hkaVOICES 20th Commemorative Edition

20TH ANNIVERSARY 

COMMEMORATIVE EDITION

CELEBRATING THE PAST, 

HONOURING THE PRESENT, 

EMBRACING THE FUTURE 

COVER BY / Yuvin 

This painting was inspired by the school building 

itself. It is a landscape digital painting, depicting the 

brightness of Hong Kong Academy. The composition 

of this painting aims to show the brightness and impact 

the entrance has to this school for the many students 

who have been coming here since Kennedy Town and 

now in Sai Kung. 

– Yuvin, Grade 9 student 

20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition 

TABLE OF 

CONTENTS 

20th Anniversary 

Steering Committee Message 

Blazing a Trail 

01 

Our HKA, Our Community 

Fond Memories 

Dear Hong Kong Academy Community, 

photo by Hong Kong Living Magazine 

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea: 

A Place of Discovery 

Culture of Philanthropy 

There Is No ‘Average’ Graduate at HKA 

We are delighted to commemorate our twentieth anniversary with this special edition of hkaVoices 

celebrating our past, present, and future. With narratives, images and memories supplied by faculty, staff, 

students, parents and alumni, this publication aims to capture the collective essence of HKA. Twenty 

years of blazing a trail in a competitive landscape, embracing inclusion and diversity, and teaching to the 

whole child are a testament to our mission, vision and values and are themes that resonate throughout the 

various pieces that follow. 

We hope that in reading this magazine, you will make connections, perhaps learn something new and feel a 

strong sense of pride. A big thank you to everyone who helped bring this commemorative edition to fruition. 

We would also like to thank each and every one of you for being a part of the HKA story! 

Sincerely, 

Editors 

Photography 

Graphics and Layout 

Proofreading 

Special Thanks 

Bea Armstrong 

Lynne McCall 

Jennifer Swinehart 

Jennifer Wong 

Mirko Jeck 

Alice Woo 

Catherine Munoz 

Kirsten Ackland 

Three Locations, One Vision 

Future-Proofing Our Students: 

The Mutual Benefit of Inclusion 

A Year Reimagined 

Dear Hong Kong Academy 

Class of 2041 

HKA Wins Big! 

Bea Armstrong 

Lynne McCall 

Jennifer Swinehart

02 


03 

BLAZING 

A TRAIL 

by Bea Armstrong 

Dear HKA Community, 

On behalf of the 20th Anniversary Steering Committee, we would like to thank you for being a part of our 

20th Anniversary celebrations. As a community, we commemorated 20 years at HKA in meaningful and 

memorable ways to achieve our four main objectives to: 1) celebrate HKA’s mission, 2) foster pride in our 

accomplishments and honor key people, 3) inspire the HKA community for the next 20 years of success, and, 

4) establish a sustainable and embraced Culture of Philanthropy. 

In our 20th year, we welcomed students back on campus with the 20th logo badge on the side of the school, 

celebrated a Stubbs Road red door art installation in the front entryway, connected with community 

members around the globe in an online launch event, and continued to facilitate small 20th student and 

community activities throughout the year. We also launched a 20th Anniversary “Make A Difference” crowdfunding 

annual fund campaign and surpassed our HK $2M goal, raising HK $2,143,575 in total to support our 

students, staff, and campus. Everyone played a role in making it happen! A big thank you to a generous HKA 

donor who matched community donations 1:1 up to $1M, the HKA Board of Directors, the community, staff 

and HKA alumni. This tremendous support will go a long way for our students today, tomorrow, and for years to 

come. We look forward to 20 more great years at HKA! 

Warm regards, 

Bea Armstrong 

HKA Director of Philanthropy & Institutional Advancement Strategy 

20th Anniversary Steering Committee Chair, G11 Parent 

HKA 20TH ANNIVERSARY STEERING COMMITTEE 

Jeannette Wong-Coffeng G9, G11 Parent 

Alex Tancock G1, G2, G6 Parent 

Diana Laudani PTCO Chair, G3, G6 Parent 

Santo Rizzuto PTCO, G11 Parent 

Jo Oswin HKA Board of Directors, G7 Parent, 

Institutional Advancement Committee Chair 

Jennifer Swinehart Institutional Advancement, 

Step-Parent of Class of 2015 & 2018 Graduates 

Stephen Dare Head of School, Parent of Class of 2015 & 2018 Graduates 

Virginia Hunt Primary School Principal, 

Parent of Class of 2017 & 2021 Graduates 

Teresa Tung Secondary School Principal, Playgroup Parent 

Lynne McCall Institutional Advancement, G8, G9 Parent 

Bea Armstrong Institutional Advancement, G11 Parent 

When I first asked Teresa Richman what inspired her to start an 

international school in Hong Kong twenty years ago, she stated 

many of the same things I have frequently heard entrepreneurs 

or nonprofit founders say. There was a need not being met 

and she had an idea but needed the right ingredients for it to 

take flight. As she expressed what first drove her relentless 

quest, it was clear that Teresa, a New York City school teacher 

with a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology who had 

worked at Hong Kong International School and the Carmel 

School, had a vision. She felt inclusivity and diversity were not 

fully understood nor embraced in the traditional Hong Kong 

international school landscape. She had an intrinsic drive, a 

calling if you will, to change that, not only for her children, 

but for other kids as well. At that very serendipitous moment 

in time, through mutual friends and interests, Ben Frankel 

entered Teresa’s life. Ben, a lawyer and long-time Hong Kong 

expatriate from New York, had similar educational pedagogical 

concerns and aspirations. He, too, was seeking an integrated 

international non-denominational education for his children 

that would meet the needs of each individual child. Once their 

shared vision was realized, Teresa and Ben quickly teamed, 

set a course of action, and put wheels in motion to found an 

international primary school that offered a child-centred, 

holistic, and inquiry-based education.

04 


05 

Ben Frankel and Teresa Richman 

Though the international school ecosystem was competitive 

and rife with well-funded giants, Teresa and Ben were not 

deterred in their mission. They tirelessly navigated the 

government permitting system, filed the international school 

registration paperwork, secured classroom space on Hong 

Kong Island, defined the curriculum, and hired highly skilled 

mission-aligned teachers. With the help of a small group of 

parents and dedicated volunteers, they secured donated 

tables, chairs, and desks, scraped mold and repainted wallswe 

are in Hong Kong, after all. In August of 2000, through a 

labour of love, Hong Kong Academy opened its red doors to 

three students on Stubbs Road and became a reality. It was 

not a fancy start-up endeavor. The school was borne out of 

USD $100K seed investment from the founders themselves. 

