March marked the return of one of the highlights of the school year, with the arrival of 8 special guests from Canada.  Yes, it was time for ‘Canadian Week’, and what a marvelous week it was.  As past experience has shown us, this week is always a time of great fun and great joy.  More importantly, it also gives our students a chance to demonstrate their English proficiency in authentic situations.  By using their English outside the classroom, with native English speakers, our students grow in confidence.

This year, the English department was delighted to host 8 young Canadians from Vanguard College in Alberta, as well as their leader Alison.  The week commenced with students from Form 4 and 5 planning and conducting tours of Hong Kong for the Canadians.  Highlights included cycling in a country park, dim sum suppers and viewing the spectacular light show in Tsim Sha Tsui.  Even some light rain showers didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

Back at school, all English classes took great pleasure in welcoming the Canadians to take part in their English lessons.  Ideas were shared about how to ‘be healthy, be positive and be an energizer to others’, our school theme this year.  Other fun filled activities included the active Physical Gym where students played ball games with the Canadians, Masterchef where students showed great aptitude in instructing the Canadians in cooking some local delicacies, and the orienteering competition where teams ventured out of the school and into the surrounding district in search of clues.

Another highlight in which the whole school community participated was the religious assembly conducted by the Canadians in which they shared their experiences as part of the Christian community.   The assembly was conducted totally in English and it was delightful to see all students engaged.  It showed how much English our students can understand and how much their confidence is increasing.  As always, we thank the Canadians very much for all they contributed to the school during this week, and eagerly await their return next year.