Dear students,

Wishing you all a relaxing and peaceful holiday season!

Just a reminder that If you do need any help or support over the break please use one of the helpline numbers shared in the poster below.

The G&A team

In this week's newsletter, we share a story about a student-led event and an in-depth interview with a parent.

We hope the story and interview shed light on what our students have been achieving and the stories and people behind the achievements. 

When it comes to the impacts of social media on mental health, at least three West Island students have extended the discussion into another school in Hong Kong. 

Representing The Torch—the student organisation at West Island that advocates for student athletes’ mental health—these three Year 13s joined a panel discussion led by Chinese International School students on this topic last Saturday. 

Mira Chung said she emphasized the importance of having hobbies and a life beyond social media, as well as not neglecting academics. 

“There is a life in between us that is lost by the massive amount of time that we spend (on our screens).” 

Both Mira and Sytric Chan said social media is not necessarily a negative influence on mental health.

“One persistent thing present throughout the discussion was that social media is a neutral tool,”  Mira said.  “It’s really just a blank slate, but what you choose to do with it and who you choose to engage with affects the outcome that you get.”

The panelists mentioned some positive uses of social media such as sharing positive messages about body image to improve their self-esteem.

On the downside of social media, Giselle Lee mentioned the mental health challenges of being a student athlete herself.

“For us student athletes, if you’re not doing sports—you're working; and if you’re not working—you’re doing sports.” 

She said teens may feel their current lives to be unsatisfactory and turn to social media to cope with these feelings. “In a way, social media people use social media as a form of escapism.”

Giselle also shared some of her own tips that she shared during the panel discussion. 

“I said to make your real life more interesting than your life on social media.”

Relying too much on social media can lead to a downward spiral, which is why Giselle stressed that students should take the time to find methods of relaxation that work for them which aren’t on their screens: such as mediation, making calming art, or even spending time with loved ones. 

Giselle Lee said the students in the panel went into details about misinformation often found on social media about mental health, and they agreed that secondary-school students have a responsibility to take charge and ensure they have a positive impact on their communities. 

One way of doing so is educating people that social media contains much misinformation in our time when money is tied with social media advertising.

“It’s really important to understand that social media is not our only source of information.” 

Instead, Giselle recommended teens to use research papers or articles from established medical or psychological institutions, as well as from accredited professionals. 

Giselle also recommended students employ critical thinking to combat misinformation about mental health.

Giselle, Mira and Sytric have organized The Torch’s own panel discussion earlier this year with the organisation’s other members, along with producing social media contents and merchandise to raise awareness for student athletes’ mental health. 

They have been busy, but still, they want to do more.

“Our purpose is to make something by teens, for teens.” Giselle said. 

She said they want to include more youth perspectives and be able to engage with the teenage community firsthand to directly help them.

“With IB, it is a bit difficult to work out all the logistics, but it’s definitely not impossible… We've done it before and they’ve done it too.” 

-Text by Eli Sim (Year 13)

Year 10 Ila Chan has achieved much in her gymnastics journey. Below, we interviewed Ila's mother who has shared with us the behind-the-scenes of Ila's story.

To Ms Ms Julie Chao and Ms Linda White :

"For being so organised and diligent and your commitment to WIS. You make exams organisation look straightforward, but we know how much time and effort it takes to make it all work so well! Thank you so much! "

To Olivia Lam (Year 11 Tang 1): 

"Thank you for making one of the best steamed fish in my life and always cooking great food for me and supporting us and putting a smile on our faces even when we are feeling down. We love you! "

To Seraphina Nissen (Year 13 Song 2): 

"I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to my talented friend, who represents Hong Kong in hockey with incredible skill and dedication! You make your city so proud, and we’re all cheering you on every step of the way—keep inspiring us with your hard work and passion! 🏑🌟 "

Thank you and please continue to share a compliment here. 

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Students from all year groups are invited to contribute their ideas and opinions to build up their dream library.

The student survey (takes about 10 min) is accessible from this link.

The latest school annual report (2023-2024) is ready to be viewed and downloaded here.