1ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL

Arts and Culture FestivalDiscovery Arts Fest takes on a new name

視 界S H I J I E - T O L O O K O U T I N T O T H E W O R L DTHE MAGAZINE OF DISCOVERY COLLEGE Autumn 2014Grow. Discover. Dream.

Foreshore redevelopmentNew sports spaces coming soon

Focus onInternational Mindedness

2 ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL

Autumn 2014

Lifestyle Homes

1JOINING THE DC FAMILY

Autumn 2014

JOINING THE DC FAMILY

I am so pleased to have joined the Discovery College community recently as the new Chairman of the School Council. As I have learned more about the College, it is clear to me that this is a thriving community and an impressive group of students, teachers and parents. In these first weeks in my role, a few things in particular have stood out to me as particular items of note.

The students here are truly inspiring. Not only are their academic accomplishments impressive – with ICAS medallists and high performers in the MYP and DP among them – but their involvement and interests in other areas is equally notable. The range of talent in the arts, from award-winning student bands and photographers, to exceptional artists and performers, reinforces the quality arts programme at the College and within Hong Kong. Likewise the students here who compete athletically within the College and on representative teams in Hong Kong are at the very top of their field. Perhaps most admirable is the commitment to service and community engagement that is displayed among the students at all ages, demonstrating their understanding and respect for the larger community around them.

The teachers and staff likewise demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their roles that is indeed admirable. With highly qualified staff, it is easy to understand why Discovery College is a sought-after school for teachers and students alike. We are fortunate to have a group of passionate educators working toward a common goal.

I am also excited about the diversity of the students and teachers and the shared respect that takes place at the College. With more than 40 nationalities represented by our students and teachers from more than 20 countries, it is clear that the diversity of experiences, values and languages makes this a vibrant environment in which learning can occur. The opportunities to learn from one another, share our own beliefs and learn about one another’s is a truly unique one. We are fortunate to live in a community where such a robust international education is possible.

I am excited to work with this internationally minded community and your School Council in the coming years. I look forward to getting to know each of you better and to learning about even more of the remarkable things happening at Discovery College.

Simon WongSchool Council Chairman

2 JOINING THE DC FAMILY

Autumn 2014

視 界

Shi JieAutumn 2014

EDITORMichelle Mouton

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHYClaire Fraser

CIRCULATION & CONTACTDiscovery College

38 Siena AveDiscovery BayHONG KONG

Tel: +852 3969 1000Fax: +852 2987 8115

Email: office@dc.edu.hkWebsite: www.discovery.edu.hk facebook.com/discoverycollege

Circulation (1500)視 界 is printed on Alpine Satin which is PEFC certified, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and manufactured under ISO14001 certification, using 100%

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Contents | Autumn 2014

FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESSInternational Mindedness 4Curriculum 6Relationships 8Events & Environment 10

STAFF PROFILEMichael Kwan 12Kate Saunders 13

HAPPENINGSForeshore Redevelopment 14Pay It Forward 15Students Collaborate with PTA 16Happy Campers 17

CURRICULUMJust for Kicks 18Challenge: Reading 19Juggling it All 19Sing Along 19

SPORTSHouse Rules 20Splish Splash 21Cobra Sports 22

ALUMNIClass Notes 24Where Are They Now? 24

CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

Shann AndersonMatt BaronMark BeachVictoria Bird

Ashley BrooksChloe Chan

Tracey ChittyChloe Choy

Jonathan ClimasLyn CooteChris Dann

Martin De BarrJason EdwardsDonna ElleryTerry EvansTim Fung

Lauren GordonKeira HigginsEwan Jones

Andy Kai FongKathy Lau

Shanel LimMartina Lo

Jason MckimmonJacques Meldrum

Kay MotikiMiranda O’BrienNicole O’BrienJacob Panons

Henrique QuitesLoretta Romano

Pat RomanoKate Saunders

Debbie TaiDavid Thapa

Krijn ToorDamian Trimingham

Amanda WalshHannah Ward

Lawrence WilkinsonRachel Yeung

3UNIVERSITY FAIR

Autumn 2014

On Thursday 25 September, Discovery College hosted its first University Fair. Representatives from more than 90 colleges and universities from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe and Switzerland came to Discovery College for the morning to meet with interested students and families. All DC students in Years 10-13, as well as many parents, had the opportunity to meet with many of these representatives and have their questions answered. The university representatives provided very positive feedback about the event and our students. This event was open to the entire community, and students from the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, DBIS and Guangdong Country Garden School also came to Discovery College and benefitted from the fair.

UNIVERSITY FAIR

4 INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

Autumn 2014 FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

International Mindednessis about each of us.

International Mindedness is a central part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, and an integral part of what we aim to embody at Discovery College. Indeed, each person at the College, from our youngest student to our senior staff, plays a role in this. Our Powerful Learning Statement has reflected this ideal since the founding of the College, noting that a positive environment for learning is one in which a shared spirit of respect, which dignifies and prizes our diversity of experiences and perspectives, exists.

In the last year, we have refocused on this priority and worked to develop a shared understanding of international mindedness among all staff. This was done through various forums among the staff, including two full-day IB workshops, as well as follow up workshops led by DC staff. In addition, an international mindedness committee was formed and tasked with developing a guiding statement, which determined three broad areas

that encompass international mindedness: curriculum, relationships, and events & environment. This committee also looked at the IB documents and related publications, and conducted a review of the learner profile attributes. Through these opportunities and discussions, Discovery College’s International Mindedness Guiding Statement was created: “International Mindedness at DC is a commitment to celebrating our diversity where people know themselves and others, and demonstrate empathy by thinking globally and acting ethically.”

Throughout the following pages you will see how the College is integrating international mindedness throughout many aspects of our community, under the umbrellas of curriculum, relationships, and events & environment. Class teachers continue to consider multi-lingualism, global engagement and intercultural understanding when planning, teaching and assessing units of work. Our College-wide commitment

Autumn 2014

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International Mindednessis about each of us.

to wellbeing and restorative practices fully supports international mindedness, including the components of personal responsibility, valuing diversity, dealing with conflict respectfully and seeking to understand others. Through our College events and celebrations, which can occur at an individual, class, year level or College level, we strive to increase our understanding of diverse cultures, group experiences, traditions, values and beliefs in order to enhance our relationships with one another.

