Operation Santa Claus: Shung Tak Catholic English College supports everyday heroes
Students and teachers raised money for charity by dressing as security guards, doctors and other professions.
Students and teachers at Shung Tak Catholic English College dressed as everyday heroes for a pre-Christmas fair, raising funds for Operation Santa Claus. Photo: HandoutStudents and teachers hilariously dressed as security guards, janitors, doctors, and chefs while members of the school community made merry at a pre-Christmas fair at Shung Tak Catholic English College, learning and contributing to charity at the same time.
The OSC@STC fair on December 13 was the highlight of a series of school activities held in late 2024 to raise funds for Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising initiative by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK.
“This is our 30th year supporting OSC, and the project is led by our students,” said Carie Wong, an English teacher at the school in Hung Shui Kiu. “Through organising the school-wide charity fundraising activity for OSC, our students get the opportunity to learn and broaden their horizons.”
The event featured games, food and product stalls, with all proceeds going to OSC.
On the day of the fair, students could come to school in casualwear with a donation of at least HK$20.
In support of the “everyday heroes” theme of the current OSC campaign, student leaders wore the professional attire of their parents to highlight the contributions they and others in the same occupations make to their families and the community.
Six teachers dressed as doctors, nurses and school janitors after students voted for them to don “everyday hero” costumes, donating HK$5 to vote.
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“We tend to take their help and love for granted. Our janitors at school are really nice to us. Outside school, security guards and doctors show us love and care. They are our everyday heroes. We should learn to appreciate them,” said Jenifer Lam Tsz-yee, a Form Four student. She was also a member of the school’s OSC organising committee, which arranged the superhero costumes.
OSC’s current tagline, #EveryoneCanBeASantaClaus, struck a chord with students.
“Santa Claus brings joy to everyone. I think we can also be Santa Claus and bring joy to everyone,” said Fong Po-ngai, a Form Five student and joint head of the OSC organising committee.
Committee members said the work helped them acquire organisation skills. “I’ve learned that [since we were] running such a big fair, we had to be organised,” said Yody Chan Yi-man, a Form Five student and another joint head of the OSC organising committee.
Wong said charity fundraisers helped drive home the school’s core values. “We try to educate them to become somebody who would give back to society and somebody who is caring and grateful for anything that happens in their life.”
OSC is currently funding 11 projects of worthy causes, having raised HK$383 million for 353 charitable projects since its launch in 1988.