Student Voice: Meet the House that Aims High and Flies Higher
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is made up of students from around the world, with a depth and breadth of experiences that create a vibrant, thriving student body community.
In this series of Student Voice articles, we provide a platform for the students in our community to share their experiences and passions and we explore how Dulwich has helped them Learn Worldwise, so they can Graduate Worldwise.
In this article, Marketing and Communications Intern, Vaishu, takes us on a tour to learn more about one of the Houses at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi: Earhart House.
Earhart House is named after Amelia Mary Earhart (24 July 1897 – 2 July 1937), the world-famous aviation pioneer, author, and role-model who broke down barriers for women and girls around the world. She was the first female aviator to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, yet tragically vanished on the 2 July 1937 while attempting a world circumnavigation by flight: a mystery that to this day has still not been solved. Since the founding of The College in 2016, Earhart House has held a proud tradition of achievement in all areas. Their House chant shares a theme with our College value of ‘Aim High’, with students cheering “Aim High, Fly Higher”.
The Life and Times of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was born in Kansas, in the United States of America and moved regularly throughout her childhood. During a visit to her sister in Canada, Amelia discovered her passion for caring for wounded soldiers who participated in WWI. So, she chose to move to Toronto to become a nurse’s assistant.
After WWI, Amelia attended Colombia University in New York City to attend a pre-med program. However, she left the programme in 1920 to return to her family who at that time were in California. In California, she took her first airplane ride which inspired her to take flying lessons of her own. The next year she got her own plane and two years later got her pilot’s license. Her first plane was called Kinner Airster.
In the middle of 1920, Amelia shifted to Massachusetts to become a social worker. But she never gave up on her passion for aviation. During this period of time, people wanted to send a woman to fly across the Atlantic. Consequently, in 1928, Amelia was selected. According to some, Amelia was selected as she looked very much like Charles Lindbergh – another well-renown American aviator. On the 17th June 1928, Amelia departed as a passenger from Trepassey, Canada on a seaplane piloted by Gordon, Louis and Stultz, Wilmer and landed in Wales on the 18th June. As a result of this historical flight, Amelia became a celebrity and gave many lectures across colleges in the US. She wrote about her trip in a book titled 20 Hrs. 40 Min.
Amelia’s publisher, George Palmer Putnam, was also part of organising the flight. In 1931, they married, however Amelia, with her strong sense of independence, insisted on continuing to use her maiden name. The same year, she piloted an autogiro, an aircraft similar to a helicopter, and set a world record of flying it to an altitude of 5,613 meters.
On the 20th May 1932, Amelia successfully completed another crossing of the Atlantic, despite facing significant technical difficulties and challenging weather.
In addition to becoming an aviator, Amelia was known for encouraging women to go against social norms and follow their dreams. In the year 1929, she founded an organisation which serves as a fraternity for women, called Ninety-Nines, that served as a society for aspiring female pilots. She served as its first president.
In the year 1937, Amelia along with Fred Noonan – a navigator - set off for an around the world journey. Unfortunately, they didn’t complete the journey. After travelling roughly 35,000km of their 47,000km journey they radioed that they were running out of fuel. About an hour later, Amelia transmitted the sentence, “We are running north and south”, her last ever transmission.
Search parties were sent to find the pair, but on 19 July 1937 the operation was called off and it was declared that the pair was lost in the sea.
Amelia Earhart changed the world for the better. She inspired generations of women and girls to challenge social norms and set the example that they could achieve anything they set their minds to.
Interview with Richard, House Captain for Earhart House
Now that you we have learned a bit more about Amelia Earhart, let’s hear from the Earhart House Captain for this year, Richard from Year 9;
Q. Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Richard, and I am House Captain for Earhart House. I am half British and half Korean. I am in Year 9. I am passionate about sport, in particular tennis and soccer. I have competed and represented Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi in our Mustangs football team and have enjoy playing tennis in the Qizhong Tennis Stadium, where the ATP 1000 Masters Tournaments are held, and which is nearby the school.
Q. How long have you been in Dulwich? What are some of your favourite memories from your time at Dulwich?
This year is my second year at Dulwich. I joined in the summer of 2019. One of my favourite memories has to be the 2020 Sports Day. It was a great day, and I especially enjoyed the games and competitions last year because the previous Sports Day was cancelled due to COVID-19. It was so fun to compete for my House again!
The thing I love about Sports Day is that all students have a chance to represent our Houses, and we come together as a team, support each other and engage in friendly competition.
I also vividly recall our residential trip to Chengdu. This was really special for me, because it was my first time ever exploring a part of China beyond Shanghai. Over the course of Residential Week we had a lot of great experiences, but the one that stood out to me was when we helped members of the community replaster the walls of a house in a local village that was still in disrepair following the earthquake of 2007. This experience was in stark contrast to the modern environment in Shanghai. It was great to give something back to that community.
