Moving to Tai Wai in 2018 provided Island School students in the Writers' Block Elements class with an exciting opportunity to work on a writing project with Ng Yuk Secondary School. NYSS students shared ideas and English vocabulary from their Form One lessons, collaborating with IS students to weave these elements into stories written for younger children.

The project has been a great success - over the weeks the initial shyness between the schools evaporated, leaving a real creative buzz, lots of laughter, and new friendships. I hope you enjoy the results.

Teri Eves - Lead Teacher of English

Island School

June 2018

As a local school in the district, we are always looking forward to the possible liaison opportunities with any international schools for collaborative teaching in English. It is our honour to partner with ESF and Island School in running a pilot writing workshop for our Form One students in which they learnt about story elements and new vocabulary.

Our students found the inter-school and inter-cultural experience very enjoyable. Through the creation of their own stories and interaction with IS students in English, their confidence and sense of achievement has been greatly enhanced.

Yu Ka Yan - English Teacher

Ng Yuk Secondary School

June 2018

There was once a young raven haired girl called Hody who was as kind and gentle as a mother, but had a soul as brave as a knight. Although Hody radiated a sense of heroism, she also had a great sense of fun and a thirst for adventure.  

Hody lived in the never sleeping city of Hong Kong, where there was plenty of adventure on offer, as it was a place of wonders that delighted the eyes and intrigued the mind.

As she was always looking for adventure, people often called her Crazy Hody.

One sunny Sunday morning, Hody decided to set out on a walk in Tai Wai. She strolled along an by the river, and into the hills, when suddenly she found herself in an unfamiliar forest. She looked back, and her usual path had disappeared. Magic, that’s the only explanation, I’m somehow in a magical forest, Hody thought to herself.  

Hody wasn’t scared at all, in fact she thought it was the start of a wonderful adventure. So she decided to follow the glittering pathway in front, and explore further into the forest. She was enjoying watching the brilliant jewelled colours of the butterflies when she turned a corner and...

Oh no, there was a monster blocking her path. It was HUGE!

It had large scales along its spine and rough, burnt looking skin that reminded Hody of coal. Its fiery red eyes stared down at her.

Oh no, it’s like Godzilla, Hody whispered to herself. She had heard the stories, watched the films and read about this terrifying monster. She slowly tried to creep away. But...

CRACK! Oh no! She’d stepped on a branch! The Godzilla monster’s mighty head turned towards her, its red eyes searching for where the sound had come from. Its stare pierced her, and it started rampaging towards the terrified girl.

Arrrggghhhh!!!

Hody ran for her life, she could hear the menacing sound of the monster's footsteps thundering and thumping after her. She tried to look for an escape route, but suddenly her vision was blocked by hundreds and thousands of terrible bugs that swarmed around her face in a thick cloud. She couldn't see anything.

All of a sudden she couldn’t feel anything either, no pathway underneath her, no grass brushing her legs, no branches scratching at her arms, nothing. Instead she heard the sound of air rushing past her ears really quickly.

Crazy Hody had crazily ran off the edge of a cliff!

HELP!!!

As soon as she realised this she opened her mouth to scream in terror, but SPLASH! She plunged into a raging river and was swept along with the flow. Hody desperately tried to swim to the bank, but the water was moving too quickly for her to fight against it. All she could do was let the river drag her along, and hope that it would release her along its shallower banks later.

Eventually the frenzied water slowed, and Hody found herself gently carried to the edge of the river and placed carefully down, as if she was a small child and the river was a kindly uncle, carrying her to safety.

Hody looked around and saw a fantastic sight in the distance, the spires and pinnacles of a castle. She realised she had washed up on the shore of a surprisingly wonderful place - DISNEYLAND!

She was soaked and dripping wet, but she thanked the river for saving her from the monster and bringing her to such an amazing place. She felt so excited as she walked through the trees, following the direction of the turrets, a joyful light shining in her eyes.

But although she walked and walked, she never got any closer to the exciting, colourful park.

"HALT!" A strange looking tribal gang wearing vibrant peacock feather necklaces stopped the confused girl. "Who are you to be walking in our magic forest?  And what do you have to offer in payment for safe passage?" the leader asked.

"I...I...I’m sorry, Hody stammered, I didn’t realise this was your forest. I’m Crazy Hody and I'm terribly tired and hungry, I’ve been chased by a monster, almost drowned in a raging river, and now I’ve been walking for ages and ages, but I’m not getting any closer to Disneyland. Can you help me? I only have a few snacks I was saving for later in my backpack, but I'm happy to share."

Hody opened her lunch box, and packed inside were Siu mai, egg puffs and curry fishballs.

"Wow, look at all this food," the tribe gasped.

The tribe had never eaten such delicious food before, so they made Hody an honourable tribal sister by giving her a special sacred peacock feather necklace, and they agreed to escort her out of the magic of the forest, and into the magic of Disneyland.

But...

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble, then tremble, then shake like an earthquake. The tribe started hollering and screaming, their fear visible on their faces.

Oh no! Somehow the Godzilla monster had followed Hody!

But the tribe would not let anything happen to their new tribe sister. They stood strong and firm, weapons at the ready, and then the tribe began to shout their fearful war cry, stomping their feet and waving their arms, and the sound grew louder and louder. When their leader said the word, they threw their sharpened spears right at the dangerous beast.

The Godzilla monster had never had anything attack it before; the sound of the war cry and the feel of a thousand jabs of sharp, bite like like wounds put terror into its heart. It fell squealing to the floor with a shuddering thump, and accepted defeat.

Hody cheered her new tribe-brothers and together they celebrated long into the night.

The next morning Hody woke up all sweaty and tangled up in her sheets. Oh no she thought, it was all just a dream.

And then she felt a feathered necklace around her neck...

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