The Shocking History of RCHK

ByAda Lacey

During the 1990’s, in the location of Festival Walk the Canadian Overseas school was told to shut down due to the building of new bus terminuses. This was the birth of what became the history of RCHK.

After having to leave the previous school venue in Kowloon, the secondary school was sent to a deserted mall (the Waterside Shopping Mall located in Ma On Shan).

Ms Rossiter, a former Phoenix and Canadian Overseas teacher stated, “We had an entire school year in that shopping centre, and one day it just didn’t exist anymore.” The Canadian Overseas school had gone bankrupt, forced to close their doors as a school leaving the students and teachers without education and a job.

The inside of Waterside Shopping Mall, the previous venue of Canadian Overseas Secondary school. Photo: Trip Advisor

Dr Brown, the current principal of RCHK tells us, “The parents went to the government saying, what are we going to do? We need an International English Medium School! And so the government went to ESF saying can you help us? So ESF said that if you have a space for us then we can.” Phoenix International school then was borrowed from the government, using the remains of the Australian International school. It was there for about six years.

Ms Rossiter says, “When we moved out, Phoenix was demolished. That was the kind of building that it was.” When the teachers at Phoenix discovered that there were plans for a new school to be built in Ma On Shan, they were ready for a change.

Ms Rossiter also mentioned, “We always knew something better was coming.” The Phoenix school had been a nice place, but in terms of the building itself… RCHK was the perfect opportunity.

When RCHK had finished its construction, it was time to begin. When creating a new school from the ground up, there is much to decide. An example of one of the most important things was of course, the

choice of curriculum. Both Phoenix and Canadian Overseas were following the Canadian curriculum, but the school made the decision to teach the IB because, “The IB itself is widely accepted around the world.” Dr Brown said. “It’s really not the gold standard, but the platinum standard for university preparation.”

Another important decision was for our mascots and the symbol of our sports team, the Black Kite. Ms Sanker quotes, “They are known to be the most opportunist hunters. I believe that the black kite represents the type of students in RCHK, students who make the most of the opportunities presented to them.” According to Dr Brown, our mascots were created by secondary students when the school was first opened.

Another important part of our school is the logo itself! Ms Sanker, a previous Phoenix school teacher and current RC teacher tells us, “The school logo is the fibonacci sequence! It is a sequence where a number is the sum of the two values preceding it. You could say that it represents the beauty of collective efforts, or that it represents the motto of “strength in numbers”.

The RCHK that we know today currently has just over 2,100 students, and has been around for 18 years. Check the RCHK Truth to access more articles on our school, from opinion pieces to news stories.

The inside of Waterside Shopping Mall, the previous venue of Canadian Overseas Secondary school. Photo: Trip Advisor

Dr Brown, the current principal of RCHK tells us, “The parents went to the government saying, what are we going to do? We need an International English Medium School! And so the government went to ESF saying can you help us? So ESF said that if you have a space for us then we can.” Phoenix International school then was borrowed from the government, using the remains of the Australian International school. It was there for about six years.

Ms Rossiter says, “When we moved out, Phoenix was demolished. That was the kind of building that it was.” When the teachers at Phoenix discovered that there were plans for a new school to be built in Ma On Shan, they were ready for a change.

Ms Rossiter also mentioned, “We always knew something better was coming.” The Phoenix school had been a nice place, but in terms of the building itself… RCHK was the perfect opportunity.

When RCHK had finished its construction, it was time to begin. When creating a new school from the ground up, there is much to decide. An example of one of the most important things was of course, the

choice of curriculum. Both Phoenix and Canadian Overseas were following the Canadian curriculum, but the school made the decision to teach the IB because, “The IB itself is widely accepted around the world.” Dr Brown said. “It’s really not the gold standard, but the platinum standard for university preparation.”

Another important decision was for our mascots and the symbol of our sports team, the Black Kite. Ms Sanker quotes, “They are known to be the most opportunist hunters. I believe that the black kite represents the type of students in RCHK, students who make the most of the opportunities presented to them.” According to Dr Brown, our mascots were created by secondary students when the school was first opened.

Another important part of our school is the logo itself! Ms Sanker, a previous Phoenix school teacher and current RC teacher tells us, “The school logo is the fibonacci sequence! It is a sequence where a number is the sum of the two values preceding it. You could say that it represents the beauty of collective efforts, or that it represents the motto of “strength in numbers”.

The RCHK that we know today currently has just over 2,100 students, and has been around for 18 years. Check the RCHK Truth to access more articles on our school, from opinion pieces to news stories.