2025 Summer Camps Highlights

A Look Back at Our 2025 Summer Camps

The School’s Chinese Culture Camp was initiated 17 years ago, and has continued to evolve and grow. This year, over 100 overseas students joined us on this distinctive cultural journey. Inspired by the classic novel ‘Journey to the West,’ students encountered traditional culture in entirely new ways—through roleplay, missions, and challenges that brought ancient stories to life and made learning feel fresh, engaging, and relevant. Students formed emotional connections with Chinese culture through immersive activities and cross-cultural friendships. Living and learning alongside students from other programmes offered yet further opportunities to experience culture in action.

Beyond the classroom, students explored traditional arts, from pottery and tea culture, to Peking opera and Chinese music. Excursions to places such as Yuyuan Garden and Jingdezhen saturated them in the depth and richness of Chinese culture in real-world settings. It is during such moments that the seeds of cultural appreciation quietly take root.

Designed for students aged 5–9, the Whole Person Day Camp focuses on nurturing whole-person education. Beyond academic skills, the programme encourages curiosity, builds character, and helps young learners discover their intellectual passions. Rooted in the concept of ‘learning through play,’ each day combines Bilingual Science and ‘Speak&Shine’ courses with one hour of Creative Arts and Fun Sports—offering a well-rounded, joy-filled experience.

In Bilingual Science, younger students explored nature, physics, chemistry, and biology through hands-on activities and playful experiments. Older students dove into more advanced topics, including materials science and hydraulics, uncovering the hidden ‘superpowers’ behind everyday phenomena. In Speak & Shine, younger students worked on their tone and pace, while older ones developed storytelling skills through speech writing, presentations, and performance.

In Creative Arts and Fun Sports, students expressed themselves through movement and colour, cultivating joy and a sense of beauty, collaboration skills, and imagination. Whether painting on a canvas or teaming up on the field, bodies and minds were fully engaged and nourished.

Our teachers paid close attention to each child’s progress and development. In an environment where they felt supported, students became more confident, courageous, and responsible. Many parents have expressed appreciation for the daily ‘communication notebooks’ kept during the camp. “Reading the handwritten notes from teachers each day, I can truly see my child growing bit by bit,” one parent wrote. “It’s reassuring and heartwarming.”

A truly global mindset isn’t achieved by simply ‘going abroad.’ The Global Vision Residential Camp, for students aged 9–15, blends academic learning with multicultural experiences to broaden worldviews, deepen self-awareness, and strengthen independence.

Six Themes x Eight Co-Curricular Activities

Morning sessions focus on three key areas: economics and business, STEM, and language&cultural literacy. In the afternoons, students explore co-curricular activities including pottery, swimming, spikeball, and Chinese percussion—offering a varied, hands-on environment that fosters whole-person development. Boarding life itself is an essential part of the experience: from packing their own bags to attending morning assemblies and taking part in team challenges, students build confidence through encountering the unfamiliar and finding a sense of belonging within their community.

While making new friends, the students gain a deeper appreciation for empathy, respect, and inclusivity within intercultural life. The values of compassion, integrity and balance are condensed through their actions, guiding them as they prepare to engage with a wider world.  “In just ten days, I saw my child become braver, more independent, and more willing to listen and to express themselves,” one parent observed.

Launched just this year, the Pao Elevation Academy is tailored for students aged 12–15. With two key themes—Shaping Academic Leadership in the AI Era and Global Business Leader: Financial and Legal Acumen—the programme provides students with expert guidance from top university scholars and industry professionals, immersing them in real-world scenarios and high-level, interdisciplinary challenges.

The rigorous daily schedule combines lectures, hands-on projects, and team collaboration designed to sharpen critical and creative thinking. Over the two-week programme, students push their boundaries, gain confidence, build a sense of responsibility, and develop strong teamwork skills. Each session concludes with an impressive capstone presentation through which students exhibit their growth and ideas.

Yvette, a lecturer from MIT, commented: “Resilience, ethical innovation, communication, transversal thinking, and creativity—these are the five essential skills I believe students must develop to be future-ready.” Through this programme, the students have been set on their way to becoming changemakers in the age of AI.

Now in its third year, the Sailing Camp has again partnered with world-champion sailing team ChinaOne Ningbo to offer a one-of-a-kind maritime adventure for students aged 9–15.

On open waters, students learned about boat structure, wind direction, teamwork, and the fundamentals of solo sailing. Some were nervous at first—even hesitant to approach the edge of the deck. But patient training emboldened them to face the wind and steer with confidence. They developed abilities for calm judgment, clear communication, and quick thinking through real practice.