Written by Roseline Yang, Parent Relations Officer

In addition to commemorating when Madam Tsang Chor-hang opened the doors of the first YCIS school in 1932 with an early years’ Kindergarten, YCIS Founder’s Day celebrates the unity of all Yew Chung and Yew Wah schools across China.

Did you know that it all started with the dream and the courage of a young 16 years old who believed in the role of education and decided to maintain a school that was supposed to close? She stood up for children’s rights to learn by building a team around her to run a small kindergarten…and this is why we come together on Founder’s Day to remember that time and continue to hold the flame, live the spirit, and share this inspiring story of courage, grit, and perseverance with the younger generation.

On October 11, every Yew Chung and Yew Wah school across China and Silicon Valley in the US, connected through a live-feed transmission of the 20^th Anniversary ceremony taking place at Yew Wah in Yantai. All the schools got the opportunity to share in the annual tradition of showing their school spirit by waving to each other via video.

Celebrations are always an exciting and happy time for everyone, because people with shared values and strong connection come together. Therefore, every school organizes fun activities for students to connect with each other.  At YCIS Pudong, our teachers organized various team activities for ECE and Primary students to enjoy that special day. The highlight of this year were the House Colors T-Shirts for all year levels from K2 to Year 13 students, in addition to the annual Founder’s Day fun run at both Regency Park Campus and Century Park Campus.

Our Physical Education Teacher at Regency Park Campus commented: “This year we wanted the focus of the run to be on ‘Team Spirit’, as the students participated in team colours, representing their House group. We decided to organize a fun run with no individual medals, mixing boys and girls together. All students participated and gained a house point for completing the run. Our competitive and talented runners had the opportunity to win extra house points, if they finished in the top 10. Students were encouraged to cheer for teammates, and just enjoy taking part in a fun community event, and being active!“ Kirstie McLeod, PE Teacher.

“Sport is about community, team and collaboration and Founder’s Day is the one of the major events in the school calendar where every child from Year 5 to Year 13 gets together. Therefore, in order for everyone to get some exercise, it has been a tradition to do a run in Century Park. It is fully inclusive and students can choose to run or jog with their school mates. We even had some parents jogging along this year!  Also for those that want to compete, we keep a record of the course and points can be earned for the houses they belong to.“ Matt Uffindall, Athletics Director

If you want to see a snapshot of Yew Chung’s history, please check the video below shared during Founder’s Day Assembly this year. This video was created by Baek Jiwon, a student of YCIS in Beijing.

Discover the heritage and legacy of Yew Chung on this link: http://www.ycef.com/en/about/history/

If you want to know more about Yew Chung Foundation, please contact Rachel Zhao rachel.zhao@sh.ycef.com, our new Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations in Shanghai.

Perhaps you have heard the term ‘Life Skills’ around the YCIS Pudong campuses recently, and might be wondering what this is? In fact, Life Skills is the school’s holistic approach to child development, and it is a progressive curriculum with age-appropriate activities and resources for all year levels, developed within the organisation and our school specifically over the past two years.

The curriculum focuses on six key areas of development for children of all ages. These include: Transitions, Personal Safety, Body & Health, Relationships, Identity, and Digital Citizenship/Safety, and they are incorporated into the learning for students in very intentional ways.

But why is this a focus, beyond the normal academic subjects students study, such as Science, Mathematics, or language learning? The answer is, when a child learns these skills they develop their own sense of security, trust, and self-esteem within their environment, and they become more confident. The Life Skills programme allows children to be seen from a holistic viewpoint and enhances their feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. This provides children with a secure foundation where they feel more competent and capable, allowing them to explore and expand their learning at new levels.

