視界
AUTUMN 2009
SHI JIE - TO LOOK OUT INTO THE WORLD THE MAGAZINE OF DISCOVERY COLLEGE AUTUMN 2009
Alumni news
Where are they now?
Creating Spaces The importance of play space for students
Flying High Searching for Discovery College’s first scholarship students
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Full-time scholarships from Discovery College. Years 7-10 Applications now open. The Discovery College Scholarship Programme embodies the College’s commitment to service and the Hong Kong community. Merit-based scholarships are available for students entering or continuing at Discovery College, Years 7 to 10 from August 2010. Students must display outstanding ability in one or more of the four areas below: • music • performing arts (dance or drama) • sports • visual arts To apply or find out more go to www.discovery.edu.hk > scholarships or contact the office on 3969 1000.
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Grow. Discover. Dream.
AUTUMN 2009
Look out into the world
W
elcome to 視 界 (Shi Jie), the first biennial issue of the Discovery College magazine. In English, the magazine name means to look out into the world, across the horizon. The magazine opens up our world and community to you; whether you are a student, parent, staff member or friend of the College. 視 界 is about community. Together we can share the stories about what makes up this special group of hearts and minds. 視 界 is about perspectives. Our diversity is a strength and we can use the array of views and knowledge within our community to deepen our understanding about one another. 視 界 is about achievements. What better channel to showcase the student and staff work, accolades and acknowledgements than in this magazine. Now is the time to tell Hong Kong and the world about who we are and what we are about. You can look forward to receiving this wonderful publication twice a year, firstly in December and again in June. It will have regular articles such as student and staff achievements, alumni profiles, community news and student work on display throughout. Our feature articles in this issue focus on two very important areas of the College, play space for students and our Scholarship Programme, and I hope you read with interest about the progress we have been making. As well as this, I invite you to offer any suggestions or hopes for our community to help make 視 界 even better, and look forward to looking out into the world together.
Charles Wong School Council Chairman
LOOK OUT INTO THE WORLD
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AUTUMN 2009
Contents
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視界 Shi Jie
Contents
Autumn 2009 EDITOR Simone Turner
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Simone Turner Amy Freed
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
CONTENTS | Autumn 2009 Features Creating Spaces
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Flying High
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The importance of play space for students. Searching for Discovery College’s first scholarship students.
Staff profiles Adrian Gan - Staff Profile
Finding the time to be MYP coordinator of Discovery College, IB workshop leader for Asia, internationally published writer and full-time dad to Josh and Toby is all in a day’s work for Adrian Gan.
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Alumni Where are they now?
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News Historic day for Discovery College
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Drama 5s
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Hong Kong History Revealed
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DC Sport First Place for Max Langenkamp
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Community Discovery Amateur Swim Club
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Catch up with Jacques and Sophie Meldrum in Korea.
Students and staff celebrate the launch of the new vision statement. Impromptu theatre at its best. Year 8 History Museum Trip.
ISSFHK Cross Country Champion - U12 Boys.
It’s all about having a good time.
CONTENTS
PHOTOGRAPHY Amy Freed Simone Turner Andy Kai Fong
CIRCULATION & CONTACT
Donna Ellery - Staff Profile
Bringing Digital Literacy to the classroom and beyond.
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Amy Freed Mark Beach Simone Turner Paul Kriesch Stephenie Rowe Claire Connor Tra My Hickin Jackie Wu Kelly Hwang
Development & Communications 38 Siena Ave Discovery Bay HONG KONG
Tel: +852 3969 1000 Fax: +852 2987 8115 Email: office@discovery.edu.hk Website: www.discovery.edu.hk Circulation (1500) 視 界 is printed on Alpine Satin which is PEFC certified, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and manufactured under ISO14001 certification, using 100% virgin fibre from well managed forests.
AUTUMN 2009
DC News
Postcards Friday Night from Camp Flicks
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iscovery College had its first foray into the movie business with its opening night of Friday Night Flicks, 6 November 2009. With two fully licensed movies set to play, Kung Fu Panda opened to an audience of excited primary students and families, while Pirates of the Carribean was saved for the secondary crowd. Gourmet sausages and refreshments were served outside in the courtyard while movie patrons eagerly awaited entrance into the state-of-the-art Performing Arts Theater. The movie screen and sound system gave an authentic quality to the action packed films. Friday Night Flicks is open to all members of the DC community. We look forward to making these nights a mainstay in our College programme giving students, families and other DBers an alternative for a Friday night out.
