Boarding lays the foundation for success. Academics and moral character complement each other. Diverse opportunities shine.

Aberdeen Technical School Founded in 1935, it has been nearly 90 years ago. It is one of the few grammar schools with a boarding program. It is committed to providing students with diversified learning opportunities and experiences, and has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents in various fields over the years. The school implements the educational concept of "accompanying" into students' study life and boarding life. Through regular study, orderly work and rest, and the integration of correct values ​​​​for dealing with people, dormitory life allows students to "learn to read, learn to be a good person, and learn to walk the path of eternal life." Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy We firmly believe that education is a job of "life influencing life". Every student has his or her own talent and potential. Teachers will establish good educational relationships with classmates, so that they can learn happily and thrive through teaching, companionship and encouragement. Students are accompanied by teachers, housemasters, mentors, priests, etc. to help them continue to make progress, develop their talents, and achieve holistic development.

Brand new STEAM education to create a “Science and Technology Innovation School”

The school keeps pace with the times and continues to promote STEAM education, bringing students new curriculum designs, as well as more advanced and complete teaching equipment. Promote interdisciplinary STEAM courses in junior high schools to help students master relevant knowledge and skills and solve real-life problems comprehensively, making learning concrete and enriching their learning experience. This school year, the school also offers college-level digital modeling (Digital Modeling) courses in high schools to help students explore future career paths. The course is taught by a former student of the school who was also the instructor of the master's program in a tertiary institution and his team. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy said: "Aberdeen Technical School is the first secondary school in Hong Kong to offer similar courses. Students will use professional software to learn Building Information Modeling (BIM), and those who complete it will be awarded a professional certificate."

In recent years, the school has received donations from caring people and alumni to establish the "ATS Fr. Martin STEM Development Fund" with a maximum donation amount of HK$10 million to help the school continue its advantages in STEAM education. The school has purchased additional 3D printers, laser metal cutting machines, and high-performance computers to optimize the school's hardware facilities to help students better develop their creative thinking. The fund also provides scholarships to support students to participate in overseas competitions or exhibitions. In addition, the school also signed a cooperation agreement with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers last year to launch the "One Engineer for One School" and the "Return to Alma Mater Program", inviting engineers back to their alma mater to share their views, hold lectures, inspections, etc., to help students in their career planning and development. At the same time, the school takes students to the mainland to inspect smart factories, gain a better understanding of three-dimensional drawing and engineering, and open up diversified development directions.

Under the school's all-round education strategy, students have ranked among the best in local and international innovation and technology competitions in recent years, such as the international robot competition Universal Robotics Challenge URC twice winning (2022 and 2023); Idea Contest Won the gold medal in the World Invention Competition 2023; won the runner-up in the Hong Kong Regional Competition of the Creative Thinking World Competition 2024; in addition, it also won multiple awards in the 17th Secondary School Infrastructure Model Creation Competition 2023, including the overall championship, best appearance award, best supporting efficiency award, and highest load award. Due to their outstanding performance, students have also been invited to participate in different exchange activities, including going to Osaka, Japan to participate in the Universal Robotics Challenge Idea Contest as "Hong Kong, China" for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024); being invited to participate in the BETT Show in the United Kingdom for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024); and attending the "Creative Thinking World Competition Global Finals" at Iowa State University in the United States as "Hong Kong, China" for the fourth time, sharing scientific research results with participants from all over the world.

"Boarding Education" Program comprehensively caters for learning needs

The school has a boarding education program to meet the needs of students such as classmates who live far away from the school. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy pointed out that boarding life emphasizes "learning to read" and "learning to be a human being", so that students can focus more on learning and personal growth and development. The school prepares a regular work and rest schedule for the dormitories and properly allocates time for reading and resting. For example, there are two self-study review periods every night. During this period, dormitory students can review and complete their homework. Dormitory tutors and seniors can provide real-time guidance to deepen the absorption of knowledge and develop independent study habits, so that students can learn to "learn to read."

"Boarding not only provides students with accommodation, but also supports students' various needs by providing an orderly daily routine and supporting facilities, such as "Little Stories and Big Principles" for morning and evening prayers, star learning plans, tutoring improvement plans, companion growth plans, etc. In a harmonious and orderly learning environment, the learning atmosphere becomes increasingly intense, and boarding students' performance will naturally improve." Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy said.

