August - September 2015

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90 Aug-Sep15
LIFE&FAMILY
New Year, New Ideas
The 2015/16 school year at Kellett looks set to
be a big one for the staff and students. We asked
their team to give us the rundown on some of the
major events taking place.
Graduation and beyond
One of the few schools in Hong Kong offering A-Levels,
Kellett is welcoming the second ever cohort of Year 12
and 13 students to take the A-levels in 2015/16. There are
currently 17 subjects available for study, and the programme
allows students to develop both their academic and personal
strengths to prepare them for university or whichever path they
choose to follow after graduation.
Hong Kong kids are lucky enough to grow up surrounded
by many cultures, which means they get a very well-rounded
view of the world from an early age; Kellett’s teaching aims
to enhance this, to better prepare students for the world after
school, with the development of what they call “intellectual
curiosity”. Academically, the A-Levels are at the core of what
they do, but they also believe that in fostering intellectual
curiosity – a deep and persistent desire to know – students
will grow to be innovative, creative and imaginative.
Global outlook
Once a year, secondary students at Kellett take trips in their
year groups, and engage in community programmes. These
trips are the highlight of the year for many students, and the
aim is to help them become more independent, experience
new challenges, take greater personal responsibility and get
to know peers in their year groups better. The entire school
travels in the same week, and this year the trips will take
place in the autumn term, to destinations such as Thailand,
Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Bali.
Focus on the arts
While the academic side of school is the most important,
for many students the extra-curricular activities create long-
lasting memories of fun times and friendship. There is always
a learning purpose behind such activities though. Drama
Curriculum Leader TimHall says, “Working in the arts provides
young students with a completely unique platform to develop
new knowledge and skills in a wide array of areas: marketing,
filming, editing, designing, creating and performing.
Furthermore, young students are encouraged to work
collaboratively in the creative process – through negotiation
and planning, and with rehearsals and performances. Work
in the arts presents an opportunity to develop tangible and
transferable skills in a supportive and creative environment.”
This year, the students will get to practice those skills as
they take on a performance of The Wiz, a 1978 musical film
starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor,
which retells the iconic The Wizard Of Oz.
Whether they’re gearing up for graduation, taking the trip of a
lifetime with their peers, or exploring their more creative sides,
it sounds like the students of Kellett are in for a fantastic year.