SCIS-HIS Communitas magazine Fourth Quarter 2016

Shanghai Community International School & Hangzhou International School

Celebrating

20 Years of Care and

Commitment to the Community

Four th Quar ter 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS Features

P. 10-13 // Curriculum: Music

Music Madness at Hongqiao Lower School “One-Two-ThreeFour mallets down let’s get some more, Five-Six-SevenEight hurry don’t be late!”

LISTEN! P. 36-37 // Art Gallery

Every Child is an Artist P. 4 // Superintendent’s Letter P. 5 // Editor’s Letter P. 6-9 // Curriculum: Math

3-Peat at the Qingdao MathQuest Tournament

How many three-digit numbers of the form X4Y are divisible by 9? Note that X and Y could be the same digit.

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P. 38-39 // Principal’s Letter

Improving Our World Through Inquiry & Action P. 48-49 // Host Culture

The Power and Challenge of Mandarin Class in China

Campus Highlights P. 16-19 // Hangzhou

Musical Theatre Program at HIS

HIS Girls are ACAMIS Champions!

P. 20-23 // Pudong

It Takes a Village…

“Curtains” Shines Light on SCIS Students P. 24-27 // Hongqiao

BACKSTAGE More than Just a Musical Dragon Drama Presents: James and the Giant Peach

Community P.15 // Educational Insights

The Language We Speak

P.28-29// Teacher Spotlight

A Series of Scaffolded International Adventures Evan Weinberg

P. 33 // Favourite Spot in the City

桂满陇 (Gui Man Long)

P. 40-41 // Student Spotlight

Florian Wong

P. 42-43 // Community Feature

The Value of the Social Sciences in the Community

P. 46-47 // The Librarian Corner

Book Recommendations for All Ages P. 50-51 // PAFA

Our Secret Garden P. 52-54 // Partner

Movie Festival at The Orange Dragon Why Community Service?

P. 44-45 // Alumni Interview

Anna Yang

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SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER

Dear SCIS-HIS Community and Friends,

Happy 20th Anniversary, SCIS (and soon to be 15th for HIS)!!! Since its humble beginnings at our Changning campus in 1996, SCIS has continuously provided the best in international education within a truly caring and diverse community of students, parents, and staff. While the school and its student enrollments have grown significantly over the years, providing many new opportunities and wonderful facilities, the unique experience for each student at SCIS-HIS schools has always been a key objective in our vision for the teaching and learning at all of our schools. Our communities know that while academic disciplines are important in schooling, the greatest difference between schools is how they tailor learning and support to the individual and involve the entire community as much as possible in the process. And while our approach has been a hallmark of SCIS-HIS education since the beginning, sometimes it is important to pause, take stock of how far we have come along, and celebrate the many accomplishments of the past. In this edition of Communitas, we are ‘Celebrating 20 years of Commitment to the Community’.

One of the messages I share with new teachers before the start of each year is that ‘the differences between our schools are not greater than the differences within our schools’. All international schools teach ‘stuff’, and whereas in the past the overseas schools often were supported by a diplomatic mission and taught a national curriculum, relatively new international schools like SCIS and HIS are established to specifically serve a truly diverse international expatriate community with the best an internationally-minded curriculum and learning experience can be. Yet still, even after weeding out those ‘international’ schools who still pledge their allegiance to a curriculum from one national education system or another, even the most independent and innovative international schools still have much in common with the others. Students of all ages at all these schools learn math, science, languages, social sciences, arts, etc., with only some slight variation in wording, amount of time, and program electives. Yet still again, most international schools move from a transdisciplinary subject approach in the early years, to an interdisciplinary approach in the middle years, to a robust but fairly disciplinary approach in the senior years. So the differences in this regard are not that great between our schools, but inside of each school there are hundreds of unique individuals, each with different abilities, strengths, backgrounds, and prior learning. At SCIS-HIS, these individuals represent sixty-three nationalities with differences in ages from two to nineteen. Some of these students have lived overseas before, others have strong roots and family in China, and for many, this will be their first time living as a foreigner away from ‘home’.

What SCIS-HIS schools do best, what puts us above the rest, is the care and support we give to our community of learners, which includes our students, parents and staff. To be sure, we provide wonderful opportunities for our students to develop their understandings and strengths, acquire new knowledge and skills, and motivate them to challenge their capacities to their potential. But we provide... a home.

The not-so-secret key to our success is the supportive and nurturing environment we establish to help students transition as new students, to thrive and help others as current students, and to prepare those who will be moving on. That is what only the best international schools do, and that is exactly what our schools do best.

On the pages that follow, I invite you to explore and reminisce just how our schools have nurtured a caring learning environment that celebrates the spirit of a community-centered, highly supportive, and truly internationally-minded education.

Again, Happy 20th Anniversary, SCIS, and GoooOOO Dragons!

Jeffry R. Stubbs Superintendent of Schools

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Fourth Quarter 2016 Editor Mikael Masson Perez Art Director Mun Yee Choo ...............................................

The Communitas Magazine is published four times per year catered primarily for the SCIS-HIS community and our friends, but also the larger Shanghai-Hangzhou community in general.

Everyone involved in the making of the Communitas magazine work diligently to bring enlightening and interesting content to our readers, however we are always open to opinions and suggestions as we are constantly looking for ways in which we can improve.

Moreover, we greatly welcome submissions to our magazine and we will willingly include contributions to future issues.

Should you have any commentary, observations, wish to submit articles or inquire as to ways to collaborate, feel free to send all inquiries/correspondence to the Communitas editor via email at mmasson@scis-his.org.

We are social! Feel free to visit us on the web at www.scis-his.org and follow us

From the Editor “Once a Dragon…

Always a Dragon” As we head into the closing stages of a remarkable school year and look back at all that has been accomplished, it is only fitting that our fourth and final installment of the Communitas magazine, this year, be dedicated to celebrating what makes SCIS-HIS so special: our community.

But what makes up our community? What is it that makes it so special? In the pages that follow, you will be able to read stories that seek to define our school, by celebrating achievements and feats, detailing accounts of solidarity and showcasing interworking groups of people coming together, all of which reflect our truly diverse and international, yet close-knitted community.

This edition also marks a very special milestone in the history of SCIS; our 20th year anniversary since our commencement in 1996! It is a time of reflection and an opportunity to thank each and every person that have made us who we are today: • Our hard-working and caring students who never cease to amaze us and hold the future in their hands.

• Our ever-supportive parents, often volunteering their time and effort for performances, school trips and countless more events, without whom many of which would not be possible.

• Our teachers and administrators who are tasked with the paramount responsibility of educating our children and shaping a vision of well-rounded success.

• Our unsung heroes: the local staff, custodians, drivers, and guards, working hard behind the scenes, making sure our schools run smoothly and effectively.

To each and all of you, our sincerest thanks for 20 years of commitment and continued support.

We are SCIS-HIS, a community of dragons!

Sincerely,

Mikael Masson Perez Editor

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CURRICULUM

3-Peat at the Qingdao MathQuest Tournament

I

f you are a sports fan, you are probably used to hearing about legacies and dynasties. Our Middle School Mathematicians are creating quite a legacy and dynasty, as this year marks our third consecutive first place victory at the ACAMIS MathQuest and Rubik’s Cube Challenge, held at the Qingdao Number 1 International School of Shangdong Province (QISS). This was the third year of the tournament. In each and every year, SCIS-HQ sixth graders have earned the tournament’s top awards.

Fellow Math teacher Marissa Tualla and I supported twelve sixth graders in their quest for victory: Kevin Chen, Sota Yangiswa, Sarah Wong, Nick Kim, Karin Eguchi, Ji-Woo Choi, Celina Xie, Kyowon Ku, Chloe Kim, Pheobe Wang, Donghyun Song, and Mingon Jin. The Math Dragons were also supported by two parents, Ling Teo and Colin Chen, who acted as photographers, videographers, and our staunchest supporters.

Our students formed two teams. Team A of Kevin, Sota, Sarah, Nick, and Karin took second place place in the mental math challenge and secured first place in the team event. In the individual category, Kevin placed third and Nick placed first. Karin was our only representative in the Rubik’s Cube challenge. While she did not make the final eight, she did achieve a new personal best. All twelve of the students participated to the best of their abilities and came away with valuable tournament experience.

Phoebe summarized, “I enjoyed solving questions with friends.

Even if we didn’t win prize, this was a nice experience.”

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Since August 2015, the students and I prepared for this tournament in our MathCounts club. MathCounts club students met during our in-school club time and after school on Mondays. Our Vice Principal, Amy Bowley, initiated the MathCounts club several years ago, and I am the current sponsor. The club provides rigorous, enticing enrichment mathematics learning opportunities and a platform for tournament participation and preparation.

Additionally, MathCounts provides an avenue for students to engage in high level mathematics and improve their computation, communication, and collaborative skills. In Kevin Chen’s words: “I thought it was a great experience competing against other schools. There were many challenges and difficult problems throughout the competition to solve, and loads of enjoyment.

It allowed me to truly feel all the fun in mathematics.”

As a math teacher I am fortunate to see firsthand what it means to truly enjoy mathematics and the pleasure one gets from solving a complex problem from start to finish. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to foster middle schoolers’ love for mathematics and dedication to learning the language of math.

Will next year’s Qingdao tournament bring SCIS-HQ four in a row? It’s too early to tell, but the real joy is in the journey.

by Robert La Londe Hongqiao Campus Middle School Math Teacher Photographed by Ling Teo

CURRICULUM

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CURRICULUM

How many three-digit numbers of the form X4Y are divisible by 9? Note that X and Y could be the same digit.

Y

ou might be thinking, “Who is solving problems like that?

Middle School students? An Algebra class?� Think again! This is exactly the kind of problem that students here in the Lower School at Shanghai Community International School needed to solve in their Math Olympiad/High Four After School Activity (ASA). Throughout the year, a number of students participated in this ASA run by Mr. Daniel Stripp, Lower School Learning Support, and Mr. Daniel Zimmerman, Lower School Librarian.

During the first three quarters of the year, students participated

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both in the High Four Math competition and the Math Olympiad.

In addition to these competitions, students spent time solving complicated problems and furthering their love for Math by completing Math puzzles, such as Sudoku and a variety of logic problems.

