We kicked off the holiday season on the Esplanade with our annual tree-lighting ceremony. Pupils, parents, teachers and staff gathered around the tree to sing carols together, warm up with some hot cocoa and, believe it or not, even enjoy a bit of snow. Just as the sun set, the tree lit up the campus and lifted our hearts.

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X marked the spot with this year’s performance of Treasure Island: The Panto. Our Upper Prep pupils put on a lively reimagining of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale. The young Jim Ladd and a band of unlikely heroes embarked on a quest for the dreaded pirate Squint’s buried booty. Audiences discovered a treasure trove of swashbuckling adventure, cutlass duels, keelhauling, plank walking, shark-infested waters and, of course, plenty of laughs in between. 

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If you noticed an unusual amount of festivity and joy around Shanghai these past few weeks, it may very well be thanks to our Pupil and Parents Choirs. Both made the rounds to Shanghai’s finest hotels spreading holiday cheer and wowing guests with a heartwarming repertoire of classic Christmas carols.  

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Wellington College athletes have shone brightly these past few weeks. We began the month with plenty of momentum as 24 footballers returned to Shanghai after competing with 111 teams in the BIS Phuket 7s football tournament, where our O15 girls team finished fifth, and our U15 boys team finished third in their group. Four pupils represented Wellington at the U14 CISSA tennis tournament. Three reached the quarter-finals and placed third, fourth and seventh. We hosted Dulwich College Pudong for the latest round of Boys CISSA fixtures. All three fixtures were extremely close, and in an incredible twist of fate, we conceded a last-minute winner in all three matches. Our U15 Boys and Girls teams were victorious in this month’s SSSA fixtures too. The girls won 3-0 versus SUIS Jiaoke, and the U15 boys beat LYBS 15-0.

Our littlest learners at the Early Years Centre celebrated the festive season with a wonderful series of shows. Pupils from Pre-Nursery to Reception worked hard at rehearsals to put on a ‘Christmas Around the World’ show for their parents. They sang and danced to an array of holiday tunes from countries around the globe, like ‘Santa Koala’ from Australia or ‘Pull a Christmas Cracker’ from England. After their performances, the parents joined the children to decorate delicious Christmas cookies together.

Our Prep School pupils treated us to several spectacular holiday shows this month. Year 1’s production of Whoops-a-Daisy Angel told the delightful story of a disorganised but lovable angel who is chosen to show the way to Bethlehem. This was their first time on stage in the Wellington College Theatre, and they wowed the audience. Our year 2 children also took to the stage with a production of Children of the World. This charming musical about different festive customs around the world both inspired and educated. The pupils impressed theatregoers with their confidence and strong singing. Finally, our year 5 pupils delivered an outstanding performance of Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day. Through several music and dance performances, our pupils breathed life into a groundbreaking storybook.

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At Christmas time, we are always reminded of just how much musical talent there is at Wellington. In this year’s Christmas Concert, pupils from Lower Prep up to Senior School and even parents and teachers took to the stage for an evening of festive seasonal songs. Our orchestras, choirs and big band treated the audience to classics like ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, ‘Little Drummer Boy’, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ and many more. Then for a finale, everybody took to the stage for a stirring rendition of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’.