ESF Chairman’s Awards for Excellence 2018 Ceremony

Posted on 9th Aug 2018 in School News, Hong Kong, Student awards

Nine awardees shared their study experience and interesting stories of their time in school yesterday at the press conference.

From the left: Philippe de Manny (West Island School), Karen Yan (South Island School), Theodore Hui (Sha Tin College), Cheryl Wong (Sha Tin College), Jamie Chan (Renaissance College), Joan Pang (King George V School), Aqua Tai (Island School), Cheng Yan Yau (Discovery College) and Theodore Waters (King George V School)


Former students of ESF’s 22 schools can be found in every part of the world. Our size – and our proud history – means that our alumni have been shaping the world in which we live for decades. For over 50 years, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) has been nurturing talent, supporting learners and their families – and preparing young men and women to be the global leaders of tomorrow.

To recognise the outstanding achievements of graduates, ESF organises the ESF Chairman’s Awards for Excellence every year. This year, 229 graduates received awards, including:

  • 38 students with outstanding achievement in Leadership, Commitment and Contribution to Service, Embodying the Spirit and Values of the school, Sporting Achievement and Creativity;
  • 169 students who achieved the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma with 42 or more points (or a Bilingual Diploma with 40 or more points);
  • 4 students who achieved an average of 5 and above in two IB Diploma courses and a GPA of 3.0 (B grade) at SCAD in the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP);
  • 31 students who achieved the equivalent of 420 or more UCAS points in the Applied Learning Programme.

The highlight of the evening was the Carlson Tong Award presented to one student for achieving the highest performance for two languages studied as a first language in the IB Diploma examinations.

A press gathering was held before the awards ceremony and nine awardees shared their stories of school life and memorable learning experiences. More than 500 students, parents and teachers attended the award ceremony to celebrate the students’ outstanding achievements.

ESF Vice Chairman Ms Pauline Ng praised the students for their academic and wider achievements. ‘ESF has a tradition of excellence in academics, sport and cultural activities. Students leave ESF as confident, well-educated and internationally minded individuals who are equipped to play constructive roles in our global society,’ she said.

Outstanding awardees share their stories

Nineawardees shared their study experience and interesting stories of their time in school.

  • CHENG Yan Yau (ESF Discovery College) received 43 points in the IB Bilingual Diploma. He will be studying Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, UK.
  • Aqua TAI (ESF Island School) received the ESF Chairman’s Award for Creativity. She will be studying Illustration at Falmouth University in the UK.
  • Joan PANG (ESF King George V School) achieved 44 points in the IB Diploma. She will be taking Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, UK. ‘Through archaeology, I can delve into the field of biological anthropology, which allows me to study the evolution of humans from a physical perspective,’ she said.
  • Theodore WATERS (ESF King George V School) received the Applied Learning Award and he will be taking Film Production at Southampton Solent University in the UK.
  • Jamie CHAN (ESF Renaissance College) received the ESF Chairman’s Award for Commitment and Contribution to Service. She will be off to the Yale University in the US to study Environmental Studies. ‘I love the Earth and Yale University has the best resources for me to best learn how to protect it,’ she said.
  • Cheryl WONG (ESF Sha Tin College) achieved the maximum 45 points for the IB Diploma after remark, making her the 16th top scorer from ESF this year. She will be taking Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
  • Theodore HUI (ESF Sha Tin College) received the ESF Chairman’s Award for Leadership. Interested in entrepreneurship, he will be studying BBA in Global Business at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
  • Karen YAN (ESF South Island School) received the ESF Chairman’s Award for Commitment and Contribution to Service. She will be studying Materials Science at University of Oxford, UK.
  • Philippe DE MANNY (ESF West Island School) received the ESF Chairman’s Award for Leadership. He will be studying Aviation at the University of South Australia.