In order to encourage students to study hard, students who get the first place in the entire grade or class will receive a scholarship for full-year accommodation fees as a reward. Many students will take the initiative to apply for extended self-study time. Students learn from each other and encourage each other, creating a learning atmosphere. In addition, considering the strong demand for boarding and the need for more flexible work and rest schedules for high school students, the school has specially added a third dormitory, "Mingdao Hall", to arrange flexible lights-out times, allowing students to have more space to plan their own review time in preparation for public examinations.

Provide regular boarding life to establish correct attitude and promote whole-person development

In boarding life, boarders come from different backgrounds and students not only need to look after themselves, but also learn to get along and cooperate with others. For example, in terms of meal arrangements, boarders need to take turns preparing tableware and distributing meals; after meals, they need to share cleaning tasks such as washing dishes to cultivate a spirit of cooperation. In addition, high school students will take the initiative to lead their junior students, virtually building leadership skills and a sense of responsibility. In the process, they learn how to get along with others, cooperate, and develop a spirit of dedication. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy said: "We hope to provide students with a regular and balanced boarding life, explore and expand their interests, and at the same time establish a correct attitude towards life, so that they can grow up healthily both physically and mentally and achieve whole-person development."

At the same time, the warden of the dormitory (Father Lin) will tell stories and talk to the students every night, educating them on the principles of life, such as gratitude, service spirit and taking responsibility. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy pointed out that dormitory life allows students to "learn how to be a human being", and through the priest's sharing, they can understand Catholicism and learn how to "walk the way to eternal life." The dormitory also holds regular activities to invite alumni who have completed their studies to return to campus to share their experiences in "learning to read" and "learning to be a human being". Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy added: "Many alumni who are currently studying in tertiary institutions choose to give back to their alma mater and serve as assistant instructors. They are familiar with the operation of the dormitory and have a strong sense of belonging to the school. This is not only a kind of inheritance for students, but also allows them to see the goal of learning."

Rich and diverse extracurricular activities create different learning opportunities

In addition to students' academic performance, the school also attaches great importance to the development of students' diverse potentials. To this end, it has established more than 60 extracurricular activities to meet students' all-round development needs. After school every day, boarding students can participate in different extracurricular activities. In addition to the general uniform team, students can also participate in juggling, IPSC Gun Seminar, Drone Society and other activities to cultivate diverse interests. Since the school arranges a variety of extracurricular activities and competitions, and is accompanied by teachers and students, students are more willing to invest time in group activities to stimulate their unique potential.

In addition, with funding from Lions Clubs International, the school has established a physical fitness training center to provide professional training equipment to further improve students' sports performance. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy said: "In physical education classes, we pay special attention to long-distance running and rowing training, such as long-distance running training at Ap Lei Chau Bridge to train students' perseverance." With the full support of the school, students have performed well in various competitions, and some students have even been selected as members of the Hong Kong triathlon team.

For day students, the school also thoughtfully provides after-school training classes. In addition to arranging tutors to provide learning support, it also provides group play periods so that students can relax and have fun after studying. Before the end of each training class, the teacher will also share some insights and lead students to pray to take care of their physical, mental and spiritual development. After-school training classes also arrange monthly workshops or outings, such as excursions, theme park visits, adventure camps and community experience activities, to enrich students' learning experiences and provide all students with opportunities for diverse growth.

Teachers accompany and take care of their needs and inspire students to realize their potential

Principal Shum Ming Fai SammyWe believe that every student has his own talent and potential, and the school provides students with opportunities to develop in different fields. Therefore, the school attaches great importance to accompanying students through extracurricular activities. Teachers lead a variety of extracurricular activities based on their own interests, expertise and students' needs to understand students deeply and accompany them to grow. The school's newly built board games and intellectual sports youth center has added board games and recreational supplies to allow teachers and students to have fun in a comfortable environment during their spare time. Principal Shum Ming Fai Sammy said: "The school fully supports the development of students in terms of facilities and hardware. After school, students can go to the library to read, or go to the board game room to relax. The school hopes to use board games to cultivate students' logical thinking and team spirit, and provide them with time to relax and concentrate." In addition to recreational supplies, the center also has display cabinets to place the finished products assembled by students in the model learning class, providing a display platform to increase the sense of learning achievement.