Year in Review: 40 Ways we Rocked the 2021-2022 Academic Year
That’s a wrap, folks!
With the 2021-2022 academic year officially at a close, it is a fitting time to look back at the extraordinary year that has passed. Despite the challenges caused by COVID-19, and an extended period of online learning from March through to June 2022, our 2021-2022 academic year was still one of tremendous achievement. Let’s take stock and look back at 40 ways Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi totally rocked our 6th year.
01
Achieving Outstanding IGCSE Results
The year started with great news. Our first cohort of IGCSE students achieved remarkable results, cementing the College’s reputation for academic excellence. 78% of grades achieved were A* to A. 95% of grades achieved were A* to B. 100% of grades achieved were A* to C. Academic excellence is in the DNA of a Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi education, and we are particularly proud of our inaugural cohort of Year 11 students for attaining such fantastic IGCSE results amidst the challenges of learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are immensely proud to announce the outstanding IGCSE results of our 2020-2021 Year 11 cohort.
02
Launching our Global Citizenship Competencies Framework
We are deeply committed to promoting Global Citizenship, which to us encompasses all aspects of guiding our students to becoming compassionate, active citizens with the skills and knowledge they require to Live Worldwise. This academic year we have embedded our Global Citizenship Competency Framework, consisting of the 5 following strands aimed at developing a sense of self and community, building global engagement and inspiring action:
From the launch of our Global Citizenship Competencies Framework through to the wide variety of activities, events and projects throughout the year, our students have grown in their capacity to be thoughtful leaders in our community.
03
Valuing Family and Caring for One Another during Mid-Autumn Festival
We are proud of our world-class Mandarin programme, which encompasses not only fluency in language, but also a deep understanding of Chinese cultures and traditions. Our Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations are an annual fixture where we celebrate this important tradition of valuing family and reflecting on the importance of caring for one another.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi wishes you a safe Mid-Autumn festival with your family.
04
Deepening our Appreciation of Poetry across the College
Our students are passionate about literature, and an important element of this come from learning about and appreciating poetry. Whether it’s learning rhythm and rhyme in the Early Years, reading, analysing, writing and performing poetry in the Primary school, or working with a world-famous poet in the Senior School, our celebration of poetry is year-long but takes centre stage during Poetry Week.
At Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, we believe that every student has the right to access the sharpest minds, past and present, to receive the very best of teaching and learning.
We are proud to announce that multi-award-winning poet and rapper Mark Grist is coming to Dulwich once again!
05
Celebrating Gratitude at Canadian Thanksgiving
Approximately 10% of Dulwich College International graduates have attended university in Canada, making it the third most popular destination in our group of schools. In addition to this, three Canadian universities are in our Top 15 for matriculations - University of Toronto, University of British Columbia (UBC), and McGill University – and the University of Toronto has received the second most DCI students of any university in the world. A large number of our student are Canadian, or have important ties to the nation, so it is fitting that we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving again this year, with special guests from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
At Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, celebrating the traditions and cultures of our diverse community is an important element of College life.
06
Challenging Ourselves through our Senior School Challenge Week Residentials
Despite the challenges of travel presented by COVID-19, all of our Senior School students were able to enjoy a week away from campus for their Challenge Week residential trips. This included our Year 10 to Year 12 students, who completed their qualifying adventurous journey expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award; navigating routes around Dianshan Lake and Chongming Island using their compass and mapping skills in a kayak, whilst carrying all of their own equipment for the week!
Experiential education is an integral part of the curriculum at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi.
07
Taking Action on Climate Change
Educating for a sustainable future is an important aspect of our Global Citizenship Competency framework, and at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi we have the lens of sustainability in much of what we do. In support of COP26 we pushed for a NO CARbon November, providing opportunities throughout the community to reduce waste and recommit to taking action on climate change.
Educating for a sustainable future is the new and important mission for the Dulwich College International family of schools.
