Fully Reunited at BWYA
Welcome Back Home!
The first week of the new semester has come to an end, with the staggered return of BWYA students having been carried out smoothly. As of September 8th, the entire BWYA wolfpack was back on campus, kicking-off the new year.
Despite over half a year of interruptions brought on by the epidemic, we never stopped learning and growing. With new technology and communication tools, and even an online graduation ceremony for our leavers, we kept our spirits high. Furthermore, to facilitate the students’ to return to campus, preparations also started early, with every department working together to create a unified solution to the unique challenge of living in the wake of COVID-19. As such, we are now reaping the rewards of everyone’s time and effort.
The Best Classroom Learning
After several months of online instruction, profile pictures were turned back into happy smiling faces, as classroom teaching resumed. In the secondary school, with some teachers still overseas, or undergoing quarantine in China, a mixture of offline and online learning is still being used, whilst always maintaining the highest teaching standards possible.
To minimise the amount of time our youngest learners spend on electronic devices, the primary school have also made comprehensive changes to the learning environment this year. Teachers still abroad or in quarantine, are working very closely with their counterparts in Beijing, to make sure the best possible classroom-based learning style is achieved.
Flag Raising Celebration
On the 1st September, at our new campus, the entire school celebrated a flag-raising ceremony, together remembering and sharing our learnings from the year so far. As student representative, Yan Erya, shared in her speech, “The past six months have been difficult for everyone, and quarantine has been a great challenge for our online classes and social interactions. But it is exactly in a time like this that courage, resilience, and adaptability become more valuable.”
Whilst misunderstandings and suspicions have increased in some areas, at BWYA, love, unity and mutual assistance are the main themes. As Yan Erya continued, “Kindness is a word that sounds broad, but it can start anywhere, anytime, like helping your teachers and peers in class, volunteering at a school event, and encouraging someone who is sad.”
As an international school student, an IB lifelong-learner, and global citizen, she further promised, “…we [will] grow as learners, aiming “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” As the school year starts, we face challenges and questions. But this new start will also come with unexpected surprises and opportunities to grow.”
Where many claim 2020 has been a negative year, at BWYA there’s a lot we’d like to celebrate.
Together, we overcame the difficulties of the epidemic, setbacks as the return to school was postponed, the long summer break, followed by the joy of the final return to on-campus learning.
It is then precisely because of these difficulties and trials that we can more fully cherish the joy of reunion, with a great new start at the new campus – bringing new hope for a better brighter future.
“What’s that?”, time for class, the bell is going…