**********************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research:
Fifty-five Primary Four to Six students have outshone about 400 of their counterparts with their creativity and English language skills in a writing activity.
They are all winners of "English Tree: A Symbol of Creative Writing" organised by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) and their winning articles will be displayed on "English Tree" for public appreciation.
Attending the launching of "English Tree" and prize presentation ceremony today (May 24), SCOLAR Member and Chairperson of the "English Festival 2007" Organising Committee Ms Junia Ho highly commended the winning students' creativity.
"The originality of the stories and the use of language skills by the winners to describe the various characters and scenes are very impressive," she said.
"In one of the articles, a student wrote that a young penguin lied and made use of having been infected with avian flu as an excuse to avoid falling prey to an eagle. This is a really good example showing students' creativity. I wish all other students would be inspired to create more English works after viewing these articles."
Ms Ho also thanked teachers' active participation in the activity by bringing creative writing inside and outside classroom activities to arouse the students' interest in writing.
"English Tree: A Symbol of Creative Writing" is one of the activities organised by SCOLAR for its "English Festival 2007". Participating students were provided with four unfinished stories - the strange experience of an ordinary old man, the reaction of a bad bat when facing a sticky pie, the adventure of three little penguins, and the first encounter between a boy and a talking toy robot.
The best 55 entries were selected by a judging panel comprising educators and consultants for public display on "English Trees". The trees will be exhibited between tomorrow (May 25) and June 3 at the Olympian Hall of Olympian City 1.
Other guests attending today's ceremony include members of the "English Festival 2007" Organising Committee Mr Stephen S K Chan, Mr Tony Choi, Dr Evelyn Man and Ms Ng Kit-chee, as well as representatives of the co-organisers of the activity "English Tree: A Symbol of Creative Writing" - Executive Member of the Subsidised Primary Schools Council Mrs Mak Wai-ching, Academic Officer of the Union of Heads of Aided Primary Schools of Hong Kong Mr Lau Ming-ki, and Vice-Chairman of the Union of Government Primary School Headmasters and Headmistresses Mrs Chan Ngai Yuk-ying
The "English Festival 2007" is organised by SCOLAR to raise public interest in the learning and use of English. Eight school-based activities were launched this year. Details are available at the festival website at: http://www.englishfestival.hk.
Established in 1996, SCOLAR advises the Government on language education issues and on the use of the Language Fund.
Ends/Thursday, May 24, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:26
NNNN