High Four

HighFour is a competition where teams of up to four students compete to correctly answer 20 Math questions in 30 minutes.

CURRICULUM

The competition consists of International Schools all over Asia and Europe. During their ASA this year, the Grade 4 and 5 students took part in each round of the once a month competition. At times, they even gave up a recess block to complete their work! In this contest, students worked collaboratively to solve the problems in the given timeframe.

Math Olympiad

This group joined the roughly 120,000 students globally who participated in the Math Olympiad’s yearlong competition.

Students from all fifty states of the USA and approximately 31 countries around the world were involved this year. There were five monthly contests consisting of 5 problems each, running from November to March. While the official Math Olympiad contests were individual based, working together in practice was encouraged.

The weeks when there was no official competition for either the High Four or the Math Olympiad, students worked on practice problems with Mr. Stripp and Mr. Zimmerman. Unusual and difficult problems were presented as the students found ways to think creatively and collaboratively to solve them.

Only two times out of the five Math Olympiad competitions did an SCIS student earn a perfect score of 5 out of 5. In November, for Competition 1, Andy Kwon was one of only 5.1% of Fourth Grade students to score a perfect 5. In March, for Competition 5, Angela Yang was one of only 4.6% of Fifth Grade students to score a perfect 5. We couldn’t be more proud to have such hard workers here in our SCIS community!

All students participating in the Math Olympiad were recognized with a Certificate of Participation. Five of our SCIS students also received an embroidered Math Olympiad patch for scoring in the top 50% of all students worldwide: Yoo-Kyong Byon, Hyo-Min Cho, Arnav Agarwal, No-Ah Park and Shaun Ng. In addition, Yoo-Kyong Byon earned a special trophy for being the top overall scorer on our team throughout the five competitions.

Congratulations to all the participants throughout the year – you should all be proud of your hard work! We hope to see you again next year!

By Daniel Stripp Hongqiao Campus Lower School Learning Support

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CURRICULUM

Music Madness at Hongqiao Lower School “One-Two-Three-Four mallets down let’s get some more, Five-Six-Seven-Eight hurry don’t be late!”

I

f you visit the Hongqiao lower school music room, chances are you will be able to hear students chanting the above rhyme as they rotate and participate in Mallet Madness. Mallet Madness is an Orff based activity that allows for students to play multiple instruments, whether they be xylophones, drums, glockenspiels, or tambourines. With these activities, the students are able to rotate through all of the instruments, so they don’t have to sit and wonder when they might get to play the “cool” instruments.

Each Mallet Madness activity has a focus for the students and teaches concepts like melody, rhythm and improvisation. Some activities include stories the students can play and sing along with.

A favorite of the grade two students is the story Mortimer by Robert Munch. Students are involved with and get to experience the book in multiple ways. First there is a traditional reading of the story, followed by a 2nd reading with the addition of a song and body percussion. Finally, the song and body percussion is transferred to the xylophones for a final reading and performance.

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The Mallet Madness rotation model can be used in all grade levels. In grade 5, the students have spent the last few months strumming away on the ukulele. Currently the 5th graders have been composing and creating their own accompaniment for their upcoming concert songs. By using the Mallet Madness rotation, students have a chance to perform all of the instruments.

Besides Mallet Madness, the lower school music program stays busy and active. In the past few years, students have performed musical concerts such as Flakes, Pirates, Hats, Snow Biz and Squirm! In May, the grade two and three students will be presenting Goal, a concert about the game of Soccer, while the grade four and five students will perform their own self-created music to popular songs!

By Angela Staron Hongqiao Campus Lower School Music Teacher

CURRICULUM

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CURRICULUM

LISTEN!

W

e are surrounded by it. It is universal. It is omnipresent.

I challenge you to go a day without encountering it.

It may play a major role in your life, or it may just be in the background, but it is there. I am talking about MUSIC. It is in your life, and it is also in our schools.

Every Lower School student at Hangzhou International School attends Music class twice each week. What happens there, and how does Music class fit into the Lower School community at HIS? WELCOME TO A008 – THE LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC ROOM The Lower School Music classroom is situated far from other teaching spaces. It is across the hall from the Tech room, next to the Bamboo Garden, and near the Warehouse. The only other classroom nearby is the Upper School Music room. Why is this? The reason is that WE ARE NOISY!!! Students play instruments, sing, chant, stamp, clap, and so much more. They are actively engaged, sometimes doing independent or partner activities, and usually participating all together. Listening and responding…collaborating and connecting…performing and improvising…this makes a lot of sound!

MUSIC CLASS ACTIVITIES AND THE 3 DOMAINS OF LEARNING Regardless of the subject matter, teachers usually plan their lessons to contain the 3 domains of learning. What does this mean for Music class?

1. Psychomotor Domain (skills) – Students need to develop movement skills and perceptual skills in order to sing, play instruments, move expressively, create, listen, and read/write music. This is the domain where students spend most of their time in Music class.

2. Cognitive Domain (thinking) – Objectives for the students in Music class involve remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. In addition, an effort is made to provide multicultural, historical, and social perspectives.

3. Affective Domain (attitudes and feelings) – Affective 12

learning includes attitudes, motivation, and values. Students can express their opinions, beliefs, and assessments about the music we use in class.

WHAT MUSIC IS USED IN LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC CLASSES? It is sometimes very frustrating to choose what music to use in class because there are is so much good music available! What helps to narrow down the choices?

What is happening on the calendar and in the world?

Songs and listening examples related to the seasons, holidays, celebrations, and events happening someplace in the world help to make class feel more relevant. “What Do You Do with a Water Waster?” was a popular song for Earth Day. Students enjoyed listening/movement lessons related to the upcoming Rio Olympics.

What is happening in multiple grade levels or school-wide?

“Learn to Read, Read to Learn” was sung during the Read-a-thon.

Grade 3-5 students sang “Kick” to inspire them before they traveled to Shanghai for their Soccer Days. “Test Me” offered test-taking advice to students before the NWEA testing. There were many opportunities to make connections like these.

What is happening in individual classrooms and at each grade level?

The IPC (International Primary Curriculum) that HIS has started to use this school year inspired many music choices. Sometimes vocabulary words related to the IPC unit were used musically by having students match the syllables of the words to flash cards of rhythm patterns. Students sang about homes, bugs, space, senses, force, states of matter, pyramids, hieroglyphics and much more.

Often the students revised the song lyrics or completely rewrote them to reflect what they were learning. Many of these songs were shared at assemblies and during exit points of IPC units.

Students are also able to share most of the music with family and friends using the HIS Lower School Music website from home.

By Christine Stewart HIS Lower School Music Teacher

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Admissions

It’s Time for Re-enrollment!

SCIS-HIS Parents Just a reminder from the Admissions Office that re-enrollment for the 2016-2017 academic year is currently open.

Re-enrollment can be done through PowerSchool, so if you are unsure of your username and/or password, please contact your campus secretary for assistance (see the list below for your reference).

We anticipate full classes at many grade levels and wish to ensure that all of our current families have first priority.

If you do not plan on re-enrolling, please notify the Admissions Office as soon as possible. We look forward to your continued support and involvement in our school community and hope to welcome your family for another successful school year! *Tuition Deadline : June 1st **Please note that from May 1 2016, a VAT tax will be added for all fees for Grades 1-12 (For more information, please visit: https://www.scis-his.org/admissions/tuition-and-fees) Hongqiao ECE Campus: (Nursery-Grade 1) Name

Job Title

Email

Ext

Maggie Yang

School Secretary/Admissions

maggie.yang@scis-his.org

7004

Hongqiao Main Campus: (Grades 2-12) Name

Job Title

Email

Ext

Alice Dai Miranda Chen

Lower School (Grade 2-Grade 5)

adai@scis-his.org mchen@scis-his.org

5131 5133

Sunny Jiang Lisa Ni

Middle School (Grade 6- Grade 8)

sjiang@scis-his.org lni@scis-his.org

3155 3153

Sarah Jin Elaine Lim

High School (Grade 9-Grade 12)

sarah_jin@scis-his.org elim@scis-his.org

3103 3115

Pudong Campus: (Nursery-Grade 12) Name

Job Title

Email

Ext

Joanna Zhou

Lower School Secretary (Nursery-Grade 5)

jzhou@scis-his.org

6501

Jelly Ling

Upper School Secretary (Grade 6- Grade 12)

jling@scis-his.org

6015

Hangzhou International School: (Nursery-Grade 12)

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Name

Job Title

Email

Ext

Kerri Lang

School Secretary/Admissions

kliang@scis-his.org

86-571-8669-0045

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

The Language We Speak

M

eandering around the hallways of Hangzhou International School one might feel like visiting a world-famous tourist attraction. It is not uncommon to walk past the students’ lounge to find a group of students commenting on the latest soccer matches in Korean. Keep going down the hallway and you will inevitably run into the ECE playground where Mandarin is dominant. But the biggest watering hole is the cafeteria where a wide variety of languages are spoken religiously at lunch time.

Pay close attention and you will hear French, Italian, Japanese and Hindu just to name a few. I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone wishing to learn a language could simply take their pick at the cafeteria and enjoy their lunch practicing your target language, for free! One might think that because of the international nature of our school, English should be spoken at all times. True, to some extent. English is the common language of instruction, our curriculum, and the dissemination of information in our school.

But it should not be the one and only tongue to be heard elsewhere. Unlike other schools, where students are penalized for speaking something other than English, HIS has found the perfect balance between the use of English and enabling students to use their mother tongue in more informal settings. In fact, a number of studies support the thesis that hindering one’s home language will negatively impact the development and acquisition of a second one. But how has HIS come to evolve into a school where language diversity is so deeply cherished?

host country. It is no secret that many of our families are not proficient in English, to make our school more welcoming to them, we have put signs around the school both in English and Mandarin, we have made an effort to provide the newsletter information in Mandarin so as to reach out to more families; we truly enjoy celebrating the local festivities and send our students out on the ever-popular China trips! A perfect venue for all non-Chinese to get a taste for the real China!

