By Katie De Santis and Lynn Lawrence-Brown, HKA teacher librarians
A cave painting found in Indonesia is the oldest evidence of storytelling known to humankind, dating 44,000 years old. Since then, oral and written stories have allowed humanity to forge connections and build communities worldwide and HKA is no exception. Jimmy N. Smith, founder of the International Storytelling Center says, “We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”
Literacy Week is a long-standing tradition at HKA. This week-long educational programme and celebration encourages excitement and engagement for reading and writing across the community and this year took place 11-15th March with the theme of “Stories: Empowering Connection and Belonging.”
Literacy Week kicked off with an interactive session led by voice actor Curtis Holland, who shared with our Upper Primary students about his experience as an audiobook narrator, offering practical tips and tools for them to explore when reading aloud. Our Early Childhood students welcomed Tiffany Kwan, author of “Lele and Monkey” and were captivated by her interactive storytelling with a familiar story setting and delightful singing, fostering a love for stories and connection. Lower Primary students were visited by Alex Stears, author of “Mr. Wiz and the Dragon,” who led them through the land of Moo, casting spells with the mixed up Mr. Wiz.
At the annual Book Character Parade, Primary School students and faculty showed their joy for reading by spending the day dressed as their favourite book characters and participating in an assembly, including a whole school sing-along to “Read, Read, Read.”
The Secondary School’s literacy week focused on the importance of oral storytelling and sharing stories in fostering connection and a sense of belonging among underprivileged communities in Hong Kong. Secondary students in the lead up to and during Literacy Week worked on raising awareness and funds for the Story Seeds project which supports foundational English language learning for Pre-K students in underserved communities and were pleased to welcome founder Vivian Chung to a special assembly where they learned more about this important work. Joshua Philips, Partnerships Manager, Branches of Hope, and a Refugee guest Vishal Ginni also discussed the power of storytelling for refugee communities in Hong Kong. Fundraising efforts took the form of the Lucky Duck Competition and activities like Blind-date-with-a-book during which students put notes of recommendation on books and their peers bought a book based on these recommendations.
Celebrating literacy and connection was further found in activities like the Harry Potter Escape Room, and Book Swap, where they could enjoy surprise reading. Spirit week Twin Dress Up, Book Character Dress up and Pyjama days added to the fun and promoted a sense of belonging.
On Thursday the school embraced its annual tradition of the Continuous Reading Chairs, where parent, staff, and faculty volunteers took turns hosting cosy and interactive story sessions. Students dropped in during literacy classes, lunchtimes, and breaks, creating a warm and immersive reading environment which continued after hours in the Primary School library during Community Library Time when families got together to read and enjoy with Hot Cocoa and cookies.
To conclude the week, students and parents had the opportunity to browse and purchase from a huge range of titles at the Book Fair and meet author Daniela Alam and illustrator Chihiro Mutanga Shimizu, creators of “When the Rains Stop”, further celebrating their love for reading. HKA’s Literacy Week was a testament to the power of stories in fostering connection and belonging, leaving a lasting impact across the community.
