It has been an eventful autumn at Pao School. One of the highlights came recently when the Cambridge International Examinations Board named three of our IGCSE students winners of Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards across various subjects.
Mr. Spence, Lisa, William, Happy, Ms. Sanders, Ms. Liu
Lisa (History, Top in China)
William (Sociology, High Achievement in China)
Happy (Additional Maths, Top in China)
Lisa
Lisa won the “National Top Award for History." This discipline covers major events from the 19th and 20th centuries, and it integrates a knowledge of sociology, economics and political science with history. In this course, students must read extensively and have the ability to apply strong analytical thinking and analytical reasoning skills to historical events. In the selection process, Lisa had to compete with top students from China and native speakers based in China.
Lisa enrolled at Pao School in her middle school years. Throughout her five years with us, she believes that her strongest achievement has been to learn how to think for herself and manage her own time.
Lisa's personal interests include both reading and playing the violin. She is learning time management skills by balancing her academics and hobbies.
In Years 6 and 7, her academic performance was not exceptional, with grades ranging between Bs and Cs. However, over the past two years, her academic performance and violin playing has steadily improved, culminating in her winning the national top prize in history.
"I am grateful to Pao School. I recall when I attended an information session for the school, I felt the school had a certain vigor as well as a refinement. People at the school presented themselves well; they were confident and even-tempered. I thought at the time, I hope that my Lisa can be like this too - a determined person, who is passionate about life."
Lisa's mother
At Pao School, Lisa has learned to become more independent; she is now able to think for herself, has a proactive attitude and is a team player. It's hard to believe she used to be shy and reserved. Lisa's mother tells us that she and Lisa travelled together to Europe so that Lisa could get a better understanding of World War I (a key part of her history studies). After the trip, Lisa's mother saw a marked improvement in Lisa's understanding of history.
Learning sometimes comes from books, but it's also important to learn from life experience.
William
William won the "Sociology Excellence Award". As a discipline, sociology demands excellent research, analytical thinking skills, with an ability to follow recent developments in society. Pao School is one of the few schools in China that offers sociology and has been doing so for seven years. The school has achieved outstanding results in the discipline with William's award following Pao School winner, Yoyo, who won the World Top Award for Sociology in 2017.
After transferring to YK Pao Middle School, William's enthusiasm for learning has risen. In this dynamic learning atmosphere, he was finally free to explore his areas of interest.
In William's view, his greatest achievement at Pao School is breaking free of the dogmatic thinking that was prevalent in his previous studies and learning to master the "research-based learning method" to enrich his knowledge.
Tips：
The “High Achievement Award” is equivalent to the “National Top Award," both of which are awarded to students who have achieved the highest national standard in a certain subject. The difference between the two is that the subject of the "High Achievement Award", in this case sociology, is not widely taught in the country where the candidate is located.
Happy
Happy won the highly competitive “Top National Award for Additional Mathematics," which recognizes outstanding achievements by students in IGCSE Additional Mathematics within their country of study.
Happy has been a boarding student since her kindergarten days, yet she has found boarding life at Pao School to be quite different in comparison to her experience at other schools. At Pao School, instead of being confined to roommate relationships only, boarding life revolves around residents of the whole floor.
Happy resides in B building and knows all the students and teachers who live in that building. The subject teachers stay on campus throughout the working week and not only provide students with academic guidance, but also serve as mentors outside of the classroom. Happy reports a positive experience at Pao School, in part due to the school's unique boarding culture and its rich variety of campus activities.
Happy notes that Pao students not only excel academically, but they also have fine character, with many distinct personal interests and hobbies. When Happy visited the school as a prospective student, the atmosphere she felt on campus convinced her that Pao School was the right choice for her studies. She believes that the warm atmosphere on campus allows students to build self-confidence and improve themselves.
Says Helen, the IGCSE Coordinator:
As IGCSE coordinator I feel these awards, both this year and in previous years, reflect the opportunities we offer for students to experience a varied and intellectually challenging curriculum. Achieving highly in history and sociology, both subjects that require high standards of written English, demonstrates how our curriculum prepares students for university. I am very proud of the hard work that all our students (not just the award winners) and staff put into developing the skills and knowledge needed for success.
High Ability Student Programme
Pao School seeks to ensure that it has a diverse IGCSE curriculum, including some subjects that are not widely taught in China, such as sociology, physical education and drama. In addition, the school has launched the High Ability Student Programme this year to encourage students with special talents to further enhance their abilities.
There are three main parts of this programme.
The first is "Seminars for Scholars," in which eight of YK Pao's teachers will choose eight hot research topics. Outstanding Year 8 and Year 9 students will support these research projects and learn about how to write a university-level thesis. They will study a wide array of topics such as linguistics to health care, from psychology to ethics, from contemporary art and architecture, and ethnic studies.
The second key part of the High Ability Student Programme is aimed at seniors, and is called "Stretch and Challenge." Thirdly, our teachers will provide extra guidance to support children with special talents.
It takes time and perseverance to achieve outstanding results. Throughout the learning journey, Pao School has stayed true to its mission of whole-person education, helping students deepen their knowledge and broaden their horizons.
