Morning Teachings at Breakfast- Nov 2022

At a breakfast attended by Founding Patrons, alumni, parents and friends, guests talked about opportunities for learning, on 25 November 2022.Students explained about their social change projects and explained how they have applied their knowledge and skills to real world situations.

Guests then discussed their role in developing the next generation of Islanders and what they can and want to do to maintain the school’s legacy.

During the breakfast, there were discussions around the tables about students’ projects: their role and the impact they are having, and why they have chosen a particular project.

Ross Burrough (Deputy Head of Curriculum) and Airi Tachino (12D) then discussed the importance of developing Competences through the curriculum and beyond it. 

Mr Burroughs explained, “As a community we are moving beyond the traditional concept that a grade or number is a factor for success. At Island School our learning also focuses on competencies and transferable skills.

Airi then talked about how she has used her language skills to translate letters for refugees and the Graveyard Revitalization project. After visiting the Hong Kong Cemetery she discovered the many neglected graveyards belonging to Japanese foreign settlers. She reached out to the Japanese Embassy and the Hong Kong Japanese Club, and formed a group of volunteers who visit the cemetery regularly to maintain historic graves.

She said, “I think there is value in giving back to the community and looking at what is in the shadows. The true and ideal definition of volunteering, for me, is finding and pursuing what needs to be done, and slowly but surely treating it as casually as a pastime.”

In Head Student, Sam Hui’s, closing remarks he thanked the Patrons for supporting the next generation of Islanders and creating new opportunities, not previously thought possible.