As the cold winter comes to an end, the students of SHSID prepared themselves for another exciting semester, after replenishing their energy and enthusiasm during the winter break. With smiles of joy, students finally returned to the beautiful SHSID campus on the 19th of February.

G9-10

On the morning of the first day of school, students of grades 9 and 10 gathered in the auditorium to participate in a grand and warm opening ceremony. Accompanied by a carefully edited short video, students watched the fierce scene of fellow students participating in the 14th National Winter Games Ice Hockey Game and reviewed the rich and colorful activities from the past semester, which was not only a warm summary of the past time, but also the good wishes for their peers and unlimited expectations for the future. Afterwards, Vice Principal of the high school, Ms. Liu Min, delivered a speech. Principal Liu's speech focused on how students should deal with tension in high school life. By sharing how to embrace uncertainty, use multiple platforms to learn about themselves, find a development path that truly suits them, and improve themselves through reading and interdisciplinary learning, Principal Liu encouraged students to balance their high school life with action and a calm and confident mindset in order to achieve personal growth.

Ms. Liu Jialong from Grade 9 then gave a heartfelt speech about her role as a homeroom teacher. She confessed that although ensuring students' daily behavior is an important part of a homeroom teacher's job, she feels the joy of witnessing students' growth. Ms. Liu emphasized that the role of the homeroom teacher is more like a caring companion who is always by the side of the students, helping them to solve problems on their way to growth and witnessing their progress together. Pete, the Grade 9 student representative, gave a speech on time management, teamwork, and balancing social relationships. He shared his experience of using lunch break effectively to complete academic tasks and how he utilized his own strengths to work efficiently with his peers when completing teamwork.

Ms. Jiang Huihui from Grade 10 then delivered an infectious speech, emphasizing the importance of enjoying high school life. She pointed out that high school is one of the few stages of life where students have some maturity and are full of enthusiasm, and reminded them that no matter what their current situation is, they will eventually engrave their high school years in their hearts, so they should cherish every opportunity to enrich their life experience. Sophie, the Grade 10 student representative discussed the critical nature of planning in high school. She focused on the importance of prioritizing personal interests and goals while allocating time effectively to achieve them, and shared personal experiences and insights gained from those experiences.

ASB President Chelsea then walked onto the stage and led the audience to review the unforgettable activities provided to students over the past semester with the cooperation of all ASB departments, and previewed the upcoming exciting programs for this semester, and the warm applause represented the students' appreciation and recognition of ASB's hard work. Ms. Ye Zhen then gave an inspiring speech from the perspective of a TA teacher. Starting from the example of a student, Ms. Ye depicted how a student can utilize the rich resources of the TA Office for self-exploration and ultimately realize the path of interest-focused development. The journey of growth is full of challenges, and daring to experience new things is already a success. At the same time, the firm support from home and school will never let this journey be lonely.

Finally, the teachers of each subject combined the unique charm of their subjects to give students Chinese New Year wishes. Thus, the new semester officially started. Wish every student can go forward like a loong on the road of chasing their dreams and ride the wind.

G11-12

The opening ceremony of the 11th and 12th grades of SHSID was held with great fanfare on the afternoon of February 19, 2024. During the ceremony, teachers and students reviewed the achievements of the previous semester and looked forward to the challenges and opportunities of the new semester.

The opening ceremony began with a video created by the 11th and 12th grade students, showcasing the highlights of the previous semester. The video showed students participating in various extracurricular activities, club activities, art festivals, and the exciting moments of receiving offers from their desired universities. It brought back unforgettable memories for all the teachers and students, and filled them with anticipation for the new semester.

Firstly, Mr. Hong Miao, the head teacher of the 12th grade, expressed his expectations and blessings for the graduating students in the new semester. Mr. Hong encouraged the 12th grade students to cherish every day in school and prepare for the future. In the previous semester, the students demonstrated perseverance and effort during the university application process, achieving remarkable results. He congratulated the students who had been accepted, and encouraged those still waiting for acceptance notifications to believe that the best results were yet to come. At the same time, he reminded the students to maintain their focus on academics before graduation and look forward to the upcoming college life. Lastly, he hoped that the students would stay true to their original intentions, pursue their dreams, and become the best versions of themselves.

Next, two student representatives from the 12th grade took the stage to deliver speeches. Victoria shared her experience of building the Peer Advisor Group and encouraged students to maintain a spirit of mutual assistance on their future paths, no matter what challenges they may encounter. Chao emphasized the importance of maintaining personal happiness with humorous and vivid examples, while also wishing the students to maintain a healthy and positive psychological state in the upcoming semester.

Grade 11 Head Teacher Zhang Yueyue listed several challenges faced by the 11th grade students, emphasizing the importance of making plans in advance. She encouraged the students to actively seek help from their teachers in order to find their own direction and prepare for college applications. In addition, she hoped that the students would be able to balance their academic and extracurricular activities, possess a positive mindset, and realize their own value in the future.

Sophia from the 11th grade shared the powerful belief that courage instills in people. She mentioned that the countless opportunities and choices in high school often lead students to lose themselves. However, she encouraged everyone to stay true to themselves and bravely face expectations and different paths. She shared her experience of participating in a Model United Nations conference, emphasizing that courage does not lie in having the loudest voice, but in being genuine. Finally, she hoped that everyone would fearlessly take on challenges and persist in moving forward. The speech by Vincent from the 11th grade emphasized the importance of pursuing passion and its value in life. Using the example of the debate team, he stated that in activities, it is important to focus on enjoyment and passion. He believed that as long as people pursue the same goal with like-minded individuals, they can find happiness and a sense of meaning. Therefore, he encouraged everyone to invest time in pursuing their interests and not sacrifice them for academics.

Subsequently, Jessie, the president of the 11th and 12th grade student council, delivered New Year's greetings to everyone. She reviewed the activities of the previous semester and announced the activity plans for this semester. For the graduating seniors, the prom will be the last important event of their high school journey. Jessie encouraged everyone to actively participate and provide suggestions and ideas for the event. Finally, she shared her personal feelings as the president of the student council and wished everyone a pleasant semester.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Director Liu Qin showcased 48 student activity, club, and academic videos from the previous semester, highlighting the students' rich and outstanding extracurricular activities during the semester and winter vacation. She expressed genuine pride and admiration for the students. She gave the students the phrase "the harder you work, the luckier you get," hoping that the 11th-grade students would continue to strive and that the 12th-grade students would persist in honing their activities and academic pursuits.

We wish all the students to engage in the new semester's studies and activities with a more positive attitude, embrace new challenges, and grow and progress together!

(Written by 10(12) Chanyeon Hwang, 10(8) Alex Dong, 10(5) Aimee Mu, 12(5) Elizabeth Xu Pictures by Mr. Hao Sun, SHSID Media Group Edited by Mr. Cody Allen Turner)