Recounting My First-ever School Days in Ying Wa
Recounting My First-ever School Days in Ying Wa
Gordon Shaw Ka Shing (1955, Senior Kindergarten)
I am excited being able to finally reconnect with my first-ever school in Hong Kong, and received news about our alumni and teachers.
Ms Chiu (趙鈞鴻) was my first school teacher. I am happy to know that she is healthy and keeping busy at the age of 90. I hope she remembers me by my name, since she taught all four of my siblings at Ying Wa - my older sister (蕭嘉華), younger sister (嘉美) and younger brother (嘉璋).
I entered Ying Wa Kindergarten in 1953. My family lived in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels, and thus Ying Wa was the choice school to start our education. Ms Chiu was an excellent teacher, always full of energy and love. I was so blessed being nurtured by her in those two years. Ying Wa also provided me with a very secure and warm environment to start my learning years. I remembered that the School was located somewhere up on Seymour Road, right next to Hop Yat Church (合一堂) and Sir Robert Hotung’s (何東爵士) residence. It was on a terrace, and we had to walk up the slope every day to class. The Kindergarten section was a single-storey structure away from the main school building, housing both the junior and senior classes. It was there that I spent my best two years of my school days. In my senior Kindergarten year, I was chosen as one of the Three Wisemen in the Christmas Nativity play and that was the highlight of my days at Ying Wa. I still kept my Ying Wa Graduation Certificate and a picture of Principal Silcocks presenting it to me.