New Parent & Student Pudong campus new parent: As a parent, and as an educator, I am so impressed with your school.

Yesterday, at orientation, we felt most welcome and enjoyed all our conversations and interactions with your staff and the new and returning parents we met. SAS is truly a unique international school. 

Puxi campus new parent: My son has attended six international schools and we have never experienced such an informative orientation. What an impressive start to the new school year at SAS!Orientation August 2010

Enrollment Numbers:
3,066 (Pudong, 1,262; Puxi,1,804)

New Students:
Pudong 369; Puxi 224 (593 total)

Orientation Attendance:
  Puxi Campus:
    221 Families / 260 Students
  Pudong Campus:
    271 Families / 347 Students

Chong who can speak four languages (English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)aspires to be a diplomat. Her sister Yuree (Amy) Chong was a 2010 graduate of SAS. Chong  will represent Korea in the Miss Universe 2010 and Miss World 2010 pageants. Her hobbies are yoga, dancing and cooking. 

SAS Chinese teacher, Holly Lin, had Sora in her AP Chinese class during her senior year (she got a 4 for her AP exam). Lin recalls Sora as someone who got along well with classmates, was intelligent and determined. When she was “determined to do something, she put in the effort and reached the goal,” Lin said.

The Eagle was unable to reach Chong for a comment as to her future plans. The winner of this contest is now entitled to compete in the Miss Universe and Miss World competitions, which may be held in Vietnam.

Following a return to China in the 1990s, Jin Xing pursued his desire to undergo sex reassignment surgery, a medical procedure essentially unheard of in the country at the time.  Its immediate results were tragic in that they nearly cost Jin Xing the ability to permanently walk, much less dance.  However, through sheer determination and intense physical therapy, Jin Xing soon began dancing again and has since gone on to form China’s first ever independently operating professional dance company, Jin Xing Dance Theater, which has garnered critical acclaim from around the world. 

On September 17 at 7pm in the Puxi Campus PAC, The Jin Xing Dance Theater performs their work Shanghai Beauty, a modern dance piece that dares to debate the topic of beauty, as it is perceived in China versus the west. Having been performed internationally, the work is described as rebellious, cross-cultural, and groundbreaking.  Tickets can be purchased on the Puxi Campus at the three school offices and the PAC box office.  For more details visit the PAC blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pac/

By Doug HUNDLEY, Director, Performing Arts Center

This summer’s campus improvement efforts were presented with some unique challenges.  Shanghai endured 30 straight days of rain, representing its longest continuous rain period recorded in the past 138 years.  In addition, project work was scheduled and coordinated to accommodate the student summer program at the Puxi campus.

There were a number of noteworthy projects at both campuses that were built to enhance the student learning environment, support new or existing programs, and incorporate 21st century educational concepts and technologies. 

Pudong Elementary School Covered Play Area: Students will now be able to use this gym throughout the year in a conditioned space.  In addition, a PE office and storage were added to improve the function of the facility.

Puxi Elementary School Courtyard:  In order to enable the younger ES children to fully utilize the courtyard year-around, a membrane covering (similar to the types used at the Shanghai Expo site) and colorful padded ground cover was installed.  The children can now play outside and be sheltered from rain and sun.

Pudong MS/HS Library/Media Center: Major remodeling work to create additional learning spaces within the library.

Puxi Middle School Gym Locker Room Expansion: To address space constraints in the existing gym locker room, a new section was added to expand the boys and girls lockers rooms.  A new classroom was also added to support the PE program.

Pudong High School Science Labs: New HS labs equipped with state-of-the-art educational and safety equipment will enhance the School’s science program.

Puxi High School Gym: Major changes were made to the HS Gym including a new wood floor and repair of the bleachers.  These improvements will enhance the athletic programs at SAS as well as improve safety.

In addition to the above, in the Pudong campus, the School also built new elementary administration and admission office suites, and a new student lounge and digital photography lab in the high school college center. In Puxi, the School replaced part of the old underground HVAC piping to enhance water flow, added a kiosk in the Performing Arts Center, and improved and renovated some spaces to improve utilization.

 We thank the dedicated people who stayed on campus during part of all of the summer to ensure that the project and program work were successfully completed. With the new facilities and improvements completed over the summer, the school year 2010/11 promises to be exciting and productive.

