Contributed by:
Liu Yanping, Alumni parent (Ashley and Crystal's mother,
admitted in 2007, graduated from the High School in 2017)
In early 2012, with the fifth anniversary of the school approaching, there was a brief discussion with Professor Anna Sohmen Pao about how to celebrate this important milestone. One suggestion was to make a quilt. The quilt’s interwoven yarns (with pieces of fabric contributed by parents) would be rich with meaning, we decided, representing the profound ties that bind the Pao School community together.
Prior to this, I had had no previous experience quilting, so this was quite a big project for me. I had to organise a ceremony to share the quilt with the school, invite attendees to the event, and of course complete the quilt in time for the actual celebration. I had less than one month to complete this important task, and so I recruited a team to work on it, including team leaders and volunteers, as well as technical support. In that time, we needed to collect the pieces of fabric (sent by my parents), and design and weave the quilt.
Even today, I am amazed that we managed to accomplish this challenging task. Fortunately, with the strong support and participation of the parents, not only did we hit our target, but we also completed three additional pieces of the quilt: Year 6: Window of Hope; Year 7: Nourishing the Heart; Year 8: The Pao School Family.
This activity brought the Pao School community closer together. In particular, it deepened the connection between parents and the school. It was a testimony to the love parents have for their children and the unwavering support the parents provide to the school and its founders. With such a tight-knit community, it is no wonder that Pao School has become such a great success.
Today, looking at photos from those days, I am filled with fond memories. It was a busy and challenging time, but also the best of times. After finishing the quilt, we sewed 10 small pieces of cloth from Year 6 into a small “window of hope” (symbolising the ten semesters in the five years since the school's founding), set it in the frame, and presented it as a gift it at the fifth anniversary ceremony to the founders and school leadership. Peering through that small window of hope, we can see that while the road ahead is long and winding, the future is bright.
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