top Patron List 1
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Ng Cheuk Hei 2C09
Wong Yik Ching Ivy 2D29
Choi Chun Yin Maxwell 5H02
Yu Chun Kiu Isaac 2C17 Tsang Jocelyn 2E25 YIU ALLY HOK TSUN 1B34 Choy Candace Odell 2A24 ISSA DANIELLA 1B25 Liu Sum Yi 4G17 Wong Yeuk Lam 3B29
Recommendation of the Month
Title: The Land of Stories : the enchantress returns Author: Chris Colfer Call Number: JR 428.6 COL
*New Arrivals* Call Number
Title
133.335 LUN 373.5125 SPC
Sacred number : the secret qualities of quantities St. Paul's Co-educational College Centenary : 建校 百周年 Mark of the Plague Stellar evolution, nuclear astrophysics, and nucleogenesis More molecules of murder 通識中國哲學 地磁的利⽤ 急診室的福爾摩斯 教育不⽌⼀條路 ⾹港攝⼆圈
428.6 SAN 523.8 CAM 615.9001543 EMS 120.9 4692 338.95 5022 419.07 8211 525.34 3211 952.1 3011
What did you read during  the summer holidays? by Librarians A Special Column of this Issue During the summer, I read a novel by Garth Stein called The Art of Racing in the Rain. This story is told from the perspective of a dog named Enzo. Unlike other dogs, Enzo has educated himself by observing the humans around him and watching television. He hopes to be reincarnated as a man after his death. After experiencing a chain of unfortunate events in his owner’s family, he finally discovers what it means to be human and is ready to become a human in his next life. This novel is a deeply moving yet humorous read. I would recommend it to schoolmates in higher forms who can relate to the themes of this book.
5B
Chan Cheuk Hei Grace
External beauty never lasts. No matter how hard you try to preserve your good looks, you are bound to become old. When you focus too much on the outside, you are exposed to vanity, which is insidious in the long run. The Picture of Dorian by Oscar Wilde has meticulously demonstrated this.
3A
Zhang Aiwei Ivy
During the summer holiday, I read a book titled 'How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog' by Chad Orzel, and it is exactly as fascinating as it sounds: it features Orzel, a physicist himself and his physics-loving talking dog. Through the use of squirrels and bunnies, the author manages to put the abstract concept of quantum physics into fun and simple terms, and I recommend this book to anyone who are interested in quantum physics.
5D
Yuen Yu Ching Duncan
During the summer, I read The Rose Society by Marie Lu. This book tells the story of Adelina, who gains power from fear and hates the inquisition with every fibre of her being. Many morals can be learnt from this story, the most prominent being how power can twist one’s mind into alienating those whom they love most. Definitely worth a read if you’re into medieval, fantasy, and adventure stories.
4E
Lai Tin Long Kenaz
During the summer vacation, I read Geekerella by Ashley Poston, which is a retelling story of the classic fairytale Cinderella. It’s cute and geeky at the same time and I love it so much! The author added a modern touch to it – the protagonist, Elle, is a fangirl who writes a blog about her favorite show, Starfield. She has two terrible step sisters who are famous beauty vloggers. Also, she works in a vegan food truck called “The Magic Pumpkin”. Elle is super nerdy and I could really relate to her. I really enjoyed reading her story.
3B
Yeung Lok Yung Chloe
d e nd i m n e p O
F.4 IB Students
SYMBOLISM Exhibition
Cre ati vit y
Think out of the Box ~ IB
Pandora's box Student Artists: Wilson Cheung, Viviana Lam, Carmen Yau, Leonie Chui, Brigid Wong "This artwork was inspired by the Greek myth Pandora’s box, which warns people that a small action can have severely detrimental negative consequences. We found this story well suits our theme of anti-bullying. In our piece, we used strings, cardboard and a shoe box. We colored them with poster color. We have used different body parts in order to symbolise different types of bullying, namely cyber, physical and verbal bullying, whether direct or indirect. They are also used to symbolize how the victims react to the bullies. Serpents, blue and red lines are drawn on the inner black surface to symbolize the damaged mind of the victims. Despite the harsh conditions, flowers are placed at the centre, which symbolizes hope."
