On Tuesday, June 16 the Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB) celebrated their graduating class of 2015. CISB notes that of their 37 graduates, 20 students had averages above 80 percent, with four graduates reaching academic excellence with distinction, having averages above 90 percent.

Senior class leader, Wang W. had a class of average of 91.42 percent and received the prestigious Governor General’s Bronze Medallion for the highest academic standing in the graduation class during Grades 11 and 12. Wendy delivered the following valedictory address to her fellow graduates:

“Thank you Mr. Prescott. Good evening, Ambassador Saint Jacques, Dr.Pang,teachers, staff, parents, and most importantly, graduates of 2015. I am honoured to stand before you as your valedictorian today. First of all, allowed me to congratulate the class of 2015 and say that we have made it! A few days ago, I sat in front of my computer pondering what to say on this stage and so I had a flashback, beginning from the first day I stepped into this school in 2011 till the day I handed in my last IB examination to Mr.Dorey.

Photo: Courtesy of CISB

It’s been an eventful month for students at one of the longest standing international school’s in Beijing, Beijing BISS International School (BISS). On Saturday, May 30 the school held their prom at Hilton Beijing with over 80 students from grade 8-12 in attendance. As a final farewell to graduates, BISS’ prom is organized every year by Grade 11 students with help from teachers. This year’s theme was “Hollywood” and the venue was appropriately adorned with a red carpet, a star-studded walk of fame, and a large backdrop painting of an Oscar (academy award) painted by one graduating student.

The day prior, graduation ceremony was also held at Hilton Beijing while the final day of classes was June 12. BISS students were accepted to a number of universities including Hong Kong University, University of Chicago, Berklee College of Music, University of California, University of California, San Diego, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Macalester College and many other schools. BISS would like to congratulate all of their graduates as well as their families and wish them well as they embark on the next stage of their lives.

Photos: Courtesy of BISS

Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing) recently celebrated their graduating class of 2015. Over 300 family members, teachers, and secondary students gathered for the ceremony held in the YCIS Beijing auditorium. Following the ceremony, the graduates took pictures in the park before heading to the Hilton Hotel for graduation luncheon.

The YCIS Beijing family wishes all the graduates the best of luck with their future endeavors as they move on to universities including Imperial College London, KAIST, University of British Columbia and University of California, San Diego to start the next step in their educational journey. Class valedictorian Ted Jin (South Korea), delivered the following speech to his fellow graduating class of 26 students.

Co-principals, teachers, parents, guests and fellow students,  good morning.

I’m Ted Jin, but many of you may remember me as the dancing man in the ‘Go with Yew Chung’ video. But more importantly, I’m speaking on behalf of the graduating class of 2015, and I would like to share with you the things we have come through together to get to this auspicious day. Preparing this speech was not easy, as I needed to think of good words and ostentatious phrases. I even looked at speeches from TEDTALK to see how Ted should talk. Then, I just decided to be myself, and reflect on the memories I have had with my fellow pupils at this school. Like many of my classmates, I can remember quite clearly my first day at YCIS Beijing. Many of us can even remember our first time standing on this stage. For me it was when I was a Year 10 student, volunteering as a rotational MC for the daily morning assembly. At that time, I was very nervous as I literally didn’t know what I should do – how to start or how to end an assembly. Luckily, my homeroom teacher Mr. Brown helped me on that day by encouraging me and showing me what to do, just as he had helped and encouraged so many others. The second time standing here was during the YCIS Beijing Challenge the Golden Bell as the organizer and MC of the quiz competition. Today, I stand here as the valedictorian of the graduating class of 2015. Our class of 2015 is unique in a way that we are dynamic but cooperative. Although each of us came to this school in different years we helped and supported each other as though we had always been old friends.

I’ve been lucky to meet many people during the four years I’ve been a part of this school. Throughout this time, I’ve seen the school change, not just the school itself, but also its community and spirit. Although we are not as large as other schools, this has allowed us to have the unique opportunity to develop close relationships between both other students and with teachers. I know that I will remember each of you who have become an important part of my life. Many of you I have met through the various after school activities offered here at the school, friends whom I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet despite being in the same school. I value the time we’ve had together, and even the advice the older students from years past have given to us. As I now look back at all the school activities, the one that sticks out the most is the 2014 Green Couture fashion show. It stands out because it shows how all the different classes could come together as one body and organize the fashion show. Throughout the event, students showed their talents in their performances, and the rest we reunited with the idea of protecting the environment. But it doesn’t stop there, we’ve worked hard together to be able to attend Math competitions, Beijing Model United Nations, the Film Festival and I was also glad to go and cheer on our sports teams that achieved some great accomplishments in many tournaments. In all of these events, we have shown our ability to come together and act as one. As we are about to walk through these doors for the last time, we will be leaving behind many things that we take for granted. The taste of the wonderful cafeteria food, the breaks and memories we had in the playground and all the good friends and mentors who will always be unforgettable. Many of us will be going on to college in just a few months. Hopefully all of us have already decided on which school we will go to. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those. I’m still deciding on which school to go to. Others might be taking a gap year to travel. Some will be going to the military to serve and protect their respective country.