However, international mindedness is a concept that can and should extend beyond these College initiatives. It is about each of us, in every part of the community, making these concepts part of our daily lives. It is quite easy to say that we will do these things, but another to implement them each day and be mindful of our actions and reactions and the way we treat others. Understanding our own cultures and beliefs, as well as those of the people around us, impacts all of our wellbeing. The way we respond to conflict – whether this be on the playground, in our neighbourhood or in the office – gives us an opportunity to improve our awareness and our openness to ideas and views that are different than our own. The way we treat those who are different than us, who come from a different country, speak a different language or have different beliefs, impacts our greater community. This is true within the College and Discovery Bay, but also on a larger global scale.

Similarly, the consideration we have for those here in our community can extend the concept of international mindedness. Though we encourage and support our students to understand and engage with communities around the world, through programmes like No Boundaries and other virtual engagement opportunities, we can also create this intercultural awareness here in Hong Kong. We live in a diverse community with Hong Kong as our home, and even looking at Discovery Bay alone, we see a broad diversity in nationalities, religions and cultures. Certainly understanding communities around the globe is important, but we can start in our own community.

At DC, we are all striving to improve our own understanding and implementation of international mindedness. As we look at the curriculum, the relationships in our community, and the events and environment of the College, I hope that you will join us in this effort to understand and respect of others’ views, beliefs and traditions. I believe it will make a stronger environment for learning for our students, and hopefully a more internationally minded community.

Mark BeachPrincipal

CURRICULUMUnderstanding self and others in Year 1It can be helpful to view the development of international mindedness within our students as a journey of growing an understanding of the self in order to effectively connect with others. Such a pathway can encourage children to learn about similarities and differences among themselves, to appreciate other’s perspectives, to value diversity and to identify their own responsibilities in their engagements with others.

International mindedness is embedded into the fabric of teaching and learning. Set in place are cumulative experiences and opportunities that contribute to building an understanding of empathy, humanity, perspective and a way of being. In Year 1 from the outset students are engaged in experiences that teach awareness of self, others and a situation.

So, what does international mindedness look like for a five-year-old student in Discovery College? Our students begin their school life exploring the awareness of emotions and feelings within themselves and others. Experiences such as morning meetings, circle time and closing circles provide the opportunities for students to become critically aware of the importance of connecting not just through spoken communication but by ‘reading’ the non-verbal cues of others. Understanding what emotions look like and feel like within themselves has lead to students developing awareness of such in their peers.

Critical to these learning experiences is building perspectives and empathy around why others respond to situations with certain emotions and actions. Students are encouraged to consider what makes people feel a particular way and, importantly, to consider what their own role is in any given situation. They are prompted to explore what their responsibility is to others through being aware of a situation.

International mindedness in Year 1 is about building a habit of mindfulness that supports students to develop a strong sense not only of themselves and who they are, but a sense and awareness of other people.

Nicole O’BrienYear 1 Teacher

Autumn 2014 FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

CURRICULUMVisual Arts reinforces themesThe International Baccalaureate aims to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” Through the Primary Years Programme and the units of inquiry, students have the opportunity to develop their knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes towards international mindedness.

Within the Year 4 unit of inquiry, ‘How we express ourselves,’ students encountered a range of learning experiences to encourage and develop international mindedness. For example, students shared their own culture through an object or artefact that connected to their traditions or beliefs. Students also explored their own cultural identity through a cultural observation interview that resulted in the making of their own culture flower.

Through this, students were introduced to a wide range of cultural stories so that they can

6 CURRICULUM

begin to inquire into the values, traditions and beliefs they hold. It is through experiences such as these that students develop intercultural understanding and respect for themselves and others.

Visual Arts plays a role in each of the learner profile attributes as they relate to international mindedness. In addition to the Year 4 culture flowers, recently the students focused on the attributes of ‘Caring’ and ‘Communicator’ by coming up with strategies to resolve conflict. The Year 4s were developing understandings about how individuals have a responsibility to find peaceful solutions to conflicts within communities. They inquired into the roles and responsibilities of community members to resolve conflicts.

Through the lens of Visual Art, students discussed ways that visual images can be used, not only in the resolution, but also in the prevention of conflict. They communicated

these caring messages through artworks that were displayed around the school to further promote the conflict resolution work the students were carrying out with younger students. Students worked creatively to demonstrate their awareness of the affective power of visual arts to communicate and show they care.

Donna Ellery, PYP CoordinatorKate Saunders, Primary Visual Arts Teacher

Mother tongue supports learningIn the IB’s Every Teacher is a Language Teacher, it is stated that “languages have always been at the heart of the IB. You can’t build an international organisation without embracing them, and you can’t nurture international mindedness without enabling students to do the same.”

The number of cultures represented by both students and staff in DC is staggering. Even more remarkable are the languages these cultures bring with them. A person’s language influences how they communicate, but also with whom they choose to communicate, and how effective they are at getting their thoughts and ideas across.

At DC we fully recognise the importance of students’ mother tongues and encourage their use. Years 1 and 2 have been running highly successful mother tongue programmes with the help of parent volunteers to support student learning. Students are given a choice of language groups to be part of, such as German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese, and then discuss the concepts and ideas they have been learning about inside the classroom in their chosen language.

These groups help students to develop their ideas further, with greater confidence, while receiving constructive feedback from adults or friends. They can then go back into the classroom and share their thinking with the entire class. Sometimes students want to tell us what they’re thinking but find it challenging because they don’t yet have the language for it. The mother tongue groups are an invaluable opportunity for students who don’t always feel comfortable communicating their ideas in English to share and participate more in the learning.

The mother tongue groups have become an integral part of the early years programme at DC. They wouldn’t be possible without the help and support of our parent volunteers. The importance of the mother tongue groups can’t be overstated. They have a huge impact because they support students to connect with each other and their learning.

Jonathan Climas and Shann AndersonLearning Development Team Teachers

Autumn 2014FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

In Year 8 Drama, students are studying the play The Tempest and looking at the themes of intercultural understanding and open-mindedness. The play centres around Prospero, an overthrown Duke of Milan who has been banished, along with his daughter Miranda. Prospero has become a great sorcerer on an unknown island, using magic to gain power over all who live there and all who arrive on the island.

In addition to looking at the character of Prospero, the students also looked at Caliban, who is a native of the island and becomes Prospero’s slave. In looking at Caliban’s behaviour and his unfortunate ugly form, he is aligned closer to an animal than any human. Caliban is deeply antagonistic because he feels betrayed in the same way as Prospero does. His actions and spite fuel Prospero to be cruel towards him.

