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Junior Choral Speaking Team Claims Top Prize!

12/9/2019

[9 Dec] A huge congratulations to Ms Jenny Ho and Miss Janice Chui's Junior Choral Speaking (P.1-3) group winning yet another FIRST PLACE in the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival this afternoon.

Their interpretation of the verse "The Sad Story of a Little Boy That Cried" (anon.) impressed the judge, who awarded them 89 marks. The imaginative poem describes how a crying boy loses himself and becomes a big mouth which occupies his entire body. The team dramatized and visualized it cleverly.

The judge wrote: "...Interesting asymmetrical grouping. A very lively collective sound. Rhythm very well contrasted. The orchestration was most inventive - and movement and gesture were very well synchronized. Well shaped by pause - the lyrics delivered with clarity and energy! All "faces" were involved fully. Exciting visual aids!!!"

Huge effort from the teachers and boys has led to a huge success. Congratulations again and we are all proud of you!

Dr H C Lee

P.S. This is the team's 8th win since YWPS relaunched in 2003.

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6 Winners in a Row for our Thematic Group Speaking Team

11/29/2019

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Participants from left: Keith Chu 6D, Calvin Tong 6C, Aden Su 5E, Cyrus Leung 6C, Trevor Lam 6C, Bryan Cheng 5C, Lincoln Kong 6C, Samuel Lam 6D

With adjudicator Ms Norma Redfearn

[29 Nov] So much uncertainty before the Speech Festival this year as the Festival cancelled their sessions up to 27 Nov. The tricky thing was that our Thematic Group Speaking Team's contest was scheduled on 28 Nov. I had almost no hope that our session would be able to go on; I had little confidence to get on with the training; and I was planned for other outlets for these boys' performance if the cancellation would extend...but then, miraculously, the contest did go on as scheduled. And we took part, and won!

We were well aware of the fact that we were the only group entering this relatively less popular category this year (as the rules are harsh and preparation takes a lot more time than the others!). Nevertheless, I set a high goal for the boys – they needed to get at least 88 marks from the adjudicator! And they did!

A bonus for the day was that we didn't expect to be able to watch any other competitors' work in the venue because our category had only us to perform. Yet, Thematic Group Speaking was grouped with Words and Movements in the same theatre. So, we watched all the performances and listened to the judge's feedback to them as well. That was some fruitful learning of styles and creativity on stage!

And the best moment, out of our expectation, was when the judge commented on our work and praised us by saying that we were awarded the highest score in the entire session (including the Words and Movements groups)! Somehow, in terms of scores under the same judge, we could still be proud that we outplayed the other groups!

We didn't give up, we didn't relax, we fought for a better "us" in the end regardless of whether or not there were opponents, and, we learned some valuable lessons. The topic of our act is "The Story of Rain" and it's of course water-related. Flexibility and adaptability are the key abilities of water that we learned in this amazing and unique experience. Keep this up, boys!

Dr H C Lee

P.S. We have video-recorded the final rehearsal of our performance. The clip will be available soon.

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H2O Series: Water (Ms Peggy Yau)

11/7/2019

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(Text by Ms Peggy Yau)

Water.

When I was invited to be the next teacher who shares something related to water on the English Department website (here), I carefully thought about it.

Water cycle? Water pollution? Hydrology? Oceanography? I’m sure you all can tell a little about it.

The wondrous experience in the water? A deadly accident in the water? The best descriptive writing about the water? They shouldn’t be something too unfamiliar to you.

Then I think I shall do something different, something special – in a sense it can make you think, make you reflect on it, and make you respond to it. Here, I have written a fictional poem titled The Last Drop of Water. What would you do if you have the last drop of water? What would I do with my last drop?

The Last Drop of Water

Is the Earth coming to the end?

Dried rivers, dried seas.
Dried puddles, dried streams.
There’s no clean water, not anywhere.
How can our beloved home be so bare?

Now beside the last withered apricot,
Stands a little kiddie with a little pot.
Inside it he shall carefully retain
The most precious last drop of rain.

And take a look at everyone,
Who all hold their last drop but never for fun.
Clutching their bottles, heartbroken and frail,
Would it make the very last fairy tale?

Suddenly the kiddie who always stays hopeful,
Comes up with a wheeze that’s rather unusual.
“Let’s collect all the last drops and give the apricot some drinks.
The apricot shall live, and so do other tiny living things.”

No scoffing, no disapproving,
Everyone lines up to feed the poor shrunken thing.
Slowly and gradually the apricot looks a little beamy,
And look – oh the moistened earth is now going streamy.

The stream gently enriches the soil and the plants around,
And the most amazing thing happens – there is a little cloud!
From cirrus to cumulus to stratus,
Till it finally becomes too heavy and reaches a raining status.

Now the last drops from everyone become the last drinks for the dry,
Then the water goes to the soil and becomes the cloud in the sky.
Hydrated rivers, hydrated seas.
Hydrated puddles, hydrated streams.

Is the Earth coming to the end?
No, it is not if we’re all devoted to be a friend!

