Date: 2 September 2019

The whole school started the new academic year with prayers and songs of praise at the Opening Ceremony. Our Principal, Ms Constance Cheung, made a moving speech on God’s grace and mercy which has manifested in Pooi To for 131 years. She encouraged us to rely on God’s peace and love when experiencing difficulties through an article from the book entitled ‘The 80th Anniversary of Pooi To’, which showed that the former principal, Mr Wan Yiu-bun, kept faith in God when he led the Pooi To girls from place to place during World War II. She also emphasized that we could join hands with one another to help Hong Kong and the Pooi To Family in the face of difficulties by living out the school motto:

‘Love’: Regarding "love" to resolve the contradictions and anger between people, the Bible says: ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’ (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

‘Integrity: Upholding ‘Integrity’ to solve any problem and conflict with a sincere and truthful heart. We do not make false witness, instead we build communication channels and organize events legally, rationally and reasonably to seek consensus.

‘Purity’: Our clear goal is to work together to resume the norm of Hong Kong under the truth and righteousness of God. ‘The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.’ (Proverbs 28:18) We should approach each situation with fairness and justice, and maintain rational discussion without any bias.

‘Perseverance’: Our determination is to help Hong Kong restore harmony and repair its wounds. Let us remember that ‘The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.’ (Psalm 29:10)

The theme of the year ‘Passion fuels innovation’ encourages us to indulge our passion which kindles determination, creativity, and talent, while the Bible verse taken from Psalm 28:7 ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.’ She reminds us to trust in the LORD with all our heart and be thankful for everything God has blessed us with in our life.

To express our appreciation of diligence of our alumna Yu Yaqiao, who is now studying in the Department of History of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ms Cheung presented her with ‘The Award of Outstanding Result in HKDSE 2019’. She shared how she prepared for the DSE and some study tips, suggesting the importance of having good time management and note-taking skills.