Parents need to learn to let go and work side by side with the school, while letting their child explore his or her own interests. The child will then learn to make decisions independently and be more proactive in pursuing his or her dreams.
—— Philip Sohmen,
Pao School Co-founder
Thus far, Pao School's Class of 2020 has achieved outstanding university admission results, having received 107 admission offers from some of the world's top universities. Our offers from the US include world-renowned institutions such as Yale University, Brown University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Cornell University, Rice University, New York University, Vanderbilt University and the Rhode Island School of Design. There are also a number of admission offers from top universities outside the US – with UK based offers coming from universities such as Oxford University, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, London School of Economics (LSE), University College London (UCL) and the University of Warwick.
Alongside receiving offers from a diverse range of universities, this year's graduating class has chosen a wide variety of majors. This has showcased the school's focus on whole-person education and its inclusive academic atmosphere, with the Class of 2020 choosing to pursue their dream studies in areas such as mathematics, philosophy, engineering, chemistry, history, psychology and linguistics. Read on for a couple of short stories from this year’s graduates.
How Howard changed at Pao School
Major: Political Science
Offer: Yale University, United States
Pao School helped Howard learned to identify and cultivate his strengths. His self-confidence blossomed as he developed the courage to explore the world for himself and to not blindly compare himself with others. Adolescence is a crucial time for the development of one's personality, and being in the right environment at Pao School has helped Howard grow into a mature, capable and self-confident young man.
—— Howard's father
Having been accepted to Yale University, Howard plans to major in political science. This is a natural extension of his interest in the overall social sciences, which began in Year 9. Howard believes that political science is not just applicable to national governance. Rather, it is something that affects all of our everyday lives. Understanding political science is important for developing key management skills, such as leading a team, managing relations among team members, allocating power and conflict resolution.
Howard, who is the current chairman of the Pao School Student Government, originally came to the school in Year 7. Of the many ways his life has changed since coming to Pao School, Howard highlights three important things he has learned.
Firstly, he feels that due to Pao School’s nature, there is a strong emphasis on inclusivity and the value of learning both inside and outside the classroom. At the school, high test scores don't necessarily make one a hero – as, while academic excellence is important, cultivating one's personal interests is key. Indeed, the school places focus on learning as a unique journey of self-discovery, different for each student. Howard has made many friends at Pao School and their interests reflect this diversity – amongst them there are songwriters, authors, filmmakers and even someone training to earn their pilot's license.
"I think that when we devote ourselves to what truly interests us, we can achieve outstanding results," Howard explains.
Secondly, Howard's bilingual abilities, especially his English level, have improved dramatically. Howard admits that when he first joined the school, he could not understand about half of what the foreign teachers spoke about during the weekly assembly. But things didn't stay that way for long. The immersive bilingual environment at Pao School provided Howard with many opportunities to use English, both in the classroom and in everyday life – allowing him to improve in leaps and bounds.
During the IB "Language and Literature Research Group" course selection, Howard chose the most difficult English A Language and Literature (High level). In this course, students study a wide range of literary and non-literary texts in a variety of media. Approaches to studying in the course are meant to be wide-ranging and can include literary theory, sociolinguistics, media studies and critical discourse analysis among others. Pao School believes this course is invaluable for developing outstanding English-language skills and for that reason ensures it is available for students to enrol in at High School. Eight of this year's graduates have chosen English A (high level), and six of last year's graduates have studied this subject.
In addition to undergoing a change in both his value system and bilingual ability, Howard also changed how he thought at Pao School. For instance, while studying history, he realized different historians might interpret the same historical event from different perspectives. One perspective is not necessarily more correct than the other, because our world is not black and white. Therefore, the best way to solve a problem is to first understand its background as deeply as possible. Things are not always what they seem, only by understanding a problem’s cause can one objectively analyze it and propose a solution.
Howard is not only an outstanding student, but he is also a leader in our community through his work at the Student Government.
No matter how difficult the problem is, he always strives to find a solution that gives the best outcome for everyone.
—— Ms. Tracy,
University and Careers Counsellor
Currently, Howard is chairman of the Student Government. He has worked hard to reach this position, something he wasn't sure he could achieve when he first joined the organization in Year 9. Since being elected to the position in Year 11, Howard has led members to carry out a series of innovations, most notably in deepening the engagement of the Student Government with the Pao School community. Under Howard's leadership, the Student Government began holding a monthly Town Hall Meeting. It has also invited students to submit their feedback on how the organization can better meet their needs - which is in turn submitted to the school's management.
In addition, the Student Government has helped IB students gain permission to use the internet for longer at night for study purposes, added printers in dormitories, built a team honour wall, reformed the Xue Yuan system, and added a warm, waterproof winter coat to the school uniform. The Student Government is inclusive and receptive to its members' different ideas. As long as a proposal enjoys wide support among members, Howard and his team will make every effort to work with the school's departments and student groups to gradually turn their ideas into reality.
