St. Paul's Co-educational College


St. Paul's Co-educational College, is an Anglican secondary school located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong, founded in 1915. It follows the HKDSE and IBDP curriculum and is the first Round Square school in greater China. It was the first school in Hong Kong to require a school uniform. Until after World War II, it was a girls-only college. Since 2001, it has been under the Direct Subsidy Scheme. It is well known for its students' academic excellence and outstanding results in public exams. It has an affiliated primary school, making it a school of the "through-train" system.

History

The college was founded in 1915 as St. Paul's Girls' College by the Anglican church. The school's motto is Faith, Hope and Love, derived from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. In 1918, the College was the first school to require students to wear school uniform.
In 1927, the College was moved to 33 MacDonnell Road, and became the site of the school since then.
In 1932, the College adopted the school badge that is still used now.
In 1945, the College resumed operation while St. Paul's Boys' College moved in. Since then, the College began accepting both boys and girls, becoming the first co-educational school in Hong Kong. As the College transformed from a girls school to a co-educational school, a whole-day primary school was established. Mr Maak Ying Kei was appointed as the Headteacher of the primary school.
When St. Paul's Boys' College moved back to their campus in Bonham Road in 1950, the school continued to accept both boys and girls, remaining co-educational. Before the primary school changed into an AM and PM school in 1957, it moved to 1 Calder Path. The position of Headteacher in the PM primary school was taken up by Ms Fok Lan Hing. In 1959, the new west wing of the College was completed as part of the secondary school.
In 1961, Ms Lee Quay Ying was appointed as the Headteacher of the AM Primary School after the retirement of Mr Maak Ying Kei. In 1966, the PM Primary School appointed Ms Chan Kwong Ying to become the Headteacher. In 1967, after Ms Lee Quay Ying resigned, Ms Lui Shui Ying took up the post as the Headteacher of the AM Primary School.
In 1971, a new campus in 33 MacDonnell Road was completed for the primary school. Later in 1979, the choir and orchestra of the College was proudly invited to perform in Thailand.
In 1985, the swimming pool at 1 Calder Path has completed. Later in 1989, the whole 1 Calder Path Annex is completed.
In 1990, Mrs Chan Tang Fung Ming was appointed as the Headteacher of the AM Primary School after the retirement of Ms Lui Shui Ying. In 1992, the choir of the secondary school participated in International Music Festival in Sydney, Australia, and won the Gold Award, the highest award in the competition. The next year, the College made Liberal Studies a compulsory sixth-form subject, being the first school in Hong Kong to do so. In 1996, the headteachers of the primary schools changed once again, with Ms Chan Kwok Yin retiring and becoming the Coordinator of both AM and PM schools, and the Headteacher of the PM School. Ms Wu Shuk Yin became the Headteacher of the AM School. In 1999, the AM & PM School became two whole-day schools, St. Paul's Co-educational Primary School which appointed Ms Wu Shuk Yin as the Headmistress and St. Paul's Co-educational Primary School which appointed Ms Lee Tuen Yee as the Headmistress.
In 2002, the school joined the Direct Subsidy Scheme. This year, the school admitted its first batch of P1 and F1 DSS students. In 2003, the school successfully made an application under the School Improvement Program, to develop the new annex of the secondary school. In 2006, the two primary schools merged and was renamed St. Paul's Co-educational College Primary School and appointed Ms Lee Tuen Yee as the Headmistress. Under the School Improvement Program, the new annex of the Secondary School was completed. In the same year, as the co-organiser along with HKU, the College hosted the first international student conference, and held it annually in every summer since then. In 2008, the 5-year redevelopment plan of the Secondary School began. In the same year, the primary school moved to a new campus in Wong Chuk Hang, and the Kennedy Road campus was given to the secondary school for temporary use. The choir participated in the 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria the same year and has participated in the competition since then every two years in different continents.
In 2010, the primary school organised a music tour to Beijing. In 2011, the school was authorised as an IB World School. Li Chong Yuet Ming Building and Chong Yau Pak Wan Residence Hall was completed as the new extension block of the College. The former headmistress of the primary school Ms Lee Tuen Yee retired and Ms Leung Lai Mei was appointed as the new headmistress. In 2012, the College participated in 10th Venezia in Musica, Venice, Italy and started admitting students from overseas. In 2013, the five-year redevelopment plan of the College has been completed. In 2015, the College celebrated their centenary.

