What’s happening in Beijing’s international school community? See spring homecoming party, various performances, and sport matches in this month’s Circuit.

House of Knowledge World Studies Exit Points
House of Knowledge (HoK) elementary students recently presented an impressive range of “exit points” (final results) for their World Studies projects at HoK’s Shunyi campus. The projects were, as always, embedded with the HoK core values: Design thinking, Communication, Inquiry, Global Mindset, and more.

Grade 10 Plays with Earth at Beijing City International School
Recently, Grade 10 students at Beijing City International School (BCIS) began learning the fine art of ceramics. For their first lesson, they were given the task of starting the process of creating a pinch pot. As its name suggests, a pinch pot is a form of pottery that is made by pinching and turning clay.

Harrow Beijing Prep Production of Beauty and the Beast
On February 27-28, Harrow Beijing students successfully staged their annual production. Their rendition of Beauty and the Beast captured the classic fairy story in a series of upbeat musical numbers.

Homecoming Party at Beijing No. 55 High School
In order to help students adapt to school life as soon as possible and let new students integrate into the collective more quickly, No. 55 High School held a “Homecoming Party” in the basketball hall on March 6. Teachers and students of all grades took an active part in this activity.

WAB Season 3 Sports Teams Now Ready for Action
Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) has released its Season 3 varsity and junior varsity team photos. The student athletes will compete around the Asia-Pacific region in track and field, soccer, badminton, and softball.

Grandmaster Zhao Xue: Simultaneous Chess Match at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi
The British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB Shunyi) chess addicts had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pit their wits against Grandmaster Zhao Xue. She played 21 simultaneous matches and defeated our “last man” standing, Year 8’s Felipe, at 1 hour 20 minutes, an impressive record since other schools normally lasted 30 minutes.

DCB Junior School Councillors Lead Efforts to Support Migrant School
In supporting a migrant school in Tongzhou District, Dulwich College Beijing’s Junior School Councillors visited the children, raised awareness of their needs, and organized several successful donation drives, collecting over RMB 11,000 as well as a shoebox full of presents for each migrant student.

Grade 2 Circus at International School of Beijing
Roll up, roll up! International School of Beijing (ISB) students staged a circus show. Gym 1 was transformed into a big top for one day only as the acrobats and clowns of grade 2 put on a circus show on Friday, March 8. In two performances, students and parents saw a wonder of athleticism, choreography, and color.

The Masquerade Ball at YCIS Beijing
Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing) students hosted a great masquerade ball on February 15. The glamorous affair was a fundraiser for Roots & Shoots, A Voice for Animals, and Lost Puppies of Beijing. Students had a great time performing, running raffles, and selling masks they made themselves on the night.

Personal Project Excellence at BWYA
On February 26, the Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) secondary school held their Grade 10 personal project exhibition. Every year, the students produce strong results, and this year was no exception. With displays about Chinese architecture, Korean grammar, quadcopters, and much more, it was an abundant array of hard work and creativity.

Book Week at BSB Sanlitun
The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun) encouraged children to get #caughtreading by taking photos of themselves reading in exciting places. They also had a Book Fair during the week and the parents organized a book swap. To round off the week, March 8 was Dress Up As A Book Character Day.

Success for Daystar Academy Phoenix Swimming Team
“Beijing vs. Asian All-Stars 2019”, an annual swimming event between international schools, took place from February 22-24, and once again the competition was fierce. Jennifer Zhang from the Daystar Academy bilingual school won the gold medal for the 50-meter breaststroke in the 7-8 years old group.

This article first appeared in the beijingkids April 2019 Exploring Beijing issue.
Photos: courtesy of featured schools

Adorning a copper plaque in Chengdu’s panda reserve is one of Gandhi’s most memorable quotes: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” China still has a long way to go when it comes to animal cruelty but it is growing as a nation and education is progressing. Lead by example to help educate those around you on the importance of giving animals the respect, warmth, and love that they deserve. Below are just a few of the numerous animal care organizations operating in Beijing, as well as details as to how you can assist.

Girls4Paws 
Girls4Paws is a community of private rescuers who foster animals in their homes while seeking suitable permanent residences. Started by Daphne Hutagalung, who is currently fostering five dogs and two cats, the organization was built to inspire individuals to take a proactive stance towards animal care, rather than posting a picture on WeChat and hoping someone else will do the rest. Hutagalung stresses that education is the key to responsible ownership, as it is often the case that when a puppy’s serious needs outgrow its cuteness, often landing them back in the same shelter that they were rescued from.

Help with: Monetary donations and adoption.
Contact: girlsforpaws@hotmail.com, WeChat: 138 1007 2919

A pooch gets a once-over before adoption at the Little Adoption Shop

The Little Adoption Shop 
Founded in 2011, The Little Adoption Shop is a no-kill, non-profit rescue shelter with three locations that currently house over 700 dogs. The organization takes dogs in from the street as well as rescuing them from meat trucks. That often means that many of them are injured, sick, disabled, or pregnant, which requires systematic medical attention. No matter how terminally ill or disabled, Little Adoption Shop swears to never give up on their dogs.

Help with: Adoption, education programs, and informing the public about responsible breeding practices.
Contact: www.facebook.com/LittleAdoptionShop

A Voice for Animals 
A Voice for Animals not only rescues abandoned animals but also works to prevent abandonment in the first place by educating current and prospective owners about the responsibilities that come with having a pet. Their talks and workshops are now extending to wildlife conservation and began when a group of volunteers traveled into rural China in October 2016 in order to salvage 25 dogs from a slaughter truck. The majority of those dogs have since been adopted while some still await a permanent home.

Help with: Donations, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: www.avoiceforanimals.wixsite.com/website, WeChat: AVoiceforAnimals1026

A furry hopeful at Furry Tales

Furry Tales 
Running on the power and goodwill of volunteers, Furry Tales helps neglected cats, rabbits, and dogs to find new owners. Besides the traditional rescue and adoption process, the organization is also working on starting a “trap, neuter, and return” program in Beijing, thus helping to control the population of stray animals in the city. The founder of Furry Tales, Sarah Lovatt, ensures that animals first receive medical treatment so that they are safe to adopt. The organization covers all the costs for the foster families, from food and toys to medical bills.

Help with: Donations, volunteering, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: furrytalesrescue@hotmail.com

Be warned: Even if you go in just to look, you may leave with a new friend

Cat-Kind 
Cat-Kind was founded by the organizers in the memory of a single stray kitten that they witnessed pass away after a period of homelessness. Unlike some of the other rescue organizations, Cat-Kind has a dedicated shelter space that they rent rather than fostering animals in their own apartments. They provide stays for stray and abandoned cats until they are healthy enough to move into their forever homes.

Help with: Donations (monetary or via the Cat-Kind wish list)
Contacts: WeChat: Cat-Kind_Connect

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of the Beijinger.
Read the issue via Issuu online here, or access it as a PDF here.

Photos courtesy of the organizations