Message from the Principal
‘Is happiness all about being a learner?’
KGV School was a very calm place for the past couple of weeks as we welcomed our new staff and got the school ready for the 2018-19 academic year. However, it did lack a bit of character and dynamism without our 1800 students bouncing around the place! It is great to have our students back and looking so healthy, happy and ready to learn.
It is good to have a break, but it is also good to get back into the challenge of learning and hard work. I spoke to all students at the welcome back assembly this week, as we shared some stories of our holiday experiences. I spent most of the holiday time teaching my seven and nine year old children to surf. Surfing is a very difficult skill to acquire and I was proud of the way they persevered.
I also reflected on how their mood changed over the holiday and how at times they seemed to be flat and ‘cranky’ if they got bored or if we had a quiet day. By contrast, they were excited, energised and eager when we were learning new surfing skills. I told our students that I believe we are the happiest when we are learning, not sitting around relaxing and idle. As human beings, we are such natural and voracious learners, and most of us feel a deep sense of pride and delight when we take on a new challenge and can start to feel some success.
People often talk about happiness as if it is a state that we can ‘find’ and then stay in. I think it is something that we experience when we feel in the moment, when we are connected to a purpose and we fight through the ups and downs of a challenge to achieve something worthwhile.
The point I was trying to convey at our welcome back assembly was for our students to feel a sense of gratitude to be at a school, and live in a community, that values learning so highly. The opportunities available to our young people are rich and diverse. Seeing the smiles, delight and happiness as they returned to school to connect with friends, teachers and learning demonstrates that many of them do appreciate the learning opportunities afforded by the school and their parents.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 13 graduating class for their outstanding results. Over 25% of our IB Diploma students achieved 40 or more points (10% world average), over 65% achieved 35 or more points (34% world average) and 99% of our IB students achieved a Diploma (78% world average). Our BTEC Diploma students also did very well, with six students achieving the highest possible grade of Distinction Triple Star. These results are incredible, and reinforce the quality of our students, the hard work of our teachers and support staff and amazing support from our parents.
What is even more exciting is to see these students accepted into the greatest universities in Hong Kong and around the world. It is inspirational when you witness first-hand what happens when young people combine talent with dedication and hard work. Our graduating class have strengthened our academic tradition and provided a tangible example for other KGV students to endeavour to ‘be their own remarkable’.
Kind regards
Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V