Principal

The College's first principal was Mrs Martin, from 1915-1916. In 1916, Dr. Catherine Woo became principal. In 1952, Ms Bobbie M Kotewall became principal, and retired in 1984. In 1984, Mrs Chen Lam Ngar Sheung became the principal. In 1999, Mr. Poon Chun Kau became the principal. In 2004, Dr. Anissa Chan became the principal. In 2017, Mr. Frederick Poon Siu Chi became the seventh principal of the College.

Campuses

Located in the Mid-levels, the campus has four parts: the Main Campus, the Li Chong Yuet Ming Building, the West Wing and the Calder Path Annex.

Student Activities

One of the annual highlights of student activities is the Student Activities Week in November, during which students take part in service, experience and exploration programs, sometimes travelling out of Hong Kong. A four-week program in Australia, known as Rites of Passage, is arranged for F.3 students in the summer.

Clubs, Societies, Groups and Teams

The College has an annually elected Student Union, plus a Prefect Board. The current Student Union is Nexus. Other student groups include DT Club, Science Clubs, Academic societies, Chess club, Network 33, Stage Management Team, The Scholars, St. John Ambulance, Girl Guides, and Scouts. Dance teams, sports teams and other teams are also present.
Beside these teams, students can apply to form small groups with people of same interests known as Enthusiast Circles. Past Enthusiast Circle topics included Rubik's cube, Korean culture, SanGuoSha, Psychology etc.

Music

SPCC has a prominent musical culture. Music teams in SPCC include two choirs, School Orchestra, String Orchestra, Wind Band, Harmonica Orchestra, etc. The music teams have won numerous awards in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, with the School Orchestra and Harmonica Orchestra winning prizes every year. The Treble Choir became the Most Outstanding Choir in the year 2011-12 and won the Busan Choral Festival and Competition in 2018. In the academic year 2014-15, a Treble Girls' Choir was added. In the 71st Hong Kong Schools Music Festival foreign language section, the Senior Boys Choir won the champion, breaking the 4 year streak of Diocesan Boys' School.

Annual Summer Music Event

As a tradition since 1967, the music department organizes a Summer Concert every year. The concerts have only been suspended five times in history. The most recent Summer Concert will be held on 4–5 July 2018, and will take place at the Hong Kong City Hall.
In 2008 and 2010, the concert was not held as the school choirs took part in the 5th and 6th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria and Shaoxing, China respectively. In 2011, the College celebrated its 95th anniversary and the Summer Concert was replaced by performances in the celebratory summer Bazaar in early July.
In 2006, the Summer Concert was held in the form of a variety show, named The Extravaganza, to celebrate the College's 90th anniversary. It took place in the AsiaWorld-Arena, and this act set a record of being the first school holding an event that involves all students, and the first school to use the AsiaWorld-Arena. In celebration of the College's centenary, a similar event was held in 2016, named the Centenary Spectacular.

Uniform

In 1918, the College was the first school in Hong Kong to require school uniforms. In summer, boys wear white shirts with deep-blue trousers, and girls wear blue Cheongsams; in winter, boys wear white shirts and grey trousers with the red school tie, and girls wear deep-blue Cheongsams.

Primary school

The College has an affiliated primary school: St. Paul's Co-educational College Primary School, once divided into two half-day schools: St. Paul's Co-educational Primary School and St. Paul's Co-educational Primary School to cope with the demand for places, they resumed full-day education in 1999. In 2006, the two schools merged again, then the Primary School moved to the new campus in Wong Chuk Hang in 2008. The campus has the total amount of seven floors, on the fourth floor there is a library and computer room. Every year the school will have p.5 students participate in a course called Outward Bound, there they will learn to be more independent as well as surviving tips. Each of the p.6 will also get the chance to explore places in China judging by the weather the school will have you learn about the Chinese culture and different activities will be held.
While the College is an English as a Medium of Instruction school, most of the primary school curriculum is taught in Cantonese, with some lessons taught by native English teachers. From Primary 3 onward, Chinese language is taught in Putonghua progressively. In Primary 6, all subjects are taught in English.

Notable alumni

Academics