Using Prospero’s words to describe Caliban, the students drew pictures of him showing what they imagine him to look like. Then students looked at the other side of Caliban, and though he still remains a grubby beast, he is someone who is natural in his surroundings. It is only with preconceived ideas as to what a monster is in our civilised world that we can understand Prospero seeing him as an actual threat. The students can then play Caliban with more sympathy. They consider how he reacts to more humans arriving on his island and how terrified he is of them. Caliban is an example of someone who wants to be undisturbed in the surroundings that he has always known, but when this is challenged, he becomes what we would describe as the villain. If left alone on the island he would have no cause to hurt anyone. This is what being free means to Caliban, whose cry for freedom clarifies many of his actions, and can lead us to see him as a victim. The students had the opportunity to reflect on what they could learn about themselves from these characters. They discussed times when they may have felt threatened by change and how they have overcome it. Some students in the class not from Discovery Bay, for example, noted that they would have liked to change the island to be more what they were used to. But as Tetsuya Kai-Olowu said, “If you want change, it has to suit everyone - not just the person suggesting it.”

There is consistency and comfort in keeping what we are used to, but unfortunately it can come at the cost of not being open minded. This is a crucial component of today’s society, and the students made comparisons to our College community as well as to a global scale. Understanding and considering all sides of the characters helped the students to appreciate the different views each had in the play and the ways in which open mindedness could be beneficial to society.

Miranda O’BrienDrama Teacher

Year 8 Drama character study

CURRICULUM 7

Year 6 ExhibitionThe PYP Exhibition is an exciting time of the year for our Year 6 students because it presents an opportunity for them to showcase their understanding of the essential elements of the PYP, and then share this with the school community. Time and again students demonstrate skills, knowledge and attitudes that surpass the expectations of their teachers, parents, community, and even themselves. Throughout the Exhibition students inquire into a range of globally significant issues with passion and tenacity. Students seek and demonstrate great understanding of the various perspectives involved in their issues, which can range from human rights and immigration laws, to environmental responsibilities and natural disasters.

At the heart of the Exhibition is a desire and drive by students to learn about global issues in a local context so that relevant and effective action can take place. The students call on experts to help them in understanding their issues better, and often end up working side by side various organisations to make a positive difference in the world. Examples of student action in the past have included working with immigration lawyers to support refugee children, collecting and packaging resources for schools in under-developed countries, educating the community on the dangers of cyber bullying, and supporting victims of natural disasters with aid packages.

Matt BaronPrimary Vice Principal

8 RELATIONSHIPS

Autumn 2014 FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

RELATIONSHIPS

Model United Nations (MUN) seeks to simulate the actual United Nations (UN) in an educational setting. Following rules and conventions that mirror closely those of the real UN, students take on the role of country delegate and debate any number of topics covered at the UN, including current events, health and social welfare, poverty reduction and many others. Students representing countries with disparate views seek to formulate resolutions that are then voted on by committees. To be a successful delegate, students need to be able to view issues from multiple perspectives, seek compromise and forge consensus. Through participation in MUN, students engage with issues of local and global importance. Students are obliged to empathise with others and see the world through different lenses, and along the way they develop skills in communication, collaboration and leadership. Tra My Hickin, Year 13, is serving as vice president of MUN for the third year. She recently shared her thoughts on the MUN experience.

Q: What does a typical MUN meeting look like?A: We like to centre our activities on current events. In particular, we try to focus on events that our members can directly relate to. For example, Occupy Central was one recently used. The activities range from formal UN simulations, to more intimate discussion based tasks, all of which allow us to explore different perspectives on a given issue.

Q: Where does the MUN club compete?A: In the past few years we have competed at various conferences in Hong Kong, the most notable being HKMUN, which most schools participate in. Internationally, we have sent a delegation each year to Harvard MUN in Beijing. These meets are very exciting, as it allows us the opportunity to interact with students from all over the world and share

Model UN builds skills

our ideas. That, for me, is what MUN is all about, letting the future generation learn about the processes that control our world today, and learning and growing from that.

Q: What is the most important skill you’ve gained from MUN?A: Patience and diplomacy. You really get to understand how hard it is at the UN or similar world-wide organisations. We sometimes may question why the UN isn’t doing things, but it’s really hard to get all countries to get along.

Q: What’s been the most challenging thing?A: It’s all been kind of fun, really. I think it’s always healthy to argue a perspective different from your own, which is what you have to do with MUN. You aren’t always assigned a country whose views you agree with. By learning about and talking from their perspective, you can come to appreciate their beliefs and challenge your own and what you value.

Q: How do students in the DC MUN club work together?A: I think it helps that we have lots of international kids at DC and you can see that students really like representing different countries. The DC students are assigned as to delegation from particular countries, and sometimes we get ones that we aren’t as familiar with. We’re all enthusiastic about being other countries and not sticking to our own.We’re really trying to learn about other people’s cultures.

RELATIONSHIPS

Autumn 2014 FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

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DC Labour Rights was formed two years ago, inspired by our Humanities teacher Mr. Taylor. We had learned about so many different global issues in class that we felt inspired to finally help with these causes. We looked into labour rights especially because we were all interested in labour issues, and we felt that many people don’t know much about labour rights.

The work we’ve done has greatly benefited us and we feel grateful that we had the opportunity to learn so much. We were able to connect with other activists such as Matthew Friedman, and the organisation Liberty Asia. Furthermore, we’ve also raised awareness at events such as Picnic in the Park and Island School’s CAS Fair, and started a campaign called the Blacklist.

Over the past two years, we’ve learned a lot about labour rights but also about many issues that link with it, such as human trafficking. Through our work and connecting with other activists, we’ve been able to take a deeper look at the roots of labour issues and what can be done about them, as well as understand how this fits within a global context.

Kathy LauYear 12 Student

DC Labour Rights looks at global issues

Strong and respectful relationships are central to student and community wellbeing within Discovery College. Research shows when students have fun and safe friendships at school, wellbeing and achievement is enhanced. The diversity of cultures within our school community provides enormous opportunity to increase and enhance our awareness and appreciation of one another. People from different cultures can interact and respond differently in social situations. These differences are often evident in times of disagreement or difficulty. Discovery College works towards developing internationally minded students who are able to recognise, value and engage with cultural difference in a way that demonstrates respect and care towards each other. At the start of this year, particular focus and time was given to establishing and developing meaningful relationships within the primary school. This involved a range of opportunities for students and staff to get to know each other through learning about each other’s character strengths, cultural identities, beliefs and values, and interests. Alongside these opportunities, classes established essential agreements to support each other as friends and learners.