This year students from Years 3-7 and staff members had a fantastic time participating in our camp programme. Years 8-9 will embark on their programmes in 2010. The camps are designed to encourage team building, confidence, communication and leadership skills. Place Stamp Here
“If there’s one thing I learned at
camp this year, it was in team events, you have to be open-minded and take
everyone’s ideas. If there’s only one
person coming up with ideas, there’s only one perspective, and there’s a disadvantage to the team. “
38 Siena Ave Discovery Bay Lantau Island
Chantel Woo 7MCR Year 7 Hong Kong Hustle
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Place Stamp Here
"If there's one thing I learned at camp this year it was how open all the children were at trying something new like biking, swimming, rock climbing." Pat Romano, Business Manager Year 5 Camp, Cheung Chau
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FRIDAY NIGHT FLICKS
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AUTUMN 2009
Feature
Creating spaces
The importance of play space for students.
by Mark Beach, Principal Over the past year I have had the opportunity to visit a number of international schools not only here in HK but also in other parts of Asia. While these visits have been around a learning and teaching focus, it is inevitable that one also compares the actual facilities, and in every case I am reminded of what an absolutely unique building we have been gifted with at Discovery College. While we can start to take this for granted, we are constantly reminded by almost every visitor who comes to Discovery College of how fortunate we are and how envious they are after they have looked around. Our classroom and specialist facilities are amongst the best 6
CREATING SPACES
in the world and it is certainly hard to deny that this is an iconic building. Schools are of course not just about buildings, however, and so our major focus before and since we opened has been on developing the curriculum and creating a sense of culture amongst our community. As a school we can take heart from our excellent reports on the development of the PYP and the sharing of our MYP practices. By this time next year we should be fully authorised in the PYP and on track for full MYP authorisation. All this is well and good. We have a oneof-a-kind school building, exceptional
teachers, wonderfully motivated students and supportive parents. There is though, one area in which Discovery College is deficient, and this is in the provision of play and sports spaces. We have a great gymnasium and a smaller sports hall. Our swimming pool is 25m long and heated for year-round use, but other than this we lack any decent area for either unstructured play or the coaching/ playing of field sports. The importance of play is well recognised and researched. As parents and teachers we all understand that children need free and unstructured play, and this includes being able to run and kick a ball, work in teams and
AUTUMN 2009
create their own games. This is vital for their physical, emotional and social development.
park, the new pitch will be booked by other users and involve time spent in walking groups of students to and from the venue.
Equally important for the College is our ability to provide a balanced PE programme that includes field sports. While we can use our current gym, it is not suitable for games such as rugby or football. Nor is the L/G floor play area. We can all appreciate that we are not unique in Hong Kong in this regard. We live in a vertical city and many schools here struggle to provide open areas. What does make us unique, however, is that we are surrounded by open spaces, none of which we can use for these purposes, and that we live in a community that is commited to outdoor sports. Rugby and football are alive and well in DB, and children (and parents) support these with a passion. Our one outside area on the L/G floor is only large enough to accommodate our primary students at best, and even then it is crowded and unsuitable for running or kicking a ball. If students try to play basketball they have to compete with hundreds of other students also vying for a bit of space. As the College continues to grow, we will be moving more and more into staggered breaks for students. This means that areas such as the gym and sports hall that we currently use at recess and lunch for students to play will become timetabled for classes and current access will disappear. Worrying as this is, my concerns intensify when I think about what it could be like when we have grown to a College of close to 1,400 students. It is up to us to now try and address this issue as best we can. Already we are exploring several options. Adventure Playground An adventure playground on the L/G floor would provide an exciting and challenging area of play for primary students at break times, as well as provide some fixed apparatus that can be used as part of the PE lessons. The downside to this is that any structure
6/F Roof The most exciting proposal we have at the moment is the possible conversion of the 6/F roof from a planted, seating area into a secure sports pitch. While not large, it would provide a wonderful area for ball sports and team games, including rugby, football and hockey. This would allow us to expand and enhance our PE programme, add new sports codes and increase our range of co-curricular activities. The other advantage is that we would not be reliant on having to compete for community facilities. Outdoor playground (Siena Foreshore visible top left)
“It is up to us to now try and address this issue as best we can.� would further erode the only open area the College currently possesses. Siena Park We have been using the grassed area of Siena Park for elements of our PE programme, in particular some of the track and field events. It provides the only reasonable area of open grassed space close to the College, however, the surface is uneven and dangerous for running or team events. We also have to be always conscious that the park is a community space used by many other people in the community and that access to this is tenuous at best. We have also been eying up the new sports pitch being constructed behind the DB Community Center. While this clearly has advantages over using the
Outdoor Education With access to the water and hills so close, it seems obvious that a focus on outdoor education activities could also provide a point of difference for the College as well as offer a range of other pursuits for students. To enhance our outdoor education opportunities, we have created an outdoor education coordinator role this year amongst the staff. This person not only helps organise camps, but is also looking at how we can best utilize the advantage of our location here in DB and embed elements of outdoor education into the College programme. The recent success of our cross country team, who trained in the hills and streets of Discovery Bay, is one example of how using our local area can pay huge dividends. I will be coming back to you for support over these and other proposals. Already our DC PTA has taken the project of the adventure playground to heart and has been working tirelessly to raise funds for this project. It is, however, just one project amongst several, all of which are essential to give our College the sports and outdoor facilities that will allow our children to successfully compete with the best in HK, and win.
