TWENTY-EIGHT of Hong Kong's top students gathered at the Hong Kong Overseas Bankers Club last week to receive their rewards under threat of disruption as Severe Tropical Storm Tasha prompted the hoisting of signal No 8 in the territory. However, everything went smoothly and the recipients, all either nine or 10 straight As students, received their scholarships from the Standard Chartered Bank. Cheques of HK$5,000 were presented to each of the 10As students, while the 9As achievers each received a $4,000 cheque. At the presentation ceremony, Mr Philippe Paillart, Area Head of Personal Banking, North East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, said: ''When I meet students like these who are here today, I know our belief in Hong Kong - having every confidence in the future of the territory - is not misplaced. ''In achieving their marvellous results, these young people have demonstrated the qualities of hard work and perseverance that keep Hong Kong the vibrant, economically successful community it is today.'' Mr Paillart said it was a privilege for the bank to be able to honour Hong Kong's top students for their diligence and talent, and to spur them on to even greater achievements. Scholarship recipient Eve Ngan Kwai-ling of Heep Yunn School said that she did not expect to score 9As, much less to be awarded the scholarship. ''Without the encouragement of my teachers, father and mother, and the full support of classmates, I would not have such a good result in the public exam and the opportunity to win this prize,'' the 17-year-old arts student said. Kwai-ling will continue her sixth-form at Heep Yunn and intends to study Hotel Management in Switzerland. When asked how she would spend the money, Kwai-ling said she would first treat her family and relatives to dinner, then she would put the rest of the money into a bank. Another two scholars, Lam Hei-ning and William Gordon Chu Man-ming of Queen's College, admitted that they had expected to receive the scholarship. Hei-ning, 16, said he knew from his senior schoolmates that those who achieved nine or 10As would have a good chance of winning. ''I still have not thought of how to spend the $5,000, which is quite a lot for me,'' Hei-ning said. ''Maybe I will buy some computer accessories, a Walkman and something that I don't have.'' While 17-year-old William said he would not spend all the money at once. He prefers keeping it in the bank so that when he has an emergency he can buy it without difficulty. RECIPIENTS 1. 10As students awarded scholarship of $5,000 are Ho Shing-yin (Salesian School), Lam Hei-ning (Queen's College), William Gordon Chu Man-ming (Queen's College), Fung Chi-ho (Wah Yan College, Hong Kong) and Lo Kwok-cheung (Pui Ching Middle School). 2. 9 As students awarded scholarship of $4,000 are Lau Yu-hin (Wah Yan College, Hong Kong), Leung Kam-lun (Wah Yan College, Kowloon), Ho Lung-wei (Queen's College), Gordon Tsui Siu-kay (Queen's College), Cheng Yan-yuen (Queen's College), Wong Man-kit (Queen's College), Wong Cheung-mou (Diocesan Boys' School), Man Bernard (Diocesan Boys' School), Cheung King-sing (Clementi Secondary School), Hilda Chan Yee-shan (Sacred Heart Canossian College), Iris Chau Kin-shuen (Sacred Heart Canossian College), Leung Man-yee (St Mary's Canossian College), Ng Wai-kit (Kwun Tong Maryknoll College), Cheng See-leung (St Paul's Co-educational College), Peter Tsang Wing-cheung (St Paul Co-educational College), Choy Chun-tsung (St Paul's Co-educational College), Poon Tin-wai (La Salle College), Sally Kwok Hom-siu (Maryknoll Convent School), Miranda Chow Mai-mai (Maryknoll Convent School), Eve Ngan Kwai-ling (Heep Yunn School), Colleen Lo Ka-ying (Good Hope School), Yau Ka-fai (Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School) and Chong Kam-lung (Munsang College).