According to former HKA teacher Lillian Lippencott, HKA’s 

early marketing materials stated, “Hong Kong Academy 

educates the whole child... champions its staff... involves 

parents.” Those grassroots efforts defined the bedrock from 

which HKA’s community culture grew and blossomed. 

BUILDING A SCHOOL 

Keenly aware of their skill sets, when the school first opened, 

Teresa and Ben divided and conquered. Ben leveraged 

his business acumen while Teresa focused on providing 

educational leadership and curriculum development. Having 

started the Carmel School’s primary program and written their 

curriculum, Teresa was no stranger to pedagogical models. 

The early days of HKA consisted of many handwritten class 

schedules and integrated curriculum charts. The teachers 

and parents collaboratively upskilled and partnered to define 

educational content that promoted the intellectual, social, 

emotional, physical, and artistic potential of each and every 

child. The community response to HKA was both tremendous 

and palpable. According to Stephanie McArdle and Joanne 

De Dios, educators still at HKA today, “HKA was a breath of 

fresh air to those seeking a small school where the parents 

knew they were partners with the administrators and 

educators. There was so much heart, motivation, and pride in 

everything we did - all with extremely limited resources. From 

the very beginning, in addition to the whole child educational 

focus, we were able to establish traditions and activities that 

fostered memorable cultural experiences for our students 

and community.” 

In those early years, HKA grew rapidly from three students to 

over one hundred. More teachers were recruited, classrooms 

were established, more families joined the community, and 

life-long relationships flourished. Along with innovative 

educational opportunities, the excitement and freshness of 

a new school, there were also external challenges to navigate 

in those early HKA years. Namely, in 2001, navigating 9/11, 

a USA event that forever impacted the world and the Hong 

Kong banking sector, and then SARS in 2002. When I asked 

Teresa how she stayed focused, motivated, and grounded 

during those early HKA years, she noted, “I was inspired by 

the notion that every child is an individual that deserves to 

explore their own pathway and a great education is about 

great educators. We were operating on a shoestring budget 

and amazing things were happening at such a fast pace. It was 

incredibly rewarding to be a part of building something that 

was serving a distinct need.” 

SHINING MOMENTS 

Building community partnerships has always been paramount 

for HKA. From the onset, HKA partnered with The Rainbow 

Project, a local organization serving children with special 

needs, co-located with HKA in the former Lingnan College 

building on Stubbs Road. The very nature of this partnership 

created an environment that fostered a commitment to 

inclusion and diversity within HKA. To break down barriers and 

instill a greater awareness of local culture in Hong Kong, HKA 

also formed a close relationship with the Wan Chai School. In 

addition to bringing the students together for local events, 

Teresa and HKA teachers regularly taught English at the Wan 

Chai School. These are just two examples of the founder’s 

integrated vision to create a school that clearly demonstrate 

the school’s mission at that time outlined below. 

To provide an outstanding international 

education for children in Hong Kong SAR 

by developing and nurturing intellectually 

curious, critically thinking, ethically minded, 

self-assured students who achieve their full 

potential as individuals and as responsible 

members of the global community. 

— HKA MISSION, 2000 

ILLUMINATING A PATHWAY TO 

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 

As is often the case, entrepreneurs never know from the 

onset if their idea will take hold. In this case, it did. Twenty 

years later, HKA is now a three-programme International 

Baccalaureate World School thriving in Sai Kung. Through 

decades of growth and leadership cycles, three location 

changes from Stubbs Road to Kennedy Town to Sai Kung, 

220 graduates, and thousands of community members 

later, the very essence of HKA’s mission and identity have 

remained the same. HKA offers an inquiry-based, holistic 

international education that not only values but embraces 

and daily mainstreams inclusivity and diversity in low 

student to teacher ratio classrooms. One could say this 

consistency in mission delivery can be attributed to the 

foundational vision and values that have been ever present 

in HKA’s culture - since day one. While true, a catalytic feature 

that has always differentiated HKA - and is still true today - 

is a close-knit group of parents, educators, and staff who 

value a holistic education, consistently show-up, roll up their 

sleeves, build community, and ensure each and every student 

is well supported in their pathway to individual excellence. In 

this time of great uncertainty, it is these very attributes of a 

distinctive child-centered education that define the 

true essence of Hong Kong Academy. This resilience 

and staying true to our mission will sustain us well 

into the future. Onward and upward!

06 

by Jessica Kong, Diana Laudani, Melita Law, Hilde Santens Debusscher & Masako Yoshino 


07 

OUR HKA, 

OUR COMMUNITY 

The Community Fair is the single largest HKA 

community event on our calendar and we have all 

missed it this year. Have you ever wondered how it all 

began and why this event has been so meaningful to 

us over the years? Read on! 

The story started when someone planted a seed in a classroom 

way back in the early days of the Stubbs Road campus. 

Co-founder Teresa Richman and a small group of other parents 

initiated the idea to ask students and their families to bring in 

food dishes representing their cultural backgrounds for sharing 

within their classrooms. As the school grew the event moved 

onto the rooftop at the Stubbs Road campus and transitioned 

to a whole school event held on a Wednesday morning. 

Students brought in dishes which the parents had prepared at 

home and through tasting these dishes they got to experience 

and celebrate their diverse cultural backgrounds together. 

It was at Kennedy Town where games started to be 

incorporated into the event, which at that time was still called 

The World Food Festival. Subsequently the event became 

The Cultural Food Festival with the addition of the Parade 

of Nations, a student parade showcasing country flags and 

traditional cultural costumes. 

When the campus in Sai Kung opened the event grew even 

bigger, with the addition of cultural performances, arts & craft 

activities as well as expanded sports options. Shifting the event 

from a Wednesday to a Saturday enabled the whole community 

to participate and so The Community Fair was born. In the first 

year at Sai Kung the fair included a campus opening ceremony 

complete with a specially designed HKA logo themed cake with 

Dragonfly topper. 

In 2017, a new feature for the children was the global passport 

which they used to travel the world by moving between 

country tables, tasting the food and engaging in fun-fact chats. 

As stated in the global passport “As global citizens at Hong 

Kong Academy, we embrace all cultures and find strength in 

diversity. We continually explore our understanding of our 

changing world and strive to find ways to engage in meaningful 

action that create a better world for ourselves and others.” 

Fast forward to 2019 and The Community Fair had become THE 

event of the year. The cafe and gardens were transformed into 

a display of beautifully decorated tables lovingly put together 

by enthusiastic families from more than 40 countries. The gym 

had become the hub of a cultural variety show including musical 

and dance performances from community members ranging 

from Pre-K and up, and children were enjoying face painting, 

cake decorating, football matches and climbing sessions. 

