Last month, several students from YCIS Shanghai Regency Park and Century Park Campuses competed in the annual Jian Ping Cup writing competition. The YCIS Primary and Secondary teams made for a large presence among the nearly 330 total participants. Judges for the competition were well-qualified: they were selected from amongst Chinese teachers in Shanghai, and included a YCIS Shanghai Secondary Co-ordinator Amy Yang.

Several YCIS students took first prize in their division, and they were Year 5 student, Xing Ye; Year 6 student, Sha; Year 8 student, Fiona; Year 9 student, Misaki; and Year 9 student, Brian. Year 9 student, Alice, finished in second place, and in third place were Tony, Year 5; Yue, Year 5; John, Year 5; Irene, Year 6; and Na Xi Wa, Year 12.

Winners were awarded special certificates, and all participants received encouragement awards. The YCIS Chinese teachers were also given Outstanding Tutorship awards for helping to prepare the team for the competition. In preparation for the event, in addition to their daily Chinese lessons, students did a great deal of reading, and each student wrote an essay based on what they read. While the students were engaged in the writing process, YCIS teachers helped guide improvement. At YCIS, students are always encouraged to read books and, while reading, to pay special attention to interesting sentences and words. Parent’s are also involved by accessing the schools’ Parent’s Online website, where they can review students' excellent writing compositions every month.

Ms Janie Dong, a Primary Curriculum Co-ordinator at YCIS, says, “This year marks the third year that YCIS has taken part in this competition. We continue to be impressed by the quality of the students’ writing.” At YCIS, the Chinese Programme includes not only daily Chinese lessons and weekly Chinese culture classes, but also ensures that students are given opportunities, such as the Jian Ping Cup, to put their developing language skills into practice.