The Life Skills programme was developed from our work on Child Protection.  To share more about the Life Skills programme, three YCIS Pudong teacher experts on the subject, Ms. Juliette Broomhall, Early Childhood Student Support Coordinator, Ms. Andrea Griego, Primary Character Education and Life Skills Coordinator, and Mr. Dwayne Todd, Secondary Physical Education / Life Skills Teacher, share more about how the programme is implemented for children at different stages, and about the benefits students experience as a result.

Life Skills for Our Youngest Learners

This programme was implemented last year for Early Childhood Education (ECE) children, and the aim is to teach children skills so they can keep themselves safe and to increase their confidence within the classroom, and beyond.

You may be thinking, “What types of Life Skills do toddlers need to learn?” In fact, children need to learn skills for negotiation, problem solving, and conflict resolution all from a very young age. Introducing rules and boundaries for young children in the classroom allows fairness and safety for all children. One of the methods that is successful for young children within ECE classroom settings are visual reminders. Having expectations displayed creates opportunities for young children to reflect and problem solve. For example, sharing is an expectation in classroom environments. Young children are able to use sand timers to promote taking turns and sharing. When this skill is developed, they will often self-initiate this as a way to negotiate and successfully problem solve with their peers, promoting fairness and a sense of accomplishment for children.

The life skills programme is integrated into the ECE curriculum through intentional planning and by using teachable moments within the classroom environment. Teachers are able to use child-led interests to introduce a wide range of skills, making them more meaningful and in context with what the current interests may be within each unique class.

The programme is taught by the class teachers, as they know each child best and they have established the strong, trusting relationships needed to implement the Life Skills programme, but occasionally, special guest visitors, such as nurses, doctors, or police officers are invited to provide knowledge about a topic of interest for the classroom.

              

For children in ECE, as they learn about the various topics in the curriculum, they develop core skills that improve their self-awareness, agency, and empowerment. Each year level has specific objectives and outcomes that are aimed at the child’s developmental age; for example: the area of ‘Relationships’ promotes social skills that are age appropriate. For a K2 class, this means children are learning to identify when their peers are feeling sad and how to appropriately respond with empathy and kindness.

Life Skills benefits young children by giving them opportunities to develop working theories and the dispositions needed to construct positive attitudes, skills, strategies, and expectations about the world in which they live. Having opportunities to revisit these topics within the Life Skills programme throughout the years as they grow older allows children to make deeper connections and links to this curriculum.

Life Skills for Primary Children

People sometimes ask, “Why is there a need for a Life Skills programme”? To answer this question, we can turn to the work of the World Health Organization:

“The need for life skills education is highlighted, directly and indirectly, in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Life Skills education is designed to facilitate the practice and reinforcement of psychosocial skills in a culturally and developmentally appropriate way; it contributes to the promotion of personal and social development, the prevention of health and social problems, and the protection of human rights. It includes the application of life skills in the context of specific risk situations and in situations where children and adolescents need to be empowered to promote and protect their rights.” (‘Partners in Life Skills Education’ WHO/MNH/MHP/99.2)

In the past, aspects of the Life Skills programme were taught through a variety of subjects, including Science, P.E., ICT, and the University Guidance curriculum; however, it was recognised that there was a need to formalise the learning opportunities into a Life Skills programme, and to implement this across the entire school. There was also a need to provide more structured opportunities for students to learn about their physical and mental health development, dealing with change, identity, relationships, their rights, personal safety, and how to protect themselves and others.

For the Life Skills programme to be successful, the school believes that the entire community must be involved. Therefore, the academic staff must implement this programme with the support of the school leadership, parents, and the wider school community.

In Primary, the programme is delivered by all of the classroom and specialist teachers, and  can be focused on as a stand-alone topic, or the topic may be embedded into other curriculum areas.

By developing their understanding of Life Skills, Primary students are able to make informed decisions in and outside of school, and they use the skills they have learned to benefit others; for example, by utilising what they have learned in their ‘Transitions’ lessons to help new students make friends and understand the school’s culture. This sets a solid foundation for the curriculum as they move into Secondary, where they cement their Life Skills knowledge.

