Open Day was held at the College this morning, the first step in the selection of students from Hong Kong to enter United World Colleges (including Li Po Chun UWC) in September 2010. I always enjoy Open Day, because it is a chance to showcase the wonderful things that are being done at the College by our fantastic staff and sensational students.
This morning was no exception. I was very proud of our students as they prepared display boards showing many of the service projects with which they are involved, speaking to visitors and answering questions. Other students volunteered to share their experiences of life at LPCUWC and answer questions at the end of my two illustrated addresses to the visitors, while others served as campus guides for groups of visitors who expressed a wish to look around at our excellent (and growing) facilities.
There is always one frustration that I have with Open Day, however.
Reflecting my passion for photography, I like to get some pictures to record this happy event, but the visitors who have come to the campus want to talk to me and ask questions - which is totally reasonable and understandable of course. Naturally, it would hardly be polite to start snapping pictures in the middle of a conversation! One way around this dilemma is to take photographs early in the day before most people have arrived (which is why visitors who found themselves in dense crowds today might be puzzled when they see the sparse numbers of people in these photographs). Another solution is to ask someone else to take some photographs, which is how I managed to get an image (to the left) showing me talking to the audience in our lecture room. Given the crowded conditions of this first talk, with about a hundred people standing in addition to those who had seats, I am certainly relieved that we will be using our new auditorium for this function next year.
This is a unique year for applicants, because it is the transition year from the old to the new education system in Hong Kong under the ‘3-3-4’ reforms. Consequently, we expect to have large numbers of applicants from both Form 4 and Form 5 this year, which will certainly place pressure on everyone concerned with the selection process. Partly as a response to this pressure, we have tried to streamline the application process, and this year for the first time, the students’ applications will be completed online through the College’s website.
The meetings today initiate a process that will not be completed until June 2010. The process is a long one, but it is well worth it because it has the potential to transform large numbers of young lives in ways that will build a better world for everyone in the future - which is why our College exists.
In the words of our President, Nelson Mandela, who I quoted during my presentation today, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
And that is why we devote our energy, our time and our love to this most important of responsibilities.