By David TRIPLETT, Facilities Manager, and David LEUNG, CFO

Congratulations to our second cohort of SAS teachers and staff members who have earned their Master of Education degrees from Plymouth State University, one of our collegiate partners in adult learning. We celebrate their personal and professional achievements as living models of “academic and personal success in higher education and life in a global society” (SAS vision statement). We join them in thanking their graduate practicum advisors,  Alan Knobloch and Ron Roukema, their advisors, Hank Claassen and Krista Blovad, as well as our SAS Board for its ongoing commitment to professional learning.

While blended learning assignments, research papers, homework, projects, asynchronous online discussions, assigned readings, and firm deadlines may sound like student learning activities here at SAS, in fact, more than 30 SAS TEACHERS were so engaged as a part of their commitment to  earn graduate credits hours or a graduate degree — all while teaching and working full time! In the fall of 2006, a partnership with Plymouth State University began (www.plymouth.edu) and in May, 2009, we had our first group of graduates. Both the 2009 and 2010 cohort of teachers have taken full advantage of the professional learning opportunities offered at SAS and have been involved in task force groups, teacher leadership roles, curriculum development, and Action (classroom-based) Research as a result.

During our opening Professional Development day, Deputy Superintendent Alan Knobloch called for standing recognition of the many other SAS faculty and staff who have earned Master and doctoratal degrees, as well as offering a encourgement and support for those still in their doctoral programs.  2010 graduate Simon Power (Pudong Campus) has agreed to join Hank Claassen in service as the Graduate Advisor for our next cohort of faculty and staff earning their M.Ed. degrees.
The graduates now have a diploma, but the true beneficiaries of their dedication are our SAS STUDENTS!

 PHOTO (L-R): Jennifer Yang, Xiao Jian, Ellen Xu, Simon Power, Joyce Liu, Alicia Lewis (Curriculum Coordinator), Serena Xia, Principal Alan Knobloch, Daisy Liu, Angela Mao. Not pictured: Ron Roukema and advisors Hank Claassen and Krista Blovad (2009-10); Graduates Cathy Weng, Mary Li, and Belinda Bian. EAGLE photo by Timothy Merrill.

This summer, four girls from the SAS swim team, Jessica Hu and Vivian Zhou from the Puxi campus and Jacqui Johnsson and Meghan Ingram from the Pudong campus, travelled to America to spend two weeks of their holidays hard at work in the pool. 

First, they attended the Michael Phelps NBAC swim camp in Baltimore where they were excited to receive advice on stroke technique from top coaches including Michael Phelps’ personal coach, Bob Bowman. They also learned useful tips about fitness and nutrition.

However, the highlight of the week for the girls was meeting Michael Phelps himself. They had an amazing opportunity to ask Michael questions about swimming and to watch him, Katie Hoff and other members of the U.S. Swim team in training for the upcoming Pan Pacific Swimming Championship.

Next, they travelled south to Newport News in Virginia, keen to put their improved strokes into practice at the AAU Junior Olympics. This sporting event attracted more than 400 swimmers from all over the USA but our SAS girls were not to be intimidated! By the end of the week, they had amassed a total of 22 medals between them for top 8 finishes, including three Bronze medals and a fourth place finish in the 11-12 year club relay events. A fantastic achievement!

On the last day of the competition when, according to tradition swim caps are swapped, the girl’s SAS caps were in high demand.  In true “Eagle” style, their determination and positive sprit demonstrated that they had certainly taken on board the motivational quote from the NBAC swim camp: “Excellence is not an exception, it’s a prevailing attitude”. 
The girls expressed gratitude to Coach Hu who was the inspiration behind the trip and and who stepped up as coach.

PHOTOS: Below—Seated in the white shirt, NBAC Coach Bob Bowman, and in the blue shirt, Michael Phelps.  Back row, from left to right, Meghan Ingram (2nd from left), Jessica Hu (3rd from left), Vivian Zhou (black shirt, 2nd from right), Jacqui Johnsson (red shirt, right).  There are two girls from the camp in this picture that are not SAS students. Far left: Coach Bowman. Center: Vivian Zhou, Jacqui Johnsson, Jessica Hu, Meghan Ingram with medals after competing in the AAU Junior Olympics. Top: Olympian Michael Phelps offers students swimming advice.