Perhaps the most visible reason is respecting and honoring our

By Andres Sanchez, HIS Upper School French & ESOL Teacher

Another key to success is the absence of “prescribed rules” so-to-speak. Make no mistake, in many schools the use of other languages is a never-ending battle between students and teachers, one can turn all colors; Here at HIS, those rules are sort of unspoken. The children know to communicate in English, a language that everyone in the same room can understand, and also know when to switch back to their native one thus removing the need to have an established set of rules set out to get them.

Then comes variety! Students in the upper school are presented with the opportunity to learn Spanish, French, or to continue their path towards Mandarin. When schools make genuine efforts to offer these choices, then the students will engage with their target language almost naturally. The language we speak here is a mix or family backgrounds, personal, and academic interests all coexisting under the same roof we call school.

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HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHT

Musical Theatre Program at HIS

I

t’s been a year of firsts at HIS for our after school musical program. While this is the third year for the program, the musical ‘The Little Mermaid Jr’ has been the biggest musical to date. Auditions started off with a bang the second week of school. Auditionees had to come to two days of auditions, including a dance audition and many students came for callbacks.

It was the biggest turnout in HIS history, including for sports team tryouts. Sixty-four students from Grade 2 to Grade 12 auditioned!

From that large pool, the three directors chose a cast of 27, including double casting the roles of Ariel and Flounder. Then, we got to work on a workshop rehearsal schedule two times a week.

Students rotated between vocals, dance, and acting depending on the schedule. During Halloween, the cast and crew hosted a ‘Fantasy Ball’ to raise money for the show. The gym was decorated and held stations like “Make Ice Castles with Elsa”, “Walk the Plank with Peter Pan”, “Hunt for Buried Treasure with Captain Hook” and “Storytime with Belle”. The event was a huge success and the whole HIS community came out to support it. LMJ raised over 15,000RMB for our show.

In November, students stayed at school over the weekend for a ‘retreat’, an intense camp where students reviewed all the choreography and songs learned as well as some group blocking.

We also played theatre games and bonded as a cast.

Once we came back from Chinese New Year, tech week began.

Students stayed after school until 5:30, and were gradually introduced to lights, spotlights, wearing microphones, special effects, and sound cues. Then came the even harder part: costumes and makeup.

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The Little Mermaid Jr. opened on Thursday, February 18th, to a packed house. With a cast of 27, a backstage crew of 6 students (lower school & upper school), 2 adult costume designers, 3 Upper School light and sound crew, 6 makeup designers, 6 hair stylists, 3 directors, our LMJ team totaled over 50 people! The audience laughed and cheered through the whole show. Both opening week shows were sold out. When the next batch of tickets, a total of more than 150, went on sale for the following week, they sold out in less than 30 minutes! This shows how successful theatre is here at HIS and that our school community really supports it. Students from ECE all the way to Grade 12 came to support their friends. Even members of the outside community came to support out show.

Though the rehearsal process was long (over nine months) and the performances only spanned 2 weeks, the cast and crew gained so much by being in this after school activity. They develop friendships across grade levels and confidence that school academics don’t always bring out. It gave them a chance to develop empathy by stepping into someone else’s shoes. They developed a team mentality, because, in theater, we really are “all in this together.”

They know, if someone doesn’t do their part, the whole show falls apart. So much of what these students learned can’t be taught in school; it can only be learned through experience: the experience that live theater provides.

‘The Little Mermaid Jr’ also became the first traveling theatrical company in SCIS-HIS history. Our cast and crew performed 2 shows at the Hongqiao campus. Their stage was much bigger and had a very different set up than our stage. We had 3 hours to transform our show to their stage and, based on how much their students and staff received our show, we would say we did an excellent job and had a blast!

Throughout it all, our cast, crew, directors and teacher/parent volunteers have proven to be resilient and determined. Together, we have brought something truly unique to the HIS community.

We are confident that this experience will stay with our students and shape the way that they interact with others in the future. We know that a little piece of their world (under the sea) will stay with us, as directors, forever.

By Amy Darden, Laura Sirotti-Wong and Jessica Dearing, HIS Teachers.

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHT

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HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHT

HIS Girls are ACAMIS Champions!

O

ver the past weekend both the girls and boys team, traveled to Dalian to take part in the annual Soccer ACAMIS Gold Division tournament. The girls fought and played hard in every single game they had and overcame any challenge or obstacles on their way to being undefeated and winning the championship for the second consecutive year!

The girls had a strong start into the tournament using a very balanced attack to defeat ISNS with a score of 3:0. The next day the girls had 3 games all of which they managed fantastically with the scores of, a 1:1 tie against HKA, a 3:1 win against DAIS, and lastly a 3:1 win against TIS. On the last day the girls had one last

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game left in the round robin which was against BSB, which the HIS girls won 2:0, putting them into first place of the round robin games. This meant that the girls would have to play against the current 4th place, HKA to get into the finals.

The girls had a long talk and prepared themselves for the game, and after a 40-minute game the girls won 1:0, Having worked really hard to keep the lead. The girls were happy about their win over HKA, and looked forward to the last game of their season: a rematch of last years final against BSB. The weather turned and it started pouring outside, the girls

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHT

however were ready and wanted to win more than everything else, so they didn’t let the rain and cold get in their way. The game started and with the HIS boys cheering loudly from the sideline, the HIS girls team scored 2 amazing goals in the first half of the game. After coming back from half time BSB managed to balance out the lead and the second half ended at a 2:2 tie between the two teams. The teams then went into overtime, which consisted of two 5 minute halves. Both teams worked hard and finished the first 5 minutes with the same result, during the small break in between the halves, the girls team had a talk and motivated each other to keep going and pull through.

The whistle blew and the game ended with the HIS girls team winning the ACAMIS soccer championship for the second time in a row. More importantly, the girls team has grown immensely throughout this soccer season, and winning the championship has shown their hard work and passion for this sport.

The girls went into the second half motivated and full of energy, then just before the last seconds of overtime the HIS team scored a third goal putting them into the lead with a score of 3:2.

By lea Rimmer HIS Grade 9 Student/ Varisty Girls Soccer Goalie

The members of the ACAMIS team were Vanessa Rimmer, Alesandra Beelen, Apoorva Kishore, Apolline Dubois, Xenia Niesel, Candice Herbet, Chinyu Liu, Lea Rimmer, and Megan Mullen.

A special thanks to Lucinda Liu for supporting our team during practices and to our coaches Mr Cheevers and Dr Jenner.

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PUDONG HIGHLIGHT

A

It Takes a Village…

few weeks ago, we saw an influx of visitors on our campus.

No, they were not potential families taking tours or accreditation teams. While, we have had those, these particular visitors were even more special. We had several former students and families who came back to visit SCIS on their Spring Break.

Yes, that’s right. Instead of going on holiday to a beach or hitting the slopes, these former Dragons made their way back to Shanghai from all over the world just so they could walk the halls of SCIS one more time. This made me think: What it is that makes SCIS so special? What is it about our school that not only draws people in, but brings them back long after they’ve gone?

SCIS truly is a community! And, to borrow an African proverb (and the title of a famous book), “it takes a village” to create such a diverse, international community. It requires several, integrated, interworking groups of people to run. And, the fact that each of these key groups not only fulfill their roles but go above and beyond is what that helps to make our school a community.

Students. What would a school be without students? Well, not a school, that’s for sure! And, while students are usually at the receiving end at a school, our students at SCIS very much give back to their community. It’s when the recycling program is entirely run by students. It’s when a high school student gives up his study hall time to read to a lower school class. It’s when a Danish student gives a tour to a potential family who doesn’t speak English. That’s what turns a school into a community.

Teachers & Administration. From the teacher side of things, who you work with and who you work for are key factors in

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how much you enjoy your job. But, it’s when the head of school is willing to have a pie thrown in this face or give up part of his afternoon to help paint sets for the school musical. It’s when a principal is not afraid to show his rocker side during an Air Band competition. It’s when a dance teacher gives up her lunch time to bring LS, MS and HS students together for a Zumba session.

That’s what turns a school into a community.

Parents. Educating children definitely requires teamwork between school and home. SCIS and PAFA coordinate many events and activities. But, it’s when parents spend months planning an event that allows children to attend a carnival for free. It’s when moms spend the morning washing fruit for a middle school lock-in. That’s what turns a school into a community.

Support Staff. Who washes our dishes every day?!? Who is the first face anyone sees when the walk on campus?!? Who makes sure we have water and electricity (and internet!) on campus?!?

Who turns a room from an indoor play area for LS students into a testing center for IB students into a convention hall for our Grade 5 inventors into a dance floor for our middle school students and back again (and all within a 24-hour time period, mind you!)?!? The support staff are the true unsung heroes of SCIS! And, many of them have been here for longer than the expats. That’s what turns a school into a community.

And that is why once you’re part of the Dragon community, you are always a Dragon.

By Karin Valenza, Pudong Campus Middle School Math Teacher

PUDONG HIGHLIGHT

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PUDONG HIGHLIGHT

“Curtains” Shines Light on SCIS Students

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PUDONG HIGHLIGHT

I

n the words of Detective Frank Cioffi, “Putting on a musical has got to be the most fulfilling thing a person could ever hope to do!” And the 70 middle and high school students involved in this year’s musical production of “Curtains” would agree! The show brought a little Broadway to SCIS Pudong with impressive singing, exciting orchestration, large dance numbers, snappy one-liners, and playful costumes, not to mention a good murder mystery to round out the spectacle. The production reflects months of rehearsal time that many entered as students but emerged from as poignant singers, dynamic dancers, hilarious stage personalities, dedicated choreographers, visionary makeup artists, professional-level players, and supportive friends.

Indeed, the performance that was shared onstage is quite an accomplishment of skill and creativity. But also take stock of the, dare I say, “behind the scenes” achievements made while preparing a large show like “Curtains.” Students not only gained the satisfaction of honing their acting craft and musical chops through

their individual roles, but also practiced collaboration, creative problem solving, overcoming nerves, self-discipline and initiative, and ensemble trust. I could not be more proud or more confident in the value of what students have accomplished as performers and as people. The tunes may be stuck in our heads for a few weeks, but the memories and lessons, I hope, will last a lifetime.

