In the social impact world, a common question is “What’s bugging you?” Entrepreneurs often start with a problem that bothers them, whether it’s a social issue or a market gap. For Daystar Academy tenth-grader Bayan Changizi, the answer was quite literal: bees. A longtime fascination with these vital pollinators led this student innovator to learn beekeeping for a school project – but he didn’t stop there. Bayan went on to build his own apiary, integrating beekeeping into his Beijing-based FROOT initiative, which grows organic produce and promotes sustainable farming. So what drives this young changemaker, and what’s it really like to keep a hive buzzing? We sat down with him to find out.

Bayan, your family has deep roots in Beijing. What’s your backstory?

My parents moved here more than 25 years ago from Canada. I was born in 2009 in Beijing. My mother is a math teacher at Daystar, and my father is a doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital. My older siblings are both studying in the medical field, one in Australia and one in the US.

So you’re a born-and-bred Beijinger! Are you fully fluent in Chinese? Is China “home” now?

Yes, I speak Chinese at the same level as English. In writing, my English is a bit better! I’ve attended the bilingual Daystar Academy since preschool. In primary, we studied a mix of the Chinese national curriculum and IB. My family spent every summer in Vancouver, and we have Persian ethnicity, so yeah, Canada and China are equally home, although mostly I identify as a global citizen.    

You’re in the IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program), which is known for its interdisciplinary approach. What is the goal of student projects during MYP?

In the last year of MYP, as we prepare to enter the DP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, grades 11-12), we complete a Personal Project on social innovation. We identify a social or environmental issue and come up with a solution to take action. We start defining our project in Grade 9 and continue throughout Grade 10. We do independent research, have an assigned supervisor who mentors us, and submit our final project to IB by February.

You chose a rather unique topic for your project – beekeeping! Why?

During the pandemic, there was severe isolation. My family wanted to reconnect with nature, and together with a Chinese family, we bought a farm in a village east of Beijing. I began helping out there on weekends, and eventually, I set up a venture called FROOT together with three friends. FROOT sells organic produce that’s pesticide-free and humanely farmed and free-range eggs from our own incubated chickens. We also host monthly events on sustainable farming practices, like composting, for families.

I’d love to buy humane produce from FROOT! So, where did bees enter the picture?

While working on the farm, I became more aware of the role of pollinators in sustainable farming. I’ve always been fascinated by bees – how they work together, how important bees are to human life as they pollinate up to 80 percent of all foods, and how their numbers are declining. Every summer in Vancouver, we’d see beekeepers on the road and stop to visit their apiaries. So, the MYP Personal Project was the perfect opportunity to take this interest to the next level. I reached out to a neighboring farmer, Mr Chen – we always bought his honey – and asked to do an apprenticeship. He taught me everything he knows! His experience helped me understand how to care for a hive and ensure its survival through the seasons. After a couple of months of learning, I moved the hive to our own farm and started beekeeping independently.

 What kinds of bees do you keep?

These are Italian honeybees. Native honeybees in Northern China are endangered; they are kept in protected areas where invasive European honeybees cannot threaten them.

What does beekeeping entail exactly? When do you harvest?

I go every weekend to tend the hive. It’s a yearlong process. Winter is the toughest period for bees, with low temperatures and no source of nectar or pollen. During winter, I fed my bees sugar as supplementary food and insulated the hive to help them conserve energy. Now that it’s spring, I’m planting flowers near the hive to increase food diversity for their foraging. Throughout the year, beekeepers will inspect their hives for things such as mites, disease, population size, and queen health. The honey harvest comes in autumn.

How does it feel to handle the hive?

Intense! You need to keep all movements smooth so as not to agitate the hive.

Did you get a chance to exhibit your project results?

We had an exhibition at school, and I presented it at the Future of Education Now (FOEN) conference at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) in March, at a workshop session called Planting the Seeds for a Sustainable Future.

What aspects of your upbringing do you feel particularly shaped your drive?

My family environment is a big part of who I am. My parents always encouraged hands-on work, whether it was fixing broken appliances or getting your hands dirty in the garden. I remember my brother reminding me to “be the best Bayan I can be.”

What three pieces of advice would you offer for other young people?

1: In a world increasingly immersed in technology, remember to maintain a connection with nature and the earth.
2: Once you find a passion, explore it and hang on to it.
3: Always find a way to give back what you have been given.

Looking ahead, do you see sustainable farming playing a role in your future studies or career?

Climate change is a problem that our generation will have to tackle. Sustainability isn’t just a choice – it’s a necessity. What I’ve learned from farming will shape how I see the world and the role I want to play in it.

Inspired? We know we are! If you’re a teen with an incredible achievement, let us know! Get in touch with Mina Yan via email at minayan@beijing-kids.com or WeChat (ID: Wilhelmina87).

