Diocesan Boys' School Explained

Diocesan Boys' School
Native Name:Chinese: 拔萃男書院
Seal Size:160px
Seal Alt:School Badge of Diocesan Boys' School
Schooltype:Secondary; primary (since 2004)
Grades:G7 (Form 1) – G12 (Form 6)
President:Matthias Der
Dean:Ng Kay Kong
Cho Ka Wai
Wong Yuen Ting
Headmaster:Cheng Kay Yen Ronnie
Yearbook:Steps
Newspaper:Not Rigmarole
Faculty:136 teachers[2]
Language:English
Colours:Navy blue, white and red
Houses: Arthur
Piercy
Sykes
Featherstone
Sargent
Goodban
George She
Lowcock
Country:Hong Kong

The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is a day and boarding Anglican boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christian principles".[3] Having run as a grant-aided school since it was founded, the school commenced operation in the Direct Subsidy Scheme in September 2003. It uses English as the medium of instruction.

History

The first foundation

In 1860, Mrs. Lydia Smith (wife of the Bishop of Victoria) and the Society for the Promotion of Female Education in the Far East (Also known as Female Education Society, or "FES")[4] set up the Diocesan Native Female Training School, a day-school turned boarding school for native girls, affiliated with the Diocese of Victoria. As stated in its first annual report, the purpose of the school was "to introduce among a somewhat superior class of native females the blessings of Christianity and of religious training". The school sat on Bonham Road, a small concrete house on a paddy field. Lady Robinson (the Governor's wife) became the patron.

The school had a difficult existence. The Second Opium War aroused strong anti-British sentiment and so it was very unpopular for Chinese girls to learn English.[5] The school was closed and then reopened under the name "Diocesan Female School", but its finances did not improve. In 1868, Bishop Charles Alford took the school under his immediate superintendence.

The second foundation

19th century

On 30 January 1869, in a bid to gain popular support, Bishop Alford issued an appeal to admit boys into the school and to turn it into an orphanage. The appeal was well received by the public. In September, the Diocesan Home and Orphanage, for boys and girls, both foreign and Chinese, was established.

In July 1870, William Arthur, formerly of the Garrison School, was appointed as the headmaster and Mrs Arthur as the matron.

In 1878, the school was placed in the grant-in-aid scheme by the Education Department.

In March 1878, Arthur resigned. Bishop Burdon proposed to stop admitting boys into the school and to bring it under the FES. In July, he withdrew his proposal following pressure from William Beswick, honorary treasurer of the DHO, although the Bishop still thought it inappropriate to have boys and girls boarding in the same school campus.

On 1 November 1878, George Piercy, then master of the Government Central School, was appointed to be the new headmaster. Piercy focused on the students' academics, and the school attained satisfactory results in the Cambridge and Oxford Local Examinations scholarships.

On 31 May 1879, the school committee resolved to stop accepting girls as boarders.

In 1891, the school was renamed the Diocesan School and Orphanage. In 1892, the remaining girls were transferred to Fairlea Girls' School (a forerunner of Heep Yunn School). The Diocesan School and Orphanage was transformed into a boys' school.

Early 20th century

In 1902, the school was renamed the Diocesan Boys' School and Orphanage. It is unclear when the school was renamed the Diocesan Boys' School, although the name was used as early as 1918.

Rev. William Featherstone, headmaster from 1918 to 1931, introduced the prefects' system, a house system and Speech Day. He also moved the school from Bonham Road to a hill site in Mong Kok. Construction was completed in 1926. In February 1927, the British military authorities took the school for use as a hospital for one year.

When war broke out in China in 1937, the school showed its support towards the Chinese Nationalist Party. In January 1938, a shoe-shining club was organised under the permission of Rev. Christopher Sargent to raise funds for the Nationalist government. Boys went to schools around Hong Kong and polished shoes for teachers and students.[6] In 1939, there was a school strike when a student with Japanese citizenship was appointed as head prefect.[7]

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, most of the school staff, including then-headmaster Gerald Goodban, were imprisoned. The school building was transformed into a military hospital for soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Post-war years

Imperial Japan surrendered in August 1945. The school remained under the control of the Kempeitai until November, when all the Japanese soldiers were captured.