By Amanda  INGRAM

It’s expected that students commit to attending their practices and weekend swim meets they qualify for. We realize students will have family and homework obligations to fulfill. If you believe a balance between these obligations can be maintained we welcome your involvement on the swim team. In Shanghai our Puxi and Pudong swimmers will compete against each other.  In traveling meets we will continue to unite as One Team on Two Campus.

For more information contact your coaches or Aquatics Director Jon Biros (Puxi) jon.biros@saschina.org or George Carpouzis (Pudong) at george.carpouzis@saschina.org
In-class swimming lessons for Puxi’s Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grade 1 will commence August 27 and will run for the entire month of September. Details will be communicated through the homeroom teacher.

Puxi lap swimming times for adults are from 6-7:45am Monday to Friday as well as Fridays after school from 4:05-5pm.
Student Swim Club is back at Puxi and will run Wednesday from 5-7pm and select Saturday from 9-12pm starting Sept. 15. For registration details see the Puxi blog at http://aquaticscenter.saschina.org. We look forward to seeing you poolside.

PUDONG CAMPUS
Swimming is a life long skill that the PE dept has incorporated into the Physical Education curriculum.  We offer swimming to all students taking PE and whether you are a beginner or competitive swimmer, we adapt the classes to suit all levels.   Last year, over 1,000 students used our new  (and state of the art) Aquatic Facility at the Pudong campus and we are very excited to see all PE students this school year in the swimming pool!  

Also, our SAS Pudong Aqua Eagles Swim Team is a very young yet strong team in the Shanghai area as well as abroad.  Swimming tryouts were already held during the first week of school and we are also excited to see this team improve. Happy swimming!

Details for the Pudong camp tryouts see: http://teachers.saschina.org/pdswimming 

—Jon BIROS, Aquatics  Director Puxi campus and George
CARPOUZIS, Aquatics Director, Pudong campus

By its mission, the SAS six-library system serving every division seeks to provide learning spaces and resources to help students and teachers become “discriminating users and creators of information,” and to develop “patterns of lifelong learning” and a “love of literature in print and digital-media formats.”

Accordingly, the librarians are using the funds raised this year to acquire digital resources that will stimulate the creation of new media, promote cooperative learning in small library spaces, encourage the development of multi-media presentations and demonstrations, and offer ready access to alternative information sources such as audiobooks and eBooks.

Digital learning also means that our SAS libraries never close. Our online databases and research guides make it possible for students to continue their learning, and teachers their teaching, outside of school.

Here is a summary of library acquisitions made with this year’s Edge for Excellence gifts:

Basic technical supplies
Televisions, scanners, docking stations, search stations—these are the workhorses of today’s libraries, in constant daily use by students and teachers. Gifts permitted the upgrade of these important pieces of equipment.

Conference and presentation support
Collaborative learning in a digital environment requires more than a table and chairs. Campaign gifts have allowed the libraries to purchase whiteboards, sound systems,  
projectors and screens so that digitally created information can be made into sophisticated multi-media presentations for groups of learners.

Digital media tools
SAS seeks to make every student not just a consumer of information, but an actual creator of it. The cameras, computers and keyboards, hard drives, LED displays, headsets and microphones acquired with Edge for Excellence gifts will place the right technology in the hands of students so that they may press the boundaries of the expression of knowledge in today’s world.

Digital reference tools
Our libraries never close. Next year, our libraries will test a new online reference service, accessible day or night, in or out of the library, to assist students with research questions and provide on-demand information whenever learning takes place.

Foreign-language tools
Language learning has been revolutionized by the advent of digital technology. Campaign gifts are making possible the addition of listening and practice stations that will permit students to reinforce skills gained in the classroom.

New media formats
SAS is poised to enhance its print media collections through the thoughtful adoption of new electronic text formats: audiobooks, eBooks, iPads, Kindles and Playaways. Here, as in every area of digitally assisted learning, our librarians will serve not just as keepers of these resources, but as guides to their most effective and appropriate use in and out of the classroom.

Shanghai American School is grateful to every one of this year’s donors for making possible these significant enhancements to our library system. The libraries are one of the few facilities on campus that touch every student every day of the school year. This year’s campaign is an investment that will be repaid many times over in the growing ability of our students to use technology wisely to become better students, better teachers of each other, and better people.