Tracey Chitty, School Counsellor Matt Baron, Primary Vice Principal

Relationships and Identity

Autumn 2014

10 EVENTS & ENVIRONMENT

EVENTS & ENVIRONMENTClass captains learning to leadEach year, more than 70 primary students from Years 3-6 have the opportunity to become Class Captains. Each term, a boy and a girl student are elected to represent their class in meetings with members of the Primary Leadership Team. Once elected, all Class Captains undergo a leadership programme to ensure they are fair and open-minded when addressing issues important to them in the school. Students explore what they think it means to be a positive leader and role model. Many students make connections to the IB Learner Profile Attributes, Attitudes and Transdisciplinary Skills. The Captains then go about finding opportunities to become great leaders themselves by making a difference for others in our school. This includes things like ensuring all voices are heard during class meetings, and looking at issues from a range of perspectives before making decisions or taking action. It is fair to say that the future is in very capable, internationally minded, hands.

Matt BaronPrimary Vice Principal

Appreciating the wonders of nature The Year 3 unit of inquiry, ‘How We Express Ourselves,’ culminated with The Wonders of Nature Exhibition last spring. Students showcased their learning of an appreciation of nature and its influence on creative expression through a vast array of experiences. Work that was on display and presented included sculptures, drama, music, architecture, photography, visual art, fashion design and dance. The students performed, demonstrated, and explained their learning to their parents and visitors throughout the morning. “My son has learned to appreciate nature in many new ways,” said one parent.

Jason EdwardsYear 3 Team Leader

Year 2 explores celebrations In the Year 2 ‘How we Express Ourselves’ unit of inquiry, we explore celebrations from around the world. It is an opportunity for students to investigate the ways in which people celebrate as well as how culture and beliefs influence celebrations. At the start of our inquiry, parents support student understanding of this by discussing initial thinking using students’ mother tongue languages. Throughout the unit, guest speakers share celebrations from various cultures, and students also share personal celebrations significant to their families. We further develop understandings by making connections between celebrations, traditions and experiences. Because celebrations are an expression of beliefs and values, students use the expressive arts to demonstrate their new learning by creating artefacts and dramatizing events. The unit culminates in a mini exhibition where students share new learning with their parents through the use of technology, music, dance, art and written information.

Loretta RomanoYear 2 Team Leader

11ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL

Autumn 2014FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

Students will soon be involved in a wonderful range of music, drama, dance and visual arts activities, with the College’s 7th annual ‘Discovery Arts & Culture Festival’ set to take place from 2 to 10 December. This highlight event of the College calendar has grown immensely during its seven years, and this year it has evolved to increase students’ exploration of cultures and international mindedness through a broad range of arts.

All year groups will benefit from activities run by leading local and international artists, educators and entertainers. Primary students are in for a treat, with workshops and performances for Years 1 to 6 including Chinese Dragon Dance, Brazilian martial arts-meets-dance extravaganza Capoeira, Chinese water colour painting, and street dance with DMR.

New this year, Australian landscape artist Nicole Voevodin-Cash will be the College’s artist-in-residence throughout the festival. Ms Voevodin-Cash will run workshops with Years 6 and 11, making inflatable sculptures from recycled chip (crisps) packets. She will also run ‘artist talks’ with Years 12 and 13 visual arts students and is bringing one of her works from Australia to hang in the College. All will have an opportunity to observe her at work as she creates a sculpture right here in DC.

Japanese drum maestro and percussionist Kumi Masunaga will work with Year 7 students on a hands-on, interactive drumming experience, giving students the opportunity to create music on a wide variety of drums and percussion instruments from around the world. Two favourites will return, with Year 8s learning the techniques and tricks of stage fighting with Faust International Youth Theatre and Year 9s exploring the skills and styles of graffiti art and creating their own collaborative works.

Senior students will benefit from specialist electives aimed at their curriculum needs and personal interests. Choices on offer include creative writing with Hong Kong’s inimitable Nury Vittachi, a tailored tour of the Disney dubbing and theatrical studios, cake decorating at the Complete Deelite studios, singing master class with Louise Thoreau, costume design, a day immersed Indian culture, exploring the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, ceramics, app building, photography and more.

The week will also showcase our students’ artistic talents through a number of events, including exhibitions of visual artwork, the staging of ‘Vinegar Tom’ by senior drama students and, on 10 December, our annual Ensemble Evening. The festival will again run the ‘Hong Kong Culture’ photography competition for senior students.

To entertain our younger students, the DCPTA is bringing award-winning international children’s theatre performers ‘Scotty & Lulu’ to DC. The duo will perform ‘Celebrate – It’s Party Time with Scotty & Lulu’ on December 5, 4-5pm, in the Performing Arts Theatre. We look forward to seeing the children singing, dancing and laughing in their seats.

The Discovery Arts & Culture Festival organisers would like to thank the many members of staff, the DCPTA, parent volunteers, students, and patrons who make this week such a great success.

Lauren GordonDCPTA

Annual event takes on new focus Primary sources support learningLearning experiences across a range of units in both Primary and Secondary are rich in primary sources. Primary sources include guest speakers, school visitors, field trips, artefacts and images, and they all contribute to the learning experiences of our students. By using primary sources as a means of learning we support students to connect global issues and events to people and places in the here and now.

The learner profile attribute ‘open minded’ is further developed through interaction with primary sources. People and first hand experiences provoke students to think critically, interpret different points of view and analyse and evaluate the experiences and opinions of others.

Primary sources are also key to developing the attitudes of appreciation and empathy. They engage students emotionally and personally as they see and hear authentic voices and images. Students connect to other people and their experiences in a way that they cannot connect to reading a book or watching a youtube clip. Most importantly they can ask questions and appreciate the complexity and multiple-perspectives of issues and events.

Trips and camps are primary sources that support learning through the five senses and with the heart. Students can see, smell, touch, hear and taste the world around them while thinking about a particular topic. By doing so first hand, they also have an emotional or physical response.

