On March 25, excitement filled the YK Pao School Primary Division auditorium as students and teachers came together, dressed as their favourite characters. An annual Pao School tradition, the school’s annual Book Week features various book-themed activities, including Chinese and English book fairs, a visit from a guest author as well as the ever popular dress-up Friday.
This year, award-winning Chinese Canadian author and illustrator Trevor Lai spent two days with Pao School’s students, transcended his role as visiting author, becoming an imagination facilitator for students, proving to each student that creativity and inspiration can help our world become a better place.
Amidst the flashy costume-filled Friday finale, however, students are also celebrating an important achievement.
Book Week also coincides with another annual tradition at Pao School: the Read to Feed, an incentive-based reading programme organised by US-based charity organization Heifer International that not only promotes literacy and a love for reading but also teaches the importance of giving back to those less fortunate. The first school in Mainland China to pilot the programme, Pao School has proudly entered its sixth consecutive year with Read to Feed. Over the course of a month, students at Pao School would read as many books as they could under the sponsorship of their family and friends. Funds raised by the programme are then used to support impoverished communities by supplying them with the necessary livestock and technology that will enable them to become more self-sufficient. In previous years, Pao School students have supported rural communities in Anhui and Sichuan. This year, thanks to the remarkable efforts of each student, Pao School read a total of 5613 books, culminating in an impressive 110,618.60 RMB.
Since its establishment, Pao School has proudly encouraged each of its students to engage and participate in this as well as other community and charity programmes in hopes that its students continue to learn, year after year, the true impact of their philanthropic efforts on their community and the world.