“Curtains” was directed by SCIS Pudong drama and choir teacher Katharine Enoch. The pit orchestra was directed by Mark Miller and conducted by Jessica Miller. Technical direction was Aleksa Moss with sound by Barry Johnson, lights by Arien Tan, and scenery by Mark Thomas.

By Katharine Enoch Pudong Campus Upper School Choir & Drama, Lower School ESOL Teacher

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HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

BACKSTAGE

More than Just a Musical Over 50 middle and high school students were cast. Roles were filled and other roles were created to accommodate all the interested performers. This created a unique situation wherein actors were rehearsing a role that was written by one of their peers – who might very well be standing right next to them. But what an incredible opportunity it was to perform a role that had never been played before. “You read it at first,” says actress Emily Richardson, “and you’re not sure you like it. You try it out in the beginning and it grows on you.”

T

he Musical was more than just a musical. It was an anthem for theatre students everywhere. In just 2 short hours this original production explored the trials and tribulations of a cast and crew as they struggled to find meaning to their efforts as actors and technicians on a marred production. Filled with student written monologues and sprinkled with songs borrowed from musicals and other sources, BACKSTAGE endeavored to give its audience a glimpse into the lives and dreams of students who performed it.

The script began with a meeting of interested SCIS students in the spring of 2015. Middle and High School students were given the opportunity to share ideas about the direction of the script.

This carried on through emails over the summer break and accelerated once school started up again in the fall. New writers came on board and ideas were streamlined. Songs were selected and characters were finalized. Student writers were challenged to meet deadlines and rewarded with an opportunity to name characters in the play. By the time auditions rolled around in December a strong draft of the script had been created.

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This journey of writing has not been without challenges.

Sophomore Fee Brandt, who also designs art work for the production says, “For me, English as 2nd language, it’s super hard for me to guess a perfect word because maybe this word is not beautiful enough or...not fit enough for a student to say...” Fee’s role was biographical as she played a character named Khe Thai, a backstage technician with a talent for painting. As her character begins her monologue she begins to paint on a white piece of scenery that she brings forward on the stage. She explains how she began in theatre and as she does so her artwork manifests itself in front of a riveted audience. As she continues to explain her artistic process the image of a blue angel appears before our eyes as if by magic.

It was a monologue with a theatrical quality that leaves its audience speechless.

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

The opportunity for students to express themselves in words and then to have those words spoken by others can be incredibly empowering. Chloe Huang, 10th grader, reflects on her experience as a writer; “When I saw the show I finally realized that what I have written wasn’t just a line anymore, this musical became a speaker that allowed different students to share what they feel and have experienced. When I heard someone else telling my story I understood that I have become and experienced something that was worth saying twice. When different students’ words get put together, it became more than a musical. It became OUR story and this production perfectly represented our community, our diversity, and our strength as a group of international students.”

A theatrical production can challenge each individual student in very different ways. If you ask each student about what was most difficult for them you would get a different answer from each student. Junior Marlo Fowler, who plays the character of Kane describes the process as challenging and being pushed to be the best she can be, “Digging deep inside ourselves and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else every afternoon.”

Though the production is over the experience will live on in the hearts and minds of its cast and crew. Every student will have a different favorite moment or ‘golden take away’ – a lesson they learned or an individual moment of inspiration… 7th grader Sevillana Ettinger recounts, “My favorite part of being in the musical, was looking at how other people performed, and not just myself. Everyone is different and unique in so many ways, so it was really interesting to look at other people’s perspectives towards singing acting, and dancing.” For Julia Ku it was a planned moment during the

performance – “When everyone came out wearing a golden vest and hat standing proudly in front of the audience… kind of like showing off the hard work we’ve done for the show and just let my body sink into the applause”; while for others like Lisa Jesudas it was an impromptu moment during rehearsal, “We were changing a few sets during rehearsal and we just burst out singing musical numbers.

The piano joined in too and it will be one of my greatest musical memories with everyone on stage.”

Though the show had many veterans who were in their 5th or even 8th show it should be noted that for many students it was their first time to sing, dance, or act in a major production. To those who are thinking of doing the next show 6th grader Lucy Lin says, “Don’t be afraid of joining or auditioning because even if you don’t get a big part, you are still a part of this. I think in your middle school or high school years you should really join one because you will feel really accomplished and in this group I feel like family.”

By Fursey Gutuaco Hongqiao Campus Middle School Drama Teacher

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HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

Dragon Drama Presents:

James and the Giant Peach Costumes will be designed and created by Julianna Clinton, Max Leiberman, and Sonja Mattson.

Finally, we work on memorization and polishing of the performance. With a short production schedule (only three weeks) every rehearsal is important and meaningful. On May 31st, we will bring the production to the ECE campus, hoping to delight and amaze our young audience.

Drama Students on creating a performance for a young audience:

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he SCIS Upper School Drama Program has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the community of SCIS. Our main stage productions are designed to engage students and families, from the youngest theatre goer to those with sophisticated knowledge of the Arts.

In our classes, we strive to create performers who are adept at engaging an audience, and then we seek opportunities for them to do just that. This year, the 10th grade students of Drama 2 (affectionately known as “Crazy Dramatic Life”) are developing a performance of Roald Dahl’s beloved classic James and the Giant Peach. James will be performed for kindergarten and first grade students at the ECE campus. By bringing together teenagers and young children, we further strengthen our community. The younger students provide an engaged, appreciative audience, while our older students act as role models by demonstrating their leadership and creativity.

Drama students will be building sets, creating props, and designing costumes. We begin the process with a “table read” where we get a sense of the rhythm of the play and the characters. The production team then brainstorms ideas for the sets and props, paying particular attention to the challenges of the production.

We will bring all of our sets and costumes to the ECE on the day of the production, which will require everything to be easily moved. Our biggest challenge is how to build a giant peach that can be transported on one of our SCIS busses!

The next phase of production is “blocking,” where we determine the movement of the actors on stage. When planning a production for young children, it’s important to consider their attention span, so movement and dance will be important for maintaining our audience’s interest. This play has musical elements, and grade 10 student Fée Brandt will be arranging the music to accompany her character’s songs. Masha Shkarbanova and Emily Richardson (who are also members of our Dance classes) will choreograph the movement. The set building will be coordinated by Amy Calafiura, Jeremy Giuntoli, Kai Johnson, and Omer Segal.

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Emily Richardson, Grade 10: “Creating a performance is one of the best things I have ever done. Each element requires attention to detail, time and patience. Each performance is the first and last time it will be done that exact way with those exact people, which makes it so special and unique and gives different memories to each person.

I also love creating and performing because each style is unique.

Performing in front of the ECE will be a blast.”

Masha Shkarbanova, Grade 10: “It hurts. I mean it literally kills some old connections and diagrams inside your brain. It destroys them. Like “boooom” and nothing left. The ideas which you thought would work; the way you thought you’d feel; even the way you imagined the final performance would be. Yes, that’s pretty painful. But not only that! This process creates something new, something that haven’t been done before! It’s like walking in a foreign city which you dreamed about, but never saw in reality. All your expectations are breaking. And you continue walking because it’s just so so interesting and you can’t stop because around each corner it’s something new and unexplored and just something you couldn’t imagine!”

By Jennifer Lawless Hongqiao Campus IB Theatre & Theory of Knowledge Teacher

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

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TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

A Series of Scaffolded International Adventures

Evan Weinberg

High school Math, Science and Robotics Teacher Married with kids? If so, thoughts on raising a family in a foreign country?

We were married a year before moving abroad. Our first daughter, Nora, was born this past December in Hangzhou at the American Sino hospital. We’ve been amazed with the experiences that kids have growing up in different places, both from getting to know our students, and Josie having grown up with this lifestyle. We are really excited that Nora will be able to live this international lifestyle too. Meeting people from around the world, eating different foods, and enjoying the adventure of being in new places are all habits we expect will lead to her becoming a pretty cool kid.

H

IS’s very own Evan Weinberg completes the list of Teacher spotlights for this school year. I was able to discuss with Evan and have him share a little bit about his journey from Cleveland to Hangzhou, where he has been teaching at HIS for his sixth year now, and about what lays ahead!

Tell us a little about your self, where do you come from?

Where has your journey taken you from to get you here?

I grew up east of Cleveland, Ohio in the US, and went to school in the Boston area. Josie’s family is from Louisiana in the US, but her dad was (and still is) a journalist, so Josie grew up moving around the world. I majored in mechanical engineering, but wanted to do something different after graduation. I moved to New York City to begin my teaching career through an alternative certification program. The fall after graduating from university, I had my own classroom of high school math students at a large high school in the Bronx. Josie, who was at NYU, joined the same program a year later and subsequently taught elementary in the Bronx and East Harlem. With Josie’s help, I developed a travel bug, and we eventually decided to move to China to begin our international teaching career at HIS.

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How long have you been teaching at HIS? We are both finishing our sixth year at HIS this June.

How has your experience teaching and living in China been in general?

China, and Hangzhou in particular, has some of the nicest and friendliest people around. We especially love the food and opportunities for travel, both within China and in the region.

What kept you coming back year after year?

Without a doubt, the faculty, staff, and students at HIS are a special group. We’ve met many new students and teachers as they join the community. Everyone finds their niche here, but in doing so, they add something of themselves to make it even better and unique. Every year has a new personality, and that always keeps things fresh.

Thoughts about what lays ahead?

We will be moving to Vietnam in July.

What motivated you to teach internationally, and was it a joint decision?

As I said before, Josie lived this lifestyle growing up, and I didn’t, so this was all very new to me. There was a time early on in our relationship when Josie suggested we travel to Taiwan and revisit where she had spent some of her summers teaching English. I

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

was terrified by the prospect of being in a place where I didn’t speak the language and everything was foreign, I think to the point where Josie was concerned I might never want to go away.

She was very patient and, in hindsight, brilliant in crafting a series of scaffolded international adventures over which I realized that this fear of travel might actually be an exciting part of a rewarding lifestyle. We were excited to turn this travel thing from a vacation activity into an everyday occurrence, and we were fully invested. On the way to the airport for our flight to China, Josie’s dad called me on my cell phone and asked point blank “Are you really on board with this?” I laughed given that this was really a no-turning-back moment, and answered with a confident ‘yes’.

We haven’t regretted our decision to make this our life.

