2023-24 Open Ceremony| Stay Strong, Stay Connected

On September 1, Tsinghua International school held its Opening Ceremony for the 2023-24 school year. Students, teachers and parents gathered in the auditorium to welcome the beginning of the new school year with excitement and lots of energy! Ms. Li Wenping, Executive Principal of THIS, Jeanne Corker, Dean of Faculty, Ms. Dong Wenbo, Director of Administration, Scott Pare, Director of Secondary, and Rachel Rudisaile, Director of Primary, attended the Opening Ceremony. Ms. Wenting Bai, Chinese Vice-Principal hosted the ceremony.

First of all, Principal Li Wenping warmly welcomed the new students and parents, as well as the students from all grades back to campus again. Principal Li mentioned that the campus has undergone many new renovations during the summer vacation, and the upgraded classrooms and gymnasium will better support teaching and learning. The students also continued to challenge themselves during the summer vacation, with the Gobi Challenge, academic competitions, Chinese debates, sailing around the sea, and volunteer teaching. The self-improvement and positive self-motivation of the students made the teachers feel proud of them.

Principal Li Wenping established this year’s keyword as “connection”, hoping that in this year, we can strengthen the connection between teachers and students, peers and teachers, as well as the connections of the heritage of graduates, home and school and resources from inside and outside school. We will empower each other and learn and grow in the links. We look forward to seeing students linking with others and creating more excitement in the new school year!

Ms. Li also proposed three expectations for the students. First, maintain physical and mental health through connections. Exercise and reading are essential for physical and mental health.

Secondly, find the power of passion through connections. Lastly, find personal value through connections.

The new Primary Director, Mrs. R, then took to the stage to deliver a speech. Mrs. R, who has a wealth of experience in education and leadership, was full of confidence for the new school year. She spoke about how school is not just a place to learn facts, but also a place to build friendships, talents and character. She encouraged students not to be afraid to ask questions, to share their ideas and to challenge themselves. “Everyone has a unique perspective and the THIS family is rich and diverse because of you. May we work together to make the school a place where each of us feels cherished and inspired to realize our unlimited potential.”

With the introduction of the Primary School Director and the warm welcome from the students, the Primary School representative, Belinda Bao, came to the stage to make a speech. She said: “We say “East or West, THIS is the best”, and THIS is the best because we focus on, innovation and collaboration, and our teachers always encourage us to ask questions and think critically and have our own opinions rather than telling us the answers directly. We are also the best because we emphasize on wellbeing. Teachers pay attention to our learning and emotions, all teachers are open to communicate with us and help us; we are also the best because we emphasize on the diversified development and integration of Chinese and Western cultures, it is important for us to learn Chinese as well as English, and each of us has the ability of cross-cultural communication and understanding, and can adapt well in two cultures. Belinda’s unique interpretation and sharing of the characteristics and core values of THIS made everyone in the audience feel identified and touched, and it is these qualities that make us THIS, and we are more than looking forward to more exciting happenings in the new semester!

Mr. Scott Pare, the new Director of Secondary, took the stage to greet the students warmly and said that he was looking forward to an exciting new school year with all of them. In his speech, he shared the story of why he chose to come to THIS. His first impression came when he was working as a basketball coach at an international school in Tianjin, and 10 girls from THIS girls’ basketball team won the championship of the ISAC tournament with their outstanding performance. He saw in these girls not only top-notch skills, but also the sportsmanship they displayed. The spirit of valuing sports, teamwork and enjoying sports is reflected in them, and behind this spirit is the culture of the school. As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of THIS and Mr. Pare’s 15th year working in China, he looks forward to creating more excitement and building more connections with the students in this extraordinary new school year!

With the introduction of Mr. Pare, Tina Cui, a representative of secondary division, deliverd her speech. “The strongest force in the world is the force of metaphor.” TIna’s literary opening captured the audience’s attention. In her speech, she shared with the students the metaphor from John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, “my thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations.” Location, classes, teachers, clubs, people. Those are our stars. and it is up to us to choose how we want to link these stars and draw our own constellations. At the end of her talk, she said, “Whether it’s your first year here or your tenth, you’re bound to find new friends, new interest, and new sides of yourself. Embrace that. Explore. What’s a school year but an adventure to uncover the best way to tie your stars together? What better place to do that than here?”

At the ceremony, students also watched creative videos carefully created by teachers from different departments. Teachers introduced themselves and their subjects to students in a fun and heartfelt way to bring teachers and students closer and stimulate their interest. One by one, the funny or loving videos drew laughter from the students, who applauded and cheered when they saw their familiar and favorite teachers or subjects! Apart from that, teachers from the English Language Arts and Chinese Department also brought live performances! The performances were exciting and full of highlights, and the students and parents present were able to get a glimpse of the teachers!