Building a community, building the future

As Golden Week approaches and the People's Republic of China celebrates the 72nd anniversary of its founding, it is fitting to reflect on how we lay foundations to build for the future. Education, of course, plays a vital role in this. As a Wellington parent myself, I share your passion for the role that school should play in the development of our children. When our pupils graduate, they will be looking to make a mark in a world that is increasingly shaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. They will face a job market that is profoundly impacted by automation and AI. As a former IT professional, I have witnessed these megatrends first-hand. Rapid change will be the only constant, which is why we value the importance of teaching our pupils to be flexible, adaptive and versatile. It is also why a holistic education will be essential to our pupils' success in life after Wellington.

STEM subjects are, of course, essential. Strong quantitative skills will be indispensable in an economy so reliant upon technology and data. Our Department of Sciences and Technology is well equipped to serve our pupils in these areas, with courses in robotics and the inaugural annual ‘Hackathon’ already in development. However valuable these skills are, they are not enough to truly thrive and contribute to society. At Wellington we place equal value on the people skills of leadership, teamwork, empathy and complex reasoning. Whilst intrinsically built into our school ethos, these skills can truly shine through our outstanding humanities, arts and sports programmes.

Communication and cultural awareness will also be key assets in the economy of the future. This is why this year we have introduced our new dual-language programme for select pupils. This ambitious project aims to create fully bilingual, biliterate and bicultural pupils through immersion in a dual Chinese and English learning environment, giving our pupils the opportunity to excel in two of the most critical languages of the 21st century.

As Master, I aim to uphold Wellington's long-held aspiration of creating a diverse, caring and supportive community. Our parents are especially important in this regard. After all, they begin educating their children before they ever enter our classrooms. They are, in effect, our partners, and play one of the most valuable roles in ensuring that their child’s time with us is rewarding and enriching. As such, feedback and communication are essential to the College and to ensuring each one of our pupil’s success. A proactive, engaged and supportive community is the key to providing the strength of character and resilience that our children need to face challenge and change.

Speaking to community, I am especially excited about the upcoming calendar of parent-led community events that we have in the works, including the United Nations Day flag parade and International Food Festival in October. At events like these, we often proudly say, "We are Wellington", as our pupils, parents and staff come together in partnership. During Golden Week, I would like everyone to think of 'We are Wellington' as more than just a simple refrain, but truly a call for community.

I wish all of our Wellington partners a restful and fun Golden Week and look forward to seeing everybody return to campus recharged and ready to continue our journey together.