Sandy: An athlete who plans to study the mechanics of the body's movements
Expected Major: Kinesiology
Offer: Rice University, United States
Sandy, who started with Pao School in Year 1, is a passionate athlete. She has led a number of different sports teams throughout her time at the school, including the swim team, volleyball team and frisbee team. She plans to study kinesiology at Rice University, a choice rooted in her love of athletics and a long-held desire to work with athletes as part of her career. In the future, Sandy hopes that by becoming deeply knowledgeable about the mechanics of body movement, she can help more people to understand how to exercise properly. This is especially important given the tendency for athletes to suffer injuries. Sandy has firsthand experience in sporting injuries – she suffered from effusion in her knee due to damage in the joint’s cartilage.
Sandy's mother feels that her family is one of the true founding households in the Pao School community, as they have been with the school since the very beginning, and Sandy will go on to graduate from Pao School. Sandy's family has always believed in Pao School's whole-person education philosophy and didn’t hesitate to join the school when it was not as well-known.
Sandy has grown significantly as a person since joining the school, and her mother notes that Sandy was very shy as a young child. For instance, as a Year 1 student, she hesitated to tell the bus monitor that she experienced motion sickness. Now, she is a typical Pao School student: physically and mentally healthy, lively and cheerful, with a sunny outlook on life.
Over the past twelve years, the school has helped Sandy grow as a person in many important ways. One of the most notable is that Sandy has learned how to express herself. This is thanks to opportunities provided by the school, such as the regular campus assemblies, where everyone has the chance to act as a host. These experiences have allowed Sandy to gradually overcome her shyness, becoming more cheerful and happy. Pao School also gives its students many chances to pursue their own interests. As long as you have a curious mind and are willing to try something new, you can always find something that interests you at Pao School. Through our time with the school, the learning process has been wonderful for both Sandy and us.
—— Sandy's mother
Sandy is an outstanding athlete in more ways than one. More than just a player, she also serves as an organiser. An example of this is that when she discovered Pao School had a shortage of certain key technical personnel for sports - such as referees, assistant referees, markers and line judges - she decided to establish the Pao Spirit Society. With more than 20 members from across different year groups, the society focuses on training technical personnel for sporting events and reporting results of matches.
When it was time to choose IB courses, Sandy chose Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences (SEHS), which Pao School began offering in 2018. There are seven students in the first graduating cohort. SEHS is an experimental scientific discipline that combines academic research and practical research skills. This discipline explores the scientific basis of physiological functions and provides practical opportunities to apply scientific principles. The course covers theoretical content in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and nutrition.
Sandy plans to study kinesiology at Rice University, a choice rooted in her love of athletics and a long-held desire to work with athletes as part of her career. Kinesiology is an interdisciplinary research course, which focuses on scientifically improving athletes' sports performance, boosting ordinary people's athletic ability, and physical therapy. Rice University is one of the first schools in the United States to establish an academic curriculum incorporating kinesiology. Students can choose one of two different tracks in this major: health sciences or sports medicine. Sandy's choice of sports medicine provides students with a strong natural science foundation and combines it with applications in our everyday lives. Students who choose the sports medicine track usually go on to pursue graduate degrees in the same discipline. In the future, Sandy hopes that by becoming deeply knowledgeable about the mechanics of body movement, she can help more people to understand how to exercise properly.
As a student, Sandy shows a curious mind and never hesitates to raise her hand in class when she has a question for the teacher. Pao School's focus on whole-person education - balancing a diverse academic curriculum and co-curricular activities - has allowed her to cultivate her intellectual curiosity from multiple perspectives. Sandy also has an introspective side to her intellectualism. She likes to set aside some quiet time for reading, especially enjoying the works of Tolstoy and Lu Xun, during which she can explore the vibrant world of the written.
One of the best qualities of Pao School students is their focus on maintaining a healthy body and mind, as advocated by the school’s namesake - YK Pao. A key part of his motto is 'exercise persistently.' It is vital for children to develop good exercise habits because exercise helps us all to relieve stress and lead happier lives. Learning to exercise regularly at a young age is something that benefits a child for life.
—— Sandy's mother
Despite her strong interest in sports, Sandy always makes sure to prioritize her schoolwork. She never Alongside her strong interest in sports, Sandy keeps a strong focus on her schoolwork, never letting being an athlete interfere with her studies. She spends her time in between competitions, or on the way to and from them, studying hard.
Sandy says that the concept of whole-school education at Pao School helped her become a creative and optimistic person, while the free and inclusive learning atmosphere at the school has given her the courage to follow her dreams.
