Just before the holiday break in December, the YCIS Shanghai School Leadership Team, faculty, and staff joined together in celebration of the festive season and the many special colleagues who comprise the YCIS Shanghai staff. A highlight of the event was marking the anniversaries of YCIS staff members who have been working at the school for extended periods. As in many years gone by, there were several anniversaries for those who have been with the school for 10 years, and even a few staff who have been with YCIS Shanghai for over two decades.

This academic year, Ms Waheeda Khan, Mr Matthias Peitsch, and Ms Karin Zijlmans of YCIS Puxi Secondary, Ms Catherine Ren of YCiS Puxi ECE, and Ms Julie Qi of YCIS Pudong Secondary were recognised for reaching an impressive 10 years at the school. Additionally, there were three staff members who celebrated an incredible 20 years at the school: Ms Cherry Chen, Performance & CCAs Coordinator at YCIS Puxi Primary; Mr Leo Lazo, Counsellor and Character Education Coordinator who has worked at both YCIS Puxi and YCIS Pudong; and Ms Laura Yao, Library Coordinator at YCIS Pudong’s Century Park Campus. Ms Chen, Mr Lazo, and Ms Yao were recognized for their commitment to the school, and they join a long list of staff who have been with YCIS Shanghai for twenty years or more – some almost as long as YCIS has been in Shanghai. 

According to Ms Rita Chen, Director of School Business Operations & School Business Manager: “We are incredibly blessed to have such committed and talented staff who have chosen to be part of the YCIS Shanghai family for such a long time. We truly value their service to our students and community, and we know how unique a position we are in to have such dedicated, long-serving staff.” 

Beyond the staff members honoured this year, there are many other staff members who have made major career contributions to YCIS Shanghai for a decade or more:

In all, there are over 90 YCIS staff whom have been at YCIS Shanghai for more than a decade, making an amazing combined 1,414 years of service! This is a demonstration of their incredible commitment and something the school is extremely proud of. Having such invested staff members at the school provides a continuation of YCIS Shanghai’s history, and benefits everyone from students to other staff and the school community as a whole.