CREATING SPACES
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AUTUMN AUTUMN2009 2009
Scholarship student: Mimi Ho 8
Image courtesy of HK Golfer
Flying
AUTUMN 2009
High Searching for Discovery College’s first scholarship students.
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iscovery College’s merit based scholarship programme is now in full swing. Mimi Ho, Reina Kameyama and Carrie Chow, all Year 9 students, have passed through a rigourous selection process to become our very first recipients. The scholarships types on offer are Athletic (sporting), Academic, Performing Arts (music, drama or dance) and Art (visual arts). Mimi Ho has been awarded an Athletic Scholarship based on her significant achievements in golf. Mimi has a current handicap of three and a two-year goal to become a scratch player.
in grade eight piano at age nine to her recent diploma examination for the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music, and many classical concert competitions, she will be sure to be an exceptional role model to the many aspiring musicians at DC. Her love for singing and penning her own songs adds another dimension to her muscial offerings so look out for Reina in our annual music concerts.
With the LPGA as a serious career option, Mimi tells of her role model and inspiration, Lorena Ochoa, currently ranked number one in the LPGA, “she has a strong mental game, is very calm and bounces back easily. I would like to be like her but know it is very difficult.” Reina Kameyama brings a maturity in musical performance unseen before at Discovery College. Her hard work, sacrifice and determination lends itself to her many accomplishments in her short career. From a distinction awarded
Prospective scholarship students are advised that the application process is detailed and rigorous and incorporates four stages. For more information and application forms go to www.discovery. edu.hk > scholarships.
Carrie Chow rounds off the threesome as our first academic scholarship recipient but is also an equally talented pianist, having just sat her grade eight music exam and passing with flying colours.
“She has a strong mental game, is very calm and bounces back easily.”
Her accolades include being a member of the Hong Kong Junior Golf Squad, participating in many international tournaments including the Callaway Junior World Championship in San Diego, USA last year.
Applications are now open and close Monday 1 March, 2010.
Carrie is a DC student council representative and a youth leader in her church. It is this commitment to service, leadership and Carrie’s contribution to the wider DC community that epitomises the character of a scholarship student.
Carrie Chow
To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must display outstanding academic, sporting, or artistic ability in visual arts, drama, dance or music. Applicants are required to demonstrate a commitment to contribute to the college community and beyond through service and leadership like our three founding recipients. Scholarships are renewable annually. The programme is available for students entering or continuing at the College from August 2010, in Years 7 to 10.
Reina Kameyama
FLYING HIGH
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AUTUMN 2009
staff profile
Adrian
Gan Finding the time to be MYP coordinator of Discovery College, IB workshop presenter for Asia, internationally published writer and full-time dad to Joshua and Toby is all in a day’s work for Adrian Gan.
Adrian Gan with sons Toby Gan (left, aged 2) and Joshua Gan (right, aged 4)
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drian Gan’s academic research, initiated while still living in Australia, has reached the world stage after the recent international publication of his article, “Chinese students’ adjustment to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme – experiences of an Australian high school.”* The research, prompted by annual recruiting tours in China aimed at attracting international students back to Australia, sparked the opportunity for Adrian to explore two of his greatest passions – the International Baccalaureate and working with Mainland Chinese students.