Would you recommend the international teaching lifestyle to others thinking of pursuing a similar path?

Absolutely. There’s no better way to see the world and get to know new people.

Looking back at your time here, would you have done anything differently?

I wish I had put more time into developing my Mandarin. Beyond that, it has been a great six years.

What will you miss most about HIS, Hangzhou and China?

We’ve loved the people that have become our friends over the past six years. The students have been a collection of passionate and creative young people, and they make this job what it is.

By Mikael Masson Perez Communitas Editor

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30

Dragon officially becomes school mascot Total enrollment exceeds 100 students

1996

1997

2002 AI COMM GH N

COMMUNITAS

SCIS now stands for “Shanghai Community International School” SH A

Originally called: “Shanghai Changning International School”

SCIS Hongqiao opened

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L OO

SCIS is founded as one of the first international schools in Shanghai.

SCIS Pudong opened

1996

IONAL SCH AT

IN ITY TERN UN

Celebrating the

SCIS Hongqiao moves to new location where current Hongqiao Main Campus is located

2003

2005

2006 Total enrollment exceeds 1000 students

10th year anniversary

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First SCIS Graduation: Pudong Class of 2006

History of SCIS SCIS Changning merges onto the SCIS Hongqiao Campus

SCIS Pudong Upper School Campus built and opened

2007

2008

2009

2010

SCIS Hongqiao launches the IB Diploma Programme

SCIS Hongqiao ECE Campus is opened

First SCIS Hongqiao graduation: Hongqiao Class of 2010 SCIS Pudong launches the IB diploma program33

Total enrollment exceeds 2000 students SCIS Pudong Performing Art Center opens

20th Anniversary

2012

2015

2016

SCIS Pudong Lower School Campus merges onto the newly-renovated SCIS Upper School Campus

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Hongqiao ARt Gallery

Every Child is an Artist “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Pablo Picasso

P

ablo Picasso made my favorite quote about young people and art. As an art teacher of Grade 2 to Grade 5 students I believe I have a very important job. I am fortunate enough to work with bright, young, creative, expressive people, in other words, children.

The idea of young people making a picture of themselves seems like a simple one. Most times if you ask a child to draw a picture of themselves they say “OK!” and immediately start drawing shapes and lines all over the paper and before long, BAM, you have a self-portrait of a young artist. But if you can add one little instruction things get a whole lot more interesting. That instruction

is: “Look in the mirror and draw what you see.” Immediately, the students change. They start making funny faces and noticing how their facial details contort and change with each new expression. After that, the student has to decide HOW to draw themselves. And when they are deciding HOW to draw themselves they are really deciding HOW they will be perceived.

So enjoy these bright young artists’ work. Take inspiration from our children. Have you remained an artist? It’s never too late to make art.

By Brent Blalock Hongqiao Campus Lower School Art Teacher

Rosalie, Grade 3

Jeong Jin , Grade 2

Payton, Grade 3

Sabrina, Grade 5 Lizzy, Grade 3

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Adam, Grade 3

Hongqiao ARt Gallery

Sophia, Grade 5

Annie, Grade 5

Lily, Grade 5

Sarah, Grade 2

Martha, Grade 2

Simone, Grade 2

Lemon, Grade 5

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PRINCIPAL’S LETTER

Improving Our World Through Inquiry & Action

“For apart from inquiry, individuals cannot be truly human.

Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”

– Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

school. Like, I came up with the idea of having an Earth Week.

The teacher was saying we were going to have a vote to either have one Earth Day activity on Friday, or for a whole week, but I said we should have it for a whole week, so we can recycle more stuff, and save more electricity.

Paulo Freire is the famous social justice educator who inspired a great literacy movement amongst Brazil’s poor.

Inquiry is rooted in the heart and soul of Freire’s philosophies and approaches. Freire’s core message is that good inquiry is the pathway to sustainable action that can improve humanity on a large scale. Freire believed that an authentic democratic society was dependent on its members being able to continually question their historical and social situations in order to construct a just society. IB’s Primary Years Program (PYP) provides an exemplary framework for implementing quality inquiry which leads to sustainable actions that improve our world. SCIS-HQ lower school classrooms are brimming with student-inspired, meaningful conversations. Students are engaged daily in action-oriented projects that resulted from quality questioning. One multi-grade example of how facilitated inquiry is leading to action at SCIS is Student Council.

Me: Who inspires you to want to make positive changes in the school?

Danny: Barack Obama. He is a very good president and helps America be a better country. President Obama really does care about the people of America. I have seen videos of him on how to change the world. I just wanted to do the same thing, but to change my school.

My first visit to an SCIS Lower School Student Council meeting was impressive. The advisors asked the students, “What are ways we can improve the school?” I observed the members engaged in passionate discussions about the proposed question. Soon, a second grade student named Danny Kopcha caught my attention. In a whole group discussion about Earth Day ideas, Danny confidently and calmly expressed his opinion that Earth Day activities should continue all week, not just on one day. I was impressed that a second grader wasn’t intimidated to express his ideas to a group that included 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. I thought, “What a risk-taker!” I asked a couple students for an interview, and Danny readily obliged:

Me: Why did you join student council?

Shiang Shiang: To help the school, to be more responsible and organized, and to help my class.

Me: Why did you want to join student council?

Danny: I joined student council because I wanted to change the 38

Me: What other ideas are on your mind for changing the school?

Danny: My next idea is to have more recess, so kids can get more energy out because we don’t want kids to get their energy out in school, like go all crazy and stuff.

My second interview was with Shiang Shiang Lu, a student in the 5th grade:

Me: Who has inspired you?

Shiang Shiang: Cathy Cassidy. She is an author who writes about problems and how kids get through them, like divorce and alcoholism. She taught me that we can help, and we don’t have to be afraid of everything. She inspired me to think this way.

Cassidy said people change people. Not everything has to stay the same. That’s what we’re doing in student council.

In both interviews the students created their own ideas based on personal passions, and tied their local actions to greater good.

However, what inquiry experiences led to their belief that they

PRINCIPAL’S LETTER

are agents of action and change? How can teachers and parents facilitate good inquiry? Below you will find some inquiry tips for teachers and parents: 1. Ask quality questions.

Good inquirers ask questions that challenge deep thinking skills, rather then lecture students on prescribed, expected answers.

They ask questions that are timeless and debatable, depending on perspective and experiences. They ask students, “How will you evaluate, create, prove?” Why do you think that? What are your experiences that led you to think this?”

2. Teach children to ask quality questions.

Equally important, as Paulo Freire wrote, is to teach students how to ask good questions to themselves and to each other.

Teach students questions for reflection. “How do I feel about that? What went well? How could I do better next time?”

Intelligent groups are diverse groups. Good inquirers create opportunities for students to question and respond in conversations with people with different life experiences, beliefs, cultures, nationalities, races and religions. Good inquirers also give students sentence stems they can use to solicit more information in group interactions. They role model what

diplomacy and open-mindedness looks like, and reflect openly on when being open-minded is the most challenging and why.

3. Encourage evidence.

Ask students to identify where they found their information.

“How do you know that?” is a standard PYP classroom question.

Ask students to explore the perspective the information is coming from.

4. Maintain Neutrality.

Instead of making a response with a judgement such as, “Good work,” consider asking more questions instead. Adult neutrality empowers students because it helps students begin to trust, validate and develop their own personal, unique understandings.

What examples of inquiry have you seen your children bring home?

How have you seen your children’s inquiry lead to action? We encourage you to share these examples in the SCIS community.

Together, our collective inquiry leads to action and change for the greater good of our community, and ultimately, the world.

By Kristie O’Brien Hongqiao Campus LS Vice Principal

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Florian Wong

“Strive for continuous improvement instead of perfection” – Kim Collins

S

enior, Florian Wong, is an accomplished student, musician, martial artist, volunteer, teacher…- the list goes on. In the midst of his IB exam and college preparation, I was able to sneak myself into his jam-packed schedule for a chat and try and figure out how he manages to juggle with all his involvements and commitments.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I was pretty blessed as a child, my mum is French and my dad is from Hong Kong, so I am trilingual. Born in Paris but pretty much brought up in Shanghai, I attended a French school for primary school and moved to a local bilingual school later on to learn Mandarin and English. Then, in 10th grade, we chose to come to SCIS so that I could do the IB programme.

Wow so French, English and Chinese, so how’s your Shanghainese?

Huh not that great haha, but I can also speak a little Cantonese.

How have the various transitions, from the French school, to a local school and finally to SCIS, been?

It was a huge change. In the French system, I felt rather close to my peers, as if I was back in France since mostly French expats kids were attending the school. Then, transitioning into the local school was entirely different: people were more conservative, private, and competitive. Finally, having transitioned from a local school to SCIS felt a little weird for the first two months, but I really fit in soon afterwards because SCIS provides a warm, multicultural environment where you can find people of diverse backgrounds from all around the globe.

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To me, SCIS isn’t just a place for learning. People here really focus on the word ‘community’. At SCIS, everyone – whether it be a friendly student or a benevolent teacher – interacts with one-another to form life-long relationships.

But on top of that, the school not only focuses on students on a macro scale, but also on a micro scale. A lot of emphasis is put on the individual; teachers here are always extremely supportive and eager to help students based on their respective needs.

For instance, two months ago, I was tutoring an 11th grade student for English, but was unable to continue the lessons due to upcoming IB Mock Exams, and felt really thankful that Ms. Koenig was kind enough to take over.

It’s great for students to have such kind of opportunities. I come to school everyday feeling excited because I know that I can participate in an array of activities after school. These opportunities have enabled me to partake in community service, lead as President/ VP or clubs like NHS and Interact, teach beat boxing, coach MMA (mixed martial arts), etc. You don’t get these opportunities at other schools.

Also, not only is SCIS a community within the school, but leagues like ACAMIS and Dragon Cup allows students from different schools to interact with each other, thus forming even larger communities both inside and outside the school. When you say SCIS is an international community, it really is one.

That actually brings me to my next question, how do you balance all the activities you are involved in with school and your social life?

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

There definitely exist certain opportunity costs that have to be taken into account when balancing out the two, but with proper time management, it definitely is feasible. I think that the IB has really helped me to develop this skill.

run for too long but it made me realise that it’s great to have a little bit of everything as it keeps you balanced and that kind of goes in with the IB profile where being balanced is part of the learner profile.

