Good Morning My Dear Colleagues and Students,

Welcome back to school. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the new teachers to you. The first teacher is Mr. Ho Chun Lun. (何震倫老師) He will teach S.1 and S2 English. Mr Kwok Tze Hin. (郭子軒老師) He will teach S1 Liberal Studies. Mr Leung Wing Chung. (梁穎聰老師) He will teach Junior Forms Mathematics and Computer. Mr Shek Yuk Fai. (石玉輝老師) He will teach Junior Forms Mathematics and Integrated Science.

Our School was established in 1982 and this is her 30th year. For the past 29 years, the school has been providing students with an all-round education, laying equal emphasis on the five aspects: moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic development. After nearly three decades' toil, the school has developed sound policies and laid a good foundation. Our achievements in various areas of education are encouraging. To celebrate our 30th anniversary, our school will hold a chain of activities under the slogan: ‘Legacy and Innovation in the bloom of 30'. 「三十而立 承傳創新」 In the bygone years, we struggled and earned territory-wide appreciation and recognition. Yet, this is no time to rest on our laurels. We have to pass the spirit on. We will continue to climb high and make breakthroughs.

This year, following the implementation of the NSS Curriculum, our students need not attend the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. In the Advanced Level Examination, all students fulfilled the University Admission Requirements. Our school's credit percentage is 70.9% on average while the average in Hong Kong is only 25.1%. Seven students attained 3 ‘A's or above. Sixteen students got 2 ‘A's or above. 77.5% of the candidates were admitted into the most famous Universities in Hong Kong, namely the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Science and Technology. The results are outstanding.

Besides the remarkable record in the academic area, we also have excellent performance in the non-academic aspect. We are the Champion in the Asian Rope-skipping Championships 2011. We also won numerous awards in music, dance, drama, painting and drawing, Chinese Calligraphy and many ball-game competitions.

Our school's major concern is students' moral and intellectual development. As our School Motto proclaims "Grasp Principles, Cultivate Virtues" （明道立德）, we provide an all-round education to cultivate in our students a positive attitude towards life and a spirit to serve the community. We also develop the skills and abilities of students for life-long learning. We expect all students to be leaders of the future, each possessing profound knowledge and a noble character.

I have recently read a book entitled ‘Hong Kong Spoiled Brats'. ‘Hong Kong Spoiled Brats' is a phenomenon. They were born at the turn of the century from mid 90's to early 00's. It is an era of materialistic comfort and information explosion. Most Hong Kong kids thus exhibit one or more of the following traits: One, they have a childish mind masked by mature looks. Two, they look for fun, not interest. Three, inertia is their only response to the majority of issues. Four, they ‘see' but never ‘read'; they ‘hear' but never ‘listen'. Five, they are attention-seeking but confidence-lacking. Six, they don't care, they don't mind; they don't think and they don't request. Their typical answer is ‘I don't know'. Seven, responsibility, self-discipline, curiosity and dreams are omni-absent. Eight, they don't bother to learn. They don't care to grow up. They can tolerate boredom, but they flinch at hardships. Nine, they are pragmatic. They set their eyes on the finishing line, not the course of running. Ten, they grow up in green house, never hurt and never be hurt. Well, do you find these traits familiar? Do you see them in your friends or even yourself? These traits are obviously negative. Ironically, they characterize Hong Kong kids of this day and age. They are common among the ‘pillars' of our tomorrow - the overprotected group who are passive in acquiring knowledge and sluggish in disciplining themselves. I hope my students are not this kind of Hong Kong Kids. I hope to see you learn with passion, value the course of learning and grow towards the target of both academic and moral excellence.

In the fast-paced society of Hong Kong where the environment is complex, values are often distorted and trends sick, young people are confronted with unending temptations and challenges during their adolescence. Aggravating teen problems like drug abuse, ‘lang mo' or compensated dating which are paraphrases of teenage prostitution, casual attitude towards love or even sex can precisely be attributed to the lack of proper values, life goals and moral consciousness. Plus, society has been too fanatic in their pursuit of freedom. Some radical people even resort to violence or invective for the purpose. On the other hand, some young people over-indulge in computer games and the virtual world that results in unhealthy development, both physically and mentally. Witnessing the above phenomena, we are all the more convinced that there is a need to revamp our moral education. This year, our school will revise our Life Education curriculum. We will base our teachings on Confucianism and Taoism, as well as the Eight virtues (八德) namely filial piety (孝), fraternity (悌), fidelity (忠), credibility (信), etiquette (禮), righteousness (義), honesty (廉) and discipline (恥). It is hoped that students can, after self-reflection and critical thinking, scaffold for themselves more comprehensive and sound values for life. We hope that our students can learn to treasure themselves, respect others, develop their team spirit, enhance their adversity quotient and establish a set of proper values. After all, the ultimate goal of moral education is to equip students with human understanding that enables them to live a fruitful life, and build a more harmonious world through mutual respect and cooperation with people around them.

This year, we have the last batch of students sitting for the Advanced Level Examination and the first batch of students for the HKDSE. May we wish our S6 and S7 students power and strength to jump the hurdles in front of them! For S7 students, I found that the majority of them have been striving very hard for their future as illustrated in their S6 Final Examination and Summer Test performance, but there is still room for improvement. S7 students, you must work with utmost determination as there won't be any ‘take 2' for you! Summon your energy, race against time and strive hard for the coming examination so as to secure for yourself a place in your favourite university. S6 students, the war you have to fight is no less formidable! No past examination papers for reference, incessant controversy over the setting of exam questions, the depth and width of subject contents, harsh demand on your active application ability, all combine to make the examination a daunting experience for students. As it is a three-year course, it will take some time for an overall revision of the materials covered in the previous two years. The Early Bird gets the Worm. S6 students, it's high time you did your preparation work starting from a well-planned schedule.

29 years' struggle makes today's Tang Hin. Our achievements certainly does not stem from a piece of luck. It's the fruit of resolve, perseverance and perspiration. No pain, no gain. At the beginning of the school year, I hope you can all set for yourself a target. Work with an unfaltering will and be fearless of difficulties. Enrich yourself and strive hard to realize your dreams.

Last but not least, I hope all of you can grasp the message embodied in our 30th anniversary slogan and behave accordingly - Legacy (to pass on virtues) and Innovation (to create a new high).

Thank you!

Principal Lau Chi Yuen