Life Skills for Secondary Students

The ultimate aim of the Life Skills course for Secondary students is to help prepare them to leave school knowing what it is to be a respectful adult in our society, and how they can contribute positively to the wider community and serve others.

For these older students, Life Skills focuses on helping them form their own identity by developing a better understanding who they are and where they have come from. Through this programme, they build confidence in knowing about and taking care of their own physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, and they develop strategies that will assist them to be resilient in the future.

In addition, the programme reviews the changes that take place throughout adolescence, and helps students learn how they can stay safe, happy, and healthy. They learn about their rights, and ways to stay safe at school, online, and out in the wider community. This is critical, as it is important for young people to understand healthy and unhealthy risk-taking at this age while the brain is still developing, and the Life Skills programme equips students with the tools to make positive decisions.

During their Life Skills class once a week, older students develop their knowledge, understanding, and skills in a comprehensive and integrated manner. They engage in experiential, authentic, participatory, and cooperative learning, and they are focused on how to lead a positive and healthy life and how to be responsible citizens. Through the programme, they widen their life experiences, learn how to deal effectively with interpersonal relationships within various contexts, improve their independent learning skills, and they develop positive attitudes, such as self-discipline, perseverance, and self-confidence. Other benefits include improving students’ thinking skills, imagination, and creativity, and establishing pride in their own culture, while at the same, time, developing an awareness and respect for cultural differences.

For example, the Year 8 students have recently been studying African Djembe Drumming. While learning how to drum, they also discussed concepts like setting up class rules and boundaries, team work, rhythms of life, individuality, harmony, persistence, and resilience. At the same time, the drumming experience was helping the students develop coordination and confidence, and they had fun. For Year 10 and Year 11 students, earlier this semester they participated in a unique sharing experience by writing letters of gratitude to their parents, and the parents also wrote the same for their child. Activities such as these, as the students move from childhood toward adulthood, help them develop a greater perspective for the world around them, preparing them for the next phases of their life, in university and beyond.

For students and teachers at YCIS Pudong, it is an exciting time to be involved in Life Skills, and the programme is continuing to develop, with new resources and learning activities that will benefit all students across all year levels, from the very youngest to the soon-to-be graduates, who will all take away more than just class subject learning from their time at YCIS Pudong – becoming confident, competent, responsible global citizens who will make an impact on the world around them.

Interviewees: Alexandra Saw, Elena Yu (Year 12) and Sam Lewis (Year 11)
Written by: Andy Clapperton, Head of Learning

  

This year somewhat represents a changing of the guard in the Secondary Student Council, so we sat down with Alexandra Saw, outgoing Co-President, and Sam Lewis and Elena Yu, incoming Co-Presidents, in order to find out about their hopes and experiences.

Alex, what were the greatest leadership lessons you have learned during your many years in Student Council?

A: Collaboration and compromise – learning how to lead a group of people and cater to their needs and wants, along with those of the teachers and school leadership, involves a lot of important steps. When you get this right, you can really function as an effective team.

What are the contributions you made that you are most proud of?

A: Raising money for Heart to Heart and the Renewal Center was particularly meaningful for me, because this can contribute to giving others a second chance at life, and I believe we need to be conscious of both our privilege and our responsibilities.

What are the qualities you would highlight to Sam and Elena that an effective leader of Student Council needs?

A: Certainly, the ability to inspire by being a role model for younger students is vital, and as such you can use the position of influence to have a positive impact on the school and wider community through charity events.

Sam and Elena, what are you hoping to learn from your future experiences as Co-Presidents?

S: Having not been on the Student Council before, I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to provide the student body with things they want to improve the community.

E: And in order to achieve that, learning how to work as effectively as possible as a team by delegating tasks to the best people for a given job will be crucial for us.

What are the major projects you look forward to focusing on this year?

E: For me, Feast is an event where we really bring students from several year groups together, and so I definitely want to make this a success.