The event was dearly missed in 2020 but students and families 

continued to engage in their foodie experiences, sometimes by 

taking a peek in the 10th anniversary cookbook or an online 

version that features recipes from the community at www. 

bakespace.com/cookbooks/detail/HKA-Community- 

Fair-Recipes-2015/1805/. We all hope that we can 

soon embark on culinary travels again and are proud 

to be part of such an incredible community! 

SHARING AND CELEBRATING OUR DIVERSITY 

Diana 

“The Community Fair was one of our first school 

events that we attended as a family and we’ve 

absolutely loved it since then. It has always been 

a beautiful day which everyone remembered - 

even extended family members who sometimes 

planned their trip around the announced date.” 

Hilde 

“We had been drawn to HKA for its true 

international education and the food festival 

expresses this so genuinely. Always a joy to watch 

children trying different foods and connecting to 

someone else’s culture - lasting memories created 

right there!” 

Masako 

“We are all HKA citizens that come from different 

parts of the world and we come to celebrate our 

diverse culture. We come to share who we are and 

learn who our friends are. The Community Fair 

brings all of us together as proud HKA citizens.” 

Jessica 

“HKA World Food Festival /Cultural Food Festival 

/ Community Fair. Whatever we call it this has 

always been our family’s favourite school event. A 

time where everyone comes together to share and 

celebrate our international and cultural diversity.” 

Melita 

“Someone said the Community Fair is probably 

‘one of the largest international buffets in HK’, 

but it’s not just about food, it’s about showcasing 

our very own diverse community who are 

committed to volunteer and to contribute to 

HKA. It’s our community and our fair!”

08 


09 

As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations 

we asked the community to contribute their 

favourite memories and share what they love 

about HKA. Words like friendship, community, 

family, joyful, kindness and welcoming came 

up time and again. We also uncovered some 

lesser known stories… 

by Lynne McCall 

KITTY LAU, staff 

I have many pleasant memories of HKA. 

One which resonates with me is the 

journey to the office during my time at 

Stubbs Road. People might think that 

walking up and down long flights of 

stairs with heels everyday is a great 

challenge, but I managed to do it! At 

first, it was not fun but I gradually grew 

accustomed to this as part of my daily 

workout. Seeing the “Almost There” 

sign when I found myself breathless 

midway encouraged me to countdown 

the steps and continue walking up… 

It was a gratifying time of the day as 

I could kill two birds with one stone - 

doing my climbing workout at no cost 

and socialising with my fellow climbers 

along the way! /02 

JOJIT AU YEUNG, staff 

One of the amazing things about 

Hong Kong is the rich array of exotic 

wildlife and nature that surrounds us, 

particularly here in Sai Kung. 

Occasionally the wildlife pays us a 

visit at HKA. I remember when one 

of the Sai Kung cows was trying to 

get into campus through the main 

gate - she must have glimpsed the 

courtyard garden inside! /01 

HAROLD WONG, alumni 

My favourite memory at HKA is when I 

got to play basketball with my friends and 

classmates after school. Occasionally the 

teachers would join us too. This was at 

Kennedy Town campus and sometimes 

we’d play so late that the security guard 

would ask us what we were still doing 

there! /05 

CHRISTIAN COOK, faculty 

In Kennedy Town we used to have sports 

day as a whole school. It was lovely to 

see the energy and enthusiasm from the 

primary students rub off on secondary 

and secondary efforts and outstanding 

performances were really noticed by the 

primary students and set a standard for 

years to come. /03 

AMY FUNG & EVA HUI, faculty 

One time we finished work late at 

Kennedy Town, it was very dark that 

night and we couldn’t get out! There 

was a steel door which was made of 

metal, the lock didn’t work very well. 

We were wondering if we were going 

to end up staying there the whole night 

but finally we worked out the lock and 

went home! /07 

VANESSA, student 

I like the playground, the pitch and my 

friends. My friends make me happy 

anytime and I make them happy too. I like 

the pitch because I get to run around and 

there’s a lot of space. I like the playground 

because there’s obstacle courses and 

other things that help you do hide and 

seek or cops and robbers. /04 

JIMMY LAM, staff 

I have been working at HKA for nearly 

8 years! I love HKA’s environment. The 

most unforgettable memory is I am part 

of a great team. Although I am getting 

old, I still want to work at HKA. I love 

working at HKA! /06 

01 

02 

04 

05 

03 

06 

07

10 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition 11 

by Virginia Hunt & Teresa Tung 

From the town beachfronts to the country park coastlines, 

we can see the learning journey of our students reflected in 

the beauty that surrounds us. 

Back when HKA was based on Hong 

Kong Island, Sai Kung seemed like it 

was in another world. Over the years 

that the campus was being built, many 

of us could hardly imagine both how 

transformational and how grounding the 

move to the New Territories would be for 

the school and for ourselves. 

Today, it seems like HKA fits seamlessly 

into the landscape of Sai Kung. From 

the town beachfronts to the country 

park coastlines, we can see the learning 

journey of our students reflected in the 

beauty that surrounds us. Steeped in 

both gentle pathways and rugged trails, 

HKA students benefit from an enriching 

environment that echoes the learning 

they engage in on our campus. 

For our youngest learners, coming 

to school can feel like a day at the 

beach. The joy that radiates from their 

smiles and laughter as they come into 

school each day is a reflection of the 

safe learning environment of HKA. As 

readers of books, seekers of knowledge 

and posers of questions, our Primary 

School students are truly explorers of 

the world. They treat learning like they 

would a coastline filled with seashells, 

investigating each individual shell 

with curiosity and imagination. They 

build understandings like they would a 

sandcastle, gradually molding their ideas 

and stacking their thoughts together on 

top of one another in a myriad of shapes 

and patterns. Teachers are there to guide 

and nurture, providing reassurance as 

they wade into the waves and take their 

exploration further. 

As they progress through Primary School, 

our students pay attention to how their 

choices and behaviours can help to 

maintain the beauty of the beachfront. 

They might pause to collect a plastic 

bottle floating in the sea, recognising 

that every teaspoon of change makes a 

difference to their world. They practice 

slow looking, taking time to observe the 

creatures they encounter and wondering 

about how they can do their part to 

protect the birds and the fish and the 

crabs that they see. They also begin to 

look at the hills and mountains that lie 

inward, starting to take their first steps 

into more challenging terrain. 

The transition from Primary to Secondary 

is filled with excitement and energy, as 

students, parents and teachers alike 

embrace the burgeoning independence 

of these young adults. The journey 

HKA students 

benefit from an 

enriching environment 

that echoes the 

learning they engage in 

on our campus.