08
Celebrating Dia De Los Muertos
This year for the first time we added Dias De La Muertos to our calendar of cultural celebrations. This came about through a suggestion by Head Student, Vaishu, and was a great way to learn about and celebrate this colourful and deeply symbolic traditional date.
We know that we cannot truly ‘Live Worldwise’ unless we understand and appreciate the cultures, languages and traditions of the world. This aligns with the IB learner profiles, which aim to develop internationally minded students who “…Understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view and are willing to grow from the experience.”
— What Is An IB Education?
It is important that students learn to be comfortable with differences from a young age.
09
Winning the Diversity and Inclusion Award
In November 2021, we were immensely proud and honoured to be named winners of the inaugural British Schools Awards 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award. In addition to winning the Diversity and Inclusion Award, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi were also named as finalists for the Science and Technology Award, and the Staff Development Award.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi are immensely proud and honoured to be named winners of the inaugural British Schools Awards 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award.
10
Appreciating our Staff through Long Service Awards
In November 2021, the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community held a Long Service Awards ceremony, recognising those members of staff who have been with the College for 5 years. Included in those receiving Long Service Awards were several members of the College Leadership Team, including Founding Head of College, David Ingram, Founding Deputy Head of College, Christine Haslett, and Director of Admissions, Wonnie Sayama. Stability of leadership is a key indicator of a successful school, and we are proud to have so many founding members of staff still deeply committed to the College.
11
Hosting a Global Citizenship Panel
On Tuesday, 23 November, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi hosted our first Global Citizenship Panel ‘Perspectives on Global Citizenship from Leaders in the Shanghai International Community’. We were thrilled to be joined by leaders from a range of sectors, who spoke with our Senior School students about what it means to be a Global Citizen in industry the 21st century.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi hosted our first Global Citizenship Panel.
12
Building a Collaborative Approach to Student Wellbeing
Joining the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community means more than a world-class education for your child. As members of our community, parents also gain access to a wide range of parent workshops and academies designed to build the partnership between home and school; ensuring that every child within our care has access to evidence-based approaches to enhancing their wellbeing. This year, our Parent Academy programme went from strength to strength, with a wider range of topics based on parent feedback, and high levels of engagement across the community.
Joining the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community means more than a world-class education for your child.
13
Excelling at Mathematic on the World Stage
Our young mathematicians continue to excel on the world stage. This year our middle school and high school students once again set a high bar in the global UK Mathematics Trust Senior and Junior Maths Challenges.
ten Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi students from High School and Year 12 took part in the UK Mathematics Trust Senior Maths Challenge, which is open to students up to Year 13.
Mathematics at Dulwich is all about challenge, reasoning, and depth of understanding, which is why the UKMT Maths Challenges are such an important part of the academic calendar.
14
Raising Funds through our Winter Ball
In December 2021, members of the community came together for an evening of celebration at W Shanghai and successfully raised over 50,000RMB for two causes that are close to the hearts of those at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi through our Winter Ball.
15
Reveling in the Magic of the Festive Season
The festive season is always a particularly special time at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, and this year was no exception. From our choirs and orchestras performing at Disneyland and the DUCKS singing at the Amanyangyun Resort, to our Winter Concert and Tree Lighting Ceremony, Nursery and Year 2 productions, the staff panto and Santa’s visits, Christmas 2021 was truly magical.
Many special memories were created this festive season.
16
Coming 1st in China in the FOBISIA Literacy and Numeracy Festival
With 1,479 students competing, and 1,403,871 questions answered, the competition was fierce. Our students held their own though, with students placing in the top 100 overall, achieving great individual results, and coming 16th overall and 1st in China.
Our Year 5 and 6 students participated in the FOBISIA Primary Literacy & Numeracy Festival 2022.
17
Welcoming the Year of the Tiger in Style
As we always do, we welcomed the Chinese New Year in Dulwich Puxi style, with ample song, dance and celebration to keep “Nian” at bay for another year.
