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Principal's Message

At Hoa Nghiem Buddhist College (HNBC), we are filled with immense pride and gratitude. We thank our educational team for their unwavering dedication and the crucial support of external professionals who have assisted the school to explore and learn beyond the curriculum.

HNBC students have excelled on both national and international stages, as evidenced by their outstanding achievements in the ICAS international competition. The students’ accomplishments reflect not only their hard work but also the exceptional quality of education they receive at HNBC.  Our dedicated educational team, led by Lorraine Tonietto, Director of Curriculum, has been instrumental in fostering an environment where each student’s unique potential is recognised and nurtured. Through real individual differentiation in their daily teaching practice, Mrs Tonietto, alongside dedicated professionals — Georgia Benson, Arielle Hall-Smith, Ellicia Anderson, Eleni Hutchison, Grace Timson, Sarah Kimbal, Madison Walker, Madeline Filopoulos, Lopa Das, Dieu Lac, Peter Biggs and Marie-Laure Mimoun — has made a profound impact on our students’ growth and development.

Within and beyond the school:

Since 2024, we have implemented the Philosophy classes (F-6) to cultivate deep thinking and the ability to connect theoretical concepts with real-life and existential concerns. For example, students explored the complex meaning of impermanence, which is crucial concept to Buddhist awareness practice. Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh taught us “The best thing we can offer to the world is our insight. To live our life in mindfulness and with concentration is to continue to produce insight – for our own liberation, healing, and nourishment, and for the liberation, healing, and nourishment of the world.” Witnessing the growth of students’ deep-thinking, these classes have enriched our students’ intellectual landscape, encouraging them to ponder life’s profound questions and develop critical thinking skills.

We are also incredibly proud of our students who had the opportunity to work with professional filmmakers, Laurent Filippini, Kevin Nay, and Servane Jacob, to produce a professional Short Film called “Mr Bee”. This project not only honed their artistic skills but also allowed our students to promote reverence for life and compassion. The whole process also provided a platform for their creative expressions, which will be showcased at film industry competitions.  Year 5/6 students also had the unique opportunity to be the founder of the Bee Magazine - Student Online Magazine, to display students’ learning journey and achievement. This project not only fostered their creativity but also provided them with the opportunity to work with media professionals.

On the global stage, our Vice Principal, Dr. Marie-Laure Mimoun-Sorel, made a significant contribution to international educational discourse by authoring the chapter “For an Education that Contributes to Heal the World: The Role of Buddhist Education” in the book “Education and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” Her work underscores our commitment to using education through a Buddhist systemic learning approach promoting wisdom as a force for positive change in the world. This is a remarkable achievement for HNBC, and for Buddhist education to be visible worldwide.

In addition, we celebrated the completion of our sophisticated Learning to Be in the 21st-century digital wheel, thanks to Serge Mimoun exceptional A-Z programming skills. This innovative digital framework represents our unique Systemic Learning Approach, connecting all dimensions of our Buddhist philosophy and practice to all our teaching and learning areas.

As we celebrate the remarkable achievements of 2024, through tears of beauty and joy in smiles, we look back with pride and welcome the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you to our dedicated staff, outstanding professionals, inspiring students and supportive parents and community for making this a truly exceptional year.

Venerable Thich Phuoc Uyen

Sr. Thich Phuoc Uyen

Principal, Hoa Nghiem Buddhist College