Pao Highlights

At the end of the school year, all three campuses held a variety of exciting activities, which spread a sense of unity and happiness before the holidays.

The annual talent show once again came to the Primary School. The students each showed their different talents, including live performances of magic, hip-hop dance, flute, drumming, piano and Chinese-style duo comedy, as well as pre-recorded dragon dances, BMX and skateboard performances.

At the Middle School, the students watched the talent show in the school auditorium, which included singing, dancing, a magic show, allegro and other performances. The students showed extraordinary talent, courage, teamwork and the ability to balance work and life.

Recently, Year 4 and 5 CCA students put on a show of “Oliver Twist! The Musical”. The students had been working very hard since the start of the year practising their singing, acting, and dancing skills while utilising technology to enhance their performance. In the end, the students completely captivated the audience, leaving everyone feeling proud and impressed. One of the most valuable lessons they learned as they prepared for the show was the importance of teamwork and dedication, with the final performance a true test of their perseverance and determination.

At the end of May, Year 12 students Petunia and Lisa performed ‘Tide’, which was a piece written and directed by Petunia herself. The play dealt with challenging topics including childhood, trauma, fear, and separation. Executive Headmaster Mark Bishop stated, “I was, to be honest, concerned whether this would be appropriate for the High School, but it was created and performed so superbly and in a way which conveyed so much emotion yet was completely accessible and appropriate for teenagers. Indeed, I would confidently say that it was one of the very best student-written and directed plays that I have had the privilege to watch over the last 40 years.”

In late May, Year 2 students celebrated the Primary School’s annual Cultural Carnival. During a fashion show, the students showed off cultural clothing from across all continents, including from countries such as India, Thailand, Germany, and America. The students also took part in games from across the world and tasted various local delicacies. Each year, the Cultural Carnival gives the students a special opportunity to explore different cultures, including folk customs, while taking part in activities that build their social skills. It is also a valuable way in which they can use play to learn more cross-cultural communication, so that they may better become global citizens in the future.

In honour of Children's Day, the Middle School Community Service CCA organised a small charity sale to raise money for Shanghai United Foundation – which focuses on protecting the most vulnerable children in society. For the sale, students purchased small gifts made during CCA time, took part in raffles, and took photos. The event was enjoyed by all and emphasised the importance of supporting those in our society that need help.

On 19th June, the High School Science Department was honoured to welcome Ren Liang, a Senior Engineer at Dazhuo Intelligence, to give a lecture about AI to Year 10 students. Ren Liang shared his research and introduced the AI technology to the students, as well as giving more information about how robots can detect and track targets, perform 3D reconstruction, and AI control technologies. After this speech, the students were deeply inspired and thought more deeply about artificial intelligence.

At the end of semester two, students get to show the results of a hard year of work. More than 60 EP courses were delivered during this semester and we are pleased to see many students continue to break barriers and pursue mastery in their chosen fields of interest. Below are some highlights from the past academic year:

The students from EP’s LAMDA programme were invited to attend the 2023 "Young Stars" Shanghai School Drama Festival, performing pieces “Our Teachers”, “Teenagers’ Worries” and “The World of William Shakespeare”. Their wonderful performances won the “Best Poetry Performance Award ”, "Best Monologue Award" and "Outstanding Shakespeare’s Work Award". 

The students from “Curator Studio” participated in the popular Arts Exhibition “Botticelli and the Renaissance” as Art Assistants. They combined what they had learned in the classroom with real-world applications and introduced art pieces to different audiences. At the end of the semester, students applied their cumulative experience and held an exhibition titled "Spring Renaissance - Botticelli and the YK Pao School" at Pao School’s Middle School Campus, attracting praise from fellow students and teachers alike.

Congratulations to the following students, who have achieved awards and recognition for their accomplishments across several fields:

Sampson (Y6) and Young (Y7) came second in the 38th Shanghai Adolescents’ Science and Technology Innovation Contest.

Sophia (Y11) and Yoyo (Y11) won third prize in the Diamond Challenge, a global entrepreneurship competition, by devising an innovative technological solution to assist people who have Alzheimer’s disease. Alongside gaining recognition for their work, the two won a prize of US$4000, which they have decided to donate towards technology education projects at the school.

In the Asia Pacific Linguistic Olympiad (APLO), a highly competitive competition which provides awards to only 8 entrants from each country, Lily (Y12) achieved a Silver Award, ranking 3rd in China and Leon (Y10) achieved Bronze Award, ranking 7th in China.

Cassie (Y9) came 1st in the Qiandao Lake Jieshou Cycling Town Triathlon.

Angelina, Yuki, Luis, Yukuan and Thomas (all Y9) performed “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong and Macao youth delegation visit to Shanghai.