As a College, we are grateful to the parents and organisations, both locally and globally, who work with our students, sharing their expertise and experiences.

Lyn CootePrimary Vice Principal

ARTS & CULTURE FESTIVAL

12 MICHAEL KWAN

Autumn 2014 STAFF PROFILE

MICHAEL KWAN

One of the longest serving staff of Discovery College, Michael has been working as a member of the DC site team for six years. Michael, along with the rest of site team, works around the clock to manage the College physical space and all associated facilities to ensure all resources are maintained to meet the school’s operational and learning needs.

Michael’s daily responsibilities range from carrying out routine maintenance, monitoring storage of tools and site equipment to moving furniture and heavy objects within the school. Michael first joined DC as a temporary site team member and later decided to work full-time as he preferred working in a school setting with it’s own unique set of challenges.

Before working in DC, Michael worked as a tour guide bringing Hong Kong locals to various European cities for excursions. Due to exhaustion from frequent trips, Michael decided to leave the tour guide industry and instead started working on something closer to his passion. He ran a pizza delivery outlet for several years until it succumbed to big competitors.

Michael has lived in Hong Kong for most of his life apart from studying in England for several years to obtain his O-Level. He has two older brothers and one sister and currently lives with his mother. Michael is happiest when he is on a golf course with his favourite set of clubs. Michael looks forward to continued enhancements of the College facilities in the future.

David ThapaCommunications and Scholarship Assistant

Facilities Team

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Autumn 2014

STAFF PROFILE

STAFF PROFILE

KATE SAUNDERS

Kate Saunders joined the Discovery College Primary team this year as the Visual Arts teacher. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, where she grew up by the beach, Kate spent her younger years travelling and camping around remote parts of Australia with her family. She continued to pursue travel through her early 20s visiting parts of Europe, Central America, and Asia. Along the way, she lived and worked in Guatemala, Thailand, South Korea, Melbourne and now Hong Kong.

Most recently, Kate was teaching on Jeju Island in South Korea - a beautiful island with huge mountains and lots of walking trails. Although a beautiful place, Jeju Island does get very cold in the winter, and it is somewhat remote. Kate says she was drawn to Hong Kong because of the bustling city, beautiful mountains, sensational food, lots of water, and all the interesting people you meet from all around the world.

As the primary visual arts teacher, Kate’s day at DC revolves around her favourite space in DC - the primary art room. Spending all of her class time there as she teaches all 630 primary students, she says the bustling art room is like a second home. Kate has found that adjusting to DC has been relatively easy because of the community feeling at the College. Kate says that because everyone loves to help each other out and offer support in any way they can, she already feels like she’s been here for years and is a part of the family.

In addition to teaching primary art, she’s also gotten involved at DC as one of the coaches of the cross country team, and recently enjoyed seeing them race in the championships. She says she really enjoys being part of a team that is working toward a goal. Kate is a keen runner herself, and although she suffered some injuries over the summer, she is looking forward to getting back into running training and tacking a marathon early next year.

When she’s not at school or off running, Kate also enjoys spending time with new friends. She says she she especially likes gatherings that involve food, since she enjoys every aspect of that - from shopping for and preparing to cooking, eating, and especially sharing with friends and family, especially her daughter Zali.

Michelle MoutonCommunications and Development Manager

Primary Visual Arts Teacher

14 FORESHORE REDEVELOPMENT

Autumn 2014 HAPPENINGS

FORESHORE REDEVELOPMENT New spaces on the horizonWhen Discovery College opened in 2008, it was already known that there would be very little provision for outdoor sports areas. Though the College has an indoor gymnasium, swimming pool, and a limited outdoor area with half-sized basketball court, the space is not sufficient to support the needs of the student body, which is now more than 1300 students. The indoor facilities are also not suitable for games such as rugby or football.

Since its opening, Discovery College has been using the foreshore and Siena Park areas during the school day for general play, structured PE lessons and sports programmes when possible. The College is aware of the impact that this has on members of the community wishing to use these public areas.

As such, the College has worked closely with Hong Kong Resorts International, the COC and sports and leisure committee of Discovery Bay in the last two years to develop the foreshore into a more useable space. Through our discussions, it has been agreed that Discovery College will renovate the foreshore area in front of the College and Siena Club tennis courts. The plan comprises a College and community multi-purpose sports area with an artificial turf surface that is suitable and safe for many ball sports and general play.

In addition to the increase in sports play, we also expect that the renovated space will offer increased safety for children and community members due to the planned level turfing. The turfing will provide greater availability of sports facilities for the community including pitches, and the turfing used will be suitable for several sports, including rugby, football/soccer, and Aussie Rules.

We expect that the renovated foreshore will enhance the community environment in which these sports, and others, can be played by Discovery College students and community, and be enjoyed by parents and friends. The space should see increased accessibility for DC students for play, PE lessons and before and after school activities. Likewise, we expect use to be enhanced for Discovery Bay sports teams, other schools and pre-school centres, and all individual residents.

The construction phase will commence in December 2014 and has an expected completion target of May 2015.

Pat RomanoBusiness Manager

15PAY IT FORWARD

Autumn 2014HAPPENINGS

PAY IT FORWARDStudents commit to serving othersOver the past few months, a group of eager Secondary students have been participating in various local service activities as members of the “Pay-It-Forward” group. Within this group, students are involved in adopting leadership roles to approach community-based service opportunities.

Recently, this included a service where students visited local elderly residents to help clean their homes. During this activity, many of us learned the importance of teamwork. We also were engaged with unfamiliar social aspects of Hong Kong and learned from having meaningful conversations with the service users.

Another activity that a majority of us took part in was a tie-dye shirt fundraising event for the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council. A lot of effort and planning was put into making and packaging the tie dyed t-shirts, in order to ensure the success of the event. We managed to

raise a total of HK$6,452 which was directly donated to help purchase specialized equipment for disabled children in the community.

Overall, being a part of “Pay-It-Forward” has assisted DC students with considering ethical implications while working collaboratively with others. We don’t always have the chance to be involved in the local community to create a significant impact, but “Pay-It-Forward” has given us the opportunity to fully commit to the responsibilities that we have taken on.

