Pao School welcomes new semester

President Xu welcomed the Primary students back to campus

In preparation for the new semester, the operations team of each campus methodically carried out important sanitization and cleaning work. No stone was left unturned as the school’s venues for indoor functions, outdoor sports venues, classrooms and offices were disinfected. At the same time, as the new semester loomed just around the corner, handymen and ayis demonstrated their versatility, turning their attention to packaging and distributing students’ textbooks, which were sent to classrooms to welcome them back to school. 

To ensure the safety of all three campuses, security guards were posted at the respective campus entrances 24 hours a day. They dutifully implemented the government and school’s epidemic prevention and control measures, while managing the flow of people to and from campus. Upon entry to the school, students are required to have their temperatures, health codes and travel codes checked, and only those who meet the requirements could enter. Further, prior to the start of the new semester, staff from the General Services regularly organized school buses, school meals, and property personnel to conduct training focused on campus safety and epidemic prevention to ensure students could smoothly return to school.

On the first day of school, all years of the Primary School held an assembly to help new arrivals smoothly integrate into the school community and to help returning students get back into learning mode. 

During the assembly, Principal Siobhain Allum shared a story about the Tokyo Olympic Games held this summer, encouraging students to learn about the outstanding qualities of athletes.

Primary Deputy Principal Crick Chen guiding the students onto campus on the first day back

The Hongqiao campus once again welcomed students from Year 6-8 back – this time to a newly upgraded campus. All students, whether they were experienced Year 7s and 8s, or the Year 6s first entering the Middle School, were curious to investigate the new and improved campus. To help the Year 6s smoothly adapt to campus life, the school paired each of them with a ‘Shadow Buddy’. 

Middle School Principal Caroline Xu greeting students as they come through the school gate

Middle School Deputy Principal Peter Kalis greeting the students on the first back at school

On the High School campus, the school carefully prepared a series of activities for new arrivals among Years 9-11 during student registration. These activities help familiarize the students with classmates and the campus, allowing them to more easily integrate into school life. As in years past, under the leadership of fellow students from the Prefect Programme, the freshmen moved into dorms, visited the campus, and completed registration. Further, the school arranged a challenging campus treasure hunt to help students become familiar with the school grounds. After dinner, all the students participated in activities held on campus. 

Mark Bishop, Executive Principal and High School Principal, addressing the school on opening day

This past summer, Pao School was still a hive of activity even though teachers and students were not present. Taking advantage of the summer, all three campuses spared no effort in carrying out renovation work. As a result, the campuses each have a completely new look. All campuses have been carefully designed over the past few years, under the personal leadership of our Chairman Professor Anna Sohmen Pao and Executive Deputy Chairman Philip Sohmen. No detail, large or small, was forgotten in their designs.

This summer, the four-year renovation project of the Hongqiao campus main teaching building was successfully completed. The upgrades helped improve both the functionality and aesthetics of the campus,  covering everything from landscaping to design and planning of the main teaching building to the arrangement of functional facilities in the teaching building. 

Upon entry to the Hongqiao campus, the first thing you see is the lush central lawn, a special place on campus for students to stroll and relax in the sun. On the lawn stands a tall sculpture by the French sculptor Natalie DeCoste entitled "Trace of Time,” representing the school’s hope that students can cherish their time at Pao School and live happy lives.

From the lawn, the door of the newly renovated teaching building is clearly visible. The new design was installed during the summer, inspired by Founder Professor Anna Sohmen Pao’s concept that architecture should be students’ “third teacher”. The rust-coloured doors are chosen to represent the body of a ship about to be scrapped after it has travelled many miles, conveying YK Pao’s indomitable spirit from his humble beginning to King of the Sea, and his dedication and service to his homeland.

The four gardens in the teaching building are each named after the "plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum" respectively, representing the school’s hope that students can appreciate and embody the virtues of the so-called "Four Gentlemen" or "Four Noble Ones" of Chinese art. For the plum blossom the virtues are inner beauty and humble display under adverse conditions; the orchid symbolizes a benign nature, humility and nobility; the bamboo stalk tolerance, open-mindedness and the ability to yield but not break, while the chrysanthemum symbolizes the ability to withstand all adversities. 

Of these, the rooftop "Orchid Staff Garden" specially created for teachers will become a place where teachers can gather and share ideas. The "Chrysanthemum Student Garden" on the fourth floor was specially created for students to be a space to collaborate and experience the garden’s different colours in spring and autumn. 

The facilities at Hongqiao Campus were renovated to be user-centric, whilst putting safety first. With that in mind, two new elevators have been added to the teaching building to ensure barrier-free traffic throughout the building. The school also added an automatic external defibrillator (AED) for first-aid purposes, and conducted first-aid training for staff. A gym has also been added to the teaching building to allow students to exercise under the guidance of teachers. 

Renovation of Wuding Campus has primarily focused on improving the safety of school facilities. As you enter the campus, you can see a white corridor connecting the east and west teaching buildings. The corridor ensures that teachers, students and staff can move freely between the two floors even in inclement weather. Further, fire safety has been comprehensively improved, with related facilities upgraded in accordance with the latest fire-fighting standards. 

In the auditorium, advanced LED display screens, stage lights and audio equipment were replaced, and the upgraded equipment will serve teachers and students well. It has a wide variety of applications, including activities, performances, assemblies, and meetings. At the same time, for the benefit of younger students, the recreational facilities on the fourth-floor playground have also been replaced and new multifunctional facilities have been added.

As a boarding campus, the Songjiang High School needs additional investment in housing, food, and security for teachers and students. This year the campus improvements focused on a comprehensive upgrade of the cafeteria, as it has now been operating for a decade. The renovated cafeteria looks brighter and more spacious. The simple and stylish design, coupled with a rich variety of cuisines, will whet the appetites of students and staff alike.

This year Songjiang Campus upgraded some teachers’ apartments, including floors, ceilings, walls, sanitary ware, water, electricity, and furniture. These upgrades have significantly improved the wellbeing of teachers and increased their sense of belonging. In addition, per the requirements of the latest fire protection regulations, the Songjiang campus’s fire protection equipment has been upgraded accordingly.