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ADRIAN GAN
“As a language B teacher for the IB Diploma, with mostly foreign students, I wanted to find out what phases an international student went through from the beginning to end of the diploma.”
“...what I enjoyed most was learning in an area that I’m pretty passionate about.”
Navigating through social, cultural and academic dimensions of Australian life was difficult at first for students. Adrian found the first seven months for an international student were a struggle, followed by a distinct, six-month shift towards becoming highly proficient and then ultimately successful with the diploma. “By being able to describe the phases of adjustment we could make our expectations [of the students] explicit and give directions for them to shorten that initial seven month phase.” “Students typically came from a background of rote learning so the
AUTUMN 2009
transition to a programme with an emphasis on critical thinking skills posed some interesting challenges. But once they began to establish cues within the school environment, by talking to their teachers and with improved English language skills, their comfort with the demands of the Diploma increased.”
Donna Ellery Bringing Digital Literacy to the classroom and beyond.
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For Adrian the research was an affirmation of the IB curriculum for those motivated to lead well-balanced lives.
igital Literacy within Discovery College has grown beyond everyday computer use to an area of true integration within the PYP and MYP curriculum areas. Discovery College seeks to integrate this medium within the learning process and Digital Literacy Coordinator, Donna Ellery, is here to support that goal.
“One student told me she had to give up piano due to academic pressures back home – but then here, the IB Diploma requires you to fulfil CAS (Creative, Action, Service). This also helped bring these students into the wider life of the school.”
“Being digitally literate is more than simply being digitally aware,” says Donna. “We aim for our students to, not simply use digital tools, but understand why and how they are relevant to their learning.”
“It was special to have the students open up and talk about their experiences but what I enjoyed most was learning in an area that I’m pretty passionate about.”
Donna’s role is really three fold; working with teachers to model good practice when integrating
“Among these students there was also an amount of debate and discussion about what the diploma was about and demanded, which also helped develop the identification of these cues.”
Adrian continues his great work having been identified as an IB Workshop Leader for the IB Asia-Pacific. For more information on Adrian’s work you can contact him on: adrian.gan@discovery.edu.hk
“Being digitally literate is more than simply being digitally aware.” technology into the curriculum, providing professional development so staff can stay up to date with useful technology tools and making herself available as a resource to teachers who can come to her for help in implementing an idea involving a digital element.
technology to increase student’s ability to access and understand information. Whether it be introducing a “summarise” feature to an EAL student who may have difficulty reading through a large block of on-line text or developing a podcast for enhanced learning in Mandarin, her focus is on integration, not substitution. Ultimately Donna’s goal is to provide model instruction for teachers in the first year, so subsequently teachers feel comfortable leading instruction in the area of digital literacy. Donna can then continue to actively seek, experiment with and use new and emerging technologies to encourage creative and innovative teaching and learning environments.
Working with teachers to identify areas of curriculum with realistic links to a digital component is one of the three key tasks for Donna. Recently the Year 6 classes took a field trip as part of their bio-diversity unit. Students integrated macro photography into their field study and then were able to use the digital images to report on their findings.
*Journal of Research in International Education, December 2009.
Donna also looks at ways to use digital
DONNA ELLERY
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AUTUMN 2009
alumni news
Where are they now?
Where are they now? J
acques (4KC) and Sophie (IKA) Meldrum left Discovery College last year to move to Seoul, Korea. Read on to hear what Jacques and Sophie’s mum, Sue, says about what they’re doing now. 1. Where do you live now?
We live in Seoul, South Korea in a place called ‘Itaewon’ (famous for being home to the U.S Army base).
2. What school are Jacques and Sophie now attending?
Jacques and Sophie attend the Seoul Foreign British School. Jacques is in Year 5 and Sophie is in Year 1.
3. What do they like best about their new home?
Having their Dad at home! (He commuted from Seoul to HK for a year before we moved here).
4. What do they miss most about Discovery College?
Their friends and teachers, living so close to school (here in Seoul, they take the bus to school and it takes about 45 minutes each way
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
in heavy traffic!), the IB programme and the Apple Mac computers! Jacques misses being on Student Council at DC. He was voted House Captain of the Yongsei Tigers at the new school here but he says it is not the same.
5. What kinds of activities do they get to do in the weekends? Sporting activities are very popular here in Seoul on the weekends (particularly soccer which Sophie is doing).
Also, most playdates happen on the weekends because the distances and traffic make it hard to meet up with school friends during the week, plus most of the kids extra-curricular activities are held at school during the week, as this is the only English-speaking tuition programmes they can attend.