13 

Each learner blazes their own trail, 

making choices that pose the 

right level of challenge for them to 

discover new things. 

through Secondary School cultivates the increasing 

maturity of each learner as they establish their identities 

as global citizens. Supported by a warm community of 

faculty, parents and peers, each learner blazes their own 

trail, making choices that pose the right level of challenge 

for them to discover new things, develop their strengths 

further, and forge new paths. 

01 

The final years before graduation can be a route as challenging as the MacLehose Trail. Steep hillsides and rough 

terrain provide both anticipated and unexpected challenges, and each student must tread carefully as they traverse 

each stage of the trail. Years of honing skills and building resilience are called upon from the first stage to the last. 

With a clear goal of graduation in sight, the path is well signposted. 

The sense of elation, joy and achievement is visible 

as these learners arrive at their final destination as 

HKA students. Graduation marks both an end and 

a beginning. HKA Alumni embark upon a myriad of 

new adventures all around the world, and yet their 

roots to our community remain strong. As they 

begin their next journeys, some find themselves back 

along the beachfront, undertaking a whole new cycle 

of exploration and growth. Others set their sights 

on reaching the top of the next peak in the distance 

as quickly and as efficiently as they can. No matter 

where they go, the knowledge, understandings, 

skills, competencies and dispositions 

cultivated in their time at HKA help 

graduates feel secure in navigating their 

course, whatever the landscape. 

02 

03 

04 

DESTA OLDS, faculty 

To celebrate the winter season, the 

primary school choir and the ukulele 

band performed at Momentai. There was 

a tonne of friends, parents and family 

there to watch while we all performed 

together! Afterwards we all drank hot 

chocolate and listened to the HKA 

Community Choir perform. /01 

STEPHANIE MCARDLE, faculty 

At Stubbs Road the class parents of each 

class used to organise their own thank 

you meals for class teachers at the end 

of the year. Then the parent committee 

suggested a whole school event and 

staff appreciation was born. The parents 

came together and put on a great buffet 

spread and I remember being quite 

touched by this as I had never heard 

of such a thing at that time. Each year 

it went up a notch. In the second year 

I think there were tablecloths, china 

plates and proper cutlery! 

CONNIE NG, staff 

The principals, teachers, staff and 

students are all very kind, we get along 

like a big family. The school’s education 

is very diverse allowing the kids to 

express themselves easily. 

MICHELLE, student 

I love our tightly knit community, I really 

do feel like I’m part of a family. I’ve 

been here since Grade 6 and ever since 

I’ve been able to develop strong 

connections between my teachers 

and peers. Even my Secondary School 

Principal who greets me every morning 

by name asks me how I’m feeling. /02 

RACHEL DAVIS, faculty 

One thing I love about HKA is that it’s 

intentionally diverse and people are so 

genuinely welcoming. That diversity 

makes it a really joyful and terrific place 

to work. /03 

VICTOR SO, staff 

This artwork is very heavy and I am 

always worried that it might fall down. 

However, I have worked at HKA for 

5 years and it’s still hanging up on the 

wall. This is amazing! /04 

JARYD HANCKE, alumni 

The friends that I made at HKA are the 

best friends that I’ve ever made in my 

life. Everyone is close, I love it.

14 


15 

AT HONG KONG ACADEMY, 

WE BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING 

SPECIAL TO OFFER OUR COMMUNITY. 

Since our founding in 2000, HKA has been a joyful and collaborative international community of students, parents, 

faculty, staff and alumni with the school’s mission at the heart of everything we do. From the beginning, HKA’s Culture 

of Philanthropy - defined as giving of time, talent and/or financial resources - has been an integral part of the school’s 

fabric. We are an independent, nonprofit foundation and almost entirely self-funded except for the land and capital 

loan provided by the Hong Kong government. 

When you enter the iconic red doors of our vibrant campus, you immediately feel the energy of a community coming 

together in support of each and every individual to pursue their passions and reach their greatest potential. Our 

community-based relationships are what make HKA special. 

There are many ways to support HKA but one is by giving to the HKA Annual Fund, a general fund that supports 

HKA’s operational budget. Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund help the school accomplish additional innovative 

school projects not fully covered by tuition and the operational budget. Giving to the Annual Fund is a powerful way 

to support creative ideas and initiatives that bring HKA’s mission to life. 

Thank you for your investment in our students, staff, and campus, ensuring HKA remains an educational leader in 

Hong Kong. Together, we are doing great things to promise a sustainable future for HKA! 

HKA is proud to foster a diverse 

and inclusive community that 

offers a range of scholarship 

and financial aid options. 10% 

of HKA students receive a 

financial subsidy. Your support 

ensures students who might 

not have the opportunity to 

attend HKA are able to benefit 

from a rigorous and holistic 

international education. 

HKA’s personal, individualized 

educational 

approach 

continues to empower students 

in achieving their full potential. 

As a deliberately diverse 

and intentionally inclusive 

community, HKA strives to 

create equitable, accessible 

and healthy learning 

environments for all students. 

20% of the learner support 

programme is not fully 

covered by fees and needs to 

be annually subsidized. Your 

support ensures highly skilled 

educators and resources to 

facilitate an inclusive learning 

environment in every HKA 

classroom. Every HKA student 

benefits from skilled support 

and additional resources in the 

classroom. 

HKA is known as an educational 

leader in teacher training and 

development throughout the 

APAC region. Our teachers 

also regularly engage in 

professional development 

opportunities. By supporting 

robust learning opportunities 

for HKA teachers, you ensure 

our students are receiving 

the benefits of highly trained, 

innovative and skilled 

educators. Thank you for 

supporting our educators! 

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped us meet and 

surpass our 20th Anniversary Annual Fund goal! 

If you did not get a chance to support the 20th Anniversary 

Make A Difference Annual Fund campaign and would like to 

make a contribution, please scan the QR code to make a donation. 

Thank you for your support! 

As an ethically minded 

community, sustainability is 

fundamental to and evident 

in HKA’s learning, people, 

practices and facility. By 

supporting the annual fund, 

you will ensure HKA’s awardwinning, 

sustainable campus 

and unique educational 

programmes continue to 

provide a happy and healthy 

learning environment for our 

students and community.Your 

support will ensure a holistic 

international education for 

our students and generations 

to come. Thank you for your 

support of HKA, our mission 

and our students!

16 


17 

Ask any HKA faculty about our alumni 

and they will have plenty to tell you about 

any graduate they had the pleasure of 

teaching. Each class is so unique, 

each grade level carved out 

incredible memories and every one of the 

220 graduates has left both a stamp on 

our community and on our hearts. 

