Write a feature article for St. Paul’s Secondary School to rebuild its image in Hong Kong.
The incident is about the St. Paul’s Secondary School last school day. Some Form 6 students
(graduating class) stay in school to take photos but the teachers did not allow them to stay in
school even the gate and call the police.
? This feature article is written by the school or related person, talk about how school handle the
incident and explain what school will do later, something like that
? Aim to regain the confidence of the public
? Follow the structure and language style that have mentioned in the Feature Article PowerPoint
(_115536_1.pptx)
? State your angle of the article
? Include the rebranding strategies (Punish the teacher who called the police, allow the student to
take photo in last day, something like that)
? May interview some potential consumers as well as research for authoritative sources.
? Follow the Feature Article Rubric to write
St Paul’s Secondary School in Hong Kong Rebuilds Its Image
Taking photos within the school premises might land you to jail if you are a student at St
Paul’s secondary school in Hong Kong. There are various reasons as to why people get
apprehended, but the thought of photos is somehow weird. A group of form six students was
appalled by one of their teacher’s decisions that prompted the police to chase them away as they
were taking photos within the school at odd hours.
St Paul’s Secondary is a Catholic girl’s school situated in Happy Valley Hong Kong. The
school was established in 1960 as an extension of St Paul’s convent school to aid science
education to the girls. The school is managed by principal Law Siu Wing Lawrence, and it’s
from form one to six. The institute offers extracurricular activities such as basketball, badminton,
2
FEATURE ARTICLE
volleyball, and music among others. Recently, it has been on the receiving end after a group of
students upon taking photos were stopped by the police officers. One of the teachers called the
officers after students failed to heed to her warnings. Typically, the students are often excited
with their final day at school and engage in photo session activities. The teachers claimed that
they were making noise and it was not the best time to take photos. However, the students were
displeased with the idea, and it triggered different reactions from different people and parents. As
a result, the school management had to act decisively to curb the growing incident that tainted
the image of the school.
Therefore, the principal and members of the board immediately reacted to the matter.
They expressed their regrets on the issue and apologized to both the students, parents and anyone
who was affected by the subject either directly or indirectly. Through the school website, they
indicated that “We would like to extend sincere apologies to all stakeholders who might be
disturbed by the captioned incident. We will thoroughly evaluate arrangements for various
students’ activities to ensure they can be smoothly conducted in the future”. Moreover, they
highlighted various strategies they would use to ensure the matter is dealt with justly and prevent
similar future happenings. Firstly, they assured the students they would allow them to come
back and take photos as a way of compensating from the incident. Also, they promised to act
accordingly to responsible teachers and ensure they get answers about their actions. Additionally,
they promised to include in their schedule photo sessions to prevent future incidences.
However, there were different opinions as some teachers claimed that students are not
allowed to have phones and cameras in the school. Similarly, they acted that way since they
could not find a better way to keep them off as they were stubborn. On the other hand, they were
concerned about their safety, and it seems the students were not in a hurry to leave since they sat
3
FEATURE ARTICLE
along with the road and it was getting late. In my opinion, the teachers were right to call the
police since the majority of the youths are stubborn, and they only adhere to instructions under
pressure. Apart from that, the school management would have been blamed in case something
terrible happened to them and therefore, involving the police was a better measure.
Besides, as long as they were not harmed, there was no reason to feel offended as they
could have taken responsibility of obeying their teachers. Equally, the students should have
communicated with the teachers earlier on and asked for permission to take photos later that day.
As much as it wrong by the teachers to call the officers, they were right as they cared about not
only the student’s safety but also the image of the school as they would have been questioned
why their students are roaming around late in the evening. On the hand, upon interviewing some
of the students, they declined the offer and said they would not have time to go back to the
school again.
Similarly, there was an incident at the University of Texas where a white teacher called
the police to arrest a black student who had put his legs on top of the desk. The astonishing
decision not only revealed the failed responsibility of a teacher to discipline the student but also
indicated racial discrimination. However, the teacher was relieved off her duties as it was
regarded as an improper way to handle the situation. In another instance, a teacher called the
police to apprehend the student on the allegations that she had been accosted and touched by the
student. The case was dismissed, and the teacher was fired from the school. The idea of
involving the police has gone beyond standard instances as the police are supposed to apprehend
lawbreakers. Nonetheless, there will be no reason to call them over small issues that could be
handled maturely. In another case, a male student, 13 years old was charged by the police when
the teacher reported to have been punched in the face by the student, as she was breaking up a
4
FEATURE ARTICLE
classroom fight. She sustained severe injuries and did not take the matter lightly. Teachers are
the role models of students. When a teacher involves the police, then it’s the worst thing that can
happen to a child’s life.
As students grow, they encounter challenges that can either shape them into being
responsible people or inflict hatred towards others. Therefore, as much as they can be violent
when they are treated right and guided, their rude behavior is eradicated. Conversely, a student
ought to be monitored strictly as they can be dangerous at times. As much as we advocate for
better ways of solving problems, police can at times be involved as they are activists of
correctional facilities that will instill fear to students and prevent further destructions. Moreover,
at times when students are handled softly, they use the advantage and indulge in more unwanted
behaviors. Therefore, teachers are justified to include the police when the situation is out of
hand. It is the responsibility of both students, parents, teachers and anybody else to ensure the
youths are correctly nurtured.
