In the CAS class of January 6, 2021, 9th-grade students gathered in the Xianmian Auditorium to listen to fellow students present their results for the Freshmen Project.

Over the course of the past semester, 9th-grade students worked in groups for the Freshmen Project with the topic “Who Are We at SHSID?”. Each group took a different approach to investigate this topic. The subjects involved extended from the conventional ones of Math, Chinese, and English to various others including Economics, Psychology, and Sociology. All members of each group committed to working with their respective subjects, and developing a complete project that responded to the topic. After the previous in-class presentations made by each group, six groups were selected to make the final presentation of the Freshmen Project in front of all the grade’s students.

The first group to present was from class 9(6) (“The Passion Fruits”) with the topic of “Passions of SHSID”. Covering subjects from IT and Media to Music and Art while incorporating tactics such as interviews and case studies, the group proved that the passions that every SHSID freshman holds make the community diverse and yet more connected.

The next group, “Stressbusters” from 9(2), set on a more ground-based topic of “Stress among High-School Students”. With a lot of emphasis on social science, this group provided an inspiring presentation on the history, status quo, and expectation of stress among this particular group.

Setting a great start, the preceding presentations from Futuratatas and The Daydreamers focused on the future of SHSIDers—“Futurism” and ”Where We Will Be 4 Years From Now”. Surveys conducted by these groups reflect that freshmen are excited about the future, and yet most do not have a clear idea of future planning. A bright future awaits freshmen and is open for them to explore.

The last two presentations, on the other hand, focused on identity. The Pre10s analyzed the Bandwagon Effect in the school, and RAPIDLY examined the impact of being a Third-Culture Kid (TCK). Their focus on daily lives and the cultural identity of the majority of freshmen brought many connections to each individual. With their excellent speeches, the two groups brought a perfect end to the six presentations.

After all was said and done, the freshmen class voted on the top three groups and the results were shown— with the Meritorious Groups being the Passion Fruits and the Pre10s, and the Outstanding Group to be RAPIDLY. Their well-deserved achievement showed to fellow freshmen the capability of the project and how it could help them understand their classmates and their environment of SHSID altogether.

(Written by Ryogo Pictures by G9 News Group Supervised by Hazel Gu)