Regardless of our destination, we will be doing a lot of ‘firsts’. It will be our first time going out on our own making our own decisions, our first time living alone, our first time getting a part time job and managing our own money. The choices that we make during this chapter will affect the rest of our lives. I want to take a moment to talk to the upcoming Class of 2016. I want to encourage you to be better than we were, as difficult as that may sound. We were strong, but be stronger. We have gone through the difficult journey of IB. You can endure it with greater results. We worked hard, but work harder. We raised over 30,000 RMB for various charities and campaigns, but you can raise more. We were active, but be more active. Be eager to participate in the school community. I’m not saying we were the best class on earth, but I believe that we were outstanding, not because of any individuals, but because we worked together, and had great teachers and parents who supported us. We have left you our legacy, but go beyond us. In closing, I would like to say thanks again to the teachers, my classmates, and a special thanks to all the parents who supported both myself and the other graduating seniors. You have worked hard to send us to this school, you’ve paid for our extracurricular activities, and you’ve stayed up late to help us with our homework even when it became too difficult. You’ve driven us to our ballgames and picked us up from school, you’ve taken the time to listen to our complaints and have given us advice to help solve our problems about life, problems that we thought were serious at the time, but now we laugh at how small problems really were. You have been by our side since the beginning preparing us for this day, and we say thank you. We as a class and as a school have gone through so much together, we have had great times and we’ve had sad times, but we’ve made it through and become stronger as a school and as a family, persevering till the end. Congratulations to the class of 2015, including myself.

Photos: Courtesy of YCIS

Darren Chong De Ren (Singapore) and Juanita Eben (Belgium) are this year’s headboy and girl at The British School of Beijing (Shunyi campus). The two 18-year-olds take time to tell us what they’ll miss most about high school and Beijing before embarking on their next chapter.

What will you miss most about high school?
Darren: I will definitely miss all of my schoolmates and teachers. Over the years, I have made many lasting friendships and it is sad to say goodbye. We have a tight knit community here at BSB. I owe my awesome high school experience to all these people who shared my ups and downs for the past two years. We’ve had many great memories.
Juanita: I’ll miss the fact that everybody knows each other here. Even though I have a group of close friends in my year, I also have a great time with students in the years below. I will miss my teachers that have motivated me to go for the best grades that I could. I am also going to miss playing competitive sports, my teammates with whom I had played great seasons, and leading younger students.

Where will you go to school? Have you decided what to study in university? Darren: I plan to study politics, philosophy, and economics (PPE) in the UK in the near future. Prior to university, I will be returning to Singapore to serve National Service for two years. I am looking forward to be living in Singapore for the first time in 18 years.
Juanita: Next fall, I will go to the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. I applied to study medicine since it has always been a dream of mine. I have always been fascinated by the human body so I think that it will be a nourishing experience.

What advice would you offer to under classmen?
Darren: I think the most important piece of advice is to keep an open mind and be observant. Ignorance is what causes us to stagnate on the path of our personal development and maturity. Over the years I have heeded the wisdom and advice of my seniors and tried to keep an open mind. By being open, you can meet new people and open up experiences that you would never have expected before. You also gain a wealth of knowledge and experience which helps you to mature in life. So surprise yourself. Follow the winds of change and see where they take you. You never know what exciting things lie just beyond the horizon!
Juanita: I think the greatest advice I can give to other people is to stay on track. Try to be involved in the school community as much as possible and do not be afraid to talk to teachers and even joke around with them. My personal experience showed me that taking the time to be available to everybody earns people’s trust. They will want to share bad and good experiences with you. This is part of the fun in going to school! I will always remember high school as a great part of my life, full of amazing memories.

What will you miss most about Beijing?
Darren: I think I will miss the expatriate lifestyle here in Beijing the most. I’ve been an expatriate all my life and living in Beijing for eight years has given me another place to call home. The large welcoming expat community here is something I won’t easily forget.
Juanita: I have not been in Beijing for long but I will definitely miss it a lot. There are so many opportunities for foreigners here that you would not be able to have anywhere else. Of course, I will also miss all my friends a lot.

Photos: Courtesy of BSB