THERE IS 

NO ‘AVERAGE’ 

GRADUATE 

AT HKA 

by Jennifer Swinehart 

For teachers, the end of a school year 

brings an opportunity to pause and 

reflect on the group or groups of students 

they have taught that year. This is a 

particularly pronounced ritual when it comes 

to reflecting on a graduating class. Between 

goodbye assemblies, closure events and 

the graduation ceremony itself, countless 

conversations take place about ‘these Grade 

12s’. Often peppered with anecdotes that 

elicit smiles and sometimes even tears, the 

many adults whose lives were touched by a 

set of students recall pivotal moments that 

they shared both in and out of the classroom. 

And years later, this ritual continues when 

the memories that bring laughter and 

sentimentality serve as anchor points that 

frame the narrative of how we recall the 

‘Class of…’ 

In his 2016 book The End of Average, Todd 

Rose shares several stories that suggest the 

notion of ‘average’ is merely a myth. In one 

example, he describes a problem faced by 

the United States Air Force back in the late 

1940s when they were trying to understand 

why there were so many test pilots crashing 

their planes. Whilst the cockpits had been 

designed to match the average measurements 

of over 4000 pilots in 10 different physical 

dimensions, it soon came to light that not 

one of those pilots actually matched all 10 

average measurements. This realisation led to 

the creation of more ergonomically friendly 

cockpits, and eventually automobiles, which 

utilised adjustable seats, steering columns 

and seatbelts. 

Rose uses this story of discovering there was 

no average pilot to lead into the difficulties 

we have created in education by trying to 

establish averages in our systems of schooling. 

He challenges educators to recognise that 

there is no way to meet in the middle when we 

teach and to be truly effective we must know 

and understand every child as an individual. 

The graduates of Hong Kong Academy serve 

as an excellent real life example of just how 

flawed the notion of averages can be in an 

educational context. I arrived at HKA back in 

2010, when our first seven soon-to-be first 

graduates were just beginning their Grade 

11 studies. Thinking back to that time, and 

to each graduate who has followed, I can 

recall each one of these 220 young people as 

individuals just as easily as I can picture them 

in a specific grade level cohort. 

Every year we have had students who have 

shined on the stage, who have excelled as 

athletes and who have been driven by their 

love of history or biology or mathematics or 

visual arts. Their desire to continue these 

pursuits at university has sent them around 

the world or kept them here in Sai Kung. 

We have had writers and public speakers, 

musicians and activists. We have had lovers 

04 

01/ The Class of 2014 was the first to attend school 

on the not-quite-completed Sai Kung campus and to 

hold its graduation ceremony in the HKA theatre. 

05 

02/ The Class of 2021 gracefully and resiliently 

persevered through two years of disruption and 

countless schedule changes to become HKA’s 10th 

graduating class. 

02 

03/ The Class of 2015’s many athletes, filmmakers, 

actors, artists and writers established HKA as a force 

to be reckoned with in the co-curricular realm. 

01 03 

04/ The Class of 2018 graduates will always be 

unique in that, at the time of their graduation, almost 

all of them were the same age as HKA. 

05/ The Class of 2013 completed the final two years 

at HKA on the Kennedy Town campus, serving to 

bridge the community through a period of transition. 

06/ The Class of 2020’s on campus graduation 

ceremony was unexpected; up until about two weeks 

before, it had been planned as a virtual event in 

accordance with COVID restrictions. 

06

THREE 

LOCATIONS 

ONE 

VISION 

by Dale Willetts 


Since our founding in 2000, Hong Kong 

Academy has occupied three unique 

campuses in three different locations 

in Hong Kong -- two on Hong Kong 

Island and one in the New Territories. 

19 

07 

08 

of poetry and lovers of politics, we have had dreamers and 

wanderers. They have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees, 

serve their countries, and run successful businesses. They 

have made time to come back and share their stories. Our 

first few graduating classes are now young people making 

their way through the world--difficult as that might be for 

some of us to reconcile! Some know exactly what they want 

to do and others have changed their minds multiple times. 

More importantly than what they want to be, they know who 

they want to be. They are making their way as global citizens, 

contributing locally and internationally in countless ways 

and with a myriad of skills. It is humbling to be reminded that 

the power of their journeys is the universality not of ‘what 

makes a good graduate’, rather because they represent 

an ideal--they are the embodiment of the HKA Mission in 

action. Our graduates are a reflection of who we are as a 

community. As teachers, as mentors, as parents, as friends. 

They tell us about what we value and who we aspire to be. 

2010 

2000 

2013 

09 

Ask any of us old timers about an HKA Alum, and we’ll 

certainly be able to share a story or two. Ask a more recently 

joined faculty member and they too will have plenty to tell 

you about any graduate they had the pleasure of teaching. 

It is an honour and a privilege that we are a community that 

knows these young people by name and not by number. 

They are so much more than numbers--they are 

our core values, they are a true reflection of the 

education we seek to deliver and will continue to 

provide in our next 20 years to come. 

07/ The Class of 2012 was HKA’s first graduating class, establishing the 

viability of our Secondary School for all of the students that followed. 

08/ The Class of 2016 was the first to include students who attended 

every year of school at HKA, starting in Pre-K1 and continuing through 

to Grade 12. 

2000-2010 STUBBS ROAD 

The heart of HKA has never been about 

the building. Rather, it has been about 

the people who bring the building to 

life. To that end, the Stubbs Road 

campus is fondly remembered for its 

quirky layout, leaky hallways and steep 

103 stair-climb that led to the iconic 

red door entrance. 

2010-2013 KENNEDY TOWN 

Every nook and cranny of the 

Kennedy Town campus was utilised to 

accommodate our growing community. 

The ground floor multipurpose room, 

covered basketball court, rooftop 

playspace and open hallways were in 

constant use as we expanded into an 

all-through school programme. 

2013-Present SAI KUNG 

Our purpose-built Sai Kung campus 

makes use of smart design to facilitate 

teaching and learning. Flexible classroom 

layouts promote collaboration and 

natural light stimulates connections 

to the local landscape. Award-winning 

sustainability features serve to make 

this a building for the future. 

10 

09/ The Class of 2017 shined on the stage, innovated in the design and 

arts studio and competed on the court, quietly leading by example in a 

number of areas. 

10/ The Class of 2019 has been HKA’s largest to date and was the first 

to participate in the Global Citizen Diploma, now a requirement for 

graduation. 

With each move has come a bigger campus and better facilities. But it’s our strong sense 

of community, embedded from the beginning, that makes everyone feel that they belong. 