On 21 March 1946, J. L. YoungSaye, a senior teacher, got the school to run again. Oswald Cheung and B. J. Monks took up the post of acting headmaster successively. Goodban returned from England on 19 November 1947. Repairs started during the Christmas holidays.

In 1949, Goodban introduced a new house system in which houses were named after former headmasters, along with the Piercy Challenge Shield.[8]

In early 1950s, construction plans for a gymnasium, a Carnegie Hall (the old art room beside the demolished gymnasium) and a science wing were proposed.[9]

In 1955, Canon George Zimmern, also known as George She, was appointed the next headmaster, the first Hong Kong-born old boy to be given the role. As headmaster, Canon She welcomed students from poor households and affirmed the Chinese language in school culture.[10] Canon She also introduced the Garden Fête in 1955.

It was decided that the primary classes should be dropped for lack of space and that a completely new primary school - Diocesan Preparatory School - would be built, although the decision was only implemented in 1969.[11]

James Lowcock became headmaster in 1961. Based on his previous experience in the school, he restructured the administration to improve efficiency and appointed more teachers to posts with designated duties.

In 1983, Jacland Lai succeeded Mr. Lowcock as headmaster. A language laboratory and a demonstration room were built. The electrics and alarm installations were renovated, the school walls repainted, and the facilities were computerised throughout the school.

2000s

In 2002, Lai was succeeded by Terence Chang, an old boy and then-headmaster of Jockey Club Ti-I College.

On 4 October 2002, the school committee proposed to join the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) with effect from September 2003. The application was accepted by the Education and Manpower Bureau in March 2003.[12] The DSS was fiercely debated within the School throughout 2002. Chang was highly in favour of joining the DSS,[13] but some students and most teachers opposed the DSS because they were afraid it would shut out students from poorer families. Alumni on the whole were slightly inclined towards the DSS. The school claimed that parents were in favour, though its findings have since been criticised as biased.

A primary school was built beside the secondary school campus. The project was financed by the government as part of the deal that saw the school join the DSS.[14] The Diocesan Boys' School Primary Division (DBSPD) had its first, partial intake of students in 2004 and expanded its intake with students aged between 6 and 12 over the following years.

In April 2012, Diocesan Boys' School became the first secondary school in Hong Kong to have a school app on iOS and Android.

In September 2012, Chang retired and Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng – an alumnus who had been the conductor of the school choirs – succeeded him as headmaster.

In May 2020, the school became the world's No.1 International Baccalaureate school, with an average mark of 42.[15]

Heads and houses

Roster of heads

NameName in ChinesePortraitTenure
First Foundation (DNFTS)
1.Ms. Wilson韋以信女士1860–1862
2.Ms. M.A.W. Eaton伊頓女士1862–1865
3.Ms. Rendle蘭德爾女士1865–1866
4.Ms. M.J. Oxlad岳士列女士1867–1868
Second Foundation
1.William Monarch Burnside Arthur雅瑟1870–1878
2.George H. Piercy俾士1878–1918
3.Rev. William T. Featherstone費瑟士東1918–1931
Henry du Toit Pyner派納1931 –1932, acting
4.Rev. Christopher Birdwood Roussel Sargent舒展1932–1938
5.Gerald Archer Goodban葛賓1938–1941
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (1941–1945)
Oswald Victor Cheung張奧偉1946, acting
Benjamin John Monks孟克士1946, acting
5.Gerald Archer Goodban葛賓1946–1955
B. J. MONKS孟克士1955, acting
6.Rev. George Samuel Zimmern (aka Canon George She)[16] 施玉麒1955–1961
7.Sydney James Lowcock郭慎墀1961–1983
8.Jacland Lai Chak Lun黎澤倫1983–2000
9.Terence Chang Cheuk Cheung張灼祥2000–2012
10.Ronnie Cheng Kay Yen鄭基恩2012–

Campus

The school is located on Kadoorie Hill in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon City District.[17] The school campus houses a variety of different facilities.

Buildings

Five new buildings were built between 2004 and 2012, when Terence Chang was headmaster. The buildings were designed by architect Thomas Chow (an old boy of the class of 1975), who won three awards from the Hong Kong Institute of Architects: two "Medal of the Year" awards (for his work on the Primary Division and on the Samuel Tak Lee Building respectively) and one "Merit Award – Community Building" (for his work on the Michiko Miyakawa Building and the Yunni and Maxine Pao Auditorium).

