For the seventh time, a student from the Diocesan Girls' School (DGS) has won the South China Morning Post Student of the Year Award.
Secondary Six student Stephanie Lau Hiu-yan was chosen for her all-round development. She is no stranger to success, though, after being a silver medallist in an international information technology competition in 1999.
Her principal, Stella Lau Kun Lai-kuen, was pleasantly surprised at the school winning again, but stressed that it has always strived to provide an all-round education. The school's motto, 'Daily Give Service', reflected its tradition of encouraging students to get involved in community activities and take advantage of the plentiful extra-curricular activities on offer.
But all-round education is also a goal for many other schools, old and new. So why do DGS students tend to be such high achievers? Class was not a factor, said Ms Lau, keen to play down the upper-class backgrounds of some of her students. 'Having guidance from well-educated parents is definitely useful, but it is not necessarily a factor behind whether a student does well in her studies or not,' she said.
More important was the atmosphere in the school, which inspired students to push for the top. In addition to this strong culture, the support of teaching staff and parents was vital, she added.
Stephanie is a product of such an ethos: she earned eight As and two Bs in last year's Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations, and her extra-curricular life is full. Since being given a computer in Secondary Three by her parents - both doctors - she has developed a strong interest in Web design. At an early age, she began to learn various musical instruments, including the piano and violin. Outside school, she belongs to a table-tennis club. In the lower forms, she was also a member of the school tennis team.