ed c n a l a B
Janus
Div ers ity
Student Artists: Hilary, Alicia, Janette, Jamie, Christian This artwork was inspired by the constant restraints and stereotypes society puts on us, specifically our gender. In our piece, we used paint, printings, pastels to draw out the two figures. We have used the two humans juxtaposing their outward appearance with their mind’s vibrancy. By giving a glimpse into their personal life with little snippets of items, we hope to bring forward the message that everyone is different, emphasising individuality. Certain images (the ballerina shoes, rocket etc.) symbolize personality traits, showing how each person has their own special flair. We wish to portray how one shouldn't judge “a book by its cover” and that the everyone is unique. The name “Janus”, which refers to the god with two faces, is similar to how humans have different sides to them.
n o i t a n gi a Im
The escape to dilemma
Student Artists: Brian, Yam Yi, Andrea, Christine, Shani
Dev elo pm ent
This artwork was inspired by the tendency for students to procrastinate, and the danger of falling into a downward spiral of avoidance. In response to this phenomenon, we have created a piece that can represent a bit of everyone. We all have work that we consider boring, and have ways to escape it, but what happens when we take this to the extreme? In our artwork, we used watercolour and pen to create a painting of an escaped cow. The farm life, implied by the ear tag, symbolizes the repetitive, boring, vapid daily work, which the cow escapes from, only to find itself trapped in a menacing situation, signifying e.g. addiction. The cow appears content, because it has fallen into its own trap voluntarily. The mountainous relief, the overgrown trees, and thorns, the weeds and the flies indicate a dangerous environment.
d a o r B
On the verge
Student Artists: Rachel, Lucinda, Carina, Ian, Michael
Com mu nit ymin ded
This artwork was inspired by the numerous tragic student suicides that have occurred over the past few years. We aim to urge teachers, peers, parents and the society to stop imposing pressure and stress on student and to raise awareness towards this issue.Â
In our piece, we used 2 boxes, a mannequin and ropes to present the scenario of a student who is about to commit suicide. We have used a mannequin to symbolise the manipulated nature of students, the contrast between black and white to symbolise life and death as well as hope and despair, and ropes to symbolise both support and pressure.
n o i t c e l f e R
Crit i cal T To be taken at Face Value hinki ng
Student Artists: Jeff, Justin, Elena, Sammi
This artwork was inspired by the fragility of our self perception. There are always too many expectations we have to meet, too many people we have to please, and too many things we have to “hustle” to finish. Swamped by the daily proceedings, we may neglect the most important thing to us --ourselves. In our piece, we used a box and several pieces of cardboard paper. We have used layers of removable cardboard paper In order to symbolise the labels and adjectives others use on us, though easily removed and unreflecting of one’s true self, we choose to let them cover and define ourselves, as shown by the mirror at the very back of the box.
Skills
Life is beautiful (La vie est belle)
Student Artists: Sarah, Veronica, Colson, Frank, Andy
Insp irat ion
This artwork was inspired by our world today. On the outside, it is beautiful. Society is flourishing and we are enjoying one of the greatest times of peace in humanity. However, take a closer look and you’ll see the hideous truth of the world in which we live. Murderers, backstabbers, extremists… Maybe, after all, we all live under a mask we put on ourselves. In our piece, we used a shoebox, some paint, some cut-out horror movie pictures and time and effort. We have used the horror movie pictures to symbolise the ugliness of modern society and the colourful, lively paint on the outside of the shoebox to symbolise the superficial beauty of the world.
