Winter Concert
The Pao School winter highlight is the annual concert. This is a chance for parents, teachers and the entire Pao School community to see the school's young musical virtuosos perform live. For the students, it is a special opportunity to channel their joy of music onstage through string, wind, folk and choral performances.
The Primary School concert showcased performances of string music and Chinese folk music, and by primary school choir
The Middle School concert was themed ‘Proud to Be Me’
The High School music ensembles performed a repertoire with three distinct themes: Choir – Disney Extravaganza; Jazz Band – Classics; and Varsity Orchestra – This is Winter
Special Arrangement Day
The theme for this year's special arrangement day at the Primary School is ’Global Citizen, Chinese Heart’, with a focus on Chinese culture. Teachers designed various cultural learning stations, including riddle guessing; appreciation of ethnic songs; traditional Chinese-style handicraft making; traditional Chinese game experiences; and learning about traditional snacks from the north and south of China. Students from different grades took turns participating in different sections, combining education with entertainment that immersed them in the charm of Chinese cultural tradition.
The Middle School organised different courses for each year group. Year 6 students learned about five types of intangible cultural heritage, including shadow puppetry; paper-cutting; rice dough figurines; embroidery; and Tai Chi calligraphy. Year 7 students, led by instructors from the Changning District Labour Technology Centre, honed their craftsmanship. They learned mechanical engineering; fabric arts; wire crafts; paper arts; and soft ceramics. The Year 8 students participated in a career exploration course led by parent volunteers. Over 20 parent volunteers shared their career insights, which introduced students to a basic understanding of various industries and occupations.
Yale Charity Concert
On October 15th, the ‘Love Beyond Rare’ Charity Concert organized by the Yale Club of Shanghai was held at the Shanghai Symphony Hall. The Primary School orchestra and choir were invited to perform on stage. They presented string orchestral pieces ‘Allegro from “Xerxes”’ and ‘Tonight from “West Side Story”,’ as well as the songs ‘I Want to Become a Tree’ and ‘We are Gonna Make Music for You.’ The heartfelt performances infused the beautiful melodies and harmonies with genuine feeling. After deducting the concert's expenses, all proceeds will be donated to the Ray of Hope Foundation to support research into rare diseases, contributing to the treatment of these illnesses.
Global Citizenship Week
This year, the Middle School upgraded 'Global Perspectives Week' to 'Global Citizenship Week' which aims to educate the upcoming generation of global citizens and promote the understanding of foreign cultures. The event took place from December 4-8th and, unlike the previous year, involved all departments and teachers at the Middle School.
Students engaged in diverse classroom activities focused on 'Understanding the Diversity of the World,' enhancing collaboration and problem-solving skills. Through music; peer sharing; puzzle ceramics; circle drawing; the creation of scientist timelines; crafting solar system models; and participating in scavenger hunts, students deepened their understanding of multiculturalism and the concept of being 'rooted in China, with a global perspective.'
Middle School and High School Friendly Match
In early December, the Middle School and High School co-hosted an unforgettable tournament of friendly volleyball and ultimate frisbee games at the Songjiang Campus. What made this competition unique was that students formed mixed teams across grade levels. Students from the two campuses were thus able to exchange techniques and tactics, work together as a team, and enhance their spirit of teamwork.
Winter Festival
On December 21st, the Winter Festival, organized by the Student Council of the Middle School, took place as scheduled. The event was designed, organised, and coordinated by the students themselves, allowing everyone to exercise their organisational and social skills. Various games and activities were included, such as professional DJ; exchanging house points for gifts in the lobby; board games; carnival games; and a seasonal movie.
High School Hundred Families Banquet
On November 10th, the Songjiang Campus held its annual Hundred Families Banquet. Under the organization of the PTA, parent volunteers arrived at the Songjiang Campus early in the morning to serve the hard-working teachers with hot, fragrant food in the cold winter wind. The Hundred Families Banquet, a tradition since the school's inception, has become a bridge that brings the school, teachers, and families closer together. Everyone involved can enjoy the tight-knit warmth of the Pao School community.