What about you? What is your last drop of water? Can you create some great pieces, may it be a poem, a story, or a fable? Looking forward to your responses.

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H2O Series: Green Island (Mr Philip Tse)

10/15/2019

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Text and photos by Mr Philip Tse

Last year, my family and I spent over two weeks in Australia during the summer holiday. For five of those nights, we stayed on an island called the Green Island, which is a beautiful 6000-year-old coral cay located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. (Q1: Do you know how a coral cay was formed?)

As you can see in the photos above, the weather was fantastic! We expected the water to be clean and clear but its purity simply left us dumbfounded. The only idea we had at that moment was to claim our snorkelling equipment and jump right into the water!

And that’s exactly what we did! As soon as we were done getting advice, half-heartedly, from the equipment guy, we merged into this natural interactive aquarium. There were all kinds of fish: big solemn-looking ones which liked to keep their distance, and tough little ones which would look right into our eyes in defending their territory. Occasionally, we would meet some starfish, rays, or even sea turtles! The turtles were definitely the superstars and they would draw the attention of literally everyone at the beach. Even the little kids would abandon the sandcastles made in a heartbeat just to catch a glimpse of them! Once there was this super friendly turtle swimming right next to me but unfortunately I could not turn on my camera quick enough. It was such an amazing moment! At the same time, I thought about the sea animals which are forced to live in polluted waters and I was saddened by the thought. (Q2: Which is your favourite sea animal in the Great Barrier Reef?)

There were many other things to do besides snorkelling and sunbathing. Taking a ride on the glass bottom boat allowed us to see even more fascinating sea animals from further off shore. Every evening, staff members would feed the seagulls, which were eagerly anticipating the food and fighting for the best positions. There were also night walks for us to join so that we could get to know more about the unique ecosystem on the island.

My favourite moment during my stay there was the hour I spent all alone at the beach one night, listening to the paddling waves and taking pictures of the stars with just a point-and-shoot camera mounted on a tripod in complete darkness. The marvellous Milky Way reminded me once again how negligible human beings are within this vast universe. We are fortunate enough to have this beautiful planet and we should all protect it. Needless to say, I was inspired by this whole experience on Green Island. (Q3: What have you done to help save the living environment of the sea animals?)

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H2O Series: Hot (But Not That Hot) Springs (Mr Sampras Lee)

9/30/2019

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Text and Photo by Mr Sampras Lee

When we think of bodies of water, our minds are immediately drawn to the major oceans, seas, rivers and lakes of the world. But none of them, in my opinion, compares to the warmth and comfort of one particular type of water body. If you have ever had the pleasure of sitting comfortably in a nice and steamy hot spring, you would know exactly what I’m talking about!

Hot springs, in case you didn’t know, are pools of water that are filled with geothermally heated water that has risen from the Earth’s crust to its surface. This means that many hot springs can be found near areas of volcanic activity. Imagine how hot that must be! So hot, in fact, that some hot springs are measured at almost 100°C! Fortunately, the hot springs that you and I get to enjoy are usually at pleasant temperatures of around 37°C (Question 1: Hmm… Why do you reckon this is such a pleasant temperature for us?).

You may have heard of the many health benefits of soaking in a hot spring, such as the boost of blood circulation, reduction of stress, and relief of pain, to name but a few. It is with those appealing benefits in mind that I visited the hot spring as shown in the picture below (Question 2: Can you guess where in the world it might be?)

Lo and behold! I felt the positive effects of hot springs right away! I could feel my body gradually relax with each passing moment, and my worries drift away – it was such a delightful experience. I even tried out the ‘cold’ spring (around 20°C – freezing!) right next to the hot springs on a local’s recommendation, and although it was quite a shock to my body initially, I felt much more refreshed afterwards because of it (Question 3: Why do you think people hop in the ‘cold’ spring right after soaking in the hot one?).

For those of you that have never tried soaking in a hot spring, make sure it’s on your to-do list for your next holiday! For those of that have tried it before, share with us how you found the experience! Where did you try it? How did it feel? Would you recommend it to your fellow schoolmates? Why or why not?

Looking forward to all your responses! Bye for now ;)

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H2O Series: Sun and Beach Holidays (Dr Lee)

9/21/2019

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Text and Photos by Dr H C Lee

Welcome to our new school year with a brand new school theme of "How Too Obvious (H2O)" which is OBVIOUSLY water-related.

Talking about water, I must share with you my unforgettable summer trip in a gorgeous country where I saw amazing beaches that can hardly be found in Hong Kong. These beaches had very long shorelines and the water was crystal clear! Not a single piece of rubbish was found on the sands which also reflected the high quality of citizenship.

The sands were fine like powder! You would never need to worry about the sands cutting your bare feet! A lot of seagulls like to sit on the sands too! These places give you incredible shots even if you aren't good at photography!