Rachel Yeung, Tim Fung, Shanel Lim Year 13 Students

16 STUDENTS COLLABORATE WITH PTA

Autumn 2014

The students also appreciated the opportunity to have their work showcased, as well as the chance to understand what it is like to create designs for a client rather than for their own purpose or class work. “My experience working with this project was composed of frantic nerves and excitement because it was my first time working with a ‘client’ and an audience, therefore the requirements, process, deadlines, and expectations were quite daunting at first,” said Susan Park. “However, the friendliness from those involved, and their guidance and positivity motivated me, and truly helped to make this project a very special experience for me.”

Michelle Mouton, Communications and Development Manager

HAPPENINGS

STUDENTS COLLABORATE WITH PTAStudent artists showcase their workThe Discovery College Parent Teacher Association (DCPTA) supports a number of activities within the College each year. In doing so, they bring unique services and programmes to the students, teachers and parents. For many of these projects, student artwork is used to enhance the overall product. The DCPTA has acted as the ‘client’ for a number of secondary art students who had the opportunity to create artwork to be used in a DCPTA project. So far this year, student artists have included Katrina Raimann, Year 13, who designed the Student Directory cover; Samaara Malhotra, Year 12, who created the Family Fun Day design; and Susan Park, Year 10, who developed the Arts and Culture Festival programme design.

Working from a creative brief provided by the DCPTA, the students met with DCPTA representatives to discuss concepts, work through ideas, and create drafts for consideration. Students learned about listening to client needs as well as offering suggestions for concepts. Together, the students and the DCPTA worked through revisions of the various artworks to ensure that the finished product met the client needs.

“We really enjoy working with DC’s talented arts students on a variety of PTA projects. They are lovely to work with, and impress us with their maturity, hard work and accomplished original artwork,” says Lauren Gordon, DCPTA volunteer. “The PTA is also glad to be able to offer students a platform to showcase their work in the community, to experience the process of producing artwork suitable for ‘commercial’ projects, and to have the finished product form part of their portfolio.”

17HAPPY CAMPERS

Autumn 2014

The event bringing the most excitement, questions, nerves and enthusiasm to students coming into Year 5 each year is camp. Each year we take our 90 students and a group of enthusiastic teachers and parent volunteers on a ferry over to Cheung Chau for three days of outdoor adventure activities.

During these days - and nights - the children formed relationships and bonds with their peers and their teachers. We each saw and spent time with each other in a very different setting, appreciating each other’s personalities and behaviours. We learned that we are courageous, tackling homesickness, responsibility, different food, strange roommates and sometimes difficult tasks. By the end of camp we had new friends and a new opinion of our capabilities and ourselves.

The students participated in activities such as temple studies, beach rescue, biking, hiking, shopping challenges and camp games. We also cooked our own barbecue (with marshmallows) for dinner. Fun activities also included our night hikes and, of course, the ‘X Factor’ concert. Camp is one of the highlights of Year 5, and we thank everyone involved who made it possible for us to go.

Terry EvansYear 5 Team Leader

HAPPENINGS

HAPPY CAMPERSYear 5 goes on camp

18 JUST FOR KICKS

Autumn 2014 CURRICULUM

JUST FOR KICKSFootball CCA builds skillsThis term’s student-run CCA “Football for Kids” has been a wonderful opportunity to not only aid primary students in developing their football skills, but to also have fun and bring enjoyment to each session. All of us play football ourselves for local clubs, so we felt that sharing our knowledge of the most popular sport in the world with younger students in our school community would be a fantastic experience to see through the eyes of a coach. Having all been participants of similar ‘soccer sessions’ when we were their age, understanding the importance of a coach’s role has been significant to understanding our own skills in organisation and teamwork.

Obviously working with younger students it is quite a challenge, including matters such as the kids listening to us and interacting with other students in an appropriate manner, while also participating in each activity with enthusiasm. However, we very much enjoy the CCA because when the kids enjoy the lesson, or ask to play another game of that activity, or even extend the session, there is really a sense of contentment, knowing that the students are enjoying themselves. Without sounding too sentimental, when they have fun, we have fun as well, and it feels very rewarding afterwards.

Chris Dann, Kay Motiki, and Henrique QuitesYear 12 Students

Autumn 2014

19CHALLENGE: READING

CURRICULUM

In the Chinese Singing Club, students sing and learn Chinese with well-known and current Chinese songs. Learning to sing songs is a great way to learn a language. This method is successful because it is low-pressure and easy to follow along. The singing club provides great entertainment for students, and makes the challenge of learning a language more fun.

The club has selected more than 40 traditional or popular Chinese songs at different language levels. The teachers provide the lyrics and explain the meaning of the songs, then students learn the vocabulary with online flash-cards. Once the students are familiar with the songs, a Karaoke-style online music player is used so students can fully enjoy singing along. Some of the songs include “对面的女孩看过来

(The Girl Over There)” and “朋友 (Friends)”. We are also learning songs by SHE and many other pop singers. This CCA is designed for students in all Chinese Pathways, and is one that the students enjoy participating in.

Debbie TaiPrimary Chinese Team Leader

SING ALONGChinese singing CCA

CHALLENGE: READINGBattle of the Books engages readers

JUGGLING IT ALLStudents share interest

In Battle of the Books, a new CCA at Discovery College this year, we read a set list of 20 books by a variety of authors from different genres between the start of the school year and the beginning of May. There are close to 30 students from Years 7-9 in this CCA and we meet every Thursday at lunch time. We begin each session with 15 minutes of silent reading which is then followed by mini book talks, sharing sessions, and presentations by students. Once we finish each book, we create a list of 10-15 questions about that book and use these questions to quiz each other on the books we have read to see how carefully we paid attention to what we were reading. In May we will be competing against other schools around Hong Kong that also have a Battle of the Books group. This will be our chance to come together and work as a team in the Battle of the Books competition.

We think that BOB (Battle of the Books) is a great way to educationally develop and expand one’s range of books. Reading more books can expand vocabulary and strongly improve our presentation skills in a wide variety of subjects. The CCA is about reading many books, and mostly remembering their content. The latter is good for many students, as many forget what message the books give them. BOB is also a great way for

We have been running a juggling student-run CCA for the first term this year. This activity is inclusive of students from both primary and secondary, with participants from Years 6-9. We learned juggling in a PE unit last year, and we thought it would be beneficial to pass on this knowledge to those who are interested. In the PE unit, we had the opportunity to experiment on our own to figure out different ways in which we could learn how to juggle and understand the juggling techniques. This allowed us to gain knowledge on the different processes involved as well as understand areas where we struggled and how we overcame the challenges. Understanding our own experience helped us to apply that knowledge to our teaching. Juggling is a good skill to learn as it helps improve hand eye coordination and concentration, plus you can impress your friends!

