Sacred Heart Canossian College - History

History

Sacred Heart Canossian College was founded by the Canossian Sisters of Charity soon after they first arrived in 1860; the order's founder, Magdalena of Canossa was subsequently canonised. It was one of Hong Kong first girls' schools established during the British colonial period. Originally called 'Italian Convent School,' the school housed around 40 students. The medium of instruction was in English, Italian, with Chinese introduced later as 98% of the local populace at the time was Han Chinese. A sister college was also established at around the same time in the neighbouring Portuguese colony of Macau, and there the language of instruction was predominantly Portuguese. The first headmistress of the school was Sister Emily Aloysia Bowring, daughter of the fourth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Bowring. She served from 1860 to 1870.

In 1960, the school was renamed 'Sacred Heart Canossian College' (SHCC), in order to differentiate from other schools in Hong Kong. Originally, the school only educated girls at least six years of age. The school has a primary as well as a secondary sections. At that time, SHCC occupied a vast stretch of land spanning from Robinson Road to Caine Road at Mid-Levels, an affluent area in Hong Kong. Thus, many of its students are from middle-class families and also this is the school of choice for parents who worked with the Hong Kong Government. In 1981 the secondary section of the school moved to Pokfulam but the primary section remained at Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. The primary section moved to a temporary accommodation until returning into Caine Road in 1992. The primary school has subsequently changed its name to Sacred Heart Canossian School.

SHCC is regarded as one of the prestigious schools in Hong Kong. Over the years, it has a number of graduates that have grown to prominence including former Associate Governor of Hong Kong Anson Chan; former Attorney General Elsie Leung; and Selena Tsang, the wife of former Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

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