Bishop Paschang Catholic School () is a government-aided, whole day

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

coeducational primary school located in

Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay is a body of water within Victoria Harbour and an area within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between ...

, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The school is in Primary One Admission Net 46 of Kwun Tong. With the exception of English and Mandarin lessons, the school employs

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

as the main medium of instruction, in line with the prevailing education policy set by the Hong Kong government. This school is generally considered as the best primary school in the area of Kowloon Bay and Ngau Tau Kok. The sponsoring body is the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, commonly known as the Maryknoll Fathers.

History

The school was founded by the

Maryknoll Maryknoll is a name shared by a number of related Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (also known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America or the Maryknoll Society), the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Mary ...

Fathers in 1969. The

Bishop Walsh School Bishop Walsh School is a K-12 Catholic school located in Cumberland, Maryland, and under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Approximately 350 students attend. The school also hosts a pre-K program and operates the St. Michael's ...

was founded by the Maryknoll Fathers in Hong Kong in 1963. When Bishop Paschang Memorial School was set up in 1969, some senior staff were transferred from Bishop Walsh School.

Timeline

* 1969 founded – Bishop Paschang Catholic School was formerly known as the " Bishop Paschang Memorial School", originally located in

Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate Lower Ngau Tau Kok (II) Estate was a 7-block public housing estate built on reclaimed land in Ngau Tau Kok, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, located opposite Kowloon Bay station on the MTR. The demolition of the estate started in March 2010. The e ...

. It was founded by John M. McLoughlin. Initially, there was one morning section and onea evening section. McLoughlin named the school after Maryknoller

Adolph John Paschang Adolph John Paschang, MM (, 16 April 1895 – 3 February 1968) was an American Catholic bishop who was a member of the Maryknoll society. He was also a relief worker and educator working in the southern part of China in the early 20th c ...

. * 1971 – First Primary 6 graduation of the morning section * 1972 – First Primary 6 graduation of the evening section * 1975 – First batch of pupils who studied from P1 up to P6 graduated in 1975 * 1979 – 10th anniversary * 1999 – Parents-Teachers Association founded * 2002 – Morning section of Bishop Paschang Memorial School moved to the campus in

, became a full day school and was renamed Bishop Paschang Catholic School. The new campus was situated next to Richland Gardens, opposite the

Kai Yip Estate The following shows the public housing estates (including Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS)) in Ngau Tau Kok, Jordan Valley, Kowloon Bay and surrounding neighbourhoods, in Kwu ...

, of Y2K design by the

Architectural Services Department The Architectural Services Department is a department of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the design and construction of many public facilities throughout the territory. It is subordinate to the Works Branch of the Development Bu ...

of HKSAR government. PM section of Bishop Paschang Memorial School stayed in

Ngau Tau Kok Ngau Tau Kok is an area of eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong, in the north of Kwun Tong District east to Kowloon Bay. Largely residential, Ngau Tau Kok has a population in excess of 210,000. Geography In Chinese, Ngau Tau Kok means ''ox horn'' ...

but became a full day school. * 2003 –

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

outbreak in

Amoy Gardens Amoy Gardens () is a private housing estate in the Jordan Valley area of Kowloon, Hong Kong completed from 1981 to 1987.HKSAR Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

government and was subsequently demolished together with the rest of the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. The migration was complete. The newer campus was opened to the public on 8 March and 20 July 2008. Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate was the last of its kind of resettlement estate built by the Hong Kong Government. Its demolition aroused much nostalgia.

Description

Bishop Paschang Catholic School is a government

aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

, started to adopt small class teaching. Starting from 2010, the school enrolled five primary one classes, totalling 125 pupils each year. Most pupils are from neighbourhood families. As of 2011 enrolment had reached about 800 pupils. Graduates became doctors, lawyers, accountants, pharmacists, professors, principals, teachers, professional athletes, actors, administrative officers and engineers. The school employed an expert in curriculum design, Chan Mei Hing, in 2009 to succeed the retiring headmaster, Au Wing Cheung. Besides the supervisor and the headmistress, the Incorporated Management Committee (2010–2012) consisted of Fr. Thomas A. Peyton, Joseph Lai, Lee Ping Hing, Au Wing Cheung, Martin Lai, Rosa Chan, Priscilla Ko, Stefy Wong, Yip Miu Yee, and K.F. Chan.

