Recently, YK Pao School participated in the 2014 Changning Adventure “Flying Dream” organized by The Educational Bureau of Changning District. Over 300 competitors from 30 Chinese and internationals schools joined the competition.
This is our third time participating in the competition. Different from last year, all 10 competitors of this year were Year 3 students and they were the youngest in the participating team. Through the guidance of Ms. Yan Wang and Ms. Poppy Ren as well as their creativity and imagination, students took home a total of two in the individual awards: the Gold Award for Surveying Planet X and the Silver Award for Landing on Planet X. Their total number points placed students in second in the group category, earning them Silver.
It was a thrilling competition. There were three tasks in the competition – landing, survey, and arrival – all within the theme of “Flying Dream.” The competitors were asked to design and create a device to catapult eggs. They also needed to make a paper car and a paper boat to finish a transport task. Finally they used the clevis to lift the paper rope to help their device to reach a certain height.
Students arrived at the first station nervous and excited. Susie and Fiona, who were soon to compete, stood in silence, clenching their fists. Then, when it was time for their turn, Susie rubbed her hands and clutched the launcher’s handle. All was silent, as though even the air had stood still. Then, the eggs were catapulted three meters to the railings, eventually falling onto the lawn. Everyone jumped up and down. Susie put her arms around Fiona, spinning around in absolute delight!
Students then prepared themselves for the second station. They held cardboard fans and stood on both sides of a pool. After the judges signaled a start, they fanned the cardboard to make the paper boat carrying a cargo of eggs to move towards the other side of the pool. When the boat, moving erratically between fast and slow, finally became stranded, children grew concerned and continued to fan harder and more frantically, afraid the boat would stop a second time. Finally, with some hard work, they succeeded in making the paper ship move through the pool in time.
Students then hurried towards the third station. Nema took the trolley from the teacher and steered according to C.H’s directions. C.H. squatted down on the side of the slope with his eyes fixed on the trolley: “Left…left, a little more to the right…,” he would say to Nema. Nema held the rope connected to the trolley, as though he were part of the trolley itself. With Alvin gently putting the eggs in the car, Nema released the rope with quick move. The trolley moved smoothly and straight until it cleared the runway. Nema stood up slowly and clenched his fist as a display of confidence.
At last, it was Mary and Kevin’s turn. Everybody rushed to the fourth station. Deputy Executive Principal Crick Chen also came over to cheer on the contestants. So did the parents who actively participated in this event. EU Coordinator Ms. Yan hung the paper rope on the axle and Mary squeezed the end of the rope, looking up at the eggs supported by the rope. Although the target was only 1.5 meters high, the rope could break while ascending. Restless and uneasy, Mary pulled the rope carefully and held her breath. Once the eggs arrived at the terminal, Kevin made a step forward, gently put the egg in his hands, and gave it to the teacher. Everyone rushed to the inspection table and prayed all the eggs were intact. When Ms. Yan, her hands trembling with excitement, unpeeled the bubble wrap hull made of foam and plastics, everyone was extremely nervous. When it was discovered that none of our eggs had broken, excitement filled the room!
Finally, Headmaster Wu, extremely proud of our students’ exceptional performance, arrived to share in the joy of success, witness the entire awards ceremony and take photos with students and volunteer teachers. At the conclusion ofAfter the event, Executive Principal Mike Spencer spoke highly of every contestant and gave an opportunity for each participant to share their experiences at the morning assembly.
Success did not come easy. Preparation for the process was difficult – only after students experienced numerous unsuccessful attempts did they finally taste the joy of success, just for once. Through this activity, the children learned how to work in a team, divide up the work, and how to remain calm in competition.
The success of this event was made possible due to the effort of students and Pao School staff who volunteered their time. Headmaster Wu and Crick would like to thank everyone for their support. With teamwork, anything is possible!
Chinese/EU Teacher Molly Li