S: Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for the Student Council to bring a sense of fun to the community, and I look forward to exploring how we can develop this.

  

What else are you passionate about, and how has YCIS helped shape this?

S: I have been involved in Volleyball, MUN and the various drama programmes at YCIS, and I think each of these have helped me become more willing to step outside of my comfort zone.

E: I was a shy girl until Year 6 but have gradually gotten more confident through opportunities in music activities. Performance and song writing have helped build my confidence and playing my own compositions to an audience has pushed me towards a positive mindset. I hope to bring this can-do attitude to the Student Council this year.

Written by:  Bryan Dennie, Head of Secondary Mathematics

In the first week of July, two YCIS Pudong students, Chris Qi (Year 10) and Chengkai Yao (Year 11), took part in the World Mathematics Championships (WMC), hosted by the University of Melbourne in Australia. Chris and Chengkai worked with and against other top qualifying students from Europe and Asia-Pacific throughout the full 12-rounds of competition. They also took part in several workshops and field trips run by the Faculty of Engineering. Chris and Chengkai have both spoken positively about the tremendous experiences gained and new friendships found and both highly recommend that other students consider their involvement in these fun and challenging competitions.

 

12-round World Mathematics Championship (Melbourne, Australia)

graphic taken from: https://wmc.competition.academy

YCIS Pudong has had four students qualify for the WMC in the past two years, with Chris and Chengkai being the first to attend. The annual qualifying event, the North East Asia Mathematics Competition (NEAMC), includes schools throughout China, Mongolia, South Korea and Japan. Over three days, students take part in the 9-individual and team-based competitive rounds to earn their “golden ticket” to the WMC, alongside the top place finishers from the other qualifying events from around the world. Our YCIS Pudong students continue to medal at NEAMC each year, now earning a total of four in the past two years (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze).

These successes highlight the strength of the YCIS Pudong Mathematics Programme, where students regularly have and thrive on extension opportunities both in and outside of the classroom, using materials from the University of Waterloo (Canada), Math League (USA), Shanghai Maths, the Singapore Math Olympiad and HighFour (China). More information about the contests we organise and host (e.g. Year 4 – 6 Pi Day Olympics, Year 7 – 8 STEM Olympics), the individual paper-based contests we take part in (Year 5 – 9 Math League, Year 10 – 13 University of Waterloo) as well as the externally hosted competitions (Year 9 – 10 NEAMC, Year 11 – 13 HSTM Suzhou) will be shared with all parents in mid-November, alongside the collection of any needed registration information.

Any questions about these great events can be directed to your child’s Mathematics teacher or the Head of Secondary Mathematics, Bryan Dennie at bryan.dennie@sh.ycef.com.

Written by:  Mr. Robert Cooke, Mrs. Rachael Hemley, and Mr. Robert Garth, Primary Co-Teachers  and Primary Student Council Leaders

During September, each class in Years 3 to 6 held elections to decide which two students would represent them on the prestigious Primary Student Council for this academic year. This is a group of children who represent the student body of the school, making decisions and taking actions which help service and learning, as well as making the school even better.

At Century Park Campus, posters appeared around Learning Communities to reach out to voters as well as ‘Vote X’ paraphernalia being handed out. Would this be enough? Across the school, teachers were widely impressed with the maturity of all candidates, as well as the conduct of the voters. Votes were conducted under tight restrictions, which involved anonymity for every voter.

Now selected, the Student Councilors are clearly excited to get underway. Caspar Forster, a representative of class 3E said, “I am really looking forward to the team building as I heard they do some great activities and team building.”

Another representative, Ana Morcillo from 5B, said “I am looking forward to leading competitions and making the school an even better place.” Chiara Andrade Garrett suggested she would like to hold Meatless Mondays.