18
Becoming Superheroes in our Festival of Stories
The theme of this year’s Festival of Stories was ‘What Makes a Hero?’ and centered around exploring justice through literature. Our collective love of books, stories and literature was on full display, as we became superheroes for a week.
19
Championing Equity and Inclusion on International Women’s Day
We take diversity, equity and inclusion seriously. We believe in it, and we work hard to promote it. This year, on International Women’s Day, we hosted an officially registered International Women’s Day event titled Perspectives on Systems, Culture and Equality in the 21st Century, where a range of excellent speakers shared their thoughts and opinions on how organisational systems and cultures impact on the challenges facing women’s equality in the 21st century.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi successfully hosted an officially registered International Women’s Day event titled Perspectives on Systems, Culture and Equality in the 21st Century.
20
Nailing Remote Learning from Day One
We all remember it. We weren’t sure how long remote learning would go for, but we had been preparing for this eventuality for a long time and it paid off. In fact, we had been called upon to provide guidance and training to other groups of schools, so that they can draw on our expertise in providing learning continuity regardless of format or location.
When we got the notification that all learning activity was to move online, the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community was ready to go.
21
Launching our Virtual Campus Tour
The timing couldn’t have been better. With campus closed due to COVID-19 lockdowns, families could visit us at their convenience, regardless of location or time zone. Of course, nothing can replace a face-to-face visit, but this comes a very close second.
We are so excited to be launching our new online Virtual Campus Tour.
22
Absolutely Smashing ESB Results
Our students did it again! 100% Good Pass or Above. 99% Merit or Above. 79% Merit + or above. 37% Distinction (the highest ESB accolade). Quite simply, our students are excellent communicators.
23
Looking Forward to Big Changes and Growth
We have a lot to look forward to in the future. Soon, our campus will be growing, with new facilities representing a 25% increase in usable space (an additional 9,632 square metres). We cannot wait to show you around!
The Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi campus will soon be undergoing significant growth.
24
Leading the Way on Wellbeing at Global IB Conference
The wellbeing of our students, staff and families is a top priority at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi. Our student wellbeing model is leading the way in the international school community, and in March 2022 our staff took to the virtual stage at the IB Global Conference to share their expertise.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi took the lead on wellbeing at the IB Global Conference.
25
Winning the Sustainability Impact Award
We recognise that we have a responsibility to be a good citizen of the communities in which we operate. From involvement in community projects, to driving down our environmental impact and caring for those who work for us, we aim to make a positive difference in the world. We lead the way in this area, and promote a sustainability mindset in our students. This was recognised in the Australia-New Zealand Community Gala awards, where we received the Sustainability Impact Award.
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi were honoured to receive the Australia – New Zealand Community Gala Awards ‘Sustainability Impact Award’.
26
Winning a Global Chinese Writing Competition
Our students are articulate communicators in both English and Chinese. This year our students gained recognition for their work, winning awards in the prestigious ‘1st International Youth Chinese Writing Competition’.
We are proud to announce that two Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi students have received awards in the prestigious ‘1st International Youth Chinese Writing Competition’.
27
Making a Difference During Lockdown
The Mustangs Challenges sought to recognise the incredible work our students are doing in the community. The entries blew us away with their kindness and creativity.
28
Getting Recognised as a Common Sense School
We are now official recognised as a Common Sense School, preparing our students to think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate while preparing them for the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying.
Common Sense has recognised Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi as a Common Sense School.
29
Launching a Comprehensive ESG Report
We launched our first ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) Report. This report was the culmination of many months of work across all stakeholder groups in our community. It was informed through interviews, conversations, research and analysis. The resulting report allows us to understand where we are on our journey to creating a better world, providing benchmarks from which we can set new targets and new goals.
At Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, we are deeply committed to pursuing the realisation of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
30
Having the Best Parent Community in the World
When a community goes through a challenging time, they get through it best when they stick together and care for one another. Nothing exemplifies the strength of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community better than how our parents pulled together during the COVID-19 lockdowns to share their love with our teachers. We definitely have the best parents in the world! Thank you, Friends of Dulwich!
