History

The Fathers of the Catholic Mission took over a small building in West Point, which they turned into a school with twenty boys on the roll. St. Aloysius was chosen as the Patron of the school, and since then the school has been known as St. Louis School. St. Louis School in 1864 was not the current St. Louis School, far from it. An oasis in a notorious area, it was saddled with the dreaded name, ‘West Point Reformatory’. It was to house teenagers at a loose end in the very worst sense: Lads just out of jail and lads picked up off the streets. It was not, however, to use the grim practice of coercion.

In 1875, the school was run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. A great change took place at this point in time. Portuguese and other European boys were admitted. A printing press was opened and a vegetable garden was begun on the waste land around the school. The boys now had a choice to work as tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, type-setters or gardeners.
Whether it was the difficulty of choice or simply a plain fact of non-adjustment, the European boys had to be separated from the Chinese lads. Hence, an extension was added to the small building to effect this separation. The building was undertaken by the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

In 1893, the La Salle Brothers left the school, and gave their good energies to other similarly rewarding work.

The school was managed by the Maryknoll Fathers. Printing and book-binding became additional courses offered.

The year 1929 can be considered the real beginning of the life of the school because in that year the primary school was founded. The Don Bosco Club was started.

As the numbers increased, it became evident that something must be done. Either some of the boys must be sent away or some other buildings must be found to house them. A providential offer was made in 1932 when a group of philanthropists offered to finance the opening of a trade school.

During the 1930’s, a powerful typhoon seriously damaged the North Wing of the School premises. Consequently, a new building was erected and completed in 1936. It is still standing today and houses the school chapel, library, four science laboratories and several special rooms. With the new building also began the middle school (Secondary Chinese Section). The number on the roll rose to 600. Another noteworthy improvement of the same year was the first extension to the playground.

The light of fortune again beamed on the school in 1939. Early in that year the middle school was recognized by the Hong Kong Government. For the first time in the history of the school an inspection was made by a representative of the Education Department, Mr. Chin Wan Kai. His report was so encouraging that the school authorities were determined to forge ahead in spite of many difficulties. Another great event of this year was the graduation of the first students from the middle school. For the first time in the history of the school, the graduates of the middle school received their certificates. Such an event highlighted the extent of the progress made since 1927 when the Salesians took over the small industrial school which has since been transformed into a primary and middle school with an attendance of more than 700 boys. God has blessed the efforts of those in charge.

Nothing can bring greater sorrow to a man than to witness his life’s work brought to ruin by circumstances beyond his control. It was so in the life of our school, when in December 1941, Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese. The boys and teachers were dispersed and the education work which had been progressing so well was brought to a sudden halt. However, as the old proverb says, “where there is a will, there is way.” And so, the year of occupation had hardly passed, when to help the poor, the school authorities solicited aid from some of the wealthy Chinese residents, such as Mr. Aw Boon Haw and Mr. Ho Kam Tong. Due to their generous help, the school was able to open its doors again to many poor orphan children, and to subsequently help them for more than three years. A free night school for poor boys was also opened.

By 1947, St. Louis was in full swing with four classes in the middle school and 120 boys on the roll while in the primary school there were twelve classes with 550 boys on the roll. In the printing and book-binding department 50 boys were being apprenticed to a trade. In February of the same year, the printing and book-binding department was greatly honoured by a visit from his Excellency, Sir Alexander Grantham, Governor of Hong Kong.

The first issue of the school magazine was published.

The premises soon proved to be both inadequate and unsuitable, and in May, thanks to a generous government interest-free loan, the construction of a new building was begun. It was in 1951 that we had our first senior middle school class. It was also the year we first participated in inter-school sports competitions.

The printing department was transferred to Tang King Po School, and with this, St. Louis School ceased to be a trade school. From that year the school comprised a boarders’ section, a Chinese primary and middle school and an Anglo-Chinese secondary school. We presented our first candidates for the Hong Kong School-Leaving Certificates Examination.
The school uniform was worn for the first time, and thanks must be given to Fr. Marius for his design of the school emblem.

The football playground was completed in 1955 and became a place where the delighted faces of energetic boys could be found.

The St. Louis School song “All Hail” was composed by Rev. Fr. Janssen.

The Chinese Senior Middle School came to an end.

We started our Form 6 science class in September and this class acted as a bridge between our students and the university.

The school took part in the Science Exhibition at City Hall.
This year also marked the first Swimming Gala of St. Louis.
The Prefects’ Association was established.

The East Wing was renovated.
St. Louis Matriculation Evening Course was founded.

St. Louis became a subsidized school.

A walkathon to raise funds for the playground extension project was held.

This year was the official inauguration of our school extension. A covered playground was also added.

The school hall was extensively renovated, and modern audio-visual equipment was installed in the hall and the General Purpose Room.
The Teachers’ Association was established.

The Hong Kong St. Louis School Parents-Teachers Association was established.

A walkathon was held to raise money to build a school in China in order to allow more children to receive an education in a better environment. It was named the ‘Jiu Feng Zhen St. Louis Project Hope Primary School’. It was completed in September 1996.
The St. Louis Matriculation Evening Course was closed down.

A Multimedia Language Laboratory was added.

SLOBA Foundation Limited was established.
The school co-organized a cultural exchange programme with Aberdeen Technical School in Yuebei, China.

The Thanksgiving Variety Show to celebrate the 75th anniversary of our school was held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. One of the highlights was the drama performance of ‘The Little Prince’.
Face-to-face lessons were suspended for nearly 2 months because of the outbreak of SARS.

The School Improvement Project (S.I.P.) was completed. Special rooms such as the Computer Assisted Learning Room were added.

In order to prepare for the smooth implementation of the ‘New Senior Secondary’ curriculum, a new timetabling arrangement (i.e. a 7-day cycle with each lesson lasting 55 minutes) was adopted.
A famous art sculpture called ‘Vase of Champion’ was installed at the entrance of Block B.

An Open Day was held in April.
In September, the school started the ‘New Senior Secondary’ Curriculum for the first time.
The Father Deane Achievement Award was set up. The Honourable Secretary for Education Michael Suen Ming-yeung, G.B.S., J.P., declared the unveiling of the ceremony.

St. Louis School – Sung Laboratory Yale Internship Programme was set up. This programme aimed at providing a pathway for potential graduates to enter the medical field by taking place in the internship offered by the medical school at this famous university in the United States.
The relic of St. John Bosco was being circulated around SDB schools in Hong Kong under the auspices of the Salesian Society, and St. Louis also had the honour of receiving the relic for a short time.

In August, the Incorporated Management Committee of St. Louis School was established.
Our St. Louis Scouts were the overall champions of the Hong Kong Carlton Trophy Competition for the second time.

Events such as the Open Day, Thanksgiving Variety Show, Public Talk, Art Exhibition, Mass and Anniversary Dinner were held to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our school.
A commemorative publication, ‘St. Louis School 90th Anniversary Commemorative Publication’, was published. This special publication provided a trip down memory lane and in doing so provided an overview of the development of our school.
In April, a 90th anniversary dinner was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with a total of 200 tables.
In June, the first phase of the Biology Museum was opened in order to recognize the contribution of Rev. Fr. Anthony Bogadek to the school and the field of biology.

Face-to-face lessons were suspended for several periods because of the outbreak of the COVID-19. Online lessons ensured regular schooling could be continued.