HKIS Pages
HKIS Pages is the digital home for school publications like DragonTales, the Annual Report of Giving, special graduation features and more.
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That’s right — in the High School the conventionally-named “Introduction to Chemical Engineering” course introduces students to the field of chemical engineering through roasting, grinding and brewing coffee beans and applying this knowledge towards developing the perfect cup of coffee using the least amount of energy. This curriculum, developed by University of California Davis, has been adopted by a few leading schools, including HKIS sister school Concordia International School Shanghai.
The course, taught by High School chemistry teacher Joanne Brown (a closet tea drinker; don’t read too much into that), brings together students in grades 10, 11 and 12 from all levels of science classes. Students hone fundamental skills such as organizing data sets, graphing techniques, as well as gaining tangible experience creating and observing different processes, such as the aforementioned flux (Engineering 101: this is the movement of particles across a surface; for coffee, the finer the grind, the more surface area, therefore more movement across the particles–the higher the flux, the richer the flavor).
When DragonTales popped in for a visit, students were in the process of caffeine extraction. They had all worked independently to control a variable–a bean, a roast type, different grind sizes, different temperatures of water, different brew methods.
Student Isaac Cheng explained his task for the day. “Last week I started to ferment these beans with yeast to experiment with increasing the flavor depth and complexity. Different bacteria and culture creates different flavors. The easiest one to get is yeast, which I can get in Wellcome, so I used yeast!”
“Especially when you try new things, you have to research it, you have to learn more, which is very interesting,” he adds.
Ms. Brown can see clearly the learning that takes place for students with all levels of experience. “Students are going to leave the course and understand an engineering process that can be applied to a lot of materials around us that come from raw sources and have to be processed and made into what we use.”
This course showcases the types of classes that the High School is offering to students. It’s a “design thinking” approach (how do students problem-solve creatively), blended with a choice-based approach (how can students pick a course that is interesting to them, so they learn core concepts in an accessible and fun way). Keep an eye on the High School–there’s more to come!
Isaac Cheng
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How Students Change HKIS: A For Girls Story
An interview with the For Girls Leaders and members, who talk about how period products reached HKIS bathrooms.
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Interviewing Ziyad Broker: Migrant workers and positive psychology
Ziyad Broker '23 talks about his GOA capstone project which was in the top 3% of the nominations for the GOA Catalyst Exhibition showcase. He discusses the lives of migrant workers and how positive psychology has shaped his worldview.
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Grade 5 Writing Workshop
Explore the creative process of HKIS’ young writers as they talk about their experiences in their Grade 5 writing workshop.
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Women in Data Conference
Discover how HKIS’s curriculum in STEM supported a student to present at a conference hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
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Let It Snow
For the first time in three years of virtual and hybrid events, the whole school gathered in the High School to celebrate the start of the Christmas season in community. And for the first time, we let it snow in the High School Plaza!
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The Past in the Present
HKIS Students “speak” to Holocaust survivors through Dimensions in Testimony, a virtual reality program brought to HKIS by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Center.