Supervisors

* John M. McLoughlin (1969–1980) * Peter Alphonsus Reilly (1980–1994) * Howard D. Trube (1994–1995) * Thomas Anthony Peyton (1995–2004) * Anthony Vincent Brennan (2004 – 2012) * Martin Lai Wing-chun File: Fr McLoughlin in the 7th graduation ceremony of BPMS.jpg, John McLoughlin, founding supervisor of Bishop Paschang Memorial School File: Fr Reilly in Kowloon.jpg, Peter Reilly File: School .jpg, Howard D. Trube File: FrThomasAPeyton.jpg, Thomas Anthony Peyton File: FrAnthonyBrennan.jpg, Anthony Vincent Brennan

Headmasters

Headmasters of Bishop Paschang Memorial School AM Section in

*Chan Man Wai (1969–1984) *Yeung Yuen Man (1984–1992) *Leung Kwok Hung (1992–2001) *Lee Ping Hing (2001–2002) *Chan Mei Hing (2009-2021) *Cheng Pok Yan (2021-now) AM section moved to Kowloon Bay in 2002 and became a full day school. Headmasters of Bishop Paschang Memorial School PM Section in

*Lau Neng Chung (1969–1976) *Lee Tai Chung (1976–1991) *Leung Kwok Hung (1991–1992) *Sun Leung Shek (1992–1996) *Lee Ping Hing (1996–2001) *Au Wing Cheung (2001–2002) PM section of Bishop Paschang Memorial School became full day school in 2002. Headmasters of Bishop Paschang Memorial School Full Day School in

*Au Wing Cheung (2002–2006) *Au Suk Yan (2006–2008) Full day school of Bishop Paschang Memorial School was merged with Bishop Paschang Catholic School in Kowloon Bay in 2008. Headmasters of Bishop Paschang Catholic School in Kowloon Bay *Lee Ping Hing (2002–2006) *Au Wing Cheung (2006–2009) *Chan Mei Hing (2009–2021) *Tong Kwok Man (2021–) File: Mr Chan Man Wai.jpg, Chan Man Wai File: Lau neng chung.jpg, Lau Neng Chung File: Lee Tai Chung 1975.jpg, Lee Tai Chung File: BPMSHeadmistressYeungYuenMan.jpg, Yeung Yuen Man (in beige jacket) File: HeadmasterLeungkwokhung.jpg, Leung Kwok Hung(in navy blue jacket), Lee Ping Hing and Martin Fu File: BPCSHeadmasterLeeandUncleFai.jpg, Lee Ping Hing and Ng Kwok Fai File: BPCSHeadmasterAuWingcheung.jpg, Au Wing Cheung (Deceased) File:BPCSHeadmistressChanMeiHing.jpg, Chan Mei Hing File: AuSukYanandHoKatYim.jpg, Au Suk Yan and Ho Kat Yim (with glasses) AviewinsideBPCS

The school places high importance on moral education and participated in the "Marathon 101 Education Program". In 2009, they invited the blind marathon winner

Henry Wanyoike Henry Wanyoike (born 10 May 1974) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is blind and competes in the Paralympics and in marathon racing. Early career Wanyoike is one of the world's fastest runners. While still a child he was already being groome ...

and his leading runner

Joseph Kibunja Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

to the school to share with pupils their labour.

Curriculum

The school places priority on both Chinese and English learning. The school promotes English reading throughout, aiming at improving language skills. The school participated in the SCOLAR English Language Camp for Primary 4 Students in 2002. The school uses

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

in all Chinese lessons from P1 to P3.

Facilities

The campus in Kowloon Bay is of Year 2000 design by the

of the Hong Kong SAR government, the current standard design for school buildings.

Extracurricular activities

The school has various extra-curricular activities. The Bishop Paschang Catholic School Alumni Association awards an "A life body skill" scholarship to those pupils with outstanding performance in sports and arts.

Supporting bodies

Bishop Paschang Catholic School Parent-Teacher Association was founded in 1999. Bishop Paschang Catholic School Alumni Association was founded in 2007. Through the years the alumni association accepted graduates of all years from both

and

campus. These two supporting bodies help the school in organising activities and award scholarships.

School Song

The founding headmaster, Chan Man Wai, invited Taiwaneesee classical music composer, Huang You Di, to compose the school song. Lyrics were written by Lee Shi Shou, the father of the second headmaster of Bishop Paschang Memorial School PM section. The pair also composed the school song of Bishop Walsh Memorial School.

Notable alumni

*Ho Ka Lai – former Hong Kong fencing team member *

Poon Man Tik Poon Man Tik (, born 24 February 1975 in Hong Kong) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer. Club career He has played as a defensive midfielder and right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield positio ...

– former Hong Kong soccer team member *POON Man Chun – younger brother of

, also a former Hong Kong soccer team member *

Myolie Wu Myolie Wu Hang-yee (born 6 November 1979) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is previously managed by Hong Kong TVB television station and Neway Star. In 2011, she won Best Actress for her role in '' Curse of the Royal Harem'', Most Favou ...

– Hong Kong TV actress * Lee Wai-sze – Hong Kong cycling team member (2010 Guangzhou Asia Games Gold Medalist)

Old pictures

File:BPMSfront.jpg, Ngau Tau Kok campus taken on 10 June 2008 (now demolished) File:BPMSfromhingkee.jpg, A view of Bishop Paschang Memorial School from "Hing Kee" taken on 10 June 2008 (now demolished) File:BPMSrearelev.jpg, A view of the old campus in

taken on 15 July 2008 (now demolished) File:BPMSbadge.jpg, School badge of Bishop Paschang Memorial School

References

{{reflist

External links

Official web page of Bishop Paschang Catholic School
Maryknoll schools Roman Catholic primary schools in Hong Kong Ngau Tau Kok Kowloon Bay