It will be a busy year for all of the students involved, with Book Week and Christmas Tree Lighting events already taking up a large portion of the children’s bi-weekly meetings. After a promising start to Student Council life, we are excited to see what further developments the students can make for the remainder of the school year.

Written by: Andy Clapperton, Head of Learning

Having been through a rigorous selection process in standing for the position of Homeroom Representative, the members of the Secondary Student Council for 2019-20 were presented at the recent Founder’s Day Assembly. From Year 7 through to Year 13, each of the students summed up their commitment to and excitement about the Secondary Student Council during this assembly, including a range of different and important leadership roles, such as Treasurer, Secretary and Marketing.

“I really wanted to work with a great team of diverse people to make my final year at YCIS Pudong a memorable one for my year group, the rest of the school, and myself. I can’t wait to see what the Council will contribute this year, and even after I’ve graduated.” Oi In Lin, Year 13

“One of the reasons I wanted to join Student Council again was to improve my interpersonal skills. Working consistently with a group of people towards a common goal has allowed me to not only learn how to express my views more accurately, but also develop better teamwork and organisational skills.” – Joey Wan, Year 13

“We are especially looking forward to contributing to making the school an even better place. In particular, as Year 7 students, we are excited about helping make the Fall Carnival a really fun event for the whole community.” – Jun Kai Loh and Antonio Teh, Year 7

The Secondary Student Council has already held a few meetings and set up routines for these. They have also been brainstorming activities to take place over the course of the year, and these will be more fully developed over the coming weeks.

In the role of representing the voice of our student body, the Secondary Student Council has also carried out a survey of student needs in order to assess where improvements can be made to their experience on campus.

In order to bond as a team, the Council have organised to take part in an escape room activity and are very much looking forward to working together in order to solve the challenges that this will present.

Overall, this year promises to be an exciting one both for Student Council members and for the student body at large, as they participate in the numerous events that will go into our school calendar.

Written by: Oi In Lin, Y13 Student

I have been attending YCIS since 2007, and a lot of changes have happened to this wonderful school as I’ve made my way to becoming an IB student in her final year of high school. Out of all my years of being here, the new Learning Communities (LC) is definitely the best renovation yet.

The best thing about the LC, in my opinion, is the abundance of working space. I personally need a consistent workspace or work area to properly concentrate on my studies, and the LC offers that for me – I can choose to work in a quiet little corner by myself, or I can work on the bigger tables out in the open during a group project. I also really like the mix of open spaces and classrooms, because different environments may be more well-suited for different types of classes or teaching styles, which will bolster productivity. It’s still a new concept that I’m adapting to, but it’s nice that we don’t have to be cooped up in classrooms all day, and I do very much enjoy the convenience that results from the LC’s flexibility.

Another great thing about the Learning Communities are the Max Hubs, which are basically smartboards, but better. The big screens have high resolution, it’s easy to annotate on it or to clear the screen without the mess of a traditional whiteboard, and the best thing is that simple Bluetooth pairing and Airplay gets rid of any fuss with wires and plugs – speaking as an IB History student with lots of presentations to do, Max Hubs are a really big help.

The new furniture and the whole layout of the LC creates a more open and relaxed environment, which I really like, because even though it’s a workspace, it reminds us that it can also be a place to rest if we’re burned out from work, and that it’s okay to take a break before continuing forward.

At YCIS, there’s a heavy emphasis on ‘community’, and this shared space allows us to create a cohesive, friendly IB community by facilitating communication between the Y12s and Y13s. We are in the same boat, after all, and I’m glad that the LC provides us with a space to get to know each other and to be able to support each other if needed.

It is sad that I’ll only be able to enjoy the LC for a year, but I’m very happy to know that future YCIS IB students will be able to work hard and study well in such a beautiful learning space.

Written by Roseline Yang, Parent Relations Officer

It’s been two months since the start of school on August 20, 2019 and believe it or not, I am still in the settling-in period of this school year 2019-2020 with the new POP Core Committee and the new team of Parent Class and Year Level Representatives.

