1 June 2023 Recently, a residential unit was suspected to have not submitted a change of structure application to the Buildings Department before the renovation, and accidentally demolished a structural wall (the main wall) during the renovation, which aroused public concern. The "structural wall" has steel bars hidden inside and concrete on the outside, which has good bearing capacity and can support the entire building. If the "structural wall" is damaged, it will affect the structure of the entire building. In severe cases, the building will tilt or even collapse. Take the "Ma Tau Wai Road Tenement Collapse Incident" in 2010 as an example. At that time, the structure of the entire building was affected due to the accidental destruction of the structural wall during the renovation of the ground floor. The relationship between "structural walls" and buildings can also be applied to individuals, families, schools, organisations, and even countries. Take our school as an example. In 1888, the Southern Baptist Convention went to China to establish Pooi To. The mission was to give women a chance to learn the gospel. Past principals and teachers ran the school with a focus on moral, intellectual, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual development, so that students could receive an education that homed in on a whole-person development, and in the process, built a solid foundation for our school. Our other priorities are our vision "encouraging growth for all", and our school mission: The mission and vision of Pooi To are the structural walls of our ‘building’. The ‘building’ of 135-year-old Pooi To has different units inside, and teachers and students from different generations have moved in and out to build different class-based, subject-based, team-based, and activity-based units, making the ‘building’ very lively. Everyone is united with one heart. Under the premise of resolutely protecting the "structural wall", teachers and students over the years have been given the power to unleash their potential and creativity in the ‘building’, adding plenty of color to it. Everyone lives in the ‘building’, builds relationships, encourages each other, takes responsibility, and creates a group where teachers and students grow together. Everyone in the unit cherishes this ‘building’ that has survived for 135 years, and counting. Everyone knows what to do, inherits and innovates without affecting the structure of the ‘building’. We only want to add more beautiful scenery so that it can keep pace with the times and welcome more and more excitement and enjoyment. "Structural walls" are very important to schools, but they are equally important to individuals, families, organisations, and even countries. Personal moral baseline, family rules, constitution and law, national security, etc. are the same as the "structural walls" but for different buildings. A “structural wall" must not be demolished; otherwise the consequences will be serious. Let us start with the individual first, resolutely protect the "structural wall" of the individual, try to learn wherever and whenever we can, be sincere, and do our part as a student to prepare to serve society in the future.
Best regards, |
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“ ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” |