Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Diocesan Boys' School

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Coordinates
  
22.322924,114.174229

Established
  
1869

Campus size
  
5 ha

District
  
Kowloon City

Faculty
  
136

Denomination
  
Anglican Episcopal

Headmaster
  
Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng

Phone
  
+852 2711 5191

Founded
  
1869

Diocesan Boys' School

School type
  
DSS, Grant School, Secondary; primary (since 2004)

Grades
  
G7 (Form 1) – G12 (Form 6)

Address
  
131 Argyle St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

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The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) (Chinese: 拔萃男書院) is a leading boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. Founded in 1869, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious secondary schools in the city. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christian principles". Having run as a grant-aided school since it was founded, the school commenced operation in the Direct Subsidy Scheme in September 2003. It uses English as the medium of instruction.

Contents

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The first foundation

In 1860, Mrs Lydia Smith (the Bishop of Victoria's wife) and the FES (the Society for the Promotion of Female Education in the Far East) set up the Diocesan Native Female Training School, a day-school turned boarding school for native girls, affiliated with the Diocese of Victoria. As stated in its first annual report, the purpose of the school was "to introduce among a somewhat superior class of native females the blessings of Christianity and of religious training". The school sat on Bonham Road, a small concrete house on a paddy field. Lady Robinson (the Governor's wife) became the patron.

The school had a difficult existence. The Second Opium War aroused strong anti-British sentiment and so it was very unpopular for Chinese girls to learn English. The school was closed and then reopened under the name "Diocesan Female School", but its finances did not improve. In 1868, Bishop Charles Richard Alford took the school under his immediate superintendence.

19th century

On 30 January 1869, in a bid to gain popular support, Bishop Alford issued an appeal to admit boys into the school and to turn it into an orphanage. The appeal was well received by the public. In September, the Diocesan Home and Orphanage, for boys and girls, both foreign and Chinese, was established.

In July 1870, William Arthur, formerly of the Garrison School, was appointed as the headmaster and Mrs Arthur as the matron.

In 1878, the school was placed in the grant-in-aid scheme by the Education Department.

In March 1878, Arthur resigned. Bishop Burdon proposed to stop admitting boys into the school and to bring it under the FES. In July, he withdrew his proposal following pressure from William Beswick, honourary treasurer of the DHO, although the Bishop still thought it inappropriate to have boys and girls boarding in the same school campus.

On 1 November 1878, George Piercy, then master of the Government Central School, was appointed to be the new headmaster. Piercy focused on the students' academics, and the school attained satisfactory results in the Cambridge and Oxford Local Examinations scholarships.

On 31 May 1879, the school committee resolved to stop accepting girls as boarders.

In 1891, the school was renamed the Diocesan School and Orphanage. In 1892, the remaining girls were transferred to Fairlea Girls’ School (a forerunner of Heep Yunn School]]). The Diocesan School and Orphanage was transformed into a boys' school.

Early 20th century

In 1902, the school was renamed the Diocesan Boys’ School and Orphanage. It is unclear when the school was renamed the Diocesan Boys' School, although the name was used as early as 1918.

Rev. William Featherstone, headmaster from 1917 to 1930, introduced the prefects' system, a house system and Speech Day. He also moved the school from Bonham Road to a green field site in Mong Kok. Construction was completed in 1926. In February 1927, the British military authorities took the school for use as a hospital for one year.

When war broke out in China in 1937, the school showed its support towards the Chinese Nationalist Party. In January 1938, a shoe-shining club was organised under the permission of Rev. Christopher Sargent to raise funds for the Nationalist government. Boys went to schools around Hong Kong and polished shoes for teachers and students. In 1939, there was a school strike when a student of Japanese citizenship was appointed as head prefect.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, most of the school staff, including then-headmaster Gerald Goodban, were imprisoned. The school building was transformed into a military hospital for soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Post-war years

Imperial Japan surrendered in August 1945. The school remained under the control of the Kempeitai until November, when all the Japanese soldiers were captured.

On 21 March 1946, J. L. YoungSaye, a senior teacher, got the school to run again. Oswald Cheung and B. J. Monks took up the post of acting headmaster successively. Goodban returned from England on 19 November 1947. Repairs started during the Christmas holidays.

In 1949, Goodban introduced a new house system in which houses were named after former headmasters, along with the Piercy Challenge Shield.

In 1955, Canon George Zimmern, also known as George She, was appointed the next headmaster, the first Hong Kong-born old boy to be given the role. As headmaster, Canon She welcomed students from poor households and affirmed the Chinese language in school culture. Canon She also introduced the Garden Fête in 1955.

It was decided that the primary classes should be dropped for lack of space and that a completely new primary school - Diocesan Preparatory School - would be built, although the decision was only implemented in 1969.

James Lowcock became headmaster in 1961. He brought the school to excel in athletics. Based on his previous experience in the school, he restructured the administration to improve efficiency and appointed more teachers to posts with designated duties.

In the 1970s, construction plans for a gymnasium, a Carnegie Hall (the old art room beside the demolished gymnasium) and a science wing were proposed.

In 1983, Jacland Lai succeeded Lowcock as headmaster. He brought the school to excel in extra-curricular activities and competitions. A language laboratory and a demonstration room were built. The electrics and alarm installations were renovated, the school walls repainted, and the facilities were computerised throughout the school.

The Millennium

In 2002, Lai was succeeded by Terence Chang, an old boy and then-headmaster of Jockey Club Ti-I College.

On 4 October 2002, the school committee proposed to join the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) with effect from September 2003. The application was accepted by the Education and Manpower Bureau in March 2003. The DSS was fiercely debated within the School throughout 2002. Chang was highly in favour of joining the DSS, but some students and most teachers opposed the DSS because they were afraid it would shut out students from poorer families. Old boys on the whole were slightly inclined towards the DSS. The school claimed that parents were in favour, though its findings have since been criticised as biased.

A primary school was built on the school campus. The project was financed by the government as part of the deal that saw the school join the DSS. The Diocesan Boys' School Primary Division (DBSPD) had its first, partial intake of students in 2004 and expanded its intake with students aged between 6 and 12 over the following years.

In April 2012, Diocesan Boys' School became the first secondary school in Hong Kong to have a school app on iOS and Android.

In September 2012, Chang retired and Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng – an old boy who had been the conductor of the school choirs – succeeded him as headmaster.

Houses

In 1922, Rev. Featherstone introduced the club system for sports and drama competitions. All the students were divided among four clubs: the Green, the Blue, the Yellow and the Brown. The Red Club was added in 1947.

Three past headmasters, Piercy, Sargent and Featherstone died successively during the years of the Pacific War. In order to commemorate them, Goodban decided to establish a new house system in 1949. The existing five clubs were re-designated "houses" and named after four past headmasters and Henry Sykes, who was the second master from 1898 to 1920.

In 1960, Canon She founded the new Goodban House to commemorate his predecessor. Lowcock House was added in 2002. In 2004, the Class of '58 fund-raised for a new house in memory of the late Canon George She. In September 2011, the George She House was created.

The houses and their colours are displayed on the right.

School badge

The School badge is composed of seven elements: the Mitre, the Crown, the Crozier, the Key, the Bible, the Shell and the Shield, all of which have deep meaning in the Christian faith.

School hymn

The Diocesan Boys' School Hymn was composed by Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936).

Campus

Diocesan Boys' School has a large campus located on Kadoorie Hill in Ho Man Tin. The school moved there in 1926 from its former campus in the Mid-Levels.

Buildings

  • The Main Building was built in 1926. It houses many classrooms, the school hall, the general office, the covered playground, the George She Christian Centre, the canteen and the tuck shop. It is shaped like the Chinese character "王". Between the horizontal strokes of the character, there are two parking lots (for staff), a rock garden (built in 1955, designed by former art teacher Mr Y. T. Kwong), and a glass dining hall pavilion for boarding students.
  • The New Wing and the New New Wing, built in the 1950s and the 1970s respectively, house more classrooms and laboratories. The New Wing houses the NSS library. The New New Wing has some computer rooms.
  • The Gymnasium, built in 1951, was demolished in the late 2000s to make way for the auditorium (see below). The small barbecue pit next to the building was kept and now sits next to the auditorium.
  • The Headmaster's Residence, built in 1952, was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for the Primary Division (see below).

    • Five new buildings were built between 2004 and 2012, when Terence Chang was headmaster. The buildings were designed by architect Thomas Chow (an old boy of the class of 1975), who won three awards from the Hong Kong Institute of Architects: two "Medal of the Year" awards (for his work on the Primary Division and on the Samuel Tak Lee Building respectively) and one "Merit Award – Community Building" (for his work on the Michiko Miyakawa Building and the Yunni and Maxine Pao Auditorium).

  • The Primary Division opened in 2004. It includes, among other facilities, thirty classrooms, computer rooms, an assembly hall, a covered playground, two basketball courts, and an outdoor amphitheater.
  • The Mrs Tsai Ming Sang Building (a.k.a. the S.I.P. Building), built in 2005, houses 10 more classrooms, laboratories, computer rooms, and a large staff room. "S.I.P." stands for "School Improvement Programme".
  • The Samuel Tak Lee Building (a.k.a. the Sports and Dormitory Complex), named after a wealthy donor (an old boy of the class of 1958), was opened in 2008 to house dormitories and common rooms for boarders, as well as a 25-metre indoor swimming pool and a new gymnasium.
  • The Michiko Miyakawa Building (a.k.a. the I.B. Building) opened in 2011 to provide classrooms for the newly introduced International Baccalaureate section. It contains St Augustine's Chapel and the Ronald J. Chao Library.
  • The Yunni and Maxine Pao Auditorium, built on the site of the old gymnasium, opened in 2012. It houses the 800-seat Yip Kit Chuen Concert Hall, a couple of art galleries, and several other rooms used for choral practices.

    • Other facilities

  • The Drive is a long, winding road leading up the hill from Argyle Street to the southern entrance of the school. Alongside the Drive runs a footpath which is now called the Rev. George She Path to honour the headmaster who built it in the late 1950s.
  • The Steps are a set of long and steep steps leading from Prince Edward Road West to the northern entrance of the school.
  • The Field is a large football field used for PE lessons and school team training sessions. It is located between the New Wing and the Primary Division. The Chi Track is a 280-meter, 4-lane round track circling the field. For decades it had been a cricket field with a cricket pitch, until the laying of the track. The field and the track were completely redone in 2006 at a cost of $5M. The track is named after Wong Chau Chi Charles, an old boy of class 1982. Since then, the school also launched more facilities in the field area, including a long jump pitch, a discus-throwing pitch, a golf cage, an archery range and a tree house. There is also an old cricket scoreboard near the spectator area, it is a remnant of DBS' cricket days, when DBS was a noted cricket ground and centre in Hong Kong.
  • Next to the Field there is a 25-metre outdoor swimming pool. Students mostly use the indoor pool, but the outdoor pool is still frequently used by primary division.
  • There is a basketball court in the middle of the campus and two tennis courts on the south side of the campus (replacing two old ones which used to lie on the north side of the campus).
  • A small barbecue pit sits on the high ground next to the auditorium. A tall stone tablet stands there with the school motto written on it.

    • Curriculum

    The school uses English as the main medium of instruction, although certain subjects (other than Chinese itself) uses Chinese.

    Currently, both the Primary and Secondary Division follow the Hong Kong Examination Authority's curriculum. Students start off with a common curriculum in Grades 7 to 9. After then, some students of Grade 10 or above fall into the New Secondary System (also known as "334"), and they will take the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examinations. The other batch of Grade 10 students fall into the Pre-International Baccalaureate (Pre-IB) programme. After they complete the Pre-IB programme, they will enter the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), and will graduate if they pass the IB Finals.

    For Grades 7 to 9, a 'streaming' system is used for the classes. The top and weakest students in a grade are separated into different classes for further, reinforced education. All of the rankings are based on the academic rankings in the previous academic year. For Grade 7 students, they will be ranked in accordance with their results in the Streaming Test held in July, before the start of the academic year. The arrangements, effective from academic year 2015–16, are as follow:

    (The listed are the classes offered, ranked in accordance with the students' academic rankings in the previous academic year)

    For home classes:

  • Grade 7 D, S, G, P, M, L, A, J, T
  • Grade 8 D, S, G, P, M, L, A, J, T
  • Grade 9 D, S, G, P, M, L, A, J, T

    • Students in each grade are divided into three groups, with reference to their academic rankings in the previous academic year. The top 27 students with higher ranking in English in group 1 will be distributed to D class. 26 students with higher ranking in Chinese among the remaining students will be distributed to S class. Finally, the last 26 students will be distributed to G class. A similar system goes for group 2 (P, M and L classes). For group 3, the top 28 students in terms of academic rankings will be distributed to A class. The remaining students will be randomly distributed to J and T classes, such that number of students in each class becomes 27.

    Before the change of streaming system in academic year 2015 - 16, a more detailed 'streaming' system was used for English, Chinese and Mathematics. The arrangements were as follow:

    (The listed are the streams offered, ranked in accordance with the students' academic rankings of the 3 subjects in the previous academic year)

    For English and Chinese streams:

  • Grade 7 X, D, S, P, M, N, J, T, R1, R2
  • Grade 8 X, D, S, P, M, N, J, T, R1, R2
  • Grade 9 X, D, S, P, M, N, J, T, R1, R2

    • For Mathematics streams:

  • Grade 7 X, D, S, P, M, N, J, T, R1, R2
  • Grade 8 X, D, S, P, M, N, J, T, R1, R2
  • Grade 9 X, D, S, P, M, J, T, R1, R2

    • For English and Chinese, the top (approx.) 20 students in the D and S classes (home classes) will be distributed into the X class. The next 30 will be distributed into the D class. The next 30 will be distributed into the S class. For students in the P and M home classes, they will be distributed into the P, M and N classes (ranked in order of the students' academic results). For the students in J, they will be distributed into J, and R1, while T students will be distributed into T and R2. Students in R1 and R2 are the weakest 30 in the whole grade.

    For Mathematics, Grades 7 and 8 follow the streaming system of English and Chinese. For Grade 9, the same system follows only except P and M classes, which have their lessons of their home class.

    Starting from academic year 2015 - 16, the 'streaming' system was removed, except for J and T classes. Students placed in the bottom 15 in these three subjects will be distributed to the remedial class, named as R Class.

    The Pre-IB and IB programmes exclusively use the Michiko Miyakawa Building. Originally, the school intended to admit girls into the IB course but this was later cancelled when it was faced with strong objection and protest from students and parents.

    In March 2009, the school received media attention when a Form 4 student complained that he had had a nude female model as a subject in his art class, and alleged embarrassment. The visual arts teacher, employed for 27 years, told reporters that he had been inviting nude models without any complaint for nearly ten years. Then-Headmaster Terence Chang said it was a "big fuss about nothing".

    Sports

    The Diocesan Boys' School excels at sport. School teams have been crowned Overall Champions in Archery, Athletics, Badminton (Grand Slam in 2009/10 & 2010/11 in the Kowloon area), Basketball (Grand Slam in 2013/14 in the Kowloon area), Beach Volleyball, Cross Country, Fencing (Grand Slam in 2015/16 & 2016/17), Football, Handball, Hockey, Indoor Rowing (Grand Slam in 2013/14), Life Saving, Rugby Sevens, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis (Grand Slam in 1960/61), Tennis, Tenpin Bowling and Volleyball (Grand Slam in 1977/78 in the Kowloon area).

    The school's Athletics, Swimming, Tennis and Life Saving Teams have each won more than half of the Overall Championships in the history of their event:

  • Athletics – 37 Championships in 54 years, 11 Grand Slams (1979/80, 1980/81, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2013/14 & 2014/15)
  • Life Saving – 29 Championships in 45 years, 24 Grand Slams (1975/76, 1982/83, 1992/93, 1993/94 & 1995/96 - 2014/15)
  • Swimming – 32 Championships in 51 years, 8 Grand Slams (1966/67, 1994/95, 1996/97, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11 & 2016/17)
  • Tennis – 40 Championships in 65 years

    • Recently, the school has won the Inter-School Swimming Competition for a record 24 consecutive years and the Inter-School Tennis Competition for a record 17 consecutive years (straight wins every year). Athletics Team was crowned the Overall Champion for a record 7 consecutive years between 2003/04 and 2009/10, and Life Saving Team was crowned the Overall Champion for a record 23 consecutive years between 1992/93 and 2014/15.

    In 2013/14, the school won a record 14 Open Grade/Overall Championships in Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cross Country, Fencing, Football, Handball, Indoor Rowing, Life Saving, Swimming, Tenpin Bowling, Tennis and Volleyball; a record 4 Grand Slams in Athletics, Basketball, Indoor Rowing and Life Saving; a record 3 Jing Ying Team Championships in Badminton, Basketball and Football; as well as the BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl, the BOCHK Rising Star Award and the Outstanding School Award in Jing Ying Team Sports Competitions.

    In March 2003, the school football team made history by becoming the Champion of the All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Football Tournament as a Division Three team. It was the only Division Three team ever to achieve this feat.

    The school currently ranks second in terms of the number of Omega Rose Bowl/BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl won in the Boys Schools Section. The BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl, previously known as Omega Rose Bowl, is the annual award to member secondary schools of the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Secondary Schools Regional Committee achieving the best all-round performance from all sporting events organised by the Regional Committee each year.

    Music

    The Diocesan Boys' School Music Department contains six choirs, a full symphony orchestra, string and wind orchestras, a Chinese orchestra, and many chamber ensembles. Students have many opportunities to explore their interests and perfect their skills in music. DBS musicians have received critical acclaim on both local and international levels.

    The DBS Music Department is currently led by an old boy Mr. Felix Shuen.

    Instrumental

    The DBS Orchestra is one of the oldest youth orchestras in Hong Kong. The current director is Mr Felix Shuen.

    The Orchestra was founded during George She's time in 1956, though before that Mr Goodban had already been promoting instrumental music within DBS. The Orchestra first started with only 18 members conducted by Mr Lo King Man. Today, it has up to 80 members.

    Recent performances include Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 (2012, 2015), Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 (2013), Prokofiev's Symphony No.1 "Classical" (2014), Mahler's Symphony No.5 (2014), Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture (2015), Brahms' Symphony No.2 (2015).

    The DBS Orchestra was awarded the Gold Prize in the Washington D.C. International Music Festival 2015 with 93.67 marks. The Orchestra is also the current Champion of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Symphony Orchestra (Senior) Category and holds the record for the highest marks ever achieved (98 marks, 2004) in that category.

    The DBS Strings Orchestra is a division from the DBS Orchestra. Since 2007, it has been a conductor-less orchestra. For the past 12 consecutive years (2005-), it has been the champion of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Strings Orchestra (Senior) Category.

    Recent achievements

    2016 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Concert Band (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Ensemble (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Ensemble (Junior)
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Senior)
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Junior)
  • Winner of Brass Ensemble

    • 2015 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Concert Band (Senior)
  • Winner of Piano Ensemble
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Senior)
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Junior)
  • Winner of Brass Ensemble

    • 2014 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Chinese Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Ensemble
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Senior)
  • Winner of Woodwind Ensemble (Junior)

    • 2013 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Ensemble
  • Winner of Brass Ensemble

    • 2012 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Chinese Orchestra (Senior)
  • Most Outstanding School Award

    • 2011 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Symphony Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Winner of Concert Band (Senior)
  • Most Outstanding School Award

    • 2010 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Winner of Strings Orchestra (Senior)
  • Most Outstanding School Award

    • Choral

    There are six choirs in the Diocesan Boys' School Music Department

  • Senior Boys' Choir
  • Senior Mixed Choir (with Diocesan Girls' School)
  • Intermediate Boys' Choir
  • Intermediate Mixed Choir (with Heep Yunn School)
  • Treble Choir
  • Junior Mixed Choir (with Diocesan Girls' School)

    • The Treble Choir and Junior Mixed Choir are for students with treble voices only. The "intermediate" choirs are for students who are at the earlier stages of adolescent vocal development, while the "senior" choirs are for students with relatively developed voices.

    All six choirs are regular participants of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival first division competitions. The Diocesan Boys' School Senior Choir and the Diocesan Boys' School & Diocesan Girls' School Senior Mixed Choir are regular participants of international competitions, including the World Choir Games. Felix Shuen is the director of both choirs.

    Recent achievements

    2016 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year
  • Winner of Church Music Choir

    • 2015 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year
  • Most Outstanding Secondary Choir of the Year
  • Winner of Church Music Choir

    • 2014 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Junior Choir of the Year

    • The 8th World Choir Games Riga, Latvia

  • World Champion; Gold Medal in the Young Male Choirs Category
  • First Runner-up; Gold Medal in the Musica Sacra Category
  • First Runner-up; Gold Medal in the Youth Mixed Choirs Category

    • 2013 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year

    • 2012 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year
  • Most Outstanding School Award

    • The 7th World Choir Games Cincinnati, USA

  • World Champion; Gold Medal in the Young Male Choirs Category
  • First Runner-up; Gold Medal in the Musica Sacra Category

    • 2011 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year
  • Most Outstanding Secondary Choir of the Year
  • Most Outstanding School Award

    • The 7th International Johannes Brahms Festival & Competition Wernigerode, Germany

  • World Champion; Gold Medal in the Male Choirs Category
  • Grand Prize; Champion with Gold Medal in the Youth Choir Category

    • 2010 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival

  • Best Boys' Choir of the Year
  • Best Mixed Choir of the Year
  • Most Outstanding Secondary Choir of the Year

    • The 6th World Choir Games Shaoxing, China

  • World Champion; Gold Medal in the Young Male Choirs Category
  • World Champion; Gold Medal in the Musica Sacra Category

    • Chinese Music

    The Diocesan Boys' School Chinese Orchestra (DBSCO; Chinese: 拔萃男書院國樂會) originated from a Pipa Ensemble back in the 50's and developed into a full orchestra in the 60's. The mission of DBSCO is to promote Chinese music and culture. Since its founding, Diocesan Boys’ School Chinese Orchestra has been an active participant in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and captured numerous championships in the ‘Chinese Orchestra (Senior)’ category. Currently, Dean of Culture - Mr. CHO Ka-wai (曹家偉) and Mr. WONG Ka-long (王家朗) are the teachers-in-charge of DBSCO and Mr. KWOK Hang-kei is the Principal Conductor and Art Director.

    In September 1996, DBSCO was invited to perform in the “75th Anniversary Gala Performance of The British Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech”. In October 1998, the Orchestra was invited by a renowned Erhu master, Professor Wong Kwok-tung (王國潼) to perform in a concert with other Chinese Orchestras in the Hong Kong City Hall. The Orchestra debuted the piece "Capriccio on the Theme of Princess Changping" (帝女花隨想曲) and performed a couple of other pieces which were highly acclaimed. In 2005 and 2007, the Orchestra had participated in the 2nd and 4th "Youth Chinese Orchestra Beijing Invitational Competition" in Beijing, China and was awarded ‘Sunshine Prize’ (First Prize) in both years. In 2010, the Orchestra was led by Mr. KWOK Hang-kei and held two highly acclaimed concerts in Yunnan Province, China. In July 2014, the Orchestra participated in “International Youth Music Festival II” in Bratislava, Slovakia for three performances and one competition. DBSCO was awarded the Golden Band (First Prize) in the category Ensembles with free instrumentation up to 35 years and got the Grand Prix (Overall Champion) of the event. In addition, the conductor of the DBSCO, Mr. KWOK Hang-kei (郭亨基) was awarded the Best Orchestra Conductor.

    Other

    DBS also participates in other competitions, such as art, drama, business, mathematics, computer programming and the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival.

    DBS counts a total of 7 winners of the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards, ranking tenth among all secondary schools in Hong Kong.

    Politics and civil service

  • Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), Chinese revolutionary and statesman, "Father of Modern China".
  • Sir Robert H. Kotewall, local community leader
  • Haider Hatim Tyebjee Barma (鮑文), former Secretary for Transport
  • Patrick Ho (何志平), former Secretary for Home Affairs, professor of ophthalmology, ophthalmic surgeon
  • Yeung Kai-yin (楊啟彥), former chairman and chief executive of Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), former Secretary for Education and Manpower, Secretary for Transport and Secretary for the Treasury
  • Leung Po Wing (梁寶榮), former Secretary for Planning, Environmental & Lands, Director of the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing
  • James Tien Pei Chun (田北俊), former chairman of the Liberal Party and member of the Legislative Council
  • Michael Tien Puk Sun (田北辰), former chairman of the board of the KCRC
  • Timothy Tong Hin Ming (湯顯明), former Commissioner for Independent Commission Against Corruption
  • Tommy Cheung Yue Yan (張宇人), Legislative Councillor and member of the Liberal Party
  • Kenneth Kwok W. K. (郭惠階), former Secretary for Works
  • Joshua Law Chi Kong (羅智光), Permanent Secretary for Security
  • Kenneth Chen (陳維安), Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Legislative Council
  • Michael Lai Kam Cheung (賴錦璋), former CEO of St. James Settlement

    • Law

  • Rev. G. S. Zimmern (施玉麒) (1904-1979), barrister, magistrate, headmaster of DBS
  • Sir Oswald Cheung (張奧偉) (1922-2003), barrister, member of the Legislative Council, acting headmaster of DBS
  • Sir Yuet-keung Kan (簡悅強) (1913-2012), solicitor, member of the Executive and Legislative Councils, banker
  • Sir Robert Kotewall (羅旭龢) (1880-1949), barrister
  • William Ngartse Thomas Tam (1900-1976), barrister, magistrate, member of the Legislative Council
  • Sir Cho-yiu Kwan (關祖堯) (1907-1971), barrister, judge, member of the Legislative Council
  • Henry Litton (列顯倫), judge and barrister
  • Pang Kin-kee (彭鍵基), judge and ex-Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC)
  • Jat Sew Tong (翟紹唐), barrister

    • Commerce

  • Tyson, George B. (陳啟明), director of Dai Yew Bank, Member of the Hong Kong Chinese Chamber of Commerce(prewar)
  • Howard, William, J. (侯維廉), former director of L. Dunbar & Co. and John D. Hutchison & Co.
  • Wong Ching Yau, former director of the Hong Kong Metropolitan Bank
  • Lam Kin Ming (林建名), chairman of Lai Sun Group
  • Henry Fan (范鴻齡), former member of the Executive Council, former managing director of CITIC Pacific and former vice-chairman of Cathay Pacific
  • Yu Kam Kee, Lawrence (余錦基), chairman of Softbank Investment International (Strategic) Ltd
  • Fong, Alex (方志偉), CEO of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
  • Canning Fok (霍建寧), Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa
  • V-Nee Yeh (葉維義), founder of Value Partners (asset management) and member of the Executive Council

    • Education and academia

  • Chan Wing Tsit (陳榮捷) (1901-1994), sinologist, professor of philosophy at Dartmouth College and Columbia University
  • Chen Pei Hsun (陳培勳), composer, professor at the Peking Central Institute of Music
  • Tam Sheung Wai (譚尚渭), president emeritus of the Open University of Hong Kong.
  • Cheng Yiu Chung (鄭耀宗), former vice-chancellor of HKU
  • Liu Pak Wai (廖柏偉), former vice-president of CUHK
  • Robert Chung Ting Yiu (鍾庭耀), Director of the Public Opinion Programme at HKU
  • Chan Hing-yan (陳慶恩), chair of the Department of Music at HKU
  • Lee Sum Ping (李心平), Dean of the HKU Faculty of Medicine
  • Lai Ching Lung (黎青龍), professor of medicine at HKU
  • Yeung Kai Shing (楊啟誠), professor emeritus of electrical engineering at UTA
  • Fung Yee Wang (馮以浤), professor of education at HKU and CUHK
  • Wong Siu Kit (黃兆傑), professor of Chinese literature at HKU
  • Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), associate professor of law at HKU, initiator of Occupy Central

    • Arts and entertainment

  • George Lam (林子祥), Cantopop star
  • Li Chuan Yun (李傳韻), violinist
  • Patrick Dunn (鄧梓峰), TV host
  • Alan Chu (朱偉恆), pianist, principal keyboard of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta
  • Mahmood Rumjahn (林慕德), Cantopop composer and producer
  • Ronald Ng Lok Shing (伍樂城), Cantopop composer and producer
  • Chapman To (杜汶澤), actor and entertainer
  • Vivek Mahbubani, stand-up comedian

    • Mass culture and journalism

  • Charles Ho Tsu-kwok (何柱國), chairman of Sing Tao News Corporation
  • Wong K.K. (尊子), editorial cartoonist
  • Vincent Wong (黃永), radio host and columnist
  • Alex Law Kai-yui (羅啟銳), film director
  • So King Hang (蘇敬恆), RTHK journalist and former TVB news reporter
  • Josiah Lau Ka Kit (劉家傑), host of "One Minute's English" (RTHK)
  • Li Chun, Oscar(李臻), NOW TV news reporter
  • Lui Ping Kuen, Bruce (呂秉權), Cable TV news reporter
  • Fong Tung Shing, Anthony (方東昇), TVB news reporter

    • Sports

  • Lai Chun Ho (黎振浩), Olympic sprinter specialising in the 100m
  • Roy Lamsam (伍劭雄), cricketer
  • William Hill, Olympic sprinter (1964)
  • Denis Cunningham, Olympic fencer (1976, 1984), chairman of Hong Kong Fencing Association.
  • Chan Ming Tai (陳銘泰), Olympic long jumper (2016), holder of the Hong Kong record

    • References

    Diocesan Boys' School Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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