— John Coffeng, HKA Board Member and Parent, 2005-Present

20 


21 

FUTURE-PROOFING 

OUR STUDENTS: 

THE MUTUAL BENEFIT 

OF INCLUSION 

by John Shanahan 

Not only does inclusion support both those students who 

learn differently and their neurotypical peers, it also improves 

teaching and learning. Collaboration amongst staff is enhanced, 

allowing educators to better coordinate approaches to provide 

more personalised learning pathways for all students (Carter & 

Hughes, 2006; Sharma et al., 2008). Teachers and other school 

staff work together to create and design experiences that 

can increase a student’s chance for success (Bouillet, 2013). 

Because HKA teachers teach all students, they become much 

more adept at raising student achievement by continually 

improving their instruction, using innovative approaches, and 

supporting the individual needs of each student. 

Having worked as a corporate trainer with many large 

multinational corporations, I have seen and heard firsthand 

how much value is now being placed on candidates who are 

flexible, curious, and are able to work with a diverse range of 

colleagues. This is even more so true now as our world becomes 

smaller and there is more emphasis placed on collaboration and 

working within teams. In a study of Brazilian, Spanish, US, and 

Canadian companies and institutions, McKinsey and company 

found that individuals who come from an inclusive environment 

contribute to a more positive culture in the organisation. 

They have stronger conflict resolution skills, and improve 

self-motivation of other employees. 

The commitment to diversity and 

celebration of inclusion was a 

founding principle of the school and 

remains core to our mission today. 

Adults who attended inclusive schools have a reduced fear of 

human differences, increased awareness and confidence when 

working and interacting with those who are different from 

them, and demonstrate higher levels of social cognition. They 

maintain warmer and more caring friendships, are more tolerant 

and communicate effectively. They also have a higher sense of 

belonging, stronger personal moral and ethical principles, and a 

higher responsiveness to the needs of others. 

The benefits for both neurotypical and neuroatypical students 

enjoying an inclusive learning environment are wide ranging and 

long-term, and serve to reinforce the mission and core values 

of Hong Kong Academy. I am proud that I have the opportunity 

to contribute to such a leading educational organisation in this 

field, and am confident that my children will reap the benefits 

of interacting, learning, and collaborating with children from 

all sorts of backgrounds with a host of strengths and areas for 

I clearly remember hiking the stairs to Hong Kong Academy’s 

red doors when I was an intern practising to be a psychologist 

back when the school was located on Stubbs Road. Even then, I 

was struck by HKA’s openness, flexibility, and desire to include 

all learners. At that time, and as many continue to be today, 

international schools in Hong Kong were very selective, and 

parents of children who had different learning needs struggled 

to find school placements. HKA was one of the first schools to 

recognise that this was not okay and that a different approach 

and model was needed. This commitment to diversity and 

celebration of inclusion was a founding principle of the school 

and remains core to our mission today. 

As an educational and developmental psychologist who 

specialises in child development, I recognise the ways in which 

inclusion and diversity enhance and facilitate many aspects of 

development that are valued in the school’s mission. This is not 

only my opinion--there is clear and consistent evidence that 

inclusive educational settings can confer substantial shortand 

long-term benefits for students with and without different 

learning needs. A large body of research indicates that all 

students develop stronger skills in reading and mathematics, 

have higher rates of attendance, and are less likely to have 

behavioural problems (Hehir et al., 2016). Students in inclusive 

schools develop stronger personal moral and ethical principles, 

self-esteem, and social cognition, increasing their tolerance of 

others and the effectiveness of their communication (Krämer 

et al., 2021). According to Farmer et al. (2019), in schools that 

foster the inclusion of all individuals as valued and important 

members of the learning community, students are more likely 

to elevate the contributions of all, even those who are different 

from themselves.

22 


23 

Not only does inclusion support both those 

students who learn differently and their 

neurotypical peers, it also improves teaching 

and learning. 

growth. I strongly believe that this will provide my children with 

a significant advantage as they progress through school and 

eventually move into the workforce. 

For 20 years, HKA has been at the forefront of inclusive 

education in the region and globally. In that time, more and 

more schools have followed HKA’s path in trying to support 

a more diverse and inclusive student body. And here at HKA, 

the school has continued to build upon and refine its model 

of inclusivity and expand the ways in which it celebrates 

diversity. This was the primary reason my family chose HKA 

for our children, and ultimately what drew me to work within 

the community. 

The world is changing rapidly and the future is uncertain. 

However, what we do know is that young adults will need 

to be adaptable, flexible, strong communicators, innovative, 

resilient, and able to work with a variance of colleagues. 

The inclusive setting at HKA that highly values 

variance is future-proofing all our children, giving 

them distinct and unique benefits that will in time 

become lifelong advantages. 

REFERENCES 

Bouillet, D. (2013). Some Aspects of Collaboration in Inclusive 

Education - Teachers’ Experiences. Center for Educational Policy 

Studies Journal, 3(2), 93–117. 

Carter, E. W., & Hughes, C. (2006). Including High School Students 

with Severe Disabilities in General Education Classes: Perspectives 

of General and Special Educators, Paraprofessionals, and 

Administrators. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe 

Disabilities, 31(2), 174–185. 

Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Dawes, M., Barko-Alva, K., & Cross, J. 

R. (2019). Promoting inclusive communities in diverse classrooms: 

Teacher attunement and social dynamics management. Educational 

Psychologist, 54(4), 286-305. 

Hehir, T., Grindla, T., Freeman, B., Lamoreau, R., Borquaye, Y., and 

Burke, S. (2016). A Summary of the evidence on inclusive education. 

ABT Associates. 

Krämer, S., Möller, J., & Zimmermann, F. (2021). Inclusive Education of 

Students With General Learning Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis. Review 

of Educational Research, 91(3), 432-478. 

McKinsey & Company, 2014. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey. 

com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/the-value-thatemployees-with-down-syndrome-can-add-to-organizations# 

Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2008). Impact of training on 

pre-service teachers’ attitudes and concerns about inclusive education 

and sentiments about persons with disabilities. Disability & Society, 

23(7), 773–785. 

VALERIA RIQUELME, alumni 

I love the Coffee House, it’s a fabulous 

event! I always loved performing in it or 

watching my friends perform. /01 

JESSICA KONG, parent 

Back in Stubbs Road campus, we had a 

Mandarin snack shop on Friday where 

the kids would come get their snacks 

speaking Mandarin. Seeing all the happy 

faces practicing what they have learned 

in class and trying hard to ask for their 

favourite popsicle ( 冰棒 ) is one of my 

favourite memories. 

MIA DE LEON, staff 

The HKA Community Fair is one of 

my favourite events and something 

to look forward to every year. It’s an 

event where HKA families share their 

country’s most beloved dishes and each 

year was always better than the next. 