By J. Frederick ROGERS, Director of Advancement

Good afternoon class of 2010. Good morning dear parents, dear teachers, dear guests, dear classmates. What a solemn occasion! The ceremony that will commence in an hour, in which we walk from seat to stage center, is at once the shortest and longest journey we have ever taken.

Scratching across hardwood floors, it is physically only a matter of steps, but with each step we walk a one-way path to that uncertain, exciting thing we call the Future. 

What does it mean to graduate? In the march of life, there exists no clear divide between what is past and what lies ahead. Especially with intangible concepts as maturity; as coming of age; as adulthood: there is no sign to mark progress except those that we create ourselves. This gathering today, this graduation, is one such creation, a human artifice built as a monument along the wayside by generations past, for generations future. And we pause here today, to pay homage. 

The stillness that surrounds this room gives us a chance to pause and reflect. Beneath quiet breathing churns a crescendo as we each struggle to imbue this ritual space with meaning. This speech, and the ones that follow, hope to suggest a path. 

I am speaking here today in the capacity of this year’s valedictorian, a strange honor, if you think about it: to reward the labor of much silent, solitary studying with the fruit of public speaking. No matter, I assure that you won’t be disappointed

And it is from this platform of academics, that I begin my speech. For, having kept such a meticulous record of capital letters, I would like to give a message to our graduating class here: 

You won’t find your life in grades. 

Ironic to hear from me, but also fitting: for grades, that ubiquitous measure of ability and intelligence which we students have been so persistently conditioned to pursue, is not actually as vital as we have been made to believe. Literally, grades lack vitality—that is, life. 

Life, as we have experienced it in the latter half of these past 18 years, has essentially followed the same pattern: Wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, sleep. Rinse and repeat. What other interests and passions we might have had to be squeezed in between each step, as the bulk of our energy and time were devoted to the acquisition and maintenance of good academic records for use during application. 

All that changed this year. With the submission of our college applications, we have entered a new stage of our life for both good and bad. Already, most of us have realized this unconsciously: we have all been guilty of that phenomenon known as “senior year second semester” in one form or another. But senioritis is not a disease. Rather, it is much like the exclamation of a prisoner in discovering a sudden open door: the wind of an unchecked, radical freedom buffets his face, and he stands dumbstruck. So it was with us, after January second, when the liberation that accompanied applications made us reluctant to reattach old shackles. 

The picture from hereon will be different. Although colleges still use GPA to measure performance, grades will never again return to the same all-powerful foci that it was during these years. As, of course, it shouldn’t: success in real life is solely dependent upon one’s actual ability. 

But during this transitional period between high school and the real world known as college, there is a struggle ahead for each of us to define our lives’ meaning in the vacuum of freedom. Here I would like to urge you during that time to not hastily surrender choice in favor of an easy definition: whether that be grades or otherwise.

Freedom is the single most powerful attribute that defines and limits us as human beings. Born as vectors, we are free to choose the direction of our lives, and end far from where we begin. Especially us, with our ease to travel and international background: countless worlds await. 

Yet at the same time, keep in mind that we cannot choose to be not free. This is the ever-present limit and burden of choice, that even our decision to surrender passively into the currents of life is still a choice—and we hold the responsibility to answer for it. As P. J O’Rourke once said:  “There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences. ”

And so we come back to graduation. We stand now at the apex of two mountains, one metaphorical, one real—but so tightly conjoined by our ritual of graduation that they exist as one entity. It has been a long climb to reach here, almost 18 years. In a short while, we will fall back down into the diurnal rhythm, but for these precious few moments, take a few breaths. Feel the thinness of the atmosphere that urges you to breathe a little quicker, the lightness of gravity’s pull that barely keeps you in your seats, and a deep, burning desire—the frenzied, jittering disease of youth—to start the journey. 

From here on, there will be no more mountains, other than the ones you choose to climb. No more struggling, uphill battle of will against despair, other than those you begin yourself. For your sake, and for the world’s sake, I hope you will. 

As a last note, I’d like to thank those who made us and our journey here today possible. To our teachers, thank you for a lifetime of guidance, for paving the road with your own footprints for us to follow. To our parents and family, thank you all of the support and encouragement along the way, for catching us when we fall, helping us up when we slip. We couldn’t have done it without any of you. 

To my fellow classmates, enjoy the view. 

I’ll see you on the way down.

