During the 15 years since it was established, under the encouragement and
support of the Founders, Pao School has always strived to embrace innovations
in the field of education. Through this process, a group of dedicated and caring
teachers emerged, who encourage the students to embrace the world outside
the classroom, explore the world and contribute back to society. In this article,
as we reflect on the journey to get to where we are today, we look back on
the precious memories of the school’s founding parents and teachers.
Spreading Love through Reading
Contributed by: Tammy Zhang Primary House Master / Primary Teacher
Pao School handed students’ hand-made check to Heifer International
“Read to Feed” Project
In March, YK Pao School became the first school in China to participate in Heifer’s
four-week “Read to Feed” fundraising programme. Heifer International actively
participates in community development by providing families with livestock and
teaching them techniques to sustain themselves financially. They are committed
to helping rural communities to alleviate hunger, poverty and environmental
degradation in order to achieve a sustain- able livelihood. During the four-week
fundraising period, students asked family members and friends to sponsor them
for every book they read the more books they read, the more money they raised.
At the end of the programme, the school donated RMB 37000 to Heifer International
to assist 419 deprived families in Anhui Province who suffered from the snow storm in 2008.
*PaoPress in May 2011
Pao School’s annual Read to Feed charity reading event sees Pao School students accumulate daily reading time in exchange for donations from family members and friends. These donations are collected and then sent to impoverished villages in China’s remote mountainous regions, where they are used to support the learning needs of primary school children.
Whenever I had the chance, I encourage my students to read voraciously, not only for their own benefit but also because their reading time during the Read to Feed event can help make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children.
Every year during Book Week, the names of the children who read the longest and donated the most are announced. After the fundraising period ends, under the guidance of the Head of the Read to Feed organisation, the students are given the opportunity to visit the region they have donated to and meet the students and teachers at these schools.
One year, I joined a trip to Qingshen County, Sichuan Province, to visit the children of Hope Primary School. During the trip, Pao School students would be teaching classes to the Qingshen children. Prior to the trip, I helped the Pao School students choose the content of the class and explained how to tell stories to Year 1 children. Before we left for our trip, I also reminded our students that they are not only little teachers, but also learners. It was a chance for them to learn about how to teach lessons and how to tell a story through performances.
When the children in Qingshen County joined our students’ classes, their eyes opened wide. Standing to the side of the classroom and watching my students tell stories and ask questions to the children is one of my fondest memories of the trip.
At noon, everyone lined up one by one with their classmates for lunch, but I noticed one of the Pao School students, Kaka, was missing. As I was just about to go to the playground to get him, Kaka ran in with a big bag full of goodies. Noticing the Hope School students did not have milk or desserts for lunch, Kaka secretly went out to the only shop in the village and bought almost all the milk popsicles they had to share with the schoolchildren. I was very touched by Kaka's consideration for the Hope School students.
As I watched my students devour their simple lunch boxes, I felt very proud of them - they not only read voraciously but are also compassionate and generous people!
Memories of an Impactful Teacher: Mike Young
Contributed by: Hunter Yang Father of Angela (attended Pao School from Year 3 to Year 7)
My daughter Angela entered Year 3 at Pao School in March 2008. At the time, Pao School was still in its fledgling years, having opened just six months earlier. At the time, the school only had three year groups and four classes in total, and, as it did not yet have a campus of its own, was using a building that belonged to Shanghai No. 3 Girls’ High School as its campus.
In those early days, Pao School only had a few foreign teachers. The one who impressed me the most was Mike Young, who was in charge of teaching physical education. Mr. Young, who had a strong and hardy spirit, was originally from England. He was always very enthusiastic, with the parents and children liking him very much.
As I recollect, in Year 4 the school organised a hike to Moganshan, which was the first long-distance hike of its kind undertaken by Pao School. Only one Year 4 mother signed up to be a volunteer parent. As Chinese parents at that time did not generally have much outdoor hiking experience, it is said this mother needed to be rescued herself after arriving at Moganshan.
That night, it rained heavily on the mountain. As he was concerned that the next day's hiking route would be dangerous, Mr. Young got up in the middle of the night and set up an emergency rescue rope next to the hiking route to ensure the students’ safety. After this, Mr. Young was completely soaked from head to toe. After returning to Shanghai, he caught a cold and it took more than a week for him to fully recover.
Despite the challenges, Mr. Young did not labour in vain: this trip helped plant a passion for outdoor activities in Pao School students. Sports such as mountain climbing, hiking, and cycling have long since become popular with the entire Pao School community. There is even a long-established school club dedicated to such activities, the Run-A-Way Club, and hiking on Moganshan has also become a regular activity for Primary School students.
The school would like to invite you to share your Pao School story with us. Some stories
may seem ordinary, yet they are all exceptional in that they illustrate what makes Pao
School meaningful to us all. All of your memories, both everyday and extraordinary, are
an important part of the school’s history and its path towards the future.
Submission requirements and methods:
Method 1: You can scan the QR code or visit the 15th Anniversary webpage to answer questions from the Marketing Team.
Method 2: You may also write your own article to submit to ykps15@ykpaoschool.cn. If you would like to write something, feel free to choose your own topic and style.
We are looking forward to reading your story!