ENCORE Student Theatre Week
The recent ENCORE Student Theatre Week showcased our students' immense talent, dedication, maturity and leadership in producing captivating original shows. The Pao Actors Ensemble also impressed with a delightful modern take on Ionesco's ‘The Leader’ that incorporated multimedia, unconventional costumes and sparse sets to establish a futuristic tone complemented by Chinese drumming. In addition, student-led drama groups performed ‘Sincerely, Evan Hanson’ and ‘Girl Power’ in the black box.
Zhoushan Gongs and Drums Assist Charity Cycling
On November 18th, under the coordination of Edward Hong from Year 11, the Zhoushan Gongs and Drums Team left Pao School to perform outside the school for the first time, participating in the 7th charity cycling activity. Zhoushan Gongs and Drums is the native music of Sir YK Pao’s hometown, which was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. In 2016, during the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the founding of Pao School, Zhoushan Gongs and Drums was introduced at the school. Through constant exploration and experimentation, the Pao School Zhoushan Gongs and Drums Team has gained ever greater vitality.
International Library Week
International Library Week was held from 20th to 24th November 2023 at the High School Campus. The theme for the week was ‘A happy place where imagination and creativity flourish,’ which was aligned with the International Library Month theme. The event celebrated the achievements of ancient Rome and Greece, enabling students to reflect on aesthetic differences and similarities across cultures and time periods. The accomplishments of these civilizations were explored in order to understand their influence on modern life. The Maze project, led by Y11 students Ethan Z. and Jacky Lu, included an exhibition of Greek and Roman artwork; quotations; costumes; fight sequences; quizzes; and speeches, to engage visitors in the riches of history. Writers Bryn Barnard, Dr. Wu Yuhao, and Dr. Li Teng were invited to share their analyses of literature; aesthetics; and historical perspectives. They examined universal life topics such as friendship; loneliness; and love; which resonate across ancient and modern times.
Congratulations
Awards for Academics
In the 14th VEX China Qualifier, East China Division, Louane Liu (Y4) and Mael Liu (Y5) won the first prize in the IQ Challenge Primary Division and Champion in the skills competition.
Lucas Jin (Y1) won 1st prize in the Junior Division at the 10th ICMC International Robot Maker Competition National Finals.
Meli Liu (Y8) won UK Maths Trust Senior Mathematical Challenge 2023 Gold Certificate and Best in Year.
Pao School students won several awards in the American Mathematics Competition (AMC10)：
Honor Roll of Distinction: Y8 Jerry Feng
Distinction: Y7 Marc Sun, Jason Wang; Y8 Vincent Li
Achievement Roll: Y8 Cici Bo, Zach Luo, Shawn Feng, Meli Liu, Andy Liu.
Mary Wang (Y12) achieved Outstanding in the S.T. Yau Science Award. She also received an Honorable mention in the Chemistry category. Her project title is “Theoretical investigations of the BCN monolayers and its derivatives for metal free CO2 photocatalysis, capture and utilisation.”
A team of 6 Pao School students achieved 3rd place in the national competition of the 2023 Odyssey of the Mind, a worldwide creative problem-solving competition. They designed and built a structure using 20 grams of cork strips, which successfully withstood a weight test of over 90 kilograms, showcasing their innovative design. The team members include Phila He Zhao, Lucas Haoyun Yang, Chew Tze Yu Evangeline, Thomas Huang, Hannah Ying, Sophia Huang and Jerry Cai.
In the British Biology Olympiad, Michelle Ao, Clark Bai and Chenfei Lv from Y10 won Gold in the Biology Challenge, and Albert Tan won Gold in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad.
In the first regional tournament of First Tech Challenge (FTC), among 21 teams, Pao School team 19600 again won the highest honour, the “Inspire Award,” the best-performing team among all the teams. The team includes students from all four year levels at the high school: Y12 Yoyo Li; Y11 Kaikai Fu, Patton Lai;Y10 Ariana Cao, Alex Chen, Gloria Guo, Emily Jin, Leo Deng and Y9 Ricky Lu, Dylan Xu, Sky Liu, Lucas Xiao.
