Had they been consulted, Chinese astrologers would surely not have deemed September 19, 1967, an auspicious date for a school opening. Tension pervaded every part of the city that summer, with violent riots and water supplies rationed to four hours every four days.
Amid the stress and uncertainty, Island School opened its doors to 237 students and 12 teachers. As the school celebrates its first four decades on Wednesday, having endured typhoons, political transformation and even the brutal murders of two students, one of its longest-serving teachers has dived into the yearbooks to record the school's evolution.
From its origins as a stopping-off point for the sons and daughters of the British elite, Island School has become home to children from 37 countries. It is a place where students of Asian and Eurasian heritage now dominate the roll call.
If anyone was to write a book celebrating the Borrett Road school, Chris Forse was the obvious author.
Arriving as a 26-year-old history teacher in 1974 for what was supposed to be a two-year stint, the school would consume three decades of his life and educate his own three children.
Mr Forse recounts the tales in No Ordinary School, which includes a forward written by arguably the school's most famous parent, Hong Kong's last governor, Chris Patten.
Mr Forse stressed that the book was a collection of his personal memories, rather than a definitive history, but his colourful reflections sketch a vivid portrait of a school coming of age during one of Hong Kong's most momentous periods.