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KINGSPARK NEWS Club Number: 30119 2006-07 Rotary Year : Issue 9 : 3 November | ||
| This
is the biweekly bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong Club Website: http://www.rotary3450.org/kingspark-hongkong | ||
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| Chief
Editor : Francis Wann Club Webmaster : John Wan | ||
| Editorial
(Rotary
and Education) - By Francis Wann | ||
| District Website | RI Website | RI President | TRF | News Room | Global History Fellowship | ||
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Rotary and Education Rotary has just signed a pact with the Education and Manpower bureau, and Secretary Professor Authur Li acknowledged the importance of experiences outside the classroom. It was certainly a bit of action-packed scenario at Kingspark when we started off with a bang, with students from Hontung Secondary taking an active interest in the meaning of justice and our legal system. This editor has been trying to put together a special edition highlighting the Mock Court, with contributions from students reflecting on the process firsthand. I also made it specific that although our bulletin is in English, we can always have articles in Chinese as long as they are genuine. Indeed we've been expecting an avalanche of writings from the students. It didn't happen. But I must thank Wendy Ho the Principal for her excellent piece of work which aptly describes the fruit of our partnership. Now it comes to a point when everyone should sit down and think - Just wherein lies the spirit of Rotary? It's not that we managed to help put together a show which amazed every party including the EMB. That would be beside the point. Hopefully the A Level students would realize, over time and through more active participation, the true meaning of service and humanity. Tomorrow November 2 we should hear from the students how they perceive the experience during our luncheon meeting, and let's hope there'll be plenty of impromptu speeches rather than rehearsed and prepared pieces. And let's hope the students will have something to inspire everyone of us. To lead by example - the catchphrase so often on our lips - might be something we have to learn from students. As the single most featured Rotary Club bulletin on the district website, I sometimes felt disturbed that Kingsparknews have been going without our President's Column for more than two editions. I was equally frustrated when I visited our district site and found that both the District Governor and DGE's columns have been left untouched for a few months. The DG's message, as we see it, should carry the vision and wisdom to lead us in the right direction, and should be a message of hope for everyone, especially those in need of our service. At time of posting, the Government's already confirmed Permanent Secretary Fanny Law's new role as Commissioner for the ICAC, a very special position first taken by Sir Jack Cater who passed away recently. Over the years, Fanny Law's name's been synonymous with education reforms. Her personality and tactics have left a long trail of impact on the face of education, and the future of our students. Katherine Forestier said her work is done (1.11.2006, SCMP). But ironically for many teachers, work is never done. | ||
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Model Court - A Journey of Self-Discovery By Wendy Ho [Wendy Ho is Principal of Hotung Secondary School - Ed.] To bring diversity and fun to school life and to enable students to extend their learning experience outside of the classroom, the EMB has launched the "Adopt-A-School" Programme with the partnership of Rotary International 3450 District (Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia), pairing up nine schools with various Rotary clubs. Under the "Adopt-A-School" Programme, Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong was partnered with Hotung Secondary - a "love at first sight" encounter right at their first meeting. And once the match-making was through, wonderful and heartwarming things have happened one after the other, bringing vigour and momentum to the mundane life of a local secondary school. And amongst all the wondrous things that have happened, the Model Court was an unforgettable experience and a dream come true. The idea of the Model Court is a creative way of teaching values education, civic education and analytical thinking at the arena of the court. It is hoped that students could have a better understanding of the legal system of Hong Kong, make informed choices and reflect on their roles as citizens through the simulation of a court trial. All too often, students in Hong Kong have been criticized for their lack of creativity, analytical power and value judgment, but from the series of activities finally leading to the mock trial on 2 October 2006, it has proved quite the contrary - young people could fully realize their potentials if only there is a way to unleash them. With the resourcefulness and total commitment of the Rotary Club, a professional team comprising a magistrate, barristers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, police inspectors and policemen was assembled at surprisingly short notice to work with our sixty S6 students. This is really amazing. How could a local school have had the connection to such important people who help to maintain law and order in Hong Kong? The financial implication is one thing, but the very idea of convincing such reputable people to work with school kids is utterly unimaginable. The programme actually consists of three parts. The first was a visit to a police station. None of the girls have seen the internal operation of a police station, so the cell, the arms room, the reporting room, the evidence room, the gears of a patrolling policeman and the novel experience of entering a police car all added up to an eye-opening experience. At the end of the visit, students were given two mock cases to work on in groups. The second part was tough but the most rewarding. On a Saturday, lawyers and prosecutors came to the school to conduct a training workshop and guided the students in analyzing the cases. When one session was not enough, they sacrificed their free time to meet them again and again to ensure that the girls could handle the cases adequately. It wasn't an easy job, given their lack of training and legal background. The girls were a little passive and hesitant to start with, but the motivating, inspiring and professional attitude of the lawyers cast away whatever doubt and worry there was. Even the most reserved and timid was prompted to speak up when they were constantly given assurances and encouragement. Being professionals, the lawyers no doubt had a flair in understanding people and how they react. By giving the students repeated encouragement, praise and experiences of success, they could stretch their limits and bring out the best in every one of them. Then the trial day came. Students were dumbfounded when they saw the judge. Such