Chloe Choy, Victoria Bird, Ewan Jones, and Jacob PanonsYear 11 Students

book lovers to come together and read. This CCA gives students a chance to read a wide variety of books for competition. So, all in all, we strongly encourage students to join this wonderful activity.

The list of books that we must read by May 2015 includes: The Giver by Lois Lowry, Counting by 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin, The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine, The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan, Witch Child by Celia Rees, Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks, Dovey Coe by Frances O’Roark Dowell, The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool, Witness by Karen Hesse, Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, and Genesis by Bernard Beckett.

Keira Higgins, Krijn Toor and Hannah WardYear 7 Students

20 HOUSE RULES

Autumn 2014

HOUSE RULES

On 29 October, secondary students and teachers enjoyed a beautiful, hot, blue-sky day at Kwai Chung Sports ground. Secondary Athletics Day is one of the major events of the year for Discovery College’s house system, and is a great chance for students to enjoy some friendly competition.

Students competed in numerous field and track events, testing their teamwork and sportsmanship. Highlights included the high jump, long jump, and the discus/tyre throw. Students rotated through the field events, participating and photographing their teammates. All participants also enjoyed cheering on their classmates in the various year-level relay events, and especially enjoyed watching the much-anticipated staff relay. Mr Philip wowed the crowd with his Olympic-worthy speed at the start of the race, and Ms Pickett crossed the finish line miles before the rest of the teachers.

Points were awarded to each house for student competition, participation and spirit. The competition was strong and participation levels were high, leaving everyone feeling a part of this wonderful DC community.

Jason MckimmonHead of PE Department

Teamwork wins out

21SPLISH SPLASH

Autumn 2014SPORTS

This year’s primary swimming carnival was again hosted at the Lei Cheng Uk swimming pool. The students arrived in their house colours ready for a big day of swimming and cheering.

The annual swimming carnival is an excellent opportunity for students in Year 4-6 to put their swimming skills to work after completing their six-week swimming unit. All students had a chance in the pool and participated in various competitive races.

When they weren’t swimming, students cheered on their classmates and House members, demonstrating their House spirit and enthusiasm.

By the end of the day, the swimmers were happy with the overall results. Purple House came first in the spirit and participation points, while the Green House leaped ahead in the competition points to earn first place.

Lawrence WilkinsonSports Coordinator

SPLISH SPLASHSwimming Carnival builds skillsTeamwork wins out

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Autumn 2014

COBRA SPORTS

SPORTS

U12-U20 Cross CountryCross country proved again this year to be a popular sport with nearly 90 students in the squad, coached by seven teachers. Training in the heat and humidity of September was tough for all students, however, the progress of the team was evident as we moved into the second half of the season. Two pre-championship events were unfortunately cancelled due to a typhoon and pollution warning, although another two events are Pui O and Black’s Link went ahead, giving the squad members an opportunity to compete against other schools leading up to the Championships in Pui O on 4 November. Although DC did not win any age group finals this year, the U12 Girls came 3rd in their division, and the U20 Boys came a very creditable 3rd with half their team made up of U16 runners. - Mark Beach, Coach

U12-20 SwimmingThe Junior team competed at RCHK, Harrow and DBIS this season. Captained by Ralph and Sophie, it was wonderful to see this team of young swimmers grow in confidence and skill, throughout the season. With 27 enthusiastic students the future of DC swimming is looking bright! Our ‘fantastic 14’ led by Senior Swim Captains Ryan and Grace honed their racing skills at Kellett, AISHK, Harrow and our own DC meet. We had some wonderful individual results and at each meet our relay teams were a stand out. The ISSFHK Championships on Thursday 6 November was the pinnacle of our season. Held at Victoria Park, there were 700+ swimmers representing 20 international schools. Big Congratulations to Grace, who won two medals - Gold in the 50m BF, and Silver in the 100m BK. The DC boys team finished 17th and our girls were well placed in 10th. However our list of achievements were not just team rankings and ‘bling’, but the effort put in by every member of the Cobra squad. DC’s strong, confident racing style produced 61 Personal Best times and some stellar performances. There were outstanding results from Kyle, Luc, Christopher, and Nastia who got personal bests in all 3 individual events, as well as the 50m FS leg of their respective relays. Showing true DC Cobra team spirit, Keith, Julian, Giorgio and Will did a great job ‘swimming up’ in the U20s division. Likewise Anneliese, Sarah and Anne were keeping Nastia company in the U20s, and scoring vital points for their division in the relay. - Amanda Walsh, Coach

U16 Girls VolleyballThe U16 girls team had a good development season this year with good performances against some of the big schools in the competition. The highlight would have to be the back-to-back wins against Canadian International School. Some player positives this season include Savannah successfully hitting an overhead serve, Tabitha dominating at the net with blocks and hits, Kira having a sixth sense about where the ball is going, and the leadership shown by Chloe. Overall, a great season and a big thank you to all the team members for introducing me to Discovery College sports as my first team to coach. - Lawrence Wilkinson, Coach

U16 Boys VolleyballAt the beginning of the season, twelve Year 10s and 11s approached an entirely new sport. Each of us were either unaware or had little experience with volleyball. Our first few games were difficult; little things like court etiquette nagged away at us as we tried to improve collectively. However, we put in the hard yards winning our first game just past the middle of the season against a strong HKIS side, adopting unique formations and strategies that we’d come up with after discussing our efforts throughout training. This year for us was never going to be about taking the championship, however it certainly was to be about development. Throughout the season we saw this development, as we moved forward as a unit, and as individual volleyball players. We’ve come along way and we’ve still got a way to go, but this year was about progression, and we progressed. - Jacques Meldrum, Year 10

U20 Girls VolleyballThe U20 Girls Cobra Volleyball team had a fantastic season this year. The longest standing members of the team welcomed five new players to the to the U20s squad, all of whom added great value to the team. We unfortunately missed out on a spot in ISSFK semi-finals, despite playing our best volleyball yet, showing off our team structure, determination, and best of all, our tight bond. Although our volleyball season in Hong Kong was over, we then jetted off to Chengdu at the beginning of November, along with the U20 boys team, to compete in an ACAMIS

