Principal’s Message

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,

Twenty students covering nine acts represented West Island as part of ‘ESF’s Got Musical Talent‘. Saturday was a great afternoon at Grappas Cellar in Central raising money for Jockey Club Sarah Roe School and listening to the sounds of classical (played by Stephanie Lee) and rock (led by Aditya Shrisankaraan),

I am also pleased to share that Tanya Dhar has been selected to represent Hong Kong’s U19 Girls rugby team for their first international tour to Singapore. It is a real honour and hours of practice and training have paid off. We wish you well in the tournament.

The Chinese New Year assembly on our last day at school was a real treat. We hosted the Kennedy School dragon dancing teams who performed two brilliant routines to a rousing applause from their secondary peers. Our debating team spoke, the choir sang, dancing was shared and Kung Fu masters performed in front of us all. I wish you could have all been there to experience the talent and appreciation that students shared with each other. The most telling moment was when the Chinese Department sang and were given the largest round of applause for the day. They deserved it. Leaders and performers have been working towards this celebration for some time and I fully appreciate the commitment this took.

We reflected on the concept of belief systems which have been passed down to our current generation as a result of the ancients watching our journey around the sun. We also thought about how belief systems in the different cultures are based on different ancients in different parts of the world observing the same phenomena – the journey takes 365 days. Whilst at times we might be worlds apart, the same science and human needs make us more similar than different. This was ably demonstrated by the Eastern and Western dragons in Mariam and Rishab’s short film. Photos from the Chinese New Year Assembly can be viewed here and the video can be viewed here.

Whatever your belief, in 365 days’ time, we will come together again to celebrate the next New Year. May we create peace, appreciate each other for who we are and commit numerous small acts of kindness on this year’s journey around the sun. If our Chinese New Year Assembly was the standard to judge against, West Island’s learners are well equipped for this.

The Rooster has well and truly been welcomed and West Island School wishes you all Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Yours,

Christopher Sammons
Principal