You know how you can have multiple desktops on a mac right?

When you turn on my laptop, the first desktop you see is literally my planned schedule for the upcoming weeks’ activities and events.

Thoughts about what lays ahead?

I’ve always had a passion for the social sciences and a thing for numbers. I like to study subjects that have a blend of quantitative and qualitative aspects, and so I enjoy fields like Economics and Psychology. Additionally, I’ve also thought about going into a field related to education.

Can you share a little bit more about your involvements in and around school and a bit of the reasoning behind those choices?

I think that life is a series of choices and experiences, and that one should try a little bit of everything and always strive to grow and learn from different opportunities. It’s the aggregate of these experiences that makes a person who they are.

When I moved here, because of the large number of opportunities that SCIS provides, I was able to get involved in things that I love, as well as try out new activities that I have never done before.

I have done Taekwondo and Muay Thai ever since I was a kid, and have always loved to teach. So when I came here and met Scherwin, who does BJJ and kickboxing, we both decided that we should start an MMA club together. We ran it for 2-3 months, and it was quite successful. Then, I decided to continue teaching others in different areas, and started teaching English to local middle school students, orphans on Chongming Island, etc.

On top of coaching the MMA club, serving as the Assistant Coach of the Debate Club for the past two years has been really amazing as well. Last year, we were vice-champions at ACAMIS in Nanjing. And this year, two members made it all the way to the final. It always feels good to see the whole team strive for achievement and also to witness how your teaching efforts have helped others. Finally, I also started a beatboxing club, it didn’t

Surfing on the internet on day, I decided to research ways to splice all these things together, and stumbled across NeuroEconomics, Neuro-Marketing, and Behavioral Economics.

Combine that with education and I’m probably looking at a career in academia within one or multiple of those fields. So the toughest task that lays ahead now is choosing between schools that are giving me scholarships; New York University, the University of Hong Kong, and McGill University in Canada all have stellar academics and flexible curriculums. Right now I will probably look to major in Finance with a concentration in Marketing and a double major in Psychology, and plan to continue on to grad school to pursue what I like!

Lastly, if you could have a superpower what would it be?

Over the past years, countless of news on protests, attacks, and even wars have been covered by the media. After what has happened recently at not just Paris, but also in other areas in Europe, I haven’t had the chance to visit my family in France for years.

If I could have a superpower, it would be the ability to resolve conflict.

By Mikael Masson Perez Communitas Editor

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COMMUNITY FEATURE

The Value of the Social Sciences in the Community

D

ecision making: a crucial part of the lives of our students, parents and community. This has been the underlying theme uniting all aspects of this year’s history course for Grade 10 at HIS. Theme: Decision Making 1. There are a huge range of factors that affect decision making. These include psychological, historical, geographic and economic context and forces.

2. Some of these can be obstacles to sound decision making.

3. Some processes and ideas support sound decision making, including reasoning and empathy.

This theme has enabled students to explore the historical and contemporary content of the course with additional layers of analysis and understanding that are then reflected into their own lives.

The process has included learning a number of important concepts from the social sciences and history. Examples include propaganda, scarcity, conformity and validity. There has also been a strong emphasis on the use of key skills such as analysis, evaluation and application, all of which support sound decision making. When using these skills, students apply the concepts they have learned to the historical content and current events and into their own lives to gain a deeper understanding of humanity and themselves. Students share their investigations in deep classroom discussions that have illustrated great personal insight into the lives of their communities.

Below, the students share some of their thoughts about the impact of their learning this year on their own decision making processes and their place in the community.

“This course made me think about who I am, what I am, why I 42

am what I am and more importantly, why I am myself today. I have learned how to question my beliefs, actions, thoughts.” – Alex “My place in the community can be as important or as insignificant as I choose for it to be. What I have learned in class is that history is made when a decision is either glorified or criticized. The more I learn about what has happened and what is happening the more I want to participate in making the community a better place. I feel like if I make one good decision it can affect 10 people which then will affect 10 other people and so on. So I believe that I have the power to make a difference in my community.” – Aanchal “One topic that we’ve been discussing a lot this year and made me realize how important its affect is in my life and my family’s are the world wars. While learning about them, I realized that it strongly affected both mentally, and economically, my country and my ancestors’ lives. I realized how strong my country was back then, it made me more proud to be where I am from. But it did not only make me proud about my origins, it also gave a second thought to these topics and I became less nationalistic.

Before learning I would have characterized myself as purely a French teenager with a bias against those who once attacked my country, but learning about psychological and economic factors and studying about others’ environment made me what I am today; an open minded world citizen.” – Alex “Social Studies has taught me that events are not just how it’s portrayed but there is more behind what is being told. Current world events, no matter how subtle, can often be linked back to the past. Upon knowing this, people will realize that its continuation of events, and such complex situations often do not have a solution as of right now. I have also learned the significance of environment and how we are heavily shaped by it. It has led me to think about how “original” am I, and to what extent is my mindset bound by the chains of my surrounding.”

– Choon Wun

COMMUNITY FEATURE

“The content that I have learned in this course has taught me far-reaching values that I look forward to applying throughout my life. I have learned about concepts like empathy, which has helped me understand the reasons why people would make specific decisions by putting me in those people’s shoes during our class discussions.

a cord for me include groupthink, or the fact that group input can sometimes lead to impaired decision making through the involvement of conformity and obedience, and the struggle for the values of a nation and how this shaped the post war world in which we live.”– Prachi

Additionally, I have vastly improved the quality of my evaluation, and the real life topics in which we write about have helped me strengthen my abilities to write fair arguments for both sides.

This also makes me a more decisive person by getting me to the weigh the pros and cons of the arguments that specifically target my beliefs and values.

“In this course, I have learned to be more reasonable and logical about making decisions and constructing my arguments. We learned reasoning and evaluation, which need balance so require looking at both sides for a more reasonable conclusion. I was able to relate this skill to the real world when I have made decisions I’ve evaluated the consequences of the decision and made a more reasonable argument.”– Kale Hwang

Lastly, one of the biggest lessons that I will be taking away from this course are the ideas that we have focused on during our discussions and evaluations. The main themes that have struck

By Mr. Richard Searle HIS Upper School Social Studies Teacher and Grade 10 students.

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ALUMNI INTERVIEW

Anna Yang

The Predictable Unpredictability of Self-discovery.

As a third culture kid, the only thing that you know to be constant is the imminent move. I’ve lived in seven cities and attended eleven schools – twelve if you count university.

Oftentimes, flying was easier than driving. Consistency was a luxury that I did not know. Initially, I did have the TCK identity crisis. I picked and chose pieces of different cultures that I believed would add value to who I was – some of A, a lot of B, and a dash of C. These ingredients created me. Though I felt like I could transcend through many cultures, I never truly felt like I belonged to any one…

Then came Shanghai.

This is where I stayed put the longest. This is where I made friends. This is where I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be a gift if the adaptability found here could move the world towards true globalization?

You’re now back in Shanghai, what are you up to?

I’m back in Shanghai doing mainly two things. eet Anna Yang, SCIS Pudong Class of 2011 graduate.

Anna attended SCIS for seven years and is currently back in town working as an Associate Art Director at J. Walter Thompson, one of the biggest international advertising agencies in the world. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Anna from our overlapping time attending SCIS and was delighted at the opportunity to catch up and feature her for our alumni spotlight. Albeit it being easier said than done, I managed to wiggle this interview into her extremely busy schedule and I am glad I did, see for yourself:

M

First, I’m working as an art director at J. Walter Thompson.

After discovering my current career passion, I made the industry switch from healthcare to advertising. Now, I’ve had the honor of being named APAC Young Creative of the Year

by Adfest and will soon be representing China at Cannes.

However, awards aren’t that important to me… To my boss, Justin, if you ever read this (thinking about sending your kid here?), I want to say, thank you so much for being a genuinely good person – someone I can look up to. I’m grateful that you inspired me to be a better individual.

Tell us a little about yourself Just someone who’s always been slightly confused by the question, “No, really, where are you from?” I think we’re all from the same place.

Second, I’m in Shanghai launching my educational consulting firm, The Arthas School. I’m currently working with a multitude of institutions in Vancouver to help improve the quality of local education in China. If you ever want to discuss opinions on the future of learning, please do not hesitate to contact me.

How long did you study at SCIS? Seven short years.

How was it growing up in the city of Shanghai?

Growing up in Shanghai was like growing up at home.

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Going to University, how well prepared did you feel coming from SCIS? Was the transition hard/what you expected?

Extremely.

ALUMNI INTERVIEW

The transition was incredibly smooth. I even remember emailing old IB teachers and thanking them. They gave us more than what we needed to learn and more than what they needed to teach.

Favorite part about going to SCIS? The size, hands down.

You know everyone, and the teachers actually care.

This sort of intimacy doesn’t come easy.

Did you see yourself where you are today, 5 years ago?

I can say with great confidence… definitely not.

Most memorable moment/story?

The most memorable moments were the beautifully mundane ones.

I’m at one of those crossroads in life where you’re not sure whether left is right or right is left.

Chatting with people on the bus, meeting your best friend, balloon-filled lockers on your birthday, unproductive gossip, taking out a day’s frustration on the court, whispering in class, bonding with teachers, saying hi, saying bye… I think the most memorable moments were the most ordinary.

And, that is absolutely amazing. That means that opportunity is making choice a possibility. Thank you to everyone who has ever offered me a hand or gave me gentle nudge. I needed it.

Any advice to high schoolers who are currently preparing to go to university?

University actually helps. It might not necessarily dictate your future success in life, but it does help. You’ll find yourself using information you learned as conversation starters. You’ll find familiar faces scattered around the globe. You’ll make mistakes.

You’ll be someone else, and then somehow, you’ll be you. It’s all a delightful mix of the predictably unpredictable.

Cherish it. It goes by too quick.

When people go all cliché and talk about the journey being more important than the destination, I believe them.

