HONG KONG (SE): In July, Wah Yan College Hong Kong, and Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section) co-organised “Wah Yee Summer School” [WYSS], a social service project which aimed to help Primary 4-5 students in the area of Sham Shui Po. The objective was to give primary school students a joyful English learning experience, as well as a glimpse of secondary school life.
This year’s activity was held from July 18, to 19, and 22 to 24. Some 40 volunteers, who were Form 4 and 5 students from both schools, took up teaching and administrative roles at WYSS, and underwent several months of training, planning and preparation to get ready for actual summer school.
Various interesting courses and activities were designed by student volunteers with seamless teamwork in order to serve 54 students from Good Counsel Catholic Primary School and the neighboring SKH Kei Oi Primary School with creativity and rigor.
Summer school proper began on July 18 with an opening ceremony, hosted at Maryknoll Convent School, and featured a mini-funfair with game booths set up to welcome the primary school students. The games and activities included creative art, sports, drama, and STEM. Before the students went home, they enjoyed ice cream.
The other days of the programme took place at Wah Yan. In addition to regular courses such as English, Mathematics, Science, and Music, they also had the chance to choose an elective, such as K-Pop dancing, dessert making and animal caring. The student volunteers injected a lot of creativity into designing the courses, adding such elements as experiments, musical theatre, and interdisciplinary learning, which helped to arouse the curiosity of the students and stimulate their motivation to learn.
The student volunteers injected a lot of creativity into designing the courses, adding such elements as experiments, musical theatre, and interdisciplinary learning, which helped to arouse the curiosity of the students and stimulate their motivation to learn
The primary school students were divided into six “classes,” each of which was cared for by two “class teachers.” This arrangement ensured the best possible personal care for the students, and also fostered the bonding within the class.
Not only did WYSS provide Wah Yan College, and Maryknoll Convent School students with an opportunity to serve, but it also helped them acquire useful life skills and gain wonderful memories from the time spent with young children and their peers. The primary school students had a joyful week of learning, met new friends, expanded their horizons, and were more prepared for Secondary 1 admission in the coming year.
WYSS came concluded with a simple but touching “Graduation Ceremony,” with Davis Chan, principal of Wah Yan Hong Kong, as the guest of honour. In his address, Chan encouraged volunteers and students to work hard and make good use of their talents to serve others in the future There were also group performances and photo sessions before the students were dismissed.
Marissa Yung, a F5 student at Maryknoll, joined WYSS for the second time. This year she took up a leadership role and was heavily involved in the preparation process. She found it tough but meaningful, and commented that all the hard work paid off when the primary school students showed their genuine love of learning.
Not only did WYSS provide Wah Yan College, and Maryknoll Convent School students with an opportunity to serve, but it also helped them acquire useful life skills and gain wonderful memories from the time spent with young children and their peers
Similarly, Sunny Lau, a F5 student at Wah Yan, also joined for the second time after a wonderful experience last year. “Here at WYSS, our aim was not merely to transmit knowledge. We also wanted to create a positive learning atmosphere for both students and volunteers,” he said. Sunny, who was responsible for overseeing the design of the courses this year, added that volunteers also learned many new things through participating.
Paul Yu, executive director of WYSS, initiated the project six years ago. “When I was a student, I was nominated by my school [Wah Yan] to join a similar activity and I found the experience very satisfying and very conducive to my personal growth,” Yu said. He hoped that the project would inspire and encourage students to continue the spirit of service, and spread love and hope in Hong Kong.
Wah Yan College launched the project as a social service activity in 2018. This year, as the two schools joined hands to run WYSS the name of it was adapted to “Wah Yee” [華義], both to reflect the joint school nature of the project and to underscore core values such as “voluntary service” and “companionship.”
WYSS 2024 coincided with the 105th anniversary of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong [1919-2024] and the centenary of Maryknoll Convent School [1925-2025]. As Catholic schools, both put strong emphasis on nurturing students’ spirit of service: Wah Yan strives to form Wahyanites to be “men for and with others,” whereas Maryknoll upholds the Maryknoll Sisters’ spirit of “making God’s love visible” by enabling Maryknollers to be loving, compassionate, and willing to serve. Each year, students from both schools are actively involved in various social service activities.
It is hoped that the volunteers and the students will cherish fond memories of WYSS, will be motivated and inspired to help and serve others, so that more positive energy will be brought into society.