One year, the Philippines table brought 

in a whole roasted pig. Our “lechon” was 

definitely the highlight which attracted 

a big crowd of curious and hungry 

families. It was delicious and everybody 

wanted seconds! It’s an event of sharing, 

learning about different cultures and 

having a great time with our truly diverse 

and inclusive community. /02 

03 

ALISON MAY, faculty 

I remember on the Stubbs Road campus 

that they used to keep the recycled 

uniforms in a suitcase which was 

wheeled out at parent events for people 

to drop off or pick up used uniforms 

from. Imagine! A suitcase! (Now the 

Freecycles are bursting out of two huge 

cabinets and several rolling racks.) I also 

remember the sweet little library and 

the gazillions of stairs the students had 

to climb up to start each day. Amazing to 

think about how far we’ve come. 

JOANNE DE DIOS, faculty 

I first started working in HKA in 2002. 

Each morning I was on welcome duty 

and stood at the bottom of the stairs to 

greet everyone by their first name as 

they arrived. Students had to walk up 

one-hundred-something steps just to 

get to the front door. We only had 

less than 100 students then. On rainy 

days, the steps would transform into a 

waterfall. Although students got soaked, 

they loved it! /03 

01 

02 

Staub, D., & Peck, C. A. (1995). What Are the Outcomes for Nondisabled 

Students? Educational Leadership, 52(4), 36–40.

24 


25 

01 

03 

A YEAR 

REIMAGINED 

02 

by Andy Birch & Nicole Bolle 

Clean your hands 

Keep physical distance 

Seek medical advice 

Check your temperature 

Wear a face mask 

Consider others 

Managing Covid-19 has required exceptional collaboration 

and flexibility from every member of our community. From 

temperature logs and hand sanitiser top ups to library book 

quarantines and digital device roll outs, students, parents, 

faculty and staff worked together to ensure that our campus 

and community was safe, supported and successful. 

Dining rooms, lounges, kitchens and bedrooms became 

classrooms as students spent months moving between 

on-campus instruction, a combination of on-campus and 

online learning and fully online classes. Teachers made use of 

a wide range of platforms and systems to support the 

continuity of inquiry, exploration and discovery in completely 

new environments. 

The disruption also drove innovation when it came to 

community events and we found new ways to learn, inspire 

and connect. A 20th anniversary launch event, online Parent- 

Teacher-Student conferences, digital Hot Cocoa House and 

virtual author visits during literacy week were just some 

examples of how we adapted. Meanwhile, we were grateful 

that our spacious campus and rigorous operating 

practices meant that HKA students were able to 

return to campus earlier and for longer than many of 

their peers at other schools. 

AYUMI YOSHIOKA, faculty 

I first arrived at HKA when it was in 

Happy Valley. The building was so old 

but I was very happy to work there, 

the school size was so small, it felt like 

home. Of course I also love HKA in Sai 

Kung, I love the gorgeous view. /01 

YUNG JEI, staff 

HKA students respect the cleaning 

lady a lot. Sometimes when we don’t 

understand English, teachers & staff 

will do translation for us and help us to 

communicate with students and non- 

Chinese speakers. Whenever I pass 

1/F, our primary principal will give me 

a thumbs up! The most unforgettable 

memory is 2019 Christmas, I received a 

present from an anonymous person with 

a card written “Thank you for all your 

hard work!” I felt glad even though I don’t 

know who sent that to me. /02 

SHANE MCKINNEY, faculty 

I’ve been coaching basketball since 2009 

and I’ve got all the books to prove it! 

I love looking back and seeing the players 

and the stats from that year. For 5 years 

in a row we were second place, and then 

in 2018 we pulled off a first place win! 

Our students persevered and showed 

that they can do it and I love that about 

our HKA community. /03 

ELLEN THORNE, faculty 

I have many fantastic memories of 

HKA, so it’s hard to choose just one, but 

something kind of exciting that stands 

out was the day our Kennedy Town 

campus was suddenly evacuated 

because they’d found an unexploded 

bomb from WWII on the mountain 

behind the campus. It was a bit scary, 

but as a history teacher, a really 

memorable experience. 

BENSON CHANG, staff 

I remember there was a typhoon in the 

summer of 2019. In the EC area we had 

a turtle named Jeffrey and he crawled 

from the first floor to the school’s main 

gate all by himself so he could shelter 

from the storm! 

ANDY BIRCH, staff 

At Stubbs Road we used to have 

assemblies in our multi purpose room 

which also functioned as a classroom and 

music room. On top of the building we 

had two “Four Square” playground grids 

which became a hot spot 

for competition amongst 

the Primary School kids. 

So much so that we made 

an epic video to record it!

26 


27 

Dear Hong Kong Academy Class of 2041, 

Greetings future graduates! I write to you from the year 2021, as HKA’s third Head of School and as 

a part of our 20th anniversary celebrations. 

We’ve had quite an interesting 18 months leading into and during this commemorative year. I’m sure 

you’ve heard stories of the COVID-19 Pandemic, how the world we had known changed in what felt 

like the blink of an eye, and from which, as I type this message, we are still recovering. You might find 

it hard to believe that in one school year we adapted to nine different schedules, shifting between 

campus-based and online instruction depending on which wave of the crisis we were in. Despite 

the many challenges we have faced, this global disruption has served as a catalyst for asking deep 

questions about the purpose of education and reimagining the scope of school. 

It will be three more years before you, members of HKA’s graduating Class of 2041, are born. 

While there is much I can’t even begin to imagine about what life must be like for you 

as you read this letter, something I can safely anticipate is that technology and data analysis will 

be an increasingly important part of your lives. Hopefully, schools have moved beyond traditional 

metrics of testing and exams to measure the value of your education, and the opportunities for 

exploring new pathways for tertiary education have expanded beyond traditional university 

routes. I am certain that, as a school that values innovation and adaptivity, HKA will be offering you 

learning experiences that will prepare you to succeed in an evolving world. 

I wonder what the 40th anniversary commemorative edition of hkaVoices might tell us about 

you? Regardless of whether or not self-driving cars and commercial flights to Mars are a 

reality, I expect you will see fellow HKA graduates serving as leaders and experts in the fields of 

virtual reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, alternative energy, cybersecurity, health and 

wellbeing, and a range of professions and jobs that don’t yet exist today. Whatever pathway 

you decide to follow, change will be a constant in your lives, requiring you to be self-directed, to 

persevere during adversity, to continually see things from new and different perspectives, and to 

be able to think deeply in order to understand and address global issues around scarcity of 

resources, climate change, and population growth. 

While the future is hard to imagine, I am confident that the same sense of warmth and joy that 

characterises HKA today will be a defining feature of the school’s community in 2041. Diversity, 

equity, inclusion and social justice will continue to be central tenets of learning experiences designed 

to further humankind, and students will be active decision makers and co-constructors of learning. 