Being new to Seoul, we are still trying to explore the city and visit various places on the weekend. The kids enjoy going to the Korean War Museum which is very close to where we live. This weekend they are going to a big Air Show being held in Seoul. We also spend time at the Seoul Club where they can swim and meet up with their school friends.
View from our house
AUTUMN 2009
DC News
Historic day for Discovery College vision banner4.pdf
3/6/09
08:46:09
Students and staff celebrate the launch of the new vision statement by Mr Peter Lasscock, Deputy of College.
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n Tuesday 3 November, Discovery College officially launched the vision that was jointly developed by our student, parent and staff community last year. This process resulted in three simple words - Grow. Discover. Dream. These words allow all of our community, from Year 1 to secondary students, parents and staff to identify and celebrate who we are and what we want to achieve.
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At the launch Jack Kushner from Year 2, Becky Zhang from Year 6, Carla Acepcion from Year 8 and Edwin Stevens from Year 9 described what the vision mean to them. It was inspiring to hear how they powerfully appropriated these words into their own situations and levels. Performers Meena Hwang, Sarah Kushner, Max Carey and Zac Sang embodied the vision through music. We look forward as a College to developing a rich interpretation of these words and the guiding principles that support them.
Grow. Discover. Dream.
Be passionate about being the best we can be. Find wonder in the world around us. Dare to make a difference for yourself, humanity and our planet.
Drama 5s Impromptu theatre at its best
by Mrs Claire Connor, Drama Teacher
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ctober saw Drama 5s, a celebration of the emerging creative talents of Discovery College Secondary students. The concept of Drama 5s is simple – a maximum of five performers, for a maximum of five minutes. Performers chose their groups, chose what to perform, chose when and where to rehearse and then put in a lot of hard work and commitment. Students performed pieces, which had been conceived, devised and choreographed by themselves and some, which had been developed from existing texts.
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ome
to th e Dr ama 5 Stu d e n Seco ts ( 5s ndar 5 Min max 5 pe y Sc hool
rg u Dram tes (max roup) ) a 5s Even ing P erfor m
ance
Date: Time: Wednes d Venu 7.00 - 8. ay 14 Oct 00 e: Dis ober cove pm 2009 ry Col lege Thea tre
The Crew, our fantastic technical team coordinated the evening and were true professionals with their slick stage management. Members of the Publicity Club ran the front of house and were excellent in their introductions for each of the pieces. The Costume Creation Club delighted everyone with a wonderful showcase of their designs in ‘Vogue’. Students really enjoyed both the creative process and presenting their drama, dance and theatre arts to their friends, family and teachers. No doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.
HISTORIC DAY FOR DISCOVERY COLLEGE
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AUTUMN 2009
DC News
Never Neverland meets Discovery College Visit from Wesley College.
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ur students were treated to a musical performance of Peter Pan by students from Wesley College, Melbourne, Australia. These 10 to 13 year old students travel to Hong Kong every two years to perform to schools and learn more about our city. They spend a week away from home performing to eight different schools. The production was much enjoyed by our children as it was full of action and music and bright costumes. The opportunity to make connections with children from other parts of the world is one of the advantages of attending an international school. For some teachers seeing the familiar Wesley uniform brought on feelings of nostalgia for home.
Hong Kong History Revealed
Year 8 History Museum Trip by Tra My Hickin, Jackie Wu and Kelly Hwang
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September 2009. That was the day Discovery College’s Year 8 visited the Hong Kong Museum of History. It was a day that began like so many – not overly spectacular nor was there any sun. Mrs Garnett, Mrs Perche, Miss Mather and Mrs Young supervised us along the way and helped guide us through the museum displays. What we were to discover was a whole new experience of Hong Kong. From the time of the dinosaurs through to village settlement traditions and British and Japanese colonisation, our trip to the museum covered a whole range of information and was definitely worthwhile. Our generous tour guides led us to the different scenes and settings of the museum, explaining in detail the facts and wonders of Hong Kong, while we frantically scribbled down notes and took photos for our English and Humanities travel guide assessment. The tour started in Hong Kong 4 million years ago. We were amazed that this tranquil land of peace and greenery was to become the Hong Kong we now know, ridden with skyscrapers and concrete. Many of us were absorbed and frantically scribbling notes down. Unfortunately, due to time we had to push on to discover many more of the exciting sights and wonderful
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NEVER NEVERLAND MEETS DISCOVERY COLLEGE
exhibits the Hong Kong History Museum had to offer. Walking on through the museum, we were swept away by the magnificent statues of the early inhabitants. It was amazing to see how the early people of Hong Kong lived and understanding how vastly different our lives are today. Further along we met the colorful customs of the four unique ethnic groups of Hong Kong and South China. We Looked around in wonder at the life size replica of the boat dwellers junk boat; the salt fields of the Hoklo people; a house of the Hakka peasant family; models of the festival activities of the Taiping Qingjiao ceremony; the bun mountains; the Cantonese opera theatre; the parades; the lion dance and the Taoist altar, all of which captured the spirit of these people and their ceremonial ways of life. Students snapped eagerly, our cameras bared like weapons as we soaked in the full range of experiences. The reconstructed streets of 19th Century urban Hong Kong were a source of fascination and allowed us to feel that we had travelled back in time. Little imagination was required to understand what it would have felt like to visit a traditional apothecary or drink tea in the Victorian Lounges.