Curriculum

The school uses English as the main language for instruction, although certain subjects (other than Chinese itself) use Chinese as the medium of instruction. Currently, both the Primary and Secondary Division follow the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority's curriculum. Students start off with a common curriculum in Grades 7 to 9. After then, most students of Grade 10 or above fall into the New Secondary System (also known as "334"), and they will take the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examinations. Another batch of Grade 10 students fall into the Pre-International Baccalaureate (Pre-IB) programme if they choose. After they complete the Pre-IB programme, they will enter the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), and will graduate if they pass the IB Finals.

In March 2009, the school received media attention when a Form 4 student complained that he had had a nude female model as a subject in his art class, and alleged embarrassment. The visual arts teacher, employed for 27 years, told reporters that he had been inviting nude models without any complaint for nearly ten years. Then-Headmaster Terence Chang said it was a "big fuss about nothing".[18]

National security education

In December 2022, DBS said that it had already implemented national security education into its curriculum.[19] The school stated that "The objective is to deepen students' understanding of the country's development and national security, enhance their sense of national identity and nurture them as good law-abiding citizens."

Extracurricular activities

School teams have been crowned Overall Champions in archery, athletics (14 Grand Slams), badminton (Grand Slam in 2009/10, 2010/11 & 2023/24 in the Kowloon area), basketball (Grand Slam in 2013/14 in the Kowloon area), beach volleyball (Grand Slam in 2016/17, 2018/19 & 2022/23), cross country (Grand Slam in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2022/23 & 2023/24), fencing (Grand Slam in 2015/16, 2016/17 & 2023/24), football (Grand Slam in 2017/18, 2018/19 & 2023/24), Handball (Grand Slam in 2017/18), hockey, indoor rowing (Grand Slam in 2013/14, 2018/19, 2022/23 & 2023/24), life saving (24 Grand Slams), rugby sevens, softball, squash, swimming (11 Grand Slams), table tennis (Grand Slam in 1960/61, 2017/18 & 2021/22), tennis, tenpin bowling and volleyball (Grand Slam in 1977/78 in the Kowloon area, in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2022/23 & 2023/24).[20] [21]

The Diocesan Boys' School Music Department contains six choirs, a symphony orchestra, string and wind orchestras, a Chinese orchestra, and many chamber ensembles.[22]

Recent achievements

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

By 2022, DBS counts a total of 16 winners of the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards,[30] ranking sixth among all secondary schools in Hong Kong.

Exam results

DBS has 16 perfect scorers "10As" in the history of Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and 2 "Top Scorers" and "Super Top Scorers" in the history of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE).[31] [32] Prior to 1987, the upper limit for the number of subjects is nine.

7 x 5** "Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained perfect scores of 5** in each of the four core subjects and three electives.

8 x 5** "Super Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained seven Level 5** in four core subjects and three electives, and an additional Level 5** in the Mathematics Extended (M1/M2) module.[33]