COBRA S P O R T S SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

23

Autumn 2014

COBRA SPORTS 23

volleyball tournament. Not only did we all grow closer as a team during the trip, but we came first and the U20s boys took second place in the competition. - Martina Lo, Ashley Brooks, Chloe Chan, Year 12

U20 Boys VolleyballAfter five years of trying, Jolyon and Boris finally achieved Mr Watson’s dream of getting boys volleyball in Discovery College. Adding Krish, there was a trio of Year 13 young men who would dominate on any court. After a shaky start to the season, the team started to understand the game and court and played to their standard. As a result, the team finished fourth in the pool and qualified for the finals in Discovery College’s first year in boys volleyball. The first match was against AIS which was close but the boys lost it in third set. In the playoff for 3rd/4th the team played against DSC who took the first set 27/26 but the second set was won convincingly by DC. Unfortunately the team didn’t play to their potential in the third, and finished by coming in fourth in the pool. A great first season to take DC forward in volleyball. A huge thank you to all the team members for an enjoyable, but sometimes stressful, season. - Lawrence Wilkinson, Coach

Cobra NetballAn exciting year for Cobra Netball as numbers for our teams this year have burgeoned to over 70 girls and boys. Adding to the four senior teams (two each at U13 and U19), which is more than we have ever had, we are also excited to have entered Netta Netball for the first time – an adjusted format for younger students in Years 3-6. This will be a great training field for the future of this sport at DC. All senior teams have begun the first of two seasons strongly, winning regularly and looking to be competitive in the finals taking place in early December. In addition to the numbers of students participating, it is excellent to see two DC students Nicola and Grace co-coaching our Netta team. These two students have been selected for the Hong Kong U16 Regional Academy, and Grace is also a member of the Hong Kong U21 youth development squad. With great support from staff and parents, netball continues to thrive at DC. - Andy Kai Fong, Head of Secondary

Primary Boys FootballOn Saturday 27 September 2014, the DC Year 5/6 A Team was involved in the ESF-wide football tournament with 16 teams taking part. We were given a tough group with games against Kennedy School B, Peak School A and Shatin A. We stayed focused and played some exceptional football to win each game 4-0. Confidence was high as we went into the quarter finals against the DC B Team. A close 2-1 victory put us in the semi-finals against Beacon Hill School which we won 1-0. In the final we were up against last years champions, Kennedy School A. A great game of football was played with DC eventually running out 3-1 to become the ESF Primary School Champions for the first time. - Damian Trimingham, Coach

U14 Boys FootballThe U14 Boys Team took part in the ISSFHK Kowloon Division 1 this season. We had a mixed season with three wins and three draws. It was a very tight league which meant we could have qualified for the finals had we won our last game, however it was not to be. We had a young team representing the school this year, and the experience they got will of huge benefit to them next year, as the majority of the team will still be under 14. - Damian Trimingham, Coach

U14 Girls FootballThe team continued to develop in skill and unity, building on from last year’s season. The girls showed a lot more awareness this year in making spaces and passing the ball around with confidence. As a result, they won five out of the six matches which put them in the finals tournament held at Kings’ Park. While the team played with passion and determination in the finals, the two teams we played proved to be too strong. We finished the season with in fourth position out of 16 teams. We look forward to next year’s season where we hope to continue our success and hopefully win the tournament. - Martin De Barr, Coach

Autumn 2014 ALUMNI

CLASS NOTESUpdates from the Class of 2014Evelina AlexI’m attending the College of Wooster in the U.S., and I’ve settled in really well, although I do miss Hong Kong more than I thought I would. My favourite class at the moment is sociology, and I do yoga twice a week and take horse riding lessons once a week. What I miss the most about home is being able to shower without having to wear flip flops.

Daisy BigginsSince leaving Discovery College, I have moved overseas to Plymouth, England. I am having such an amazing time studying English with History at Plymouth University. I’ve met some brilliant people in my freshers week, although I do miss DC and Poppy, my sister.

Jasmine ChauSince my arrival at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, I’ve been slowly adapting to the new lifestyle here. I’ve met wonderful friends through orientation (pictured above) and have been exploring the magnificent city through travelling by sky-train and different bus routes. I’m currently taking Media Studies, which includes art history, film studies, journalism and creative writing. I now truly understand the benefits of the last two years in the IB DP programme. It gave me a solid foundation and experiences to handle upcoming essays, which I’m already quite familiar with.

Sie Rossiter I’m currently in Dublin, Ireland, but I will be moving to Boston next semester to continue my studies at Northeastern University. I’ve been exposed to a huge range of classes already. I’ve also been working with an organisation called ‘Volunteer Ireland’ every week, and it’s exposed me to another side of the community that requires assistance. For fun, I’ve been taking advantage of 20EUR flights to London, Barcelona and

Paris on the weekends. My school also takes me around Ireland as part of a class including to the Causey Farms bogs (pictured above). This semester in Ireland has been challenging because we don’t get a food plan. I’ve had to cook every meal to save money and have definitely become more health conscious.

Miranda SkinnerCurrently I’m studying at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Canada. There are great facilities here, including the wood workshop, foundation rooms, a multitude of computer labs and two different printing areas where we can print huge posters and tiny stickers. I’ve been attending art galleries and shows, and I’m also a part of the Woo Writers Group. Woo is the school-founded art magazine named after Emily Carr’s pet monkey. Pictured above is one of my artpieces where I superimposed illustrations over one of Frida Kahlo’s portraits.

Sienna StubbsI am currently volunteering at the Mirror Foundation in the North of Thailand for a 12-week programme, teaching English and doing outdoor work. It is such a great experience. I love submerging into the Thai culture and meeting other volunteers from all around the world.

WHERE ARE THEY NOWEzra Kohn

Where do you live now?I live in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City.

What brought you there?My dad’s job. He was working in Hong Kong then was transferred to New York City.

Where do you go to school?My new school is close to where I live, Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. The school is situated across from Central Park, and is an easy walk from our apartment.

What are some differences between your school and Discovery College?Aside from the obvious differences of people (friends and teachers), I was amazed to find that everyone here talks about American football, all the time. As I grew up in London and Hong Kong, I know nothing about American football.

What types of activities are you involved in?School classes and work keep me pretty busy, plus I am on the cross-country track team and work on the school newspaper. My first article is on New York’s art scene!

24 CLASS NOTES

Autumn 2014

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Autumn 2014