The 9^th National Congress for the China Photographers’ Association was held in Beijing.  Vice-principal Keng Man Kuok was appointed as the representative of the Macao delegation and elected as the new director.

The 29^th International Olympiad in Informatics was held in Tehran, Iran from July 28^th to August 4^th.  The event brought together contestants from over 80 countries and regions.  Senior 3 students Mr. Hou Tin Chau, Mr. Kai Cheong Choi, and Mr. Cho Hou Tang were selected at the local preliminary competition as representatives of Macao.  Mr. Hou Tin Chau won the silver medal and Mr. Cho Hou Tang won the bronze medal at the Olympiad.  The 2017 Olympiad witnessed the most impressive performance to date from contestants of Macao.

The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is an academic competition among high school students.  The event was first proposed by Bulgarian professor Dr. Sendov at the 24^th UNESCO congress in October of 1987.  The first International Olympiad in Informatics was held in May of 1989 in Pravetz, Bulgaria.  Subsequent Olympiads are held in different countries every year and have become an important academic competition in the international arena. 

The IOI is held in two rounds.  Contestants receive three topics in each round and are required to complete their analysis of the topics and finish programming or debugging tasks within five hours. 

Under the supervision of teachers, parents and vice-principal Mr. Keng Man Kuok, 30 members of the primary school dance team attended the 3^rd Prairie Children’s Ethnic Dancing Festival on July 26^th and August 2^nd.  Other contestants included hundreds of students from dance academies in Guangxi and Inner Mongolia.  The Pui Ching Dance Team won two Golden Eagle Awards (the highest award) with its Flying Pony and Time.  It also won the Stallion Award with its Portuguese Style.  The team’s performances received critical acclaim at the gala.  

As the only representatives of Macao, Pui Ching students attended the 2017 STEAM National Youth Innovation Exhibition from July 28^th to 31^st.  The theme this year is Smart City.  Contestants were required to come up with innovative solutions for social issues such as smog in the city, traffic congestion, food safety, smart households, and clothing accessories.  Award-winning proposals will be taken into consideration by the S.A.R. government to improve life in the city.

Contestants were required to attend a proposal defense and skills testing session.  Contestants from Pui Ching attended the competition in three teams.  Team A involved Senior 3 students Mr. Iok Tong Lei, Mr. Wai Kin Lo, Mr. On Chun Lau, Mr. Chun Iao Tai, and Mr. Cheok Lam Chan, who designed the BRAvO smart lingerie under the instruction of their teacher Mr. Seng Sang Lou.  The design won the first prize, the highest award in the STEAM exhibition. It also won the STEMCloud Utility Award and the Best Innovation Award.

Team B involved Senior 2 students Mr. Keng Tou Chu, Mr. Ion Keng Ho, Mr. Pui In Ip, and Ms. Si Kei Kam, who designed the Macao Smart Tour Guide App under the instruction of their teacher Mr. Pui Chan Leong.  Their design won The Brave and the Bold Award.  Team B was also the only representatives from Macao to have their work displayed at the closing ceremony.

Team C involved junior secondary school students Mr. In Chong Choi, Ms. Wai Nam Lau, and Ms. Oi Man Fok, who worked under Mr. Chan Lam Wong and designed the NFC Mobile Identification Recognition System, which received the STEMCloud Utility Award and the Best Innovation Award.

Many congratulations to our contestants!