While we defined our “wish for the year” in the Newsletter of September  To engage everyone and to build a community where everyone finds a place of comfort, regardless of our origins, gender, age, experience, life-style and language, our Class and Year Level Representatives have helped parents navigate through the myriad of information and activities happening at school!

Now that you are settled into your family’s school routine a new wave of exciting events and opportunities are coming your way! First up, Keep Calm and Read with the ECE & Primary Book Week where you will be invited to read and share a story, or where you are encouraged to create a costume for Book Week Parade on Friday, November 1.

At the same time, we will be launching some of our annual POP projects led by our experienced parents:

• Our Indian parent community is kicking off our annual build up to Global Child Day (Saturday May 27, 2020) with the celebration of the Indian festival Diwali…re-adapted to fit this year’s theme: Myths, Legends and Heroes! ECE through Upper Primary Students will learn about the story of Rama during their upcoming assemblies. The promotion will culminate on November 1, with an Indian Food Day prepared by our canteen Eurest for all students from K2 to Year 13! This year, parents will also be able to join in a cultural exchange activity on November 11 to learn more about this Indian festival! If your family wants to share about a Myth, Legend and Hero from your country, please reach out to Parent Event Coordinator Macarena Pedrero.

• The Christmas Tree Lighting is our next big school event taking place on Friday, November 29. It is led by the Performing Art Department with support from the POP Core Committee members who will be organizing the Christmas Market portionof the evening. If you have any ideas for the very popular Santa Shop, feel free to reach out to our new Parent Volunteer Event Coordinator of this event this year: Myriam Moreno and Rita Zhao. Just a heads-up that this event will be followed by the Christmas Class Parties and Primary Christmas Concerts. So, check the calendar for more details!

  

• Giving Tree is a parent-led project that works closely with ECE & Primary students and parents to collect goods for donation to raise awareness about the meaning of charity to others. Secondary students will also lead a similar project called “Christmas in a Shoebox”. If you want to know more and get involved, please contact Priyanka Chaturvedi, Giving Tree Parent Coordinator and member of the School’s Service Learning Committee.

Some other new and on-going parent initiatives are:

• Bi-weekly health talks at school led by a YCIS mom.

• On-going maintenance and organization of the second-hand school uniform cupboard in the basement of Building A and the coordination with School Ayis of Lost and Found cupboards in the Building B.

• Monthly or bi-weekly Girl Scouts Troop meetings for YCIS students led by parent volunteers. In total, there are 5 troops this year involving Year 2 to Year 8 students. Their annual family campout is taking place during the weekend of October 26-27 at Qian Xiao Ju Farm this year. If you want to know more about Girl Scouts, please reach out to Jutta Petznick and Vivian Wu who are co-leading the Troop leaders this year.

Remember that every small action counts and whatever you contribute to make a difference in our community will have an impact not only on others but also you and your children who will see you involved in their school.

Be part of the learning adventure with your family in the world of YCIS. There are a plethora of opportunities for anyone to learn and grow. YCIS is like an ocean full of wonders so you just need to look, explore and try until you find the right fit for you!

   

If you are still trying to get your head out of the water, don’t miss our upcoming Parent Coffee Morning at CP on October 30 and at RP on November 20 where you will be able to connect directly with our school leaders face to face. Also, remember that you can always contact any member of our school staff…School Office members who know about what is happening at school, your teachers who know about what is happening in your child’s class, the coordinators who know about the big picture education-wise and the parent relations officer who will be happy to find the people you might want to connect with! Rpcp.parentrelations@sh.ycef.com(Roseline Yang) or poppd@sh.ycef.com(Parent Volunteer Event Coordinators and Community Builders)

Written by:  John McEnhill, Primary Coordinator

  

Welcome to YCIS, Sheryl! Can you tell us a little about your background, and how you have come to be in Shanghai?