The article is dedicated to the kind, caring and thoughtful actions of the Friends of Dulwich and entire parent body at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi.
31
Dancing Our Way Through Lockdown
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And that’s just what we did. We danced our way through lockdown, sharing the message; We’re still standing!
Happy International Dance Day!
32
Coming 2nd in the Global COBIS EcoFilm Awards
Our Year 5 students won the award for their outstanding Sustainable Stationery projects. They faced the Dragon’s Den, then submitted their projects to the EcoFilm awards, coming in 2nd place. With 56 entries from 23 countries, our Year 5 students did a fantastic job.
We are proud to announce that Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi Year 5 students have won 2nd place in the global 2022 COBIS Eco Film Awards.
33
Collaborating with the Global Dulwich Family
The Annual Dulwich MADD Festival is an opportunity for our Year 5 and 6 students from across the Dulwich family of schools to engage creatively with the disciplines of Music, Art, Drama and Dance. Working with a range of specialists and Australian composer, Paul Jarman, our students came away from this year’s MADD Festival even more creative and engaged in the arts.
34
Winning a Chinese Picture Book Competition
With more than 700 participants from 20 international schools, our students took on the competition and won. Several students received the ‘General Excellence’ award, and one took home the grand prize, the ‘Best Chinese Picture Book’ award.
We are proud to announce that Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi students have won the '2nd Chinese Picture Book Writing Contest for International School Junior Students'.
35
Winning the 9th Dulwich Photo Competition
For the 2nd year in a row Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi took out the grand prize!
We are proud to announce that Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi student Angel, in Year 5, has won the grand prize in the 9th Dulwich Photo Competition.
36
Building Gardens in the Concrete Jungle
This years’ EcoCamp took the students on a journey of discovering how they can add a little green to our urban spaces.
EcoCamp is an annual event initiated and hosted by Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi.
37
Getting our Shakespeare on with Dulwich Colleges across the World
Who doesn’t love a bit of Shakespeare? This year’s festival theme was “Four Seasons”; examining how change has been the only constant in the ebb and flow of all our lives since 2020. The timing was apt, and truly demonstrated the incredible resilience our students and staff have shown in adapting to new ways of learning.
We have just wrapped up the 8th Annual Dulwich Shakespeare Festival
38
Winning our Global Citizenship Awards
This year many of our Senior School students received Bronze and Silver Global Citizenship Awards and a special thank you letter from United World Schools, recognising their undraising efforts throughout the year. Our students have played a pivotal role in raising funds for the Veal Reyoung School; supplementing events such as the Winter Ball to ensure that this school can continue to run successfully.
As students graduate from Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi, they will go into the world as well-rounded Global Citizens who Live Worldwise.
39
Celebrating our Amazing Students on Speech Day
The 2021-2022 academic year has been full of remarkable achievement by our students. Speech Day was an opportunity to recognise and those achievements and celebrate the students who have made a significant impact.
Speech Day is a long-standing Dulwich tradition and an important fixture in the academic calendar.
40
Recognising the Resilience and Success of our Year 11 Students
This year’s Year 11 students are a tough lot. Despite the challenges of lockdown and the COVID restrictions prior to that, they still managed to complete their Duke of Edinburgh awards and successfully complete their IGCSE exams. To celebrate their achievements, they were treated to an exclusive dinner on the Bund.
Our Year 11 cohort ended the year in style with an exclusive Year 11 Celebration Evening Dinner at the Fellas Terrace joined by key staff and their parents.
These 40 examples can barely scratch the surface of the year gone by. While it is tempting to remember 2021-2022 for the extended COVID lockdown, we choose to remember it for all of the remarkable things we have been able to achieve. We look forward to seeing our community again in August, where we will set our sights on rocking another year of learning.
