While Phoenix International School may not be celebrating Canada Day today - term finished last week - students have much to be thankful for, not the least of which because the school is the only international school in Kowloon to provide an accredited Ontario curriculum.
Like its proverbial namesake, Phoenix rose from the ashes after the closure of the Canadian Overseas International College late last year. That school is being investigated for operating an unlicensed kindergarten in Kowloon Tong and for financial irregularities which left parents out of pocket.
In the wake of the fallout, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) came to the rescue and Phoenix became its first private independent school (PIS) set up on the premises formerly occupied by the Australian International School.
Located in Cheung Sha Wan, Phoenix is the ESF's first school not offering the British A-level curriculum.
Playing up the Canadian connection, the school invited Canadian Consul-General Anthony Burger to be guest of honour at its graduation ceremony last Thursday. Mr Burger had visited the Phoenix campus two months ago to hold talks over the school's future.
'Symbolically it's very important; we are the sort of Canadian school that will be increasingly visible in the community,' says principal Cheung Siu-ming of the support.