Visiting the reconstructed local classroom from 1900 and boarding the old tram gave us a sense of how much has changed and also how some things have been preserved. We saw how much city life has grown and how Hong Kong’s people have changed along with it. Now standing as a vibrant city that brings many parts of the world together, Hong Kong has much to reflect on in its past and so much to look forward to with its future. Through our trip we gained a greater appreciation of the Hong Kong experience and now see Hong Kong through a new perspective.
AUTUMN 2009
DC News
Bugsy Malone, Bugsy Malone, Bugsy Malone, Bugsy Malone…
by Mrs Stephenie Rowe, Drama Teacher
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ring on the flapper girls and break out the tommy guns. The College musical this year is a secondary school production of Bugsy Malone. This will take place in May 2010. The process to date has included a screening of the film Bugsy Malone and the audition process for the actors. Students will be involved in aspects of production, such as backstage, costume, publicity and musicians. Bugsy Malone Synopsis New York, 1929, a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Dan is in possession of a new and deadly
Discovery College 5 - 7 May 2010 ESF Orchestra Jam
Dis c 5 - over 7M yC ay olleg 20 e 10
weapon, the dreaded ‘splurge gun’. As the custard pies fly, Bugsy Malone, an all-round nice guy, falls for Blousey Brown, a singer at Fat Sam’s speakeasy. His designs on her are disrupted by the seductive songstress Tallulah who wants Bugsy for herself. How is Bugsy to get the girl and help Fat Sam defend his business against the deadly Dan and his dastardly tricks? With an all-child cast placed in a mobster era, armed with custard instead of bullets and belting out some superb songs, this is simply entertainment at its best!
Primary musicians find their groove.
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ive Discovery College students (Becky Zhang, Catherine Shaw, Megan Thomas, Jessica Hopewell and Grace Kai Fong) participated in the ESF Orchestra Jam hosted in the Discovery College performing arts theatre on Friday 30 October. The 150 strong ESF primary orchestra had never met or played together previously but combined to practise their repertoire of the Muppets Show Theme, Danse Macabre, Flintstones and Tourdion. They performed to a select group of Year 3 and 4 DC students and ESF staff. Primary principal Phillipa Beeson said how wonderful it was that the students, who have never met before or seen the music, can come together in two hours and perform so well.
ESF ORCHESTRA JAM
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AUTUMN 2009
DC News
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iscovery College teachers Mr Matt Baron, Mr Paul Kriesch and Ms Edeh Nobari presented a digital learning workshop at the 21st Century Learning Conference at HKIS in September. The Year 5 unit “persuasion” was used as the theme to unlocking the mysteries behind the technology of iMovie and Garage Band to other international school teachers from around Hong Kong. The Mac Attack club members, Ryan Lunn, Chantel Woo, Ken Arima, Nicki Li and Burhan Purvaiz assisted the teachers and more than 50 workshop participants, and acted as educational support for the adults. Burhan Purvaiz, a new student to Discovery College, said the Mac Attack club and conference was a good experience. “We assisted the teachers who were in the workshop. It was fun to help them out with all the different software.”
