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Parent’s Speech at the Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2015 (Summary)

June 9, 2015

Parent’s Speech at the Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2015 (Summary)

Dear teachers &students, dear guests,

I take this great pleasure to speak to you today on behalf of all the parents.

First of all, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the graduating Class 2015 for your great accomplishment and a job well done. You made it! You are a brilliant awesome bunch. We are very proud of you. You deserve a huge round of applause from all of us.

At this special moment, we should not forget those who helped us to reach one of the most important milestones of your life time. For that we owe a great deal to the teachers and staff members at Shanghai High School. Thank you very much for the teaching and caring for our kids over all these years. As a parent, I would like to take a deep bow to show my great respect.

I still remember clearly the time when we decided to send our dearest daughter Ellen to this school after a friend of mine made a strong recommendation. Ellen was attending the American School at that time. We were fully aware that American Schools have their own strengths, especially in terms of encouraging individual personality and developing communication skills, while Chinese schools are well known for their rigorous curriculum and academic performance. We thought it would make sense for Ellen to be exposed to the best of both worlds. Shanghai High School International Division appeared to be the most ideal place for just that. Therefore, Ellen changed schools one more time shortly after she had hopped from the Singapore International School to American School. She was only ten years old at that time. Everything turned out exactly as we expected and more. Ellen really fitted in and loved it here. She has never complained about anything. Not only did Ellen excel in academics, but also she made a lot of good friends at school and expanded her extracurricular interests and hobbies. She learned how to manage her time properly and prioritize her daily tasks like a pro, while keeping a nice balance between school activities and other interests. To me, her most important achievement is that she learned how to become independent, from her regular studies to university applications. Shanghai High School International Division made a parent’s job easier.

What made Shanghai High School unique is its good combination of caring teachers and staff members, diligent students, and supportive parents. We all contributed in our own ways to make this school a huge success and we worked together to create a highly positive learning environment. What the students gained here is far more than just knowledge from textbooks. They formed important life values that will guide them through the real world.

Looking at your young faces reminds me of those hard old days that my generation faced. Our generation was inflicted with poverty and we were hungry for information. You are now overwhelmed with too many material possessions and unmanageable information explosions. Today’s world is so different from the world we grew up in, so even as your parents, we cannot tell you that we have been there and we have done that. You must explore the world on your own. While your high school life is coming to an end, your real life just started unfolding. This can be both tempting and intimidating. There should be no fear on your mind as you are well prepared and you can still count on our full support in case of challenges, confusions, and maybe even hardships. You will be encountering different cultures, and you will meet new people, but you are not entering a wild jungle full of dangerous animals. You will be interacting with human beings. No matter where you will be, as long as there are people around, the core values will remain the same. Please remember just a few key values: be honest with people including yourself; keep an open mind toward new ideas, and show empathy to those who are different. Things will then work out fine. In the real world, parents or close friends are not always around you. You must always choose wisely by yourself. You must set hard limits for things that you should never touch: things like illegal drugs and unsafe sex.

Life is a journey. You are now in charge of charting your own course. I am sure that all the parents share only one best wish to you: we wish you a happy and successful life. You have to define them in your own terms. The wide sea allows the fish to leap about and vast sky the birds to fly.

Thank you very much for your attention!