s l l i Sk
Carpe Diem
Chan ge
Student Artists: Kyle Hui, Tobias Lai, Callie Lau, Jennifer Keung, Rachel Tsui This artwork was inspired by the restraints shackled onto us by society and the pressure upon us throughout our lives. We hope that in exhibiting our artwork, we can raise awareness on the pressures that we face, and to encourage students and teachers alike to make the most out of our lives. In our piece, we have assembled an hourglass by combining two plastic chalices, and have inserted a standing figure,as well as adding blue sand into the top of the hourglass. The sand starts by trickling down into the hole slowly, piling up next to the ankles of the figure, which represents a newborn baby, with its worries at a minimum. Shortly thereafter, the sand starts reaching the waist of the figure, which symbolises the stage of adolescence one faces, with growing academic, parental and peer pressure, which has became a major issue. At the end of the road, the figure has been suffocating for some time, trapped by society’s norms and regulations. The bars surrounding the funnel, which completes the aesthetic of a cage, symbolises people being imprisoned by society, inhibiting one’s freedom and development. The bars are accompanied with strings of bright colors representing the future he wanted to achieve, but he is forever stuck in the cage, never able to fulfill his dreams. By adopting a color scheme of blue with our sand, we have molded an atmosphere of sadness, and a situation where one is too engaged in planning for the future that they have forgotten to live in the moment.There is, however, an optimistic message in this, that we have only one shot in life before our end, and we should make the most out of it.
n o i t a v Inno
Blinded
Soc iet y
Student Artists: Jade Tsang, Samantha Lo, Merci Chan, Timothy Wong, Thomas This artwork was inspired by the recent suicidal actions of the numerous Hong Kong students, which were mainly caused by the frauded education system in Hong Kong. Despite these agonizing incidents, the Hong Kong Education Bureau still did nothing prevent these incidents from happening.Â
In our piece, we used clay, wooden sticks, styrofoam and glue. We have used buns with 7s and stars on them to symbolize the promised success of DSE and IB, colosseum to symbolize the education environment in Hong Kong, which is trapping students and forcing them to go on the non-returning path. The black figures on the ground symbolize the dead predecessors and the blinded students symbolize they are following others blindly.
s u o e g a r u o C
Breakthrough
Act ion
Student Artists: Bernice Chan, Michelle Chan, Christopher Fok, Christien Wong, Joshua Wong We live in a world where girls wear dresses, boys wear suits, girls dance, and boys play soccer. That has been, and will always be our reality. Or will it? We present to you Breakthrough, a few photographs for a sole purpose - the fearless pursuit of gender equality. They symbolise the concept of equality and challenge traditional gender stereotypes. The first set of photographs depicts people who are wearing identical white clothes and white masks that cover their faces. The second set of photographs is of boys wearing girls’ uniforms, and vice versa. Although the latter concept may seem rather controversial at first sight, the truth that we wish to reflect goes much deeper than the initial shock. Through this artwork, we are aiming to break through the restrictions that have been imposed on our predetermined gender. We define ourselves, not society.
y t i r g e Int
Untitled
Student Artists: Edison Au-Yeung, JJ Liew, Kylie Chong, Dorothea Tang
Em pat hy
The internet is a reassuring haven of memes and music videos. However, the Dark and Deep Webs are places mostly inaccessible to the casual Internet user, who goes about their daily life unaware of another network festering beneath the surface. Our artwork reflects this through the use of symbolism. The colourful interior represents the vibrancy of our lives, the web our entanglement with the Internet. The ants marching blindly towards the web, lured by social media acting as enticements, symbolise us. The spider represents the Dark and Deep Webs, just waiting for some helpless ant to wander in. On the Internet, anything can happen; the most absurd, funny, or bonechilling things can pop up at the click of a button. Nothing is what it seems. Anonymity reigns supreme, and so, in this spirit, we give you Untitled.Â
m s a i s u h t n E
In the Dog House
Student Artists: Caleb, Alpha, Hoi Chun, Kelsey, Alice
Tol era nce
This artwork was inspired by the restrictions that are imposed on us. In our piece, we used cardboard and some paint to build our project. We cut the cardboards into pieces, painted them in patterns of red bricks, and stuck it onto the background. In the artwork, the doghouse symbolizes the restrictions that we bear in daily lives, while the cat inside symbolizes the people suffering under these restrictions, in this case us. Despite the doghouse being such a dark place, the environment, which is the background, is beautiful. This symbolizes that although we are bound by such restrictions, there is still hope.