Martina Wu (Y11) has been recognised for achieving the top mark in China for her IGCSE Art last year. She will receive her award at a formal CAIE Award Ceremony.
Awards for Writing and Debate
Marc Sun (Y7) won the 2023 FLTRP English Debate Invitational Tournament Grand Prize and Northeast Asian Championships British Parliamentary Debate - Best Speaker Awards in the 14-and-Under Category, 16-and-Under Category, and Open Category.
Eva Xia (Y11) was awarded the gold medal in the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest, themed with “Technological advancement and the World” by an article entitled “AI and Blockchain: Ending Female Inequities in South Asian Telemedicine".
In John Locke Institute essay competition, Candy Deng (Y11) won a Distinction in the field of Economics, and Melanie Wu (Y10) won a Distinction in the field of Psychology.
Awards for Sports
Pao School students have achieved excellent results in various competitions organized by the Shanghai School Sports Association (SSSA).
Middle School girls’ team achieved 1st place in the U15 volleyball tournament.
Middle School boys’ team achieved 1st place in the U13 football tournament.
Middle School girls’ team achieved 4th place in the U13 basketball tournament.
High School varsity team achieved 4th place in the ultimate frisbee tournament.
Six students from Primary School achieved 2nd place in the golf tournament.
In the U15 table tennis tournament, boys: Y7 Haohan Zhu received gold; girls: Y6 Abbigail Deng received gold and Rachel Liu received Bronze; boys double: Y7 Haohan Zhu & Eason Shi received gold.
In the badminton tournament, Angelina Wei (Y11) achieved 3rd place, Gordon Cao (Y10) achieved 4th place.
Bella Xu (Y3) won 2nd prize in the Shanghai Junior Golf Tournament
Zirui Zhu (Y3) achieved 1st place in the Boys' U9 division at the 20th Shanghai Squash Open.
Andrew Chen (Y3) won 2nd place in the Grade 3 boys’ individual competition at the 2023 Shanghai Children's Sports League Judo Grand Finals.
Lucas Ye (Y7) achieved 2nd Place in the YRD Junior Sports Challenge Triathlon Race.
Marc Sun (Y7) won the Team Silver Medal in the 2023 Shanghai Youth Equestrian Championship Competition - 1.00 Meter Height Show Jumping.
Raymond Cao (Y3) achieved 3rd place in the 2023 Shanghai Youth Sports Fencing Club League U8 men's epee.
Richard Dong (Y9) won the junior high school men's foil as the National Champion in the 14th China Middle School Fencing Championships.
Sophia Xia’s (Y9) team won first place in the China Fencing Club League championship game. Sophia is currently ranked third on the national standings of under 16 and in the public group across the age range.
Victor Lyu (Y11) has qualified as an official member of the National Junior (U20) Fencing Travelling Team. Victor is now eligible to represent China in the Junior World Cup series in Italy, France and Spain, plus a Senior World Cup in France.
The Pao School swim team attended the SAS Puxi invitational swimming competition. This consisted of 18 international schools from all over China and is considered the biggest swimming competition for international schools in China.
Ken Zhong(Y12): 800m Freestyle in 3rd place.
Elaine Mi (Y9): 800m Freestyle in 2nd place & 200m Backstroke in 3rd Place
Simon Chen (Y9): 400m Individual Medley in 2nd place.
Minos Wen (Y8) won the MVP in 13-14 Boys.
Ellen Xu (Y7) and Axxon Gu (Y7) won medals along the way
In the Eighth Shanghai Municipal Students Intelligence Sport Competition, Quinn Ye (Y11) won 3rd prize in chess (High School Girls) and Aaron Wang (Y10) came second in the same event for boys.
Thomas Wu (Y9) won the U15 China Open: Indoor Rowing Championship.
Cindy Ji (Y11) achieved 1st place in the Youth Women's 61kg category at the 2023 Shanghai Open Taekwondo Tournamentyuan.
Felix Zhou (Y7) won 3rd prize in the 2023 Shanghai International Music Festival Wind Instrument Competition Flute Children Group C.