Q. How have you changed since you joined Dulwich?
I feel that I have become more confident at public speaking. I used to be really nervous about talking in front of audiences. Even when I was doing my speech to become the House Captain, I was very nervous. But since then, public speaking has become a regular part of my role and now I am quite comfortable with it. I have spoken at the Remembrance Day assembly, and both Senior School and Primary School assemblies on a range of topics. I think it is good to gain this confidence, because there will be many times in the future where I will be required to speak to audiences.
Q. What are your aspirations for the future both here at school and beyond?
I am currently in Year 9 which means it is my Pre-IGCSE year. I am in the process of selecting my IGCSE subjects, which will tie in with my decisions on which universities and degrees to apply for. Currently I am leaning towards taking Geography, because I love learning about different cultures and places. I would also like to take a PE subject, because I think the different strategies and tactics behind sports science are fascinating.
I am working with our University and Career Guidance Counsellor, Mr Zarate, to identify the appropriate pathways based on my interests and aspirations. I would like to be a journalist in the future, so I am working on the best way to achieve that goal.
Q. Moving on to your role as House Captain, why did you choose to apply for this role? How would you describe your experiences so far?
I saw how the previous House Captain approached the role last year. I was impressed with the way she brought people together and encouraged them. I wanted to continue this approach, and to help our House be as successful as possible. Being voted in as the House Captain was a real moment of pride for me, and I’m enjoying doing the role so far this year.
Personally, I think House Captains should always be willing to help and encourage their House members. They need to be creative, inclusive, and should make sure everyone in the House’s voice is heard. Listening is really important. It’s not so much about making all the decisions for the House, but rather bringing people together, hearing diverse voices and moving forward with consensus.
Before becoming House Captain, I thought it would be quite difficult, especially if we had to return to eLearning due to COVID-19. Thankfully that hasn’t happened. It has been great this year to organise House events, and to do a lot of the administration that perhaps isn’t seen by many people but is important for the successful running of the Houses.
Q. How do you manage time for your studies?
One of the main things I do is ensure I complete my homework on the day it is set. I don’t procrastinate and let it become late. This gives me time to complete my House Captain duties.
Q. Why is your House special to you?
Earhart House is special to me because we have a variety of different talents the people in our House. All students in Earhart are incredibly talented in some form or the other. While some students are more sporty others are more talented in art and music. It is great to have a House with such a diverse range of talents and skills.
Q. How would you describe your House in one or two words? Why?
I think I would describe our House as resilient and diverse, as the House members always try their hardest and never give up as well as the fact that all of the members in our House are good at a variety of different activities.
Q. What do you want to achieve throughout this year as House Captain?
I hope to win the House Cup this year as we had previously won for three consecutive years but missed out last year. I want to bring the cup back to Earhart again. Furthermore, I hope to lead Earhart House to win our House competitions. We’ve put in so much effort and it would be great to get the result we deserve.
Below are some quotes by students from Earhart House. These quotes were collected by Madeleine in Year 7, who is an Earhart member herself;
“I’ve really enjoyed the sense of community brought on by being part of a House. Being part of a team with student all over the school working together has been really satisfying”— Jay, Year 11
“I like winning and our House has a long history of that” — Dora, Year 8
“Being in a House gives me a sense of family and belonging” — Regina, Year 7
“My favourite part of Earhart House is our spirit of perseverance and community. As our House chant goes, we always ‘Aim high and fly higher’” — Leona, Year 7
“I love Earhart House, because it brings us all together throughout the year. I am proud to say I am in Earhart. Last year, my sister (who is currently the Head Student) was House Captain. I enjoy engaging with the members of the House, and honouring our House history and the people in it” — Madeleine, Year 7
Changing Times, and Honouring Amelia Earhart
Earhart House has been one of the leading Houses at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi since the founding of The College in 2016. Amelia Earhart will always have a very special place in the hearts of those in the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi community. However, this year the students of Earhart House have undertaken the process of choosing a new name for the House. This change is being made in reflection of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as global events over the past year that see a greater need for representation of people from a wider range of cultures.
“I have been incredibly proud watching the students come together in voting for a new house name. The list of suggestions has been broad, inspiring and has galvanised the House, creating a powerful sense of community as we have come together during this process.”– Mr Amin, Head of Earhart House
We look forward to learning more about this process, and the revealing of the new House name, as well as special plans to ensure that Amelia Earhart continues to be honoured as a special part of the Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi spirit.
Thank you for taking time to read through the article. In the next article in this series, we would like to introduce you to Yung House.
Bibliography
"Amelia Earhart | Biography, Childhood, Disappearance, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amelia-Earhart.