Max Song was born in Milwaukee, grew up in North Carolina, attended preschool in Beijing, and spent formative schooling years in Chicago. He went to high schools in Chicago, Beijing and attending SAS for his junior and senior years. He will attend Brown University next fall. He likes long walks along the philosophic beach, with occasional pauses to examine nature’s oddities.

As recently as last week, I found myself struggling to decide on the contents of this speech, to put into words the experiences of these past years, to squeeze four long years of shared development and growth into these short few minutes — for after four other speeches, this one should not go on for too long.

What frustrated me was my inability to grasp our class’s development over the past four years, one year of which I was not even present. And eventually, as I continually tried and failed to group each of your many experiences into discrete categories, it became clear that this was an impossible task. In fact, it would almost be a mockery of your past one, two, three, or four years for me to speak for our class as a whole, to make generalizations and assumptions that do not hold true for many. Each of your lives is unique, and cannot be fit into a set of simple molds.

With that in mind, I will tell my own story, knowing that each of you within yourself holds another tale, probably more captivating than mine.

I arrived at Shanghai American School at the beginning of sophomore year, the year that the first senior class graduated. After being in a high school with over 2,000 students, this was a drastically different environment. And though I detested the move to Shanghai, benefits began to appear. During winter break, still smarting from being ripped from my comfortable existence in suburban America, and without companions or a desire to explore Shanghai, I discovered a passion for programming, and for computers in general. This passion is still present, and in fact I am sure of my future major and initial career.

Toward the end of that school year, I slowly realized that I had no friends, and that in fact I never really had friends throughout life. It was not because I had tried and failed — simply, before seeing the clusters of people at lunch tables, in the halls, in classrooms, the concept of friendship had never been clear. And so during the next two years, after realizing the value of friendship, I slowly became closer to several people, who I eventually considered to be friends of mine.

And without my friends, with whom I have studied together, laughed together, played together, and grown together, I would not be standing here today. For even in the inconceivable event that I would be highest in this somewhat unfair competition of numerical indicators of alleged academic achievement in the context of each teacher, without my friends, my shell of shyness would not have dissipated, and I would have rejected the great honor of standing before you today.

Thank you Phil, for accepting me two years ago and for always being there when I needed support. Thank you Alicia, for being one of my first friends here, at a time when we shared six classes together. Thank you Jon, for persevering when I responded with coldness, and for your unwavering moral compass, which I can rely on whenever I am weak. Thank you David and Diana, for always making sure that I was alright. Thank you Jenna, for though we met later, you always inspire deep thought and contemplation. And thank you Jessie, for showing me life, and for, even before the somewhat arbitrary numerical indicators were calculated, making me promise to include your name somewhere, without which this may have remained abstract and pontificating.

To my parents: Despite our frequent disagreements, you have cared and nurtured me for the past 18 years. Thank you, and whatever happens, I will always love and respect you. To my sister: Thank you for not giving into sibling rivalry, and for being supportive, more mature than your years suggest.

There are so many more who I’d like to thank — my friends and fellow classmates, my teachers, Cynthia Nordmeyer and the other counselors, Jing Dai Beebe, and the school administration.

Whatever your own story is, whatever journey led you to this platform upon which we will graduate today, be proud of what you have accomplished. High school may have been everything you expected, or it may have been completely different, but we stand here today, the third graduating class, finished with high school and ready to move forwards in life — whether it be college, work, or a year of self-reflection.

As we move toward a world in the midst of a financial meltdown, reeling from attack and attempted attack by terrorists and extremists, suffering from unprecedented ecological stress most recently in the Gulf of Mexico, aggression most recently in the sinking of the Cheonan, and as billions continue to suffer from hunger and poverty, recognize that you have a long and hard journey ahead, but today, let us celebrate our accomplishment in reaching this point.

As we move toward the real world, take time to relax and enjoy the small pleasures of life. If you are so inclined, use the swings in a park, ignoring those who cast dark glances at you, considering you childish or even insane. Class of 2010, do not be too caught up by the judgment of others, but listen to your friends, both present and future, who know you and care for you.

I know I will.

James li was born in New York and lived in Massachusetts for most of his life. Three years ago, he moved to Shanghai and attended Shanghai American School. He has always enjoyed exploring the possibilities and connections of the mathematics and sciences, as well as traveling through the annals of history. In his free time, Jamie enjoys keeping track of current events, learning about new technology, and biking to new locations. This fall, he will major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley.