Return to Student ProfilesMelvin Wong
(Hong Kong) 2006 Leaver
Christchurch Boys’ High School, a school more than a school
New Zealand, the country of green, a country where there are more cattle than humans, a country full of surprises.
New Zealanders may be small in population size, but definitely not in brain size: education in New Zealand is a hidden world’s treasure.
I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to be involved and to reveal my first hand experience in this wonderland.
Time goes back to 2004, January.
When I first stepped out of the airport terminal, my first impression of Christchurch was: fresh air, green land, but it is rather cold.
This impression holds its ground until today.
The next day, when I first walked in the Boys’ High building, looking at the huge school ground covered with new grown grass, my first impression was: this is an ordinary sports-oriented colonial school.
It does not take long for this idea to rot.
CBHS has an incredible school ground: a multi-hectare field, accompanied by 20th and 21st century buildings and Avon river.
Boys’ High provides a huge variety of sports choices and facilities that will have no trouble satisfying the maddest sports-maniac.
Football, rugby, cricket, basketball, hockey, badminton, table tennis... I would not even attempt to name them all.
Apart from developing students’ physical strength, Boys’ High is also keen on developing their mental strength.
The freedom to allow students to choose from 30+ subjects to study would definitely be a factor of the students’ free thinking mind and producing some of the top scholars in the country in our age group.
Culture is also an important aspect for an all-rounded person. Boys’ High has various music, debate and art groups in various levels; there is always something for someone, which I really appreciated and valued.
I will never feel more comfortable than in Boys’ High. The nationality diversity and multi-culture of New Zealand helps international students settle easily and they are treated with respect they ought to have. With the sense of unity and belongingness, life is enjoyable in Boy’s High!
The standard of sports and academic can be justified by national representatives and awards, but the standard of staff is also incredible. Every teacher is friendly, willing to help, and of course knowing their field well.
To make it short, just imagine being taught by a few PhDs/ lecturers in your last year of high school. Not bad! Isn’t it?
After I graduated from CBHS, I returned to Hong Kong and worked in a watch manufacturing firm as a Marketing Assistant.
The job was demanding, covering aspects of marketing, sales, QC, R&D, design and some logistic.
The clients I was responsible for are two American listed companies and one Swiss research company. My job was to co-operate my client (Overseas), my self (Hong Kong), our factory and suppliers (China) by remote management tools like emails, and travels to China became necessary when situations turned nasty.
During the 9 months, I was lucky enough to have participated in three fairs, one in Basel, Switzerland, two in Hong Kong. The fairs are some of the biggest of their kind and I met new clients from all over the world, you name it, and thanks to the language, interpersonal and organizational skills obtained from Boys’ High, I was usually one of the better performed ones.
I am now studying Management in Manchester Business School, part of Manchester University.
I rejected the more famous Warrick University for Manchester, because I believe its vision (I can write another thousand words on this…) and I have decided to invest in my future instead of the present.
So if you so decide to invest on your future, CBHS is the place for you.
It will sure be one of the best memories in your lifetime.
And as every old boy ends his speech, I am going to end mine in the same way:
"Altiora Peto"