I have no doubt that HKA will remain a thriving entity for global citizenship, problem solving and 

service to the community. 

Class of 2041, I hope that as you commemorate HKA’s 40th anniversary, this letter helps you 

celebrate the past, honour the present and embrace the future. I wish each of you the best as you 

contribute to the next 20 years of HKA’s story. 

Warm regards, 

While the 

future is hard 

to imagine, I am 

confident that 

the same sense of 

warmth and joy that 

characterises HKA 

today will be a defining 

feature of the school’s 

community in 2041.

28 

CONTRIBUTORS 


29 

BEA ARMSTRONG 

Blazing a Trail 

As the 20th Anniversary Steering Committee 

Chair, Bea interviewed HKA alumni and researched 

interesting stories about the early beginnings of 

HKA, helping inform her opening article for this 

year’s Voices magazine. A lifelong learner, educator, 

adventurer, and nonprofit executive, Bea started 

as a consultant at HKA 2018, then served as 

HKA’s Philanthropy and Institutional Advancement 

Strategy Director from 2019-2021. 

HILDE SANTENS DEBUSSCHER, 

JESSICA KONG, DIANA LAUDANI, 

MELITA LAW & MASAKO YOHSINO 

Our HKA, Our Community 

Jessica, Diana, Melita, Hilde and Masako are HKA 

parents to nine alumni and/or current students. 

A reflection of our truly international community, 

their families collectively speak 13 languages and 

claim seven nationalities. Each has worked as key 

volunteers at HKA down the years, and their 

combined memory dates back to the very first HKA 

Community Fair. 

LYNNE MCCALL 

Fond Memories 

As an advocate for engaging parents as partners, 

Institutional Advancement Manager Lynne is 

instrumental in liaising with all members of the 

community to further the HKA mission. In this 

edition of hkaVoices, she has curated a selection 

of fond memories from across parents, students, 

faculty, staff and alumni to inspire and amuse us. 

JOHN SHANAHAN 

At Hong Kong Academy, we pride ourselves in being a close-knit, mission-driven 

community. Each individual contributes to our unique culture of thinking, trust 

and collaboration. Anchored by our core beliefs, our latest strategy was 

developed with input from a range of community stakeholders. It identifies 

seven assumptions and seven major priorities which, over the next five years, will 

serve as a roadmap for bringing HKA’s mission to life. 

Judges Categories 

BEST SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 

Reader’s Choice Categories 

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL 

SCHOOL OF THE YEAR 

ALL-THROUGH SCHOOL OF 

THE YEAR 

MOST SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE 

SCHOOL 

VIRGINIA HUNT & TERESA TUNG 

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea: 

A Place of Discovery 

Both highly experienced International Baccalaureate 

educators and trainers, Primary School Principal 

Virginia and Secondary School Principal Teresa have 

a wealth of knowledge and expertise spanning from 

Early Childhood to the final years of Secondary 

School. They work closely to ensure that the holistic 

student experience at HKA is a joyful one in which 

teaching and learning evolves from year to year in 

well supported and developmentally appropriate 

ways. In their article, they take us on a journey of 

discovery through the coastlines and mountain tops 

of Sai Kung. 

JENNIFER SWINEHART 

There is No ‘Average’ Graduate at HKA 

Research, Development and Communications 

Director Jennifer joined HKA when the school’s 

first graduating class was entering Grade 11. She 

has held a variety of teaching and leadership roles 

in her 11 years at the school, providing her with the 

opportunity to work directly with each of HKA’s 220 

graduates at some point in their learning journeys. 

Here she honours our graduates as the embodiment 

of HKA’s mission in action. 

Future-Proofing Our Students: 

The Mutual Benefit of Inclusion 

Before joining HKA as Learner Support Director 

in August 2020, John practiced as a Educational 

and Developmental Psychologist for 14 years and 

has been heavily involved in numerous non-profit 

organisations. Having spent most of his life in Hong 

Kong, John is passionate about supporting the 

region’s underserved youth, regularly presenting on 

inclusion, socio-emotional resiliency and learning 

enhancement. His piece unpacks the short and long 

term benefits of an inclusive learning environment 

for all students. 

When Hong Kong Living announced their inaugural Education Awards, it was 

evident that our strategy would be the ideal vehicle through which to present 

our commitment to educational excellence. The results of the Education 

Awards were decided by an independent panel of experts, academics and 

consultants who awarded us Best School Strategic Plan, commending HKA’s 

strategy for its clarity and community engagement. 

In addition to the judged categories, and thanks to huge participation on the part 

of HKA families, students, faculty and staff, we amassed over 1000 votes and 

won three Readers’ Choice Awards. What a testament to our strength as a 

community, in this, our 20th anniversary year! 

Very strong, detailed 

and rigorous strategic 

plan with deliberate 

action points. 

— Judges commendation 

DALE WILLETTS 

Three Locations, One Vision 

Dale served as the Chief Financial Officer at HKA 

from 2009 to 2021 and has lived in Hong Kong 

since 1991. His business experience and financial 

acumen were instrumental in both the school’s 

temporary move to Kennedy Town and permanent 

relocation to Sai Kung. Dale’s fondest memory of 

the original Stubbs Road campus is his first desk, 

which sat atop the school’s only photocopier. 

STEPHEN DARE 

Dear Hong Kong Academy Class of 2041 

Stephen began his career as an early childhood 

educator, and his commitment to creating a 

joyful and inclusive environment for all learners 

has remained central to his leadership at HKA over 

the past 11 years. The proud father of two HKA 

graduates, he has observed how beneficial their 

HKA education has been as his daughters forge 

their lives as young adults. In his letter to the HKA 

graduates of 2041, he invites readers to imagine 

our community another 20 years from now. 

ANDY BIRCH & NICOLE BOLLE 

A Year Reimagined 

Andy and Nicole work collaboratively to ensure 

that HKA’s virtual and physical spaces enhance 

the learning experiences of every student. They 

are pivotal to the school’s effective integration 

of educational and operational initiatives, and 

passionately contribute to the development of 

sustainable systems and practices. Over the past 

18 months, Andy and Nicole have explored a 

range of solutions, offered innovative ideas, 

and collaborated with teachers, staff, students 

and parents to keep learning at HKA dynamic 

and accessible.

ACCREDITATIONS & AUTHORISATIONS 

33 Wai Man Road, Sai Kung, 

New Territories, Hong Kong SAR 

+852 2655 1111 

admissions@hkacademy.edu.hk 

www.hkacademy.edu.hk 

MEMBERSHIPS 

The wood-based raw material used to produce the paper for this publication originates from sustainably managed forests, and soy links were used for printing.

hkaVOICES 20th Commemorative Edition

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