I want to take the opportunity of the last Green Post of the year to say goodbye to my Rutherford family. I have been at Island School for 30 years, the last 16 of which as the Senior Head of Rutherford. To spend half of one’s life in one place might seem less than adventurous to say the least, but Island School has given me such fulfilment and joy over the years that as a teacher I simply couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

I have managed to keep in touch with quite a few ex-students, and just last week I bumped into two students from my very first form at Island School back in 1991. They are both mums now with children in tow and yet I can still see them as teenagers in my mind’s eyes! Inevitably, we started reminiscing about the past, sharing fond memories of mischiefs and triumphs. The warmth of these encounters no longer surprises me as they bear testimony to the strong bond that we share as part of the Island School community. 

I will just give one more example. In 2016, I had an unexpected email from an ex-Rutherford student who graduated from Island School back in 1976, asking permission for her and her classmates to visit the school as part of their 40th reunion! Of course, I readily acceded and a few weeks later, I greeted about a dozen alumni, all nearing their sixties, who have arrived back in Hong Kong from all over the world. I had the pleasure of giving them a tour of the place, all the while listening in on their excitement as they recognised many parts of their old hunting ground. I also invited them to speak to the entire Sixth Form during Speaker’s Hour in a rather cramped Lower Drama Studio, and I can still recall my goosebumps at the electric atmosphere as these 2 groups of Island School students connected across the generations! 

The visitors started by standing up one at a time reciting their school number, and then took it in turn to share their memories of their time at the school, recalling the names of their teachers and describing the activities they took part in, both the naughty and the good. Soon, questions and answers flew in both directions, and I just remembered sitting back, in awe of the power that held everyone in its grip that afternoon. For me, that was one of the best examples of the famed Island School spirit. While teaching and learning are important, school at its best is about people and relationships, and I believe that over the years, Island School, through its strong House system has brought people together, and in the process brought the best out of them.

I would like to finish by thanking all my colleagues and students, past and present, for making my time at Island School, and especially as part of Rutherford House such an enjoyable and rewarding one. Of course, I must also thank the parents for putting their trust in us and sharing in our journey. I look forward to our final assembly of the year on Thursday when I can say farewell one last time!

Mr. Chan

June 2021