• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Private tutors in Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong school news - IMS Open DayWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • Horoscopes for February 2023!
        • Image of Chinese characters for article on tips for learning Mandarin Chinese languageSix steps to a magical Mandarin Story
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Horoscopes for February 2023!
        • KidsFest 2023 Hong Kong - Tabby McTatTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Best playgrounds & parks for the kids
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • Private tutors in Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong school news - IMS Open DayWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • We chat with two GSIS families
        • A boarding school with wildlife on the doorstep!
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • Design Ideas: Yoga at Home
        • A New Home in The New Territories
        • Transforming an old Hong Kong junk
        • Image of Altfield home furnishings showroomWhere to get designer home furnishings
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Sequoia Lodge, AustraliaTravel Tips: Hot hotels for 2023
        • Mount KinabuluClimbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah
        • Son Doong CaveJourney into the world’s largest cave
        • Famous movie locations in Asia - Hong Kong - Gage Street8 Famous Movie Locations in Asia
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Thai food at Monsoon restaurant in Hong KongRestaurant Review: Monsoon
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Popcorn Shrimp with Spicy Honey Mayo
        • Indulgent chocolate cake - recipeRecipe: Indulgent Chocolate Cake
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Convertible clothing that can be mix-and-matched
        • where to get botox in hong kongBotox in Hong Kong – All you need to know
        • Where to buy (and sell!) watches
        • Face masks, spa products, body scrubsWe test body scrubs, creams, masks & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • dry eye disease - causes, symptoms and treatment for dry eyesDo you suffer from dry eyes?
        • family dental clinics and dentists in Hong KongFamily Dental Clinics and Dentists in HK
        • Children's teeth and bracesKids and braces – all you need to know
        • Safe & healthy eating during pregnancy
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

A school that’s doing things differently!

6 December, 2022 by Expat Living 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/creative-secondary-school-css-hong-kong-ib-diploma-myp/

Creative Secondary School (CSS) opened in 2006 and has been an IB World School since 2009, offering the Hong Kong Diploma, IB Diploma (IBDP) and IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP). We chat with the school’s Principal, Australian educator DR ANTHONY ADAMES, who has lived and worked in HK for over two decades.

How does the educational approach at CSS reflect the word “Creative” in the school name?

For me, being creative isn’t just about art or music; it’s about how you find solutions to problems, how you approach your work, and how you approach friendships and relationships. You need to be agile. This is why we always ask students to find creative solutions to difficult problems and to think outside the box.

On top of that, we’re a very warm and inviting school – we regularly invite people from outside school to join our community for activities and events; and we go outside of school to support community groups and engage with them. Some schools care primarily about academic results; while we do pay attention to results, we’re more concerned with the individual development of every member of our school community.

Principle of Creative Secondary School (CSS) IB World School in Hong Kong
Creative Secondary School Principal Dr Anthony Adames

What else does CSS do differently?

I think the way we teach is completely different. We don’t spoon-feed students, but rather use an inquiry-based learning approach. We want students in both their academic and personal lives to take responsibility, and we give them the tools to do this.

CSS also believes in a collective spirit – we want students to work, contribute and provide community service together. Coming to this school is not a lonely endeavour. That’s why this year, in particular, we’ve gone out of our way to reconnect students socially.

How many schools can say they’ve gone from offering zero CCAs to offering 57?

And many are very affordable or free. What’s more, if a student can’t find something on the list that interests them, they can create a CCA – not many schools offer that.

Every MYP student at the school will now study a foreign language outside of Chinese and English; at the moment, we’re offering German and Spanish. Over the next four years, we will develop this programme to truly become an outstanding school for languages. And what goes with language?

Drama, theatre, art – all these creative things.

Students at Creative Secondary School in Hong Kong, an IB world school offering the Hong Kong Diploma, IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP)

How can parents get involved at the school?

Join the PTA! Our PTA works as partners with us to disseminate information to parents. They manage a WhatsApp group for every year, where everyone can get involved in discussions. The groups are very welcoming and make sure all viewpoints are heard. The PTA also helps families who might be struggling; this might be financial support of some kind, or by running workshops for parents in English and Chinese to help with different issues.

What’s new and upcoming at CSS?

Finally, we can enjoy a normal school year! We’ll be running our Creative Week this year, and sporting fixtures are coming back, too. Our new gym is ready, and we have a new STEAM room with a gigantic green screen for virtual reality projects. Elsewhere, we have a newly resurfaced tennis court, a new climbing wall, and we’ve just finished building a Chinese Centre for language and culture. And we’re slowly renovating the whole school over the coming three years.

Every year, we have a theme; this year’s theme truly sums up CSS: “Good, Better, Best”. I inherited a very good school, but we still saw opportunities to improve, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re also coming roaring back from the pandemic. I think this year’s HKDSE and IBDP results will be the best in our history – we will knock it out of the park. This is a school to watch over the coming five years!

Creative Secondary School, IB world school in Hong Kong
Creative Secondary School has been an IB World School since 2009 offering the Hong Kong Diploma, IBDP and MYP

3 Pung Loi Road, Tseung Kwan O
2336 0233 | www.css.edu.hk | admissions@css.edu.hk

This article first appeared in the Winter 2022/23 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.

 

Categories: Education & Enrichment Kids Schools

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

Private tutors in Hong Kong

A boarding school with wildlife on the doorstep!

A Day in the Life of a Boarder at MCM

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.