If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

Mm… I’m not sure. Can you ask me again in five years? Maybe science will be advanced enough for superpower construction. J

By Mikael Masson PEREZ Communitas Editor

The Alumni Association Alumni Mission: The SCIS-HIS Alumni Association has been established in order to foster the continued cordial relations of the SCIS-HIS community. It’s goal was, and continues to be, to link alumni with the School and with each other, and to support and maintain such forged relationships. It strives to provide ample avenues and opportunities to encourage alumni to participate actively in the SCIS-HIS community.

Alumni Contact: Mikael Masson Perez mmasson@scis-his.org Alumni Requirements: 1. Graduated from a SCIS-HIS school OR

Social Media facebook site: http://www.facebook. com/SCISandHIS-alumni Linkedin site: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/ SCISHIS-Alumni-4757677

2. Went to school here for at least one year AND be over 18 45

THE LIBRARIAN CORNER

Book Recommendations for All Ages The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, bk 1) by Rick Riordan (Grades 5-8)

Summary: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he barely knows-a man his mother claimed was dangerous.

Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god, the Viking myths are true, and the gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday.

To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die ...

Mrs. Cauley’s take: I am a fan of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and I’ve been very excited about this new series based on Norse mythology. I was a little worried that students would be turned off by the book’s length – it’s 497 pages long. However, this book didn’t feel long at all. The story moves quickly, there’s great action, tense situations, and really funny one liners. The Norse mythology is explained throughout the story in a way that is informative and entertaining and doesn’t distract from the story. I thoroughly enjoyed The Sword of Summer and recommend it to anyone who is looking for an entertaining fantasy adventure.

Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks (Grades 9 and up)

Summary: In 1919, the 369th infantry regiment marched home triumphantly from World War I. They had spent more time in combat than any other American unit, never losing a foot of ground to the enemy, or a man to capture, and winning countless decorations. Though they returned as heroes, this African American unit faced tremendous discrimination, even from their own government. The Harlem Hellfighters, as the Germans called them, fought courageously on--and off--the battlefield to make Europe, and America, safe for democracy.

Mrs. Cauley’s take: It may seem surprising that Max Brooks, author of the zombie story World War Z, would write a non fiction book about the first African American regiment to serve in World War I. As it turns out, Brooks had written a screenplay about the Harlem Hellfighters several years ago but could never find anybody willing to make the movie. Following the advice of a friend, Brooks started talking to different publishers about turning his screenplay into a graphic novel. His story was quickly picked up, comic book artist Canaan White was hired for the illustrations, and now we have an action packed and gritty graphic novel. The achievements and perseverance of the 369th Infantry Regiment are at times unbelievable but all the more amazing because it really happened. For example, Private Henry Johnson single handedly held off a German raid and was the first American to receive the Croix de Guerre, France’s highest military honor. While this story has a lot of heart, it’s also intense. This is a graphic novel about some of the worst battles of WWI, and you see the brutality of war and soldiers’ fear and courage. White’s art illustrates how hard these men fought against impossible odds in Europe, only to be ignored and discounted when they returned home. This is a great pick for readers who enjoy military fiction or military history. For those interested in learning more about the Harlem Hellfighters, the library also has the more in depth history book The Harlem Hellfighters: when pride met courage by Walter Dean Meyers.

Warriors manga series created by Erin Hunter (Grades 3-6)

Summary: The Warrior Cat’s adventures continue in this series of manga style graphic novels.

Mrs. Cauley’s take: Erin Hunter’s Warrior series has been popular in every library I’ve worked in, and SCIS is no exception. Mr. Zimmerman recently picked up the manga series for the library and these books have been flying out the door ever since. The stories are set in the Warrior’s world that readers are familiar with, but mostly involve new characters and stories separate from the novels. Each book is around 85 pages long with detailed black and white illustrations. They are a fun and fast read for anyone who enjoys the Warriors series.

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THE LIBRARIAN CORNER

A Spy in the House (The Agency, bk 1) by Y.S. Lee (Grades 8-12)

Summary: Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Mrs. Cauley’s take: One of the things that I really liked about A Spy in the House was that the historic time period was more than just decoration. The ideas and prejudices of Victorian England affected Mary in many ways. Not only was she trying to build a future by hiding her criminal past, trying to succeed while having limited opportunities because she was female, but she also has to deal with the complications of her parentage. I found that the way she dealt with these obstacles made the character seem much more real and the story more interesting – it really drew me in. Mary is smart, practical, and feisty. She might be in over her head at first, but she fights to accomplish her goals and secure her place at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy. The idea that Mary is trained as an undercover detective might not be realistic for the time period, but it’s a fun premise and works well with the story.

Brick Flicks: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Your Own Stop-Motion LEGO Movies by Sarah Herman (Grade’s 3-12, but younger readers will need the help of an adult)

Summary: Turn your bricks into blockbusters with this movie-making guide! You’ve seen the smash-hit film; now it’s time to step into the director’s chair and make your own. Forget big budgets, A-list movie stars, and exotic locations—this comprehensive guide will show you how to make a stop-motion movie using little more than a camera, a computer, and your own LEGO collection. From picking out the right gear, planning a story, and setting up shots, to animating mini-figures, editing, and promoting your film online, Brick Flicks has enough tips and tricks to turn a popcorn prentice and into an Oscar-worthy wizard.

Mrs. Cauley’s take: If you’ve ever wanted to make your own Lego movie or short film, Brick Flicks provides advice and instructions on Lego animation and filming. There are useful tips on all aspects of filming – like how to safely set up lights and make sure the lights don’t melt your mini-figures. Instructions and suggestions are nicely explained and illustrated. Herman includes interviews with award winning Lego film creators who share their experiences and advice. The library picked up the e-book version of Brick Flicks so that students can use the book all year long, even during summer vacation! This version also includes a hyperlinked Table of Contents and Index. This is a fun book for those who enjoy Legos or would like to learn more about stop motion animation.

Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, bk 1) by Ransom Riggs (Grades 6-12)

Summary: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar.

They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason.

And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Mrs. Cauley’s take: If you like creepy and suspenseful stories, then this is the book for you. This story sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the end, and then you need more! The vintage photos really add to the book’s eerie atmosphere and gives it a realistic feel. This is a YA horror novel, so there is some violence, but the story is well paced, tense, and filled with great characters. Riggs has written a very creative and enjoyable book. The library has a print and e-book copy of Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children, so students will be able to access the e-book over the summer.

By Jennifer Cauley Hongqiao Campus Upper School Librarian

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HOST Culture

The Power and Challenge of Mandarin Class in China

local school in Hangzhou that has an astronomy telescope. The moment when I finally received the confirmed reply that yes, we were welcomed to visit the local school for the astronomy telescope and station, I could not wait to share this good news!

That field trip was wonderful and would have been perfect if the sun was shining, as we could have watched the it with the astronomy telescope.

• Local host of global event.

Since the G20 global meeting will be held in Hangzhou, which is in the same city as our school, I organized and planned this project after completing a recent unit on letter writing in Mandarin class. Aside from composing the letter, the students researched and found out a few of the 20 Presidents’ contact information and established contact with each of the world leaders that will be visiting our school next September. We are making this global event also as big as possible for our school by inviting the world leaders to visit.

I

t is a fact that Mandarin class is extremely powerful when the school is located in China. There are three main areas as below.

• Local speaker’s communication.

After learning the shopping unit, the students were assessed to talk to Chinese local people in the supermarket, as well as in the vegetable and fruit market. Miss Xiang’s students even called and talked to Miss Xiang’s mother after the phone call unit. That was a lot of fun and encouraging. Opportunities to speak to local speakers are very easy to find and students can practice language skills throughout their daily life.

• Local school’s community.

China is the country which we Mandarin teachers live in so far and that’s why we know a variety of resources far better than others. To support Grade 4’s IPC unit, I found out the only

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It is also a fact that there is more challenge and concern for Mandarin class here than the other counties in the world.

Compare and concern from parents happens easily here because we are right in China and there are Chinese people, native speakers are all around us, especially for those novice students who need help and those advanced students who have been to local Chinese school before. In the autumn of 1990, “Three Character Classic” became part of UNESCO’s “World Children’s Morality Series” and become a commonly-shared heritage for all mankind. Three Character Classic are Chinese traditional enlightening materials for children which has a long and far-reaching influence in Chinese history, astronomy and geography. The language classes are not only to teach language, but they also include these Three Character Classics which include historical and cultural knowledge. I teach Three Character Classic partly for Chinese culture of respecting parents, teachers, friends and a good learning attitude. Students also designed their behavior log by themselves and listed their own ceremonial goal to show their appreciation to parents, teachers and friends as their project. I am very proud of this class because students learned naturally in their learning atmosphere that was supported and encouraged by parents and teachers.

By Lucy Xiang HIS Mandarin Teacher

HOST CulturE

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PAFA

Our Secret Garden teachers (Miss Jessie and Miss Becca), who are always happy to lend a hand or should I say, bust a move!

The dads were happy to participate in all the frivolity - cha cha slide, YMCA, limbo, hokey pokey, chicken dance and they especially had fun during musical statues. One dad in particular was a little too eager when told to freeze like his wife!!!

The night brought together groups of friends and dads from a mix of cultures. When a well-known Indian song was played the crowd erupted and dance moves were taught, the Indian dads proudly up on stage showing us how it’s done.

“There’s two things I know for sure, she was sent here from heaven and she’s Daddy’s little girl…”

Those words played during the final song “Butterfly Kisses” at Hangzhou International School’s first Daddy Daughter Dance, and I’m sure every dad would have agreed with that sentiment.

It was the dream of one of our HIS mums, Miranda, to create a Daddy Daughter Dance before she leaves over the summer.

What started as a conversation between three mums (Miranda, Lisa and myself), turned into us delivering a night for girls in Kindergarten to Grade 6 and the special man in their lives.

As three mums who had an idea on how we wanted the night to run, we were thrilled with the result. Looking out over the music desk watching 40 dads and 40 daughters dancing together was a special sight to see. As “Butterfly Kisses” played and little girls danced on their daddy’s feet, it was reminiscent of something I know we all did when we were young… and it made me grateful, that for two hours on one Friday night in April we created something special, that was purely about celebrating the bond between a father and his daughter.

I hope they all treasure the experience as much as we enjoyed creating it for them.

