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Grade 9-10: 2023 Opening Ceremony

September 4, 2023

The curtain falls on summer's stage, ushering in the spotlight for a new academic year to begin. On September 1st, the first day of school, ninth and tenth graders gathered in the Grand Auditorium and eagerly awaited the opening ceremony to start the brand-new school year.

High School Vice Principal Ms. Liu Min hosted the ceremony. The ceremony started with a video displaying the vivid moments of the past year. Following the video, Vice Principal Liu expressed warm welcome to the new ninth and tenth graders. Next, the Grade 9 Head Teacher, Ms. Wu Chen, delivered a speech discussing the transition from middle school to high school. She acknowledged the need to maintain a good study-life balance and painted a picture of the transdisciplinary nature of the skills students will acquire in high school. She mentioned that there are many creative activities and opportunities for students to express their interests and liveliness and pointed out that planning and reflecting are fundamental to student development. In succession, the Grade 9 student representative came on stage and gave his speech, reiterating the importance of the transitional phase into high school. He discussed his love for videography and used it to encourage fellow students to strive for more.

Then, the Grade 10 Head Teacher, Ms. Yu Zhen, reminded the students that academic development should be a priority for upcoming sophomores. At the same time, she encouraged students to focus on their holistic growth and personal development. Lastly, she proposed that all students focus on character-building, becoming more polite, considerate, and empathetic in the process. The Grade 10 student representative shared his story of developing his interest. He believes that academics and interests go hand in hand, with the development of one spurring on the other. Following that, the TA office representative, Ms. Chen Lin, delivered a speech revisiting the past summer and outlining the upcoming school year. She introduced the TA office and House Program, noting that it is always here to help high schoolers explore their passions and achieve their goals.

Afterwards, High School Principal Mr. Ma Feng delivered a speech. Principal Ma shared with students his visits in the U.S. during the summer as well as a video filmed by an SHSID alumnus. The alumnus took his own experience from high school to university as an example and emphasized to all students the importance of listening to teachers and developing good study habits. Principal Ma also asked all students two questions: "Who are you?" and "What kind of person do you want to be?". He encouraged all the students to work hard and persevere on their way to pursuing excellence and provide their own unique answers to the two questions, adding more wonderful stories to SHSID with its 30-year history.

When entering high school, the competition for honors is in the hands of the students themselves, and many scholarships require students to complete applications on their own and defend themselves to produce the final winners. As the grand finale of this opening ceremony, a Grade-10 student representative first demonstrated the process of self-presentation during the defense. After that, the winners of last year's Social Activity Award, Academic Achievement Award, and Principal's List Award walked onto the stage under the warm applause and attention of all students to receive recognition for their outstanding achievements in the past year.

In the applause, the opening ceremony for Grades 9-10 was successfully concluded. In this new school year, a new journey, please continue to set sail and chase your dreams!

(Written by 10(5) Sophia Fang Pictures by Hao Sun Supervised by Mengli Wang Reviewed by Qian Zuo)