Middle School

REPLACE PHOTO

Self-Motivated Learning

Self-Motivated Learning (SML) projects play a central role in Middle School. All students have dedicated time in the second semester to engage in an iterative process that allows them to identify a curiosity or passion and deepen their knowledge or skillset. Over 70 of our students identified a passion of “Serving Together” by electing to spend their SML time identifying needs in our community and taking steps to engage in service.

Ceramist Justin Behm instructs students and teachers.

Spirituality and Chapels

Spirituality is a focal point of our Middle School experience. In addition to religious education courses, we take time to reflect and ground ourselves through community-wide Chapels. We use these Chapels at key moments throughout the year to stay “United by Grace”. This year, the Middle School hosted seven Chapels, including chapels that commenced and closed our school year. In addition to our Chapels, Spirituality Stations invited students to pause and connect with God and understand themselves through interactive kinetic stations.

UPDATE CAPTION

Choosing to Serve Together

Our Middle School lived out the concept of “Serving Together” this year. Supported by our school’s service-learning coordinator, Lindsay Ernst, Middle School’s first Dragon Day of the year focused on students engaging in authentic service opportunities off campus. In addition, Our Middle School play featured a dramatization of the lives of residents of an elderly home supported by Mighty Oaks. Our students met with the residents to learn about their lives and used this information to construct their Fall drama production. Our students served together in a genuinely touching way as the residents attended one of the productions and saw moments from their own lives retold.

✦

High School

REPLACE PHOTO

Unique Learning Opportunities

The High School offers some unique learning outside of regular classes. One such offering is our Teaching Assistant (TA) Program where students have the opportunity to work alongside a teacher and be a learning assistant to other students in the class. Interest in the TA program has quadrupled in the last three years with students having very positive experiences. TAs have shared they not only learn the material more deeply the second time through, but teaching other students gives them insight into their own learning profile as they figure out how best to support their peers. The TA program has also strengthened student teacher relationships through sharing mutual interest and passions.

REPLACE PHOTO

Building Spiritual Community

Students have an opportunity to learn leadership skills through our Spiritual Community Class by organizing our monthly gatherings. The ideas for our gatherings have been creative, inclusive and closely tied to Biblical teachings; the students this year have set a very high bar for both quality and content. One of the highlights of the year was the creation of a short film that shared the Easter story through a modern-day adaptation. We encourage you to watch When Jesus Came to HKIS.

REPLACE PHOTO

Community at the Heart

Spirit and community are two hallmark values of the High School. We see spirit and community in our gatherings, grade level events, spirit weeks, and through our Dragon Days. In September, we ran our first “Community” themed Dragon Day which had our Pastoral Care homeroom Groups (PChGs) taking trips around Hong Kong. Each PChG designed their own experience which led to building stronger bonds among members of each group.