This school year, YCIS Shanghai celebrated its landmark 30th anniversary. Originating in Hong Kong over 90 years ago, the Yew Chung Yew Wah network of schools has been dedicated to providing quality education by blending Chinese and Western principles in its international pedagogy. Today, YCYW schools have flourished with locations in 10 cities around the world, while YCIS Shanghai educates more than 2,200 students from over 50 countries and regions.
The schools are built on the guiding mission to align education with science and technology, culture and arts, and love and charity. Two recent community events, the International Education Symposium and Seeds of Hope Concert showcased the YCYW mission in action.
In March, YCIS Shanghai held an Education Symposium to share YCYW’s innovative and ever-adapting approach to education, bringing together fellow educators, parents, alumni, and community members.
Attendees heard from YCYW leaders on how the pedagogy is evolving. This was followed by the opportunity to break into smaller groups to concentrate on topics like bilingual learning communities, creative arts education, interdisciplinary learning, and preparing students with talents for the 21st Century.
The symposium saw the release of “The Yew Chung Approach to Early Childhood Education,” written by Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith, Sylvia Ya-Hsuan Yang and Kutasha Bryan-Silva, well-noted educators in the ECE field. During the release, Dr Betty Chan, YCYW’s CEO & School Supervisor, highlighted the unique homegrown ECE approach that pairs Confucianism with the Western concept of learning through play.
Speaker Professor Zhang Min-xuan discussed the future of international education, expectations and trends. While Dr Troy Lui Tsz-tak, YCYW’s Chief Education Officer, delved into how YCYW prepares students for the rapidly changing future.
Additionally, a speech by Mr Liu Jian of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum unveiled an exciting new cooperation between YCYW and the museum in the development of the school’s science curriculum.
The 2024 Seeds of Hope Concert took place at the Shangyin Opera House on 16 March. The whole YCYW network came together to use their musical and artistic talents for good.
Notable performances included YCIS Shanghai’s Percussion Ensemble performing “Sweep Dreams”, an innovative piece using brooms and paint buckets, along with the YCYW Combined Orchestra performing “William Tell: Overture”. The concert ended with “Mother’s Legacy” from the original musical for YCYW’s 90th Anniversary that tells the story of Madam Tsang Chor-hang, YCYW’s visionary founder, and her unwavering dedication to education.
The charity initiative dates back to 1996 after a powerful earthquake struck Lijiang, Yunnan Province. At the time, teachers and students at YCIS Hong Kong worked together to raise funds for the construction of the “Yew Chung Academic Building” to aid Lijiang students. Then, after an earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province in 2008, YCIS once again moved quickly to raise funds for the reconstruction of a primary school in the devastated area. By 2011, the school’s charity concert was officially made a regular calendar event to raise funds for schools in impoverished areas and provide education and hope to children.
“The charity initiative dates back to 1996 after a powerful earthquake struck Lijiang, Yunnan Province. At the time, teachers and students at YCIS Hong Kong worked together to raise funds for the construction of the “Yew Chung Academic Building” to aid Lijiang students.”
Mr Samuel Choy remarked, “The concert is not only an occasion for our outstanding students and teachers to come together annually to perform and interact with each other. It is also a platform to instil values of compassion and empathy through our school’s moral education programme, so that our students can have direct contact with students in the schools we support, thus fostering mutual assistance and profound learning experiences.”
These two special events are a select example of how YCIS Shanghai lives out its mission of “Aligning with Science and Technology, Culture and Arts, and Love and Charity.” Year-round, the mission helps guide education with programs such as Ed Futures where students experience activities like expert workshops, public speaking, VR design, particle physics masterclasses; the Violin Programme for students Years 1-3; and the Service Learning Programme that fosters empathy, awareness, and a global perspective in aspiring servant leaders.
YCIS Shanghai
WeChat: YCISShanghai
Tel: + 86 (21) 2226 7666
沪ICP备15036271号-3
