The Dragonwaves Podcast: On the Air with HKIS

All Aboard with Aimmie Kellar: Say Hello to HKIS’s High School Principal

From Canada to Seoul to Hong Kong, Aimmie Kellar has seen a lot, and she’s ready to use what she’s learned from her experiences in her new role as the High School Principal. Sit down with Ms. Kellar as we discuss her roots, her life before HKIS, and what she hopes to achieve in her first year.

Red Hearts in Black Rain

As we recover from back-to-back inclement weather emergencies, there is a bright spot beneath the dark clouds: The HKIS community. Hear from Laura Cowan, a Middle School Counselor, and Yvonne Lo, an HKIS Parent and a member of the PFO Board as they recount their stories of the Black Rainstorm saga.

What Makes HKIS Special? An Interview with Jim Handrich

What Makes HKIS Special? Community members at HKIS will agree we have a pretty special school, but what exactly is it that makes it so special? Hear from former Head of School James Handrich as he talks about his 24 years at HKIS and his perspective on what it takes to make a great school. Educators, HR professionals, and parents alike will gain amazing insights, while alumni and former faculty will enjoy hearing from their beloved leader from the 80s and 90s.

Applying to Colleges and Mental Health

Tune in to hear two HKIS Alums, Tyler Kusunoki ‘03 and Kevin Kusunoki ‘08, talk about the college application process, the effect it has on the mental health of teenagers, and some tips on how to manage the stress. Kevin is the Young Adults Pastor at Island Evangelical Community Church in Hong Kong and Tyler is the Director of Admissions Counseling at Tokyo Academics. 

Listen for some fun flashbacks to their days at HKIS! Today, our High School has eight counselors working in pairs to meet the social-emotional needs and academic planning challenges facing students in Grades 9 through 12. HKIS students and parents can get a full picture of student support, circa 2022 here.

A Sassy Robot + A Feature Film: Senior Projects Snapshot 2022

Every year, 12th graders at HKIS complete a Senior Project, where they are challenged to dive into a passion project or try to go deep into a new topic. 

This year, Dragonwaves is featuring two of these projects — first, Geneva Cheng and Hayden Ma created a prosthetic arm, and second, Lenny Luo, Benjamin Ting and Noah Livingston talk about creating a feature film.

As different as these projects are, all of these students have the same message to future seniors: Challenge yourselves! Do projects that push you outside of your comfort zone, and you will be rewarded with a great experience.

23 Years and Counting: Vincent Li ’73

Vincent Li ’73 sat down with HKIS’s Advancement Office to reflect on his involvement with HKIS, first as a student 55 years ago, then as an alumnus and member of the Board of Managers. Vincent talks about HKIS as a collaborative community of learning, and what drives his 23-year streak of giving to the Annual Fund.

A Fine Farewell: Student Life Transformed

Lauren Fine will retire from HKIS after 17 years of service in the High School. Tune in to hear about Lauren's journey from South Africa to Jerusalem to Hong Kong and how she transformed student life in the High School at HKIS. A counselor at heart with a strong commitment to service, Lauren cultivated a culture of gratitude and servant leadership in the student body and has left a permanent mark on the shape of our High School. 

Fleeing Ukraine: An Alum Aids Refugees in Budapest

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, forcing 3 million refugees to flee the country. About 200,000 of these have entered Hungary, including alum Bonny Pratt ’92’s adopted home Budapest. Bonny witnessed this influx, and knew she had to act. So she started to volunteer to support those who needed help, and write about what she was witnessing. Hear from Bonny about what she’s been doing to help, and how her time at HKIS helped set the foundation for her to act in this historic moment. You can read more about Bonny’s work here: https://gofund.me/1fc6f791 and here: https://gofund.me/dcc19a9c. Thank you to all the students who submitted questions for Bonny to answer.

#MyFreedomDay @ HKIS: Ending Modern Day Slavery with CNN

Can students end Modern Day Slavery? That’s what CNN believes! Since 2016, HKIS has been participating in My Freedom Day, CNN’s annual campaign to raise awareness about modern day slavery. Ahead My Freedom Day 2022, Dragonwaves revists interviews following activities in 2021: First, it sheds light on how My Freedom Day came to HKIS in the first place through an interview with alum Ella Hurworth ’18; second, it dives into a conversation with High School students Yuan Tseng, Chiara Jeong, Vivian Huang, and Faith Yih about their activities and the HKIS Against Human Trafficking club (starts 13:15); and finally it closes with an interview with three Middle Schoolers, Ariane Lee, Mayuko Kawase, and Tori Kim (starts 24:50). Everyone had insightful things to say about the activities surrounding My Freedom Day, and what they’ve learned about the issue in the process.

The HKIS Quartet Boys

Four eighth-grade students formed their own Middle School club and learned how to play in a string quartet. Each individually accomplished in their instruments, the group learned the ropes of chamber music and entered a Hong Kong-wide music competition representing HKIS, and achieved the highest honors in their category. Hear from Caleb, Deron, Benji, and Jayden on their journey.   

*Music excerpt from String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Opus 18, No. 4 (First Movement) by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by  Benjamin Diao, Caleb Chung, Deron Lin, and Jayden Choi.