Building on the successful Global Mentor Program where students work with inspiring individuals, Stamford is launching its “Cornerstones” project for students in Grades 9 and 10. The project provides students with invaluable opportunities to collaborate with world-renowned organizations and get hands-on in their work, while exploring career-related interests alongside accomplished professionals in their fields.
Every student will choose to work with Oxfam, the SCMP, Hong Kong Art School (a division of the Hong Kong Arts Centre), or the esteemed MIT Innovation Node. The opportunities address four key areas of interest and will allow students to immerse themselves in the arts, media, or innovation for social justice. Each year students will have the opportunity to work with two partner organizations (by semester) and gain firsthand experience while achieving course credit at Stamford. Built into their timetable each week, students will work under the guidance of a Stamford specialist teacher and the partner organization to learn and apply key skills in their chosen field. Each semester the program will result in a culminating project or exhibition where students can showcase their learning.
“Giving our students experience working with experts in their fields, we know, will be inspiring and also equip them with additional skills outside the classroom,” Stamford’s Academic Coordinator Michael Galligan remarks. “The Cornerstones project will allow them to venture beyond their comfort zone of the school and connect passions with real-life experience in the field. This could be a life-changing experience for many, and will be very helpful in preparing them for the final years of high school as well as their careers ahead.”
The Cornerstones project is just another example of how Stamford prepares students for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and top universities beyond the curriculum. “Universities are not just looking for academically strong students, but those who stand out with broad and balanced life experiences and talents. Cornerstones will help students build their portfolio of work, which, in addition to our diploma options, will make them memorable candidates for university admissions officers worldwide,” Christina Meherg, Stamford’s University Guidance Counselor, adds.
As the program is part of the core curriculum at Stamford, all high school students benefit from this unique experience. Parents aren’t required to pay additional fees, making this exciting new addition to the Stamford high school program a benefit for all involved.
Stamford x Hong Kong Art School: Focus on Visual Art
Do you have a passion for the arts? Let your imagination run wild as you create and showcase your own ceramics and sculpture works under the guidance of the renowned Hong Kong Art School, a division of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. This hands-on short course introduces you to the world of ceramics and sculpture, while you will learn about the properties of materials and practice the skills and techniques required. Once you get a taste of these two timeless art forms, you will then go on to create a masterpiece with the art form of your choice to present in an exciting mini-exhibition.
Find out more about Hong Kong Art School at www.hkas.edu.hk
Stamford x Oxfam Hong Kong: Focus on Student Leadership
Do you want to change the world? Work with world-famous international NGO, Oxfam, to learn how you can become an active and responsible global citizen and make a difference. You will explore the issues related to global inequality and zoom in on poverty in Hong Kong under the direction of experienced changemakers who will help you develop a solution to a world issue. Be the difference, with this once-in-a-lifetime experience to develop a life-changing solution.
Find out more about Oxfam Hong Kong at www.oxfam.org.hk
Stamford x MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node: Focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Are you a passionate innovator burning with great ideas for a startup? Got a taste for technology? Then you’ll jump at the chance to work with the iconic tech innovators, MIT. Learn how to take your inventive ideas to the next level at Hong Kong’s MIT Innovation Node. Learn from these technology experts and entrepreneurs the elements of user design experience, rapid prototyping and how to pitch your idea like a pro. Don’t wait, innovate and take your STEMinn skills to the next level with a leading tech leader MIT.
Find out more about MIT Innovation Node at hkinnovationnode.mit.edu
Stamford x South China Morning Post: Focus on Journalism
Got a nose for the news? Want to learn how to hook your readers and keep them wanting more? Learn from the prominent media experts at SCMP what makes a good news story, and how to separate fact from fiction. Whether it is podcast, broadcast or print, you will understand elements of a good news story and how to deliver it. Discover the wide world of media including leveraging social media and the power of photos to change the world. Don’t read the news, learn how to make the news!
Read South China Morning Post at www.scmp.com/hk