Images: Bayan Changizi

Everyone has heard of senioritis, defined as “a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance.” But few understand the more elusive junioritis, for which definitions may vary. In my case, I experienced much of the same symptoms of senioritis, but it was worse because I still had an entire year to go.

Nearing the end of my junior year, I was unbelievably stressed with all my finals. I was not yet used to this, as my sophomore year culminated with only a math final that was pretty much the easiest test we had the whole year. But now, I had to balance studying for all my subjects, many of which had troubled me the entire year.

I also found myself envying the seniors as they finished with their finals and graduated. I was happy for my friends, of course, but that feeling of truly being free and having nothing to do was something I had been yearning for throughout the entire year, and I would not be able to experience it until next year. Because of the pandemic restrictions and my summer workload, I would not be able to travel anywhere during summer and make it back in time to start school. I had wanted to leave the country for the past three years, and it looked like I would have to wait until I left for university (if I even got into university). I was in a place where I was just tired of everything and wanted to give up, which was very bad considering junior year was pretty much the most crucial year of my academic career so far. But the only thing I could do was push through and keep going.

This sluggish and autopilot mindset was not desirable, as the lack of motivation and try-hard would ultimately present itself in the work I completed. I hoped that summer break would help with this. For those taking the infamous International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, the summer of your junior year is not a vacation at all.

With multiple internal assessments to write and the 4,000-word extended essay to complete, there is not much time for relaxation on the beach. Even so, I was able to take a breather and spend some time with my friends while also working on the assignments I had to finish. This helped me regain motivation and discover new passions, including journalism. With more time to do university research, I was also able to formulate my goals more clearly and also get excited about writing applications (well, more so being accepted into a school). Summer allowed me to slow down and think about what I actually cared about and wanted to pursue in higher education.

I hope that if any other juniors are currently suffering from junioritis, they are also able to get over it the same way I am doing. Though it’s understandable to look at graduation like the light at the end of a dark tunnel, as I have previously done, your high school experience is something you should cherish. For many, it may be the last year you spend with your childhood friends or your hometown. Right now, it may seem like you have forever to go, but one year passes by quickly.

My advice is to figure out what you are passionate about in school and cherish your time with loved ones before going to university alone. And also, prepare for senioritis—coming soon!

Images: Pexels, Unsplash

For our new column, Ask an Educator, we turn to educators, whether teachers, tutors, or principals, to answer frequently asked questions from parents. To send in your question, email jessicasuotmaa@beijing-kids.com.

This week, our question is:

“What is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and how does it differ from other high school diploma programs?”

Answering for us is Anna Sophie Loewenberg is an IB Language and Literature Teacher at Beijing No. 55 High School—International Student Section.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous pre-university course study designed for students in the 16 to 19 age range. It is a broad-based two-year course that aims to encourage students to be knowledgeable and inquiring, but also caring and compassionate.

In comparison to other programs offered at international schools around Beijing, such as the U.S.-based Advanced Placement (AP) program, the IBDP is more rigorous and holistic.

The program follows a curriculum mandated by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in Cardiff, Wales. The course presents six academic areas: language and literature, individuals and societies, mathematics and computer science, the arts, language acquisition, and the experimental sciences. In each of the academic areas students have flexibility in making their choices, which means they can choose subjects that particularly interest them and that they may wish to study further in university. Students study two modern languages (or a modern language and a classical language); a humanities or social science subject; an experimental science; mathematics; and one of the creative arts.

Students also participate in the three course requirements that make up the core, these include: the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, which encourages students to think about the nature of knowledge and reflect on the process of learning in all the subjects they study; an extended essay (EE), a substantial piece of writing, which encourages them to develop the skills of independent research that will be expected at university; and a creativity activity service (CAS) component to the program, which involves students in experiential learning through a range of artistic, sporting, physical and service activities.

Unique to the IBDP, it is this comprehensive range of subjects and experiences that makes it a demanding course of study designed to prepare students effectively for university entrance.

I am well acquainted with the Language A: literature course, which I teach at Beijing No. 55 High School. What I like most about the course is the way in which it encourages students to appreciate the role culture plays in making sense of literary works. In the literature in translation part of our course, students have the opportunity to reflect on the geographical, historical, and ethnic context of texts, and the lives and times of their authors. During one of our most memorable discussions, a student who was a native Thai speaker–together with his Mandarin speaking classmates–discovered common ground with Franz Kafka’s linguistic and cultural dilemma: how can one inhabit a language, if he does not feel at home in that language?

The literature A course is delivered in English and our syllabus includes poetry, drama, and fiction by greats such as Yu Hua, Haruki Murakami, William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and Alice Munro. Students have the opportunity to go beyond the mere “decoding” of texts towards a wide and humane appreciation of literature.

Overall, the IBDP offers a holistic approach to academic study, and I believe this approach allows students to flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally, as well as ethically.

Photo: courtesy of Anna Sophie Loewenberg