In case you missed it: November 2023
Have to Dance
November is always peak dance season at Wellington. This presents our pupils with the opportunity to practise resilience and teamwork as they summon the courage to perform before their peers. We kicked off the month with our annual Have to Dance competition. Pupils from across the College gave it their all, performing a stunning array of genres and styles — traditional Chinese, K-pop, jazz and so much more. Competition winners later joined our Arts Fellows and Aspirants in dance for our third annual Autumn Dance Showcase.
Remembrance Day
On Friday 10 November, Wellington pupils and teachers donning red poppies gathered in the esplanade at 11:00 am for a moment of solemn reflection, music and remarks to honour Remembrance Day. In the UK, Remembrance Day commemorates the fallen from World War I, but this tradition transcends time and borders. It reminds us of the lasting impact of armed conflicts worldwide. However, by fostering understanding and compassion, we can help to create a world where conflicts are less likely to arise. Our international community of families from more than 45 countries and territories is a small testament to that.
Model United Nations
15 Wellington pupils participated in the 11th Annual Shanghai American School Pudong Model United Nations conference (SHASMUN). This year’s theme was 'Footnotes of History' with topics including: ‘preserving UNESCO world heritage sites’, ‘protecting schools against the risk of gun violence’, ‘mitigating the risk of releasing contaminated water into the world's oceans’ and ‘eliminating hate-speech on social media platforms’. Wellington delegates conducted themselves in an exemplary manner and took home the following awards: ‘Most Passionate Delegate in the Economic and Social Council’; ‘Best Delegate in the Security Council’; Best Delegate in UNESCO’, and ‘Best Delegate in the General Assembly 2’. For many of our participants, this was their first MUN conference experience and, we hope, the first step of a long and fruitful MUN journey. Way to go!
House debating competition
Houses Hopetoun and Hardinge faced off for the final round of this year’s Senior School debating competition. The motion was ‘This house believes that it is not winning but taking part that counts,’ with Hardinge arguing the proposition and Hopetoun arguing the opposition. Hopetoun delivered the more compelling arguments against the proposition, earning them the title of this year’s champion. Having ascended to the top position from runner-up last year, Hopetoun is going from strength to strength. Congratulations!
Hackwell Hackathon
In this year's Hackwell event, pupils came together to ideate, design and explore. This year, Wellingtonians stepped up to the plate and pulled the event together themselves, from logo design to deciding the order of play. On the day itself, they were joined by pupils from 10 other Shanghai international schools to develop coding solutions for a variety of themed challenges. To underscore the message that anyone can code, the event also provided workshops and mentors to help participants learn and grow. It was a great opportunity for beginners to dive into the world of technology, collaborate with their peers, build their confidence and develop their coding muscles. Well done!
A day at the Shanghai Natural History Museum
Our year 3 pupils went on an exciting field trip the Shanghai Natural History Museum. This outing was the capstone to the pupils’ Inquiry topic, ‘Footsteps from the Past’, in which they learned all about how paleontologists discover where dinosaurs come from. During their visit, the pupils enjoyed a range of fun activities to expand their understanding of the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods.
As You Like It
We were treated to a spectacular production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It this month. Our year 8 – 13 pupils demonstrated depth and maturity, taking on a challenging text that explores themes of justice, gender, love and forgiveness. Equally impressive were the pupils who added texture and dramatic effect to the performance with their accompanying music. Bravo!
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