Alumni by field

Politics and civil service

Law

Commerce

Education and academia

Arts and entertainment

Mass culture and journalism

Sports

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeID=510&langno=1&scrn=510777000133&inMode=2 School Information Search & School Lists
  2. Web site: Diocesan Boys' School – Teaching Staff Information . Committee on Home-School Co-operation . 30 March 2016 . 9 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160409091304/http://applications.chsc.hk/ssp2015/sch_detail4.php?lang_id=2&sch_id=2 . dead .
  3. Web site: Introduction - Aims and Objectives . 2024-05-09 . Diocesan Boys' School Foundation Limited . en-US.
  4. Book: Lee Jane . Christian women in Chinese society : the Anglican story . 978-988-8455-37-9. Chiu. Patricia . Hong Kong . 239–251 . Anglican Women and Social Service in Hong Kong . 2018 . 1066226424. Wong. Wai-Ching Angela.
  5. E. J. Eitel's letter to the Colonial Secretary in 1889, CO 129/342, quoted in Vicky Lee, Being Eurasian: Memories Across Racial Divides (Hong Kong University Press, 2004), p.21
  6. Steps, Diocesan Boys' School, 1938
  7. W. J. Smyly, A History of the Diocesan Boys' School (unpublished manuscript circa 1967)
  8. Steps, Diocesan Boys' School, 1949
  9. Steps, Diocesan Boys' School, 1954
  10. http://www.dsoba.org/oldboys/georgeshe/ George She Memorial Dedicated at DBS
  11. Headmaster's Report, Steps, Diocesan Boys' School, 1970
  12. DBS School Committee Minutes 6 June 2003
  13. Terence Chang, "Why Direct Subsidy Scheme?", South China Morning Post 16 March 2002
  14. DBS School Committee minutes 10 November 1998
  15. Web site: Global Top IB Schools 2020 . ib-schools.com.
  16. http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-11-23/TK-333058.htm 知時好雨, 潤物無聲
  17. Web site: Kowloon City District Map . Electoral Affairs Commission. 2019-08-30.
  18. http://news.singtao.ca/toronto/2009-03-20/hongkong1237539397d1666786.html 校長指毋須大驚小怪 男拔聘裸女供素描 學生尷尬
  19. Web site: Lee . Peter . 2022-12-07 . National security education highlighted in over 50 Hong Kong secondary school profiles . 2022-12-08 . Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . en-GB.
  20. Book: . Hong Kong Schools Sports Association 40th Anniversary . Hong Kong . Hong Kong Schools Sports Association . 1991.
  21. Web site: HKSSF.ORG.HK - HKSSRC. www.hkssf-hk.org.hk.
  22. https://www.facebook.com/DBS.Music.Department/ Diocesan Boys' School Music Department
  23. https://www.interkultur.com/fileadmin/INTERKULTUR/Events/Results/WCG2018_Results.pdf "Competition Results"
  24. https://www.hksmsa.org.hk/download/winlist/70MWinner.pdf "Competition Results"
  25. https://www.hksmsa.org.hk/download/winlist/69MWinner.pdf "Competition Results"
  26. https://www.interkultur.com/fileadmin/INTERKULTUR/Events/Results/WCG_2014_Riga.pdf "Results."
  27. https://www.interkultur.com/fileadmin/INTERKULTUR/Events/Results/WCG_2012_Cincinnati.pdf "7th World Choir Games."
  28. https://www.interkultur.com/fileadmin/INTERKULTUR/Events/Results/wernigerode_2011.pdf "7th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival & Competition."
  29. https://www.interkultur.com/fileadmin/INTERKULTUR/Events/Results/WCG_2010_Shaoxing_CC.pdf "6th World Choir Games."
  30. Web site: Past Awardees . 20 January 2018 . 20 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180120182112/http://youtharch.org.hk/past-awardees/all-finalists . dead .
  31. News: 2010-08-03 . 歷屆223狀元 . Ming Pao Daily News . 2010-08-03.
  32. News: 2022-07-20 . DSE狀元 . HK01 . 2022-07-20.
  33. News: 2022-08-17 . 【DSE2022】男拔1名考生成功「升呢」文憑試狀元增至9人 . Hong Kong Economic Times . 2022-08-17.
  34. http://www.luoshi.net/news1/shownews.asp?NewsID=1922 羅旭龢 香港實業家
  35. Web site: 2022-06-01 . Unexpected Turns in the Life That Made the HKMA's Chief Executive . 2022-11-06 . CUHK Business School . en-US.
  36. http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401566.pdf Diocesan Boys' School Seventy Years Ago
  37. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716081103/http://www3.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/citation_detail/19 HKU Honorary Graduates
  38. Web site: Judicial appointment . info.gov.hk. 2019-01-05.
  39. http://www.eac.gov.hk/en/about/member.htm Electoral Affairs Commission Membership
  40. News: http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20131001/00176_089.html. zh:再做爸爸 黃永光數口差. Dad again Ng Win Kong is bad in counting number. 1 October 2013. 15 October 2017. column Chinese: 中環出更. Oriental Daily News. Hong Kong. Oriental Press Group. zh-hk.
  41. News: 拔萃校友報師恩 給好校長一個家 DBS alumni show teacher gratitude -gifts headmaster a home . Apple Daily . Hong Kong . zh . 2 November 2009.
  42. https://web.archive.org/web/20040220234259/http://www.kaiping.gov.cn/kpjj/renwen/crj.htm 陳榮捷小傳
  43. 至潮神級醫生 救人不為金 . zh . YouTube.