Sunset was particularly amazing here, which is a different place from the first picture. This gave me a peaceful feeling. The sky was so huge and I felt so relaxing and free. What was even better was that there weren't many people. If this place were in Hong Kong, I'm sure there would be lots of swimmers and tourists crowding around the place. But, hang on, if these beaches were so amazingly attractive, why were there so few people?

I also discovered this incredible swimming pool right next to the beach in picture 2. In this angle, the waters seemed to be merged together as one! Would you like to swim in this pool? Or jump down to the beach instead? I prefer playing in the beach to swimming in this pool particularly because I have no idea what those black matters at the bottom of the pool are! What do you think?

A final OBVIOUS question...where did I find these amazing places? Can you name these locations? Tell me what you think about these pictures and do share with us your beach/pool related experience in the comment box below or even ask further questions! Happy swimming!

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When Great Shows Collide - Drama Fiesta 2019

6/25/2019

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It was certainly a moving day seeing all the boys activating every dramatic cell in their bodies performing on stage this morning for our yearly Drama Fiesta.

Both junior and senior sessions showed the brilliantly witty video “Alattin and the Magic Tin” (directed by Ms Angel Leung) and the humourous drama “When Fairy Tales Collide...” performed by our drama team (directed by Mrs Paul, Ms Yau and Ms Cheng). But the most exciting parts to me were the competitions by the P.3 (Mini-dramas) and P.6 (Improved Dramas) students.

For the Mini-drama Competition, each class of P.3 sent out three boys to perform a version of Esio Trot or Magic Finger. And some of them had to do cross-gender performance and they did it so confidently and naturally! The P.6 Improvised Drama contest was particularly impressive. With only 10 minutes to prepare for a scene given on the spot, our boys (5 actors from each P.6 class) gave the audience nothing short of creative, funny, well-designed and language-wise fantastic short dramas on stage. When I was their age, I couldn't do anything near that, let alone doing it in front of hundreds of people.

Another interesting addition to our Fiesta this year was the puppet-making activities in the classrooms. Our creative boys made use of the opportunity to show us what a good puppet should look and act like!

My salute to all the participating boys, English teachers, MCs, parent helpers, other colleagues who helped in the Fiesta and of course, Mrs Lam our Headmistress. Mrs Lam sat through both sessions and gave enormous supports to the Fiesta, and it made a huge difference!

It was a great celebration of English as the year ends. Our shows have once again confirmed that: English IS awesome!

Dr H C Lee

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P.6 English Debaters Win in Grand Finals Match

6/22/2019

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[21 Jun] Our P.6 English debating team went up against Yau Ma Tei Catholic Primary School in one of the Grand Finals of the Hong Kong Secondary Schools Debating Competition (HKSSDC) held at YWPS today. The topic for this debate was “This house believes that parents of children who commit crimes should also be penalised” and YWPS argued the affirmative case.

In the end, YWPS won by one point and Jonathan Ford (6E) was awarded best speaker. His teammates in the finals were his classmates Hanson Fung and Kaiser Wong. Congratulations and thanks must also go to Alex Lam (6C), Reinhold Liu (6C) Nathan Shek (6C) and Julian Chan (6E) for also competing in this team this year. Their debating skills were instrumental in getting us into these finals.

Our other P.6 English debating team will compete next Tuesday in another Grand Final match against St Francis’ Canossian Primary School! We wish this team all the best!

Mr Thomas Ching
Debating Team Coach

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P.6 English Enhancement Class Wraps up...

6/21/2019

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Hope the above video is self-explanatory. It has been very nice teaching the P.6 enhancement group and offering them challenging tasks in a variety of aspects of English. It was also a great chance promoting the artistic side of English though, understandably, it was not particularly easy for boys!

However, after a whole year of training (despite the condition of the humble room), the participants of the English enhancement class have shown very good progress and some of their good works have been chosen and published in ACE – a special journal I produce yearly out of my students' intriguing writings. Below is the version for the enhancement group.

Click to download

The booklet concludes our work over the school year and my respect to these young and brilliant English users who have chosen to study in Ying Wa Primary School. Hope you will enjoy their work and that they will continue to keep up their English standard and appreciate poetry, literature and creative writing after they graduate.

Happy reading!

Dr H C Lee

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Dr Lee Awarded Champion in Writing Contest

6/15/2019

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Dr Lee receiving Champion trophy from Ms Ng, Managing Director (Hong Kong) of Oxford University Press (China) Ltd.

[15 June] I am honoured to have received a champion trophy this morning for Oxford Primary English Writing Competition organized by Oxford University Press.

I joined the teachers' category of which the task was to design an itinerary for a "green" exchange tour. Heavily inspired by Ying Wa Primary School's Singapore tours in these 2 years, I wrote about visiting Singapore with Fairfield Methodist Primary School as a major stop.

My strategy of impressing the judges was perhaps the details I gave and the extra contents I put in. The standard worksheet provided very limited space for creativity but as extra sheets were allowed, I took advantage of that! I think when you craft anything for a contest, a way of success is to be brave to "break new ground"!

See below for my work. Do you want to join this "green" tour?

Dr H C Lee