At the root of our YCIS philosophy is the blend of two major cultures that unite East and West to best support each child's unique talents and our school community. Co-Principals represent flexibility and diversity in culture, ways of thinking, problem-solving, and learning.  

How did YCIS Pudong siblings Jiayi in Year 3 and Jiaqian in Year 1, and YCIS Puxi siblings Joe and Amy in Year 11 and Year 5 respectively end up taking the leads as Co-Principals for a day? The students have their parents to thank for an experience of a lifetime as they closed the winning bids for the “Principal for a Day” experience during the first YCYW Gala Evening. The proceeds from the inaugural gala went to support YCYW’s scholarship programme to recognise and celebrate the highest level of academic achievement, leadership, and service to the school and our community. Thanks to the generosity of our parent and community donors, YCIS students will benefit from scholarship opportunities which are a testament to their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence.  

Our newcomer Co-Principals started their day at 7 am at the Regency Park, Hongqiao, and Gubei campuses. Special name badges were adorned on their professional dress by the Senior Leadership Team in the School Office and introduced to the supportive office administrators in between ringing morning rush calls from parents and guardians.  

The student Co-Principals' first task of the day was to send out the Daily News that reaches all staff on campus and includes special activities, air quality index, upcoming events, and notes for the day. The pupil Co-Principals compared AQI resources to ensure the most accurate reading before delivering the instructions for PE lessons, recess, and lunch breaks. They also notified the whole school of the safety drills that would take place sometime during the day.   

At 7:30 am, our student Co-Principals on both sides of the river greeted their fellows arriving at school at the gates. Smiles and laughs were exchanged in line as suddenly the friendly faces of Mr Hehir, Ms Yu, Mr Peet, Ms Ascher, and school security guards were accompanied by those of their peers Jiayi, Amy, Jiaqian, and Joe. 

The pairs met with the Leadership Teams of different sections to discuss campus updates in Early Childhood Education (ECE) through Secondary. Co-Principal Jiayi lent her long time recess expertise from her experience at YCIS from K2 until Year 2 during an ECE Leadership team meeting. She suggested to YCIS Pudong ECE & Primary Vice Principal Mr Watson that the new mural in ECE not be limited to animals because “some children might want to play with different toys, like soccer balls or books!” 

At our Ronghua Campus, Co-Principals Amy and Joe too encountered new experiences. During an ECE meeting, the duo voiced their opinions and suggested improving daily life at school. This included designing a more convenient bag for wet swimsuits after swimming lessons. After the meetings, they toured each class in the ECE department and joined in on classroom activities to interact with the students.  

Our student Co-Principals in Pudong and Puxi also participated in a Health and Safety Committee discussion, reviewed the e-learning contingency plan, evaluated Co-Teachers during class time, met with Student Council, among other meetings, and concluded the day with bus duty.   

Students on their new roles:  

YCIS Pudong Year 3 Jiayi  

“The day was interesting and fun. It made me feel happy because I could see other teachers I don’t usually see. I enjoyed recess duty because I could give tokens to children who were being safe. I gave out two tokens for being safe. One word to describe the day is fantastic. It felt special, and I got to treat my classmates to a Sports Party!” 

YCIS Puxi Year 5 Amy  

“Greeting the students in the morning was fun because I could say hi to my friends! Even though being a principal is not more fun than being a student, I would like one day to be a principal for an equestrian school because I love horseback riding.” 

YCIS Puxi Year 11 Joe  

“It was a busier day than usual. I’ve learnt and reflected a lot. I felt a lot of pressure at times and that being a principal is not easy, but an interesting challenge for me.” 

YCIS Pudong Year 1 Jiaqian  

“I was a little tired but happy! My favourite part of the day was the meetings. I love meetings!”

Being Co-Principal for a day was a fun, unique experience and helped to exercise the students' responsibility, leadership, and teamwork talents with each other and their school community. YCIS Shanghai believes in equipping our students with a deep respect for and understanding of world cultures and a commitment to meeting the challenges of their generation. We look forward to other displays of student leadership!