ESF CPD Day D
iscovery College is fast becoming a preferred choice for hosting ESF events throughout the year. Over 500 teachers attended the Curriculum Professional Development Day from all the ESF primary schools as well as Renaissance College. This day is one of 5 CPD days scheduled each year and gives teachers the opportunity to participate in workshops and presentations looking at best practice. Most of the workshops are taken by teachers from the various schools, with Discovery College staff offering many of these. The day also gave us the opportunity to host our colleagues, which for most of them, was the first time they had visited our school. Naturally, teachers being teachers, many of them had a good look around at our facilities and what we are doing with our students.
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ESF CPD DAY
CCAs
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ith over 25 activities and more than 300 student sign ups, the term one co-curricular activity programme was a great success. Students worked on dance routines, solved maths problems, shot hoops, designed costumes, volleyed shuttlecocks, discussed environmental issues, and generally had a great time in activities ranging from cooking for beginners and bollywood dancing to science tutorials and speech and drama. Students will have the opportunity to join new CCA activities during Term 2 which commence on 11 January 2010.
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Sport
First Place for Max Langenkamp ISSFHK Cross Country Champion - U12 Boys
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ax Langenkamp took first place in the U12 Boys race at the International Schools Sports Federation of Hong Kong (ISSFHK) Championship, held on 4 November at Aberdeen Country Park.
After finishing 5th in the qualifying race on 28 October at the strenuous Black’s Link trail, Max knew he would have some tough competition at the champs. During the last 500 metres of the race Max recalls thinking “I’m this close, I have to win,” at which point he turned on the gas and overtook his competition. In the end, Max took the race by about 100 metres. Max enjoys running around Discovery Bay in his free time whether its with his dad, friends or the DC cross country squad. Max has competed in triathlons, placing 2nd in his age group in one competition, but long distance running is his specialty.
3rd place for U12 Boys football
Coached by Mark Beach, Ada Chung, Jonathan Climas, Michele Perche and Noeline Young, Cross Country is the biggest team sport at Discovery College. DC was able to enter over 40 runners in the qualifying race and champs, and looks forward to continued growth in the programme with our up and coming runners.
Mimi Ho Selected
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n other exciting DC sports news, Year 9 athlete Mimi Ho will represent Hong Kong in the 2nd Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championship 2009 to be held at the Royal Hua Hin Golf Course in Thailand.
Naming of the DC Cobras!
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atch out all you Ophidiophobes, the Discovery College Cobras are ready to strike. After a whole College nomination and voting process, it has been decided that the Cobras will be the Discovery College mascot. Opposing sports teams will feel the sting of the DC venom in the Snake Pit, formerly known as the Main Gym.
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n Thursday 15 October, the DC U12 Boys football team took to the pitch in a pre-break ISSFHK tournament. Eight teams squared off playing in the round robin with DC finishing a solid third place overall. Goal scorers on the day were Andres Thorsen with three, Ben Main with two and Ben Blazeby, Shakoor Abduuah and William Nolan with one each.
Sport teams
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t was a building season for DC’s sports teams. The College was represented by an enthusiast group of U14 Boys/Girls Football, U12 Boys Football, U14 Boys/Girls Volleyball, Cross Country and a dynamic Swim Squad. The season as a whole was mired with cancellations due to weather and flu conditions, but our players forged on with willingness and determination. Practice for the U14 boys and girls volleyball will continue throughout the year, as well as training for the swim squad, setting us up for a strong 2010.
With only a small team, the players came to support each other and work for the wins. The final record on the day was three wins, two draws and two loses. FIRST PLACE FOR MAX LANGENKAMP
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AUTUMN 2009
community
D
iscovery Amateur Swim Club
It’s all about having a good time.
I
t’s Friday night and the College is dark, but the roof is all aglow because Friday nights are for swimming. The Discovery Amateur Swim Club is a totally volunteer supported organisation providing developing swimmers of all ages with an opportunity to enjoy swimming as a competitive and rewarding sport. With regular weekly meetings for children aged six and up, the club organises swimming races with an emphasis on achieving your “personal best.” While ranking first, second and third place is important in swimming, DASC focuses on the achievement of personal best swimming times to award points and track a swimmer’s personal improvement throughout the year. “DASC is about getting in, having a go, and being rewarded for your effort and
improvement.” says DASC President (and DC parent) Amanda Walsh. “Racing is fun, however, swimming is about more than just what place you finished. I love to see our swim club members proud of themselves and of their achievements, and being confident to challenge themselves to longer distances and new strokes.” Last season’s Inaugural Graded Point Score Champion was the club’s youngest member and Year 2 student, Morgan Wright. Showing perseverance and commitment from the season’s first race and an enthusiasm for the sport, Morgan proved to be the club’s most improved, narrowly beating her much older competitors and shaving 27 seconds off her freestyle times. Morgan was closely followed by Grace Kai Fong and Jack McDonald sharing second place, and Tianee Fong, third. It was a talented double act for the Wright family with Morgan’s big brother Hunter Wright (Year 4) winning the inaugural Open Point Score Trophy. Hunter led the Open Point score for most of the season, Lauren McGill (DBIS) and Rebecca Wilson were tied for second place, with Chloe McDonald and Charlie Walsh sharing third place honours. Volunteer support is essential to the success of the Club, and DASC families are active participants. Parents take on roles from timekeeping and marshalling to running the barbeque and fundraising. It is an
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DISCOVERY AMATEUR SWIM CLUB
impressive undertaking of organisation and volunteer support to keep this club running and thriving.
