It was a night of celebration – for students, parents, teachers, and other members of the YCIS community – at this year’s YCIS Shanghai Century Park Campus Graduation and Secondary Awards ceremony.

The event began with a welcome message from Secondary Co-ordinators Ms Amy Yang and Mr Dusten Kent, followed by Mr Christopher Connellan’s Co-Principals’ Report on the Year. Mr Connellan gave an overview of the students’ tremendous efforts in the classroom, their accomplishments on the sports field and in other extracurricular activities, as well as their commendable work in the community through service projects and fundraising throughout the year. This was followed by the Student Council Report, given by Student Council Co-Presidents, Karyn and Miles, summarising the Students Council events and memories from the very active school year.

For Key Stage 3 and IGCSE, awards were given to students who demonstrated exemplary commitment to, and a high level of proficiency in, the following, individual categories: Humanities Award, Mathematics Award, Science Award, Male and Female Sportsperson of the Year Award, English Award, and Visual Arts Award.

Specialist Awards for all of Secondary were given in the categories of: Music Service Award, Musical Performance Award, Performing Arts Award, Design and Technology Award, Community, Action and Service (CAS) Award, and Chinese Achievement Award. Amidst all the awards for performance in academics, sports, and specialist fields, the most prestigious were the Bicultural Award, for a student who has demonstrated tremendous awareness of different cultures and a practiced ease in integrating cultures, the Shanghai International Schools Association Award, and the Co-Principals Award for Service. Top Academic Awards were also given out by year level to recognise the highest Grade Point Average.

Then came the time to honour the graduating class. The class Valedictorian, Ha Yeon Park, gave a very moving, emotional address to the audience, focusing on her fellow graduates and her classmates in the lower year levels. After sharing a group embrace, the graduating students shifted their tassels and received their diplomas. Each student proudly crossed the stage to shake hands with the school’s Superintendent, Mr Tom Ulmet, and both Co-Principals, Mr Connellan and Ms Mary Yu. Parents and teachers were able to hear Century Park Campuses’ IB Co-ordinator, Mr David Williamson, describe each students’ contributions and efforts, and he announced the high-ranking universities that each would attend. For Park, who has studied at YCIS since 2004 – and her classmates – the night was the crowning moment for their efforts, a time for reflection upon the journey, and also a day for goodbyes with their teachers and friends.

After the ceremony, the graduates shared their wisdom with those who will follow in their footsteps in the years to come at YCIS Shanghai, with a special focus on next year’s Year 13 IB students:

Shearn Look (Malaysia):

“The most helpful advice that I can give is to stay organised. Even though this seems obvious, I think it’s one thing that can really make a difference in life, because if you’re more organised, naturally, you will have more time to do more things.”

Yujin Son (South Korea):

“Always stick to your regular, daily routine, not only in study habits but also in your life cycle, such as sleeping and exercising regularly. The time I spent during IB at YCIS was very meaningful, because I was still growing personally. IB at YCIS is excellent training for Secondary students before we step into society, and the new world, as adults.”

Jia Yun Goh (Malaysia):

“Start your work early and plan out due dates on a calendar, because this will give you a clear direction of when everything is due. Recognise that YCIS is not a 'system,' but rather, a 'family'. The relationship between students, teachers, and other staff is like friends or family. I think this ' family' support helps students a lot, especially while completing IB.”

Thomaz cotta Badaro (Brazil):

”Meeting people from such wide range of countries has made me appreciate my culture and everyone else's a lot more. Enjoy our school as much as you can – you will realise how special our community is when it is time to say goodbye.”