pretty face, elegant look and chic style certainly did not fit in with the stereotype of judges on TV series! And she is a woman! The case in the morning was theft from a vehicle. Students were nervous and worried when they were first called upon to present their evidence. However, as the trial progressed, they got more confident and assertive with the backing and guidance of the defense lawyers and prosecution counsel. For a time, the defendant appeared so tough and played her part so well that people thought that the prosecution might lose. But finally the judge decided that the defendant's evidence was not convincing, and so the prosecution won. The second case in the afternoon was possession of illegal drugs. Learning from what happened in the morning, students gained in confidence and experience. They gave quick responses and were aggressive and focused in making their points. What is worth-mentioning is that real policemen and one policewoman were summoned to testify at the court! Being professionals (and good actors!), their appearance gave a touch of reality to the trial and brought occasional laughter to the courtroom because they looked so serious and real. In the end, the judge declared that there were loopholes in the prosecution's evidence and as such, the defendant was given the benefit of the doubt and he was free to go at once. In summing up, the magistrate remarked that it was a very worthwhile learning experience for the young. Meanwhile, she alerted them of some legal protocols and how questions should be raised at court. In particular, she cautioned them against making leading and irrelevant questions. But in general, she appreciated their efforts and commended them for their excellent performance. In retrospect, students agreed that the activity was meaningful, enjoyable and fun. It had not only broadened their perspectives and enhanced their self-esteem but it also helped to develop their analytical power, presentation skills and teamwork. A handful of them even expressed their intention to pursue a career in the legal profession in the future. In short, they all think that this is a valuable and unforgettable lesson outside of the classroom, thanks to all the beautiful people who had made it work! The Model Court may be over, but our affiliation with the Rotary Club has just started. We hope that we could continue to create more opportunities for young people to realize their worth, discover their talents and embark on different journeys of self-discovery. | ||
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Take the experience of the Model Court or Mock Court or Adopt-A-School, a lot has already been said about the programme: a local television station has featured it in prime time viewing, a few newspapers have run articles on it, long on the government and the principal official who sponsored it, but rather short on Rotary or Kingspark in particular. At the district level, a number of leaders have hailed it as a Rotary programme with unique and significant community involvement, and hence a big success. In our club, a number of members took time off to participate in the programme over a few days and weedends, and those who did had had a good time; while our chief editor has editorialized on a few aspects, some of which I would re-visit later. At the School, the Principal was all smiles and enthusiastic, and apparently very happy with what had happened - one only needs to read between the lines of her article to share her joy. The teaching staff and the students are all with her too. Finally, the students, for whom the programme was designed, seemed rather happy. However, our chief editor has not been happy, for more than one reason, and again one can read his mind by following his articles. Francis laments at the lack of articles from the members and more importantly, from the students. He was in particular rather critical of the President for not providing material for his regular column. He even chided me for not printing this issue earlier and asked me whether I was waiting for the President's Column. I was indeed. For the information of the readers, I received Wendy Ho's article on 27 October - full marks to Principal Ho, and my brother's on 1 November. I temporized, so that I could attend Hotung Secondary's Assembly yesterday and just in case the President could find time to turn in his piece. Francis is not the only member feeling slightly miffed. A past president who shall remain nameless questioned the wisdom behind the decision to shift our regular meeting venue to the School so that some members could attend the School Assembly. The past president is of course fully entitled to ask the question. We all claim that we believe in and practise democracy, after all. Turning to the School Assembly itself. I am glad that I attended it in full and that I like it. I had not planned to do so because I have been behind with other work, including uploading this issue of Kingspark News. I am glad to meet the students and share their joy and happiness. There is a sense of achievement in those who actually participated; and I detect empathetic joy in others. Then I caught up with a long lost alumnus who is now the Deputy Principal of the School; and very interestingly and fortuitously, I had a chance to share with the students some broad perspective on Rotary. It was a session on Rotary Information, and I enjoyed it very much. Such is the nature of things in life. Everyone can develop a different perception or perspective on the same event, or for that matter, the same object, same person and so on. An analysis of the situation can never be complete, but too much of it would destroy the thing altogether. Principal Ho and her teaching staff mentioned receiving inquiries from fellow principals and teachers of other schools on how they had pulled out such a good show, suggesting that betwen our club, the government and the school, someone must have done something good and something right. I would be content with this perception. | ||
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Views in any article in Kingspark News reflect those of the authors. They are not necessarily the views of the Rotary Club of Kingspark or of District 3450. You are welcome to write to Chief Editor Francis Wann or Club Webmaster John Wan on any topic, particularly in response to articles published in Kingspark News. We would publish all contributions as long as the authors identify themselves, the contents are not offensive or abusive, and would not offend common decency or common sense. You need not be a Rotarian to write to us and you have a choice to withhold your name in the published version. Where the contents make reference to statements or policies of individuals or organizations, we would try to obtain a response from the latter for publication in the same issue if possible. | ||
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Chief
Editor : Francis Wann The Board of Directors President
: Patrick Wong | ||
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