“DASC is about getting in, having a go, and being rewarded for your effort and improvement.” While currently at a total membership of 70, this year it is DASC’s goal to enrol 100 swimmers. With the support of volunteers, sponsorship and such a dedicated organising body, they are well on their way to exceeding this goal. For more information on the DASC, please email: discoveryasc@gmail.com.
AUTUMN 2009
showcase art
Artists on show
Kasey Lau-Kun 6MBN Creating focal points in art. Can you find the most important area of this artwork?
Jennifer Anderson 3DTM Monochromatic blues.
Sun Woo Nam 7AGT Sydney Opera House
Jessica Sang 7GWR Vincent Van Gogh Style Self Portrait
Laura Morgan 5ENP Using Mary Cassatt’s blending techniques and use of colour to create artwork with depth and interest.
Jackie Wu 8MLE Venetian Decorative Mask
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AUTUMN 2009
showcase music
MYP Assessments Rock Out Lunchtimes
Screaming fans. The building anticipation. A pounding backbeat and driving bass line…
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Say It Loud! War. Disease. Global Warming.
Beatlemania hit Discovery College this term, with a series of lunchtime concerts by our Year 9 music students.
These are just some of the issues that confront our kids every time they pick up a newspaper or switch on CNN.
Our keen musicians ripped through The Beatles back catalogue in front of hundreds of staff and students.
Our Year 8 students tackled the big issues this term through music - writing and performing their own protest songs.
The crowd went wild as students performed early hits like “I Saw Her Standing There”, and “Twist and Shout,” to 60s classics like “Penny Lane,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
In this unit, our students answered the question, “What do we value?” The answers were thought provoking, with powerful songs covering a range of issues, including children’s rights, pollution and the war in Afghanistan.
This year, The Beatles released digital remasters of all of their albums and won over a new generation of fans with The Beatles Rock Band game. What better time to introduce our students to the world’s biggest pop group.
Some of the biggest hits of the last century carried powerful messages - from Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” to Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” and Green Day’s “American Idiot.” Our students provided some worthy additions to the canon.
In class, students formed bands and mastered vocals, keyboard, guitar, bass and drumkit. Along the way, they learnt about human ingenuity, creativity and tried to answer the question, “What makes The Beatles musical pioneers?”
During the composition process they gained some valuable skills, from writing lyrics and melodies to mastering chord progressions. They performed their original compositions to a crowd of hundreds of students and staff as part of our series of lunchtime concerts.
by Paul Kriesh, Music Teacher
by Paul Kriesh, Music Teacher
MYP ASSESSMENTS ROCK OUT LUNCHTIMES
AUTUMN 2009
MYP ASSESSMENTS ROCK OUT LUNCHTIMES
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AUTUMN 2009
DC Babies
W
ith the help of DC staff members, we have seen our DC community grow and grow. Here are our newest members.
rr a De Ba d Monic eacher artin an T M 4 r x a le e Y A
Leo
- He nnie Cade Year nas 5 EA
Mia Rose - Elisha Smith Teacher s rusuela Maria B anager h a o N ions M Admiss
Leo - M el and A ndy N Second ightingale ary Tea (picture chers with DC d above students )
m Lydia - Roy Ta er ne gi En es iti cil Fa
DC Marriages It’s also been a year of weddings for some of our staff. Congratulations to: Mr Hamlet Lin, ICT Technician Mrs Suvy Shu, Mandarin Teacher and Catherine Taylor will be marrying Alex on New Year’s Eve.
Hamlet & Fiona Lin - Married 2009
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DC BABIES
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