We know a lot of the dads do what they can, but most mums spend more time with their daughters, so that was our opportunity… create a night purely for dads (or grandpas or uncles) and their girls to come together, have fun and cut loose on the dance floor. Oh and did we mention, strictly no mums were allowed.

We threw around theme ideas and given the time of year, ‘The Secret Garden’ seemed apt. Like all international schools we have a diverse mix of backgrounds and this concept was a little foreign. It took some explaining, and confirming that it didn’t matter if their dad was shy, we would make sure they had a good night, and we understand their dad is busy, but let’s ask for two hours on a Friday night.

As the night of the dance drew closer, momentum was building, the tickets sold out and the girls were excited. On 15 April 2016 at 5:30pm our dance began. Upon arrival, the dads (and three grandpas) put on their special bow tie, while the girls received a wrist corsage and flower lei for their hair. Our photo booth helped capture the night, and all daughters and dads finished a sentence card “You’re such a great Dad because…” and “To my daughter, my wish for you is…”

As we’d hoped, Katy Perry helped kick-off the dancing and without hesitation the floor was full. Our resident dance guru Lisa led all the activities with help from two Kindergarten 50

BREAKOUT BOX Our friendship bench Funds raised from the HIS Daddy Daughter Dance will go towards a friendship bench in the lower school playground. The PAFA parents hope in the years to come this bench will help cultivate friendships by providing a special place where a child can go when in need of a friend. We hope it further develops the empathy that HIS strives to instill in all children, to ensure everyone always has a buddy they can lean on.

By Natalie Foxwell HIS PAFA Committee Member Photographers: Xiaoyang Zhang and Daksha Gohil

PAFA

PAFA NEWS SCIS-HIS has parent organizations called the Parents and Friends Association (PAFA) on each campus. PAFA serves as a way that parents can communicate ideas for the betterment of the school to the administration and Board. SCIS and HIS are proud of the high level of parents participation in their schools and value their partnership with the parent community. PAFA conducts various activities, from community events to charity fundraisers to volunteer support for teachers and students. Each campus has a PAFA board who works closely with each campus’ administrations to plan events that help to make SCIS-HIS schools a unique experience for families, faculty, and students alike. We are always welcoming new members!

For more information about PAFA, please contact us at:

Hangzhou International School

Hongqiao Main & ECE Campuses

President Gretchen Montey gretchen1124@yahoo.com

President/Treasurer: Rhonda Mahs PAFA_hq_pres@scis-his.org PAFA_hq_tres@scis-his.org

Vice President Carmen Freissmuth carmenfreissmuth@hotmail.com

Event Coordinator: Nicole Newcomb PAFA_hq_events@scis-his.org

Secretary Crystal Wu jameswanshi@yahoo.com

Early Childhood Education (ECE): Ramya Rajagopal, PAFA_hq_ecerep1@scis-his.org Yvonne Yeung, PAFA_hq_ecerep2@scis-his.org

Treasurer Ting Jin jin_reader@hotmail.com Social Chairperson Cristina Chen ruaichen@hotmail.com Events Chairperson Anu Metha anu7720@gmail.com

Lower School (LS) Nina Han, PAFA_hq_lsrep1@scis-his.org Ellen Ho, PAFA_hq_lsrep2@scis-his.org Middle School (MS) Marga van Tiggelen, PAFA_hq_msrep1@scis-his.org Catrin Gustafsson, PAFA_hq_msrep2@scis-his.org High School (HS) Heidi Casey, PAFA_hq_hsrep1@scis-his.org Carol Clark, PAFA_hq_hsrep2@scis-his.org Secretary/Public Relations Kristianna Foye, PAFA_hq_sec@scis-his.org PAFA_hq_sec@scis-his.org

Pudong Campus Lower School President Jennifer Davy pdpafals.president@scis-his.org Secretary Lourdes Hernandez pdpafals.secretary@scis-his.org Treasurer Katie Berkaw pdpafals.treasurer@scis-his.org Event Coordinator Qing Gao, gaoqing_gq@126.com Star Chu, starchu5159@gmail.com Upper School President Weili Vlas, vlasliu@yahoo.com Treasurer (Main) Heike Walther, heike.walther@gmail.com Treasurer Nancy Yen, 26lvmom@gmail.com Event Coordinator Sandra Machan, sandramachan@yahoo.com

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PARTNER

De Oranje Draak

school voor Nederlandse taal en cultuur

Movie festival at The Orange Dragon

D

uring the month of April, we had a movie evening organised at Geneva Restaurant for all of the Dutch students from the Orange Dragon, from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Every year we come together on a Friday late afternoon to watch a typical and famous movie. This time around we had a movie catering to the smaller ones and another one for the older kids.

The kids all arrived dressed up like ‘Glitter and Glamour’ movie stars on the red carpet. Pictures were taken of everybody and for the two best dressed-up kids there was a prize to win: a Golden Dragon!

What is a movie without popcorn!

We were very lucky, because we could borrow the popcorn machine from the SCIS ECE. Thanks again SCIS! During the movie, there was time for the parents to catch up and have a refreshing drink.

A famous, yearly event of our Dutch School was again very successful. Movie stars; see you next year!

By Mirjam van der Geijs - director The Orange Dragon www.deoranjedraak.com

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FAVOURITE SPOT IN THE CITY

桂满陇 (Gui Man Long) Location: 8/F, Cloud nine Mall, 1018 Changning Road, by Kaixuan Road, Shanghai.

I

ts main course named “baked durian” successfully drew our attention. We, so called folk gourmets, then decided to show our respects to the restaurant, Gui Man Long, for its courage to challenge this controversial food.

Unexpectedly, we lost the first game with Gui Man Long on Sunday evening, by waiting outside for over one and a half hour. The following Monday, as our waiter arrived around 5pm, we finally got our table within half an hour. They don’t take reservations.

The food didn’t disappoint us and the price is rather friendly.

The fruit salad cone was an appetite trigger; the eye-catching boiled clams, dressed with a preserved bean curd sauce, was served on top of a bowl filled with crushed ice in it. To the best of our guessing abilities, it was probably thanks to the cumin, which was fried with the fresh spinach, that made the vegetables taste very much like lamb!

What really caught our eye at this Hangzhou cuisine restaurant is the spirit around cooking creative Chinese cuisines.

The vibe in the restaurant is, in its entirety, completely traditional with sloping roof with tiles, lanterns with silk painting covers, wooden chairs and tables, and down to even the traditional costumes the waiters were dressed in. We later found out that they serve three brunches that revolve around very different themes of design: one is named “Peach Tree Garden”, another “Boats on the Lake” and the one we happen to be served that day was “Market in the Southern Song Dynasty”.

We were happy that we didn’t give it up after the first try and would most likely visit again!

By Elena Han Hongqiao Campus Admission Secretary

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PARTNER

Why community service?

I

n the summer before my senior year, I visited Israel with other teenagers in my city’s Jewish community. The trip affected me deeply: it helped me to explore my identity as a Jew and taught me some hard truths about my relationship with my peers. That, however, is a story for another time. What I want to talk about here is the aftermath of that trip.

As a condition for going on the trip, each of us had promised we would donate around two days to community service. The venue had already been chosen by our temple – it was a Bingo hall: a large, moldy room where retired and elderly Jewish men and women (but I think mostly women) would crowd in to pass the time in gambling on Saturdays and Sundays. My mom and I worked behind the counter where a mousy, officious lady instructed us on taking money and giving out tickets. The people lined up and we handed them out bingo cards, stack after stack, along with blotters and inkpads, in exchange collecting or changing fives, tens, and twenties. The business was accompanied by the voice of an announcer calling out numbers and the sound of blotters stamping cards. Perhaps my description conveys something of the uneasiness and pity that the spectacle inspired in my mom and I, and yet, as I said to her, it was fascinating to watch, just as one is fascinated by the sight of ants swarming round a piece of rotting fruit. To think that this was how my temple made money to fund, for instance, trips to Israel.

My experiences with community service have always followed this pattern. I would have to work with people I would not normally seek out in my daily life, and the business itself was grim, like being on an assembly line. This was not what I would have pictured when I thought of community service. I had imagined holding smiling children’s hands or picking up scattered cans and paper to reveal lush, green lawns. I had imagined doing something that would be making a difference in people’s lives and thereby earning their gratitude. I thought that after I was done, I would feel satisfied and proud, not depressed and drained. The truth is that my experiences with community service have often involved doing jobs I do not find particularly meaningful doing work that no one else wants to do.

Looking back, I think that part of the problem was that I came into community service with the wrong attitude. I thought of it either as something that would make me feel better about myself or else, worse, as a kind of quid pro quo – the price I had to pay for those hikes through the Golan Heights or something I could advertise to get myself into a better college. What community service really was, though, was a chance for me to

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better acquaint myself with my community. Before working in that bingo hall I would never have thought such things existed.

In the end, regardless of whether I decided their existence was a good thing or a bad thing, I had the opportunity to learn about parts of my community where I had never been – and before you can improve something, you have to know that it exists and what is wrong with it.

As another example, consider one of Prep-Zone’s students.

During the last summer, he taught history in a small rural school.

He told me that what most surprised him was how little the students there knew about famous events and figures in Chinese history. He also saw that most of these students had little opportunity to attend school except during summer school programs taught by volunteers like him. In the end, most of them probably wouldn’t even go to college, but would continue working on their parents’ gardens. He learned something, then, about the way rural children are educated in China, and about the future that awaits them. He also had to struggle to find a way to share something he knew a lot about and even took for granted with people who had never heard of it and probably weren’t particularly interested in it. It is hard to say whether, in one summer, he was able to make a lasting impression on those students, but now he knows that they are there to be impressed.

I hope that his experience will inspire him to find more ways to reach out in the future.

Ultimately, these two things are what community service is all about: experience and giving back. Experience comes first, of course, and it might not always be pleasant – but as you think about community service, think about what areas of your community you would like greater exposure to and what interests this exposure will allow you to explore. Community service is a great way to see the insides of buildings or neighborhoods you otherwise might never visit in a way that is guided, organized, and safe. Giving back is harder, and it isn’t something we should expect to happen right away. Rather, use your experience in community service to think about who you are and what the world is, and how these two things can fit together for a better future.

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