On the afternoon of August 29th, 2021, some of last year’s G9-10 students, soon to be starting Grades 10 and 11, reported back to SHSID to prepare for the scholarship-selection session in Zhentao Building.

Many students applied for awards such as the Academic, Social Activity, and Principal’s List awards during the 2020 school year. The Academic Award requires excellent academic performance; the Social Activity award is GPA-blind and requires avid participation in activities inside as well as outside of school. The Principal’s List Award requires both outstanding academic achievements and activities. The candidates who applied for scholarships last semester gathered at the beginning of the new semester and brought on a wonderful presentation for the panel of judges composed of teachers, student representatives, and parent representatives.

In a fascinating defense of their applications, the students of SHSID showed their outstanding talents in academic performance, social activities, and public service. Each applicant needed to present a 3-minute speech in front of numerous teachers, parents, and students, as well as answer any questions from the panel of judges for 2 minutes.

Within 5 minutes, the students had calmly demonstrated their outstanding academic achievements in various competitions such as NSDA, FBLA, AMC, CTB, etc. At the same time, they had also actively participated in the school's sports teams, clubs, and other activities. Also, they had often participated in public-welfare activities that, to this day, contribute to the community and society. Some students brought evidence of their excellent achievements, ranging from apps they had written by themselves to practices of ancient Chinese calligraphy.

Regardless of the results of the selections, this was a rewarding and meaningful experience for all participants. We wish all the candidates can achieve good results, maintain excellence in the fields they are pursuing, persist in new explorations outside their comfort zones, and become more diversified.

(Written by Amanda Cheng Pictures by Yanjie Yao Supervised by Jialong Liu Reviewed by Qian Zuo)