Currently, I am the K2 Co-Year Leader and K2C International co-teacher at YCIS Pudong. Nearly 9 years ago, I joined YCIS Qingdao as an Early Childhood (ECE) teacher. That was a wonderful opportunity to extend my teaching experience to include international education. After 4 years, I was offered the opportunity to lead the ECE team in addition to the class co-teacher position. Prior to that, I was the owner of a pre-school and a swim school focusing on pre-school children in South Africa. My husband lives and works in South Africa and we meet up several times in the year to visit different countries. Our son moved to Shanghai to complete his degree and currently works in Suzhou, China.

What did you enjoy about your time at YCIS Qingdao?

At YCIS Qingdao, I became familiar with the YCIS unique approach to international schooling; the importance of play-based learning in ECE and the importance of a collaborative co-teacher relationships. In Qingdao, I had the opportunity to work with teachers from different countries and establish layouts of several new classrooms.

What differences and similarities have you found between YCIS Qingdao and YCIS Pudong?

Both schools are focused on making families feel welcome and have a high emphasis on maintaining communication with them. This home to school partnership supports the children’s learning and ‘sense of belonging’. The leadership staff at both schools have been supportive, patient and understanding with regards to personal and professional issues. The obvious differences between the two schools are those of size, layout, number of children and staffing. Due to these differences, the schools have adapted their routines and use of ‘spaces’ accordingly.

You work with our youngest students, in K2. What do you especially enjoy about this role and why do you think it is important?

Most of the K2 children that join the school are ‘leaving’ their families, familiar home environment, and routine for the first time since they were born. The K2 teachers are in the privileged position of ensuring a smooth, stable transition from home to school. It’s especially rewarding to scaffold and reflect on the language, personal, social and emotional development of the K2 children.

You have been here now for a couple of months-can you share with us your first impressions of the school and especially the students and parents?

With thanks to the supportive parents of the children in my class, my first couple of months have been wonderful. They have shared information about their children with my co-teacher and myself. This has helped their children as well as myself to settle into our new environment.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Walking is one of the best ways to explore new places and I look forward to exploring Shanghai and other cities in China. I enjoy watching movies, growing plants and trying different kinds of food.

Written by: Rodolfo Fieller, Secondary Science Teacher

Ann Huang is a Y13 student at YCIS Pudong, Century Park Campus. She is very passionate about the environment and deeply committed to environmental issues. Ann has spent a great deal of her time raising awareness and educating our students at YCIS on important issue about the environment. She is currently the main organizer and leader of both the Environmental Awareness Committee and Stop Single Use Shanghai.

The goal of the Environmental Awareness Committee is to raise awareness on environmental issues within our school and wider community. The committee also helps to minimize the use of single use plastics and educate students on the impact and hazards of using them.

As the student leader of the Environmental Committee, Ann planned and organized the following activities and events undertaken by committee members:

• Initiating several promotional campaigns to raise awareness for climate action, by posting educational messages on the Daily News and putting up posters on TV screens.
• Helping reduce the use of lamination and further promoted the use of paper recycling bins around the school.
• Organizing with other committee members the Earth Hour event that took place in March of this year as well as raising awareness and proceeds for the Million Tree Project and Stop Single-Use Shanghai.

As the student leader of Stop Single-Use Shanghai, Ann planned and organized the following activities:

• Helping with installation of drink dispensers in canteen, part of the movement for achieving plastic free campus,
• Acting as the key figure in communication with the Executive Board of YCIS  which has led to adoption of reducing single use as an organization-wide policy.
• Coming up with the agenda, setting meetings, following up on action points, liaising with school administration

Ann truly is a wonderful example of how students can make a big difference through their initiatives, leadership, perseverance and hard work.  She is preparing herself to be a leader of change in the world in the future, beyond school.  Ann and the students she is working with are living out the YCIS Mission, Principles and Practices.