Staff Spotlight

Hi. I'm John Hong, this will be my third full year at Cecil Hills High School.

I've been teaching for two and a half years. 

I teach Science (Physics), Maths, and STEM.

I'm the current Chess Coordinator!  That means I supervise the Chess Club during Thursday lunch breaks and I organise tournament days to go up against other schools. We usually try to do 2-3 tournaments every term, and this year we reached semi-finals!

I'm also the Open Girls Volleyball Coach, which I picked up this year after I was introduced to the game. We train every Thursday afternoon, and the girls have learnt extremely quickly over the course of the few months that we have been practicing together.  In our most recent tournament, we came 8th out of 15 schools, even taking a set from the school that came second overall. This is a great achievement for students who have only recently started to play as a team. It only goes up from here!

My school days

I attended Barker College in Hornsby.

What I like doing when I'm not working

Practicing volleyball, and devouring volleyball and chess videos. Recently, my wife and I have been getting into a game called "Monster Hunter World", and its been wonderful to play the game with her!

I competed in State Fencing during high school!  Fencing is an exhilarating sport that focused on smart choices and quick reflexes. I fenced all throughout my high school years after trying out all the other sports. It felt amazing putting on the gear and outsmarting the opponent to score points. 

My favourite movies

My favourite movie would be a tie between "Pulp Fiction", "Fight Club" and any movie by Wes Anderson (although "Grand Budapest Hotel" is my current favourite of his).

Defining success

Success is the intersection between effort and evidence. Without effort, any evidence of greatness is marred by the fact that so much greater could have been achieved. Without evidence, any effort towards success is marred by the fact that there is no tangibility or physicality to your success, which lessens the impact on yourself and others.

My advice to students 

To be more aware.  Have more awareness of your thoughts and actions and its purpose, impact and goals. Before you do anything or say anything, think to yourself:

"Who am I going to impact?"

"What is the purpose behind my action?"

"Would anything in the world be better with my saying this?"

As you grow older, and the laundry list of your responsibilities grow, practicing awareness will be key in navigating this messy thing called life.

 I'm happy being myself right now! 

John Hong, Science Teacher