7 March 2024 March 3rd, which has just passed, was the 136th anniversary of Pooi To. Back in the 19th century, when western missionaries came to China to preach the gospel by establishing different churches and schools, the Southern Baptist Convention saw that Chinese women at that time had few opportunities to study and had no way to know Christ. In 1888, they sent Missionary Emma Young to China to establish the "Pooi To Academy" in Wuxianmen, Guangzhou. That year classes started on March 3rd, with five to six female students, and the goal of teaching women basic knowledge and an understanding of Christ. When the number of students increased, the school moved to a new building in Dongshan, Guangzhou, and the school's reputation grew. However, when World War II was in full swing, the principal, along with Pui Ching Middle School jointly established the "Pui-ching Pooi-to United Middle School" in Pingshi and Guilin, insisting on continuing to run the school and continuing the Pooi To legacy. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Ms. Lee Ching-sum, an alumnus of Pooi To, came to Hong Kong to prepare for the establishment of Pooi To. Ms. Helen Huan, another alumnus of Pooi To, came to Hong Kong to serve as the principal and built a school campus on Inverness Road, laying the foundation for Pooi To to take root in Hong Kong. The school affairs were gradually getting on track. In the days of the old school premises, rhododendrons bloomed on the slopes of the campus every March, the delonix regia was bright and eye-catching, and admiring the lotus by the lotus pond were the collective memories of the alumni. After the school premises was rebuilt, the soil on the slope could not be replanted with rhododendrons. The delonix regia was infected by fungi and were blown down by Typhoon Mangkhut. We were fortunate enough to be able to replant the rhododendron beds at the original site of the tree. This year's rhododendrons have now bloomed and the reappearance reminds us that the patience and perseverance of our past teachers and alumni is the key to witnessing true beauty. March 9th this week is Alumni Day. I hope that the alumni will revisit their alma mater, attend the alumni ceremony held by the Alumni Association, tour the beautiful scenery of the campus, visit the school history museum, gather in the student canteen to enjoy the Poon Choi feast, and reminisce about the past. Another key event this week is the joint school exchange program with True Light Girls’ College. Although suspended during the pandemic, it is now up and running and from March 6 to 8, with both schools switching nine Form 3 students so that they can experience a different school culture, curriculum characteristics and learning styles, and have the opportunity to participate in different activities, broadening their horizons and having fun. In addition, we have experienced some more good news over the past two weeks. In the 2023-2024 Kowloon City Outstanding Student Award Ceremony, Angel Choi of S3 won the Kowloon City Outstanding Junior Secondary Student Award, and Bonnie Chan of S5 won the Senior School Student Merit Award. We appreciate their outstanding academic achievements, exemplary behavior, enthusiastic service and excellence in leadership. In Mathematics, Vianna Chow of S5 won the Merit Award in the 41st Hong Kong Mathematics Olympiad. Our students also won 1 gold medal, 4 silver medals, and 6 bronze medals in the 2023 Singapore Mathematics Challenge. Last but not least, we would like to congratulate the Basketball Team for winning the Second Runner-up prize in Grade B of the Inter-school Basketball Competition (Division 1). The hard work, dedication and cooperation of all students are worth learning from.
Best regards, |
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