You can't help but like Maria Lam Woon-sum. She has a big smile, an infectious laugh and a boundless enthusiasm for life. Her huge collection of Snoopies has earned her the nickname the 'Snoopy Principal', and her sense of fun has made her immensely popular with children.
Ms Lam, the principal of Heep Yunn Primary School, sees opportunities for fun and learning in almost everything. And it seems no effort is too great. Take her trip to Minneapolis for a four-day workshop late last year. Preparations for the trip involved more than simply packing a suitcase.
She drove out to a deserted strip of beach in Ma On Shan and made a video tape, then she said goodbye to her students, asking them to look after the dozens of Snoopies outside her office.
A couple of days into her trip, following instructions, the school janitors hid the Snoopies. A teacher played the tape of Ms Lam to the children, pretending that it was a live video link from Minneapolis.
'I hope you're looking after my Snoopies,' Ms Lam said in the video. 'They've all gone,' one of the teachers said.
On Ms Lam's return, she spoke to the students about the missing Snoopies and decided there was only one thing to be done: they would have to set up a detective school to find the missing toys.
'When we talk about intelligence and a holistic approach to learning, one of the first things we have to do is trigger a child's power of observation,' explained Ms Lam. In preparation for the Great Snoopy Hunt, 10 games were set up around the school where children could hone various skills, such as memory, visual and sensory skills. To heighten the sense of drama, the children returned to school in the evening to help track down the missing Snoopies.