Following a year teaching at the Canadian International School on a supply basis, he was offered a full-time position.

'Students [in Hong Kong] need to be encouraged to participate, which is one of the most important aspects of the PE programme,' he said.

'It is important that the programme is challenging, enjoyable and varied so students can make an educated choice as to which activities they want to pursue when they leave school.

'On the social side, PE can encourage co-operative competition within a struc tural framework and opportunities for kids to develop their leadership skills, among many other skills.' One area often overlooked was the role PE could play in developing a person's intellect, he said.

'Physical education contributes to a child's cognitive development through, for example, the decisions made and the problem-solving involved in planning, performing and evaluating their work,' Mr May said.

Integral parts of the school's PE programme included health, nutrition, fitness and human sexuality.

'The idea of the programme is for the students to be able to leave the school and be able to make sound decisions regarding a healthy and active lifestyle,' he said.

In addition to compulsory PE classes from grade seven to grade nine, students can continue PE in grades 10 to 12 on an optional, credit basis.

A wide range of intramural and interscholastic activities are also available.

The school's house system allows for co-operative and competitive events in such activities as athletics, cross- country, soccer, basketball and floor hockey.

School teams compete with both local and international schools through the Hong Kong School Sports Federation.

Other extracurricular activities include volleyball, badminton, swimming, gymnastics, taekwondo and hiking.

'Generally, because of [the school's] academic demands, they find [sports] a way to challenge their abilities in a different direction. It is a break from the day-to-day demands of school, but they also enjoy a different learning environment,' Mr May said.

According to Stephanie Law, the new campus is a big improvement over what the school had to offer previously.

'More sports have been introduced, which gives us greater choice. We have a lot more space to improve our skills,' the grade-seven student said.

Arif Wong, a seventh grader, said: 'The new gym and sports facilities let us learn a broad variety of sports. The gym is so big and it has air-conditioning, too.' For grade-eight student Herman Ng, better facilities can translate into improved skills and a better understanding of the sports students played.

'Our school teams will get stronger and stronger, which will hopefully mean more championships,' he said.

Conrad Tang, who is also in grade eight, said: 'The new school has more extracurricular activities, which promotes more learning and provides more experiences for the students.' The school's best feature for Patricia de Andrade Brandeburgo, an exchange student from Brazil, is the attention from staff.

'We are made to feel that we are the most important part of the school.

'It's a great place to live and learn,' the grade-12 student said.