In terms of the quality of schooling, it matters little whether you attended the old school or the new one … the experiences of various classes have varied greatly as China has passed through war, civil strife, revolution, and renewal …. [and yet] your experiences here at the Shanghai American School will prepare you well for your future endeavors.

The accomplishments of SAS alumni are impressive to say the least. This was readily apparent when more than 40 of our pre-1949 alumni and guests attended a week of Centennial activities at SAS and around Shanghai in late April. Again, Stape articulated this point wonderfully in his address to current students:

Among those of us who have returned for this centennial celebration of the Shanghai American School are a wonderful array of former students at the school who chose diverse career paths. We have teachers and college professors, astronomers and ministers. We have business executives who managed the operations of giant corporations in this region, and we have public servants. We have millionaires and non-millionaires. One of us is the abbot of a Trappist monastery somewhere in the Andes. So your experiences here do not limit your horizons. All of us had our lives shaped in some way by our experiences at the school.

Most of our current crop of seniors have received their notifications regarding college admissions for next year. Because of their experience at SAS, they will excitedly head off to those new schools with the tools to be successful: academic skills, social awareness, performance expertise, and an intimate knowledge of a country that seems destined to become an increasingly important player in world affairs. Stape observed:

All of us are privileged to have had the opportunity to study in Shanghai and to get to know China and the Chinese people, not as abstract topics in dry history books in our home countries, but as living, breathing human beings with the same virtues and faults that characterize people throughout the world. No matter what you choose to do with the rest of your lives, you will be better equipped to understand Chinese behavior than others who have not had the experience of living in China. That alone is an invaluable advantage.

But perhaps most importantly, these young grads will always have a place they can call home. Another of our returning alumni told me as we walked around the grounds of the old SAS building: “Kerry, I have to tell you that I am shaking a little bit. Not because I’m old (which I am), but because I feel like I belong here. Like I’ve come home.”
To our alumni and to our seniors, be well and please know that, at any time, you may come on home.

By Dr. Kerry Jacobson, Superintendent

We celebrate because we recognize the significance and the persistence of values and ideals that have carried SAS through a long period of time, ideals that have remained steady while the world around them has changed markedly many times over.

This year of celebration has reminded us of the importance of pausing to remember how far we have come and to reflect on where we are going. It has been an opportunity to connect us with our past and help us understand who we are as an institution. As Superintendent Kerry Jacobson stated in his address to the community at our Founders’ Day event, “We inherit what has gone before, and we leave our own legacy for those who follow.”
While reflecting on SAS with the visiting alumni last week, Dr. Jacobson quoted another alumna, Betty Jean Rugh Elder, (class of ’51) from her book, The Oriole’s Song — An American Girlhood in Wartime China:

At SAS I was neither foreigner nor outsider, I was with others like me, whose traditions and worldview were a combination of the country we lived in and the very different country from which our parents came, and yet not totally of either. From the common experiences of partial belonging and our intensely shared lives at SAS, we created, in those years between world war and revolution, a heritage unique to us — a third culture from the precincts of which we would gaze out at the rest of the world.
Within this third culture we had forged bonds that held across time and space and change and race . . . SAS was our home country, the place of our full belonging.

Today at SAS we are also creating a place of belonging, where people from many countries and backgrounds can share a common identity. Our students are forging bonds and sharing experiences that will last a lifetime. We are also forging a legacy for those who will follow us.
To do these things well will require more than stirring rhetoric, however. Alumni relations, development, advancement — all of these related activities are routine operations at many schools, particularly in the United States. As SAS grows, and our alumni continue to spread around the world, it will be important for us to step up our efforts and develop a real infrastructure around our alumni relations — we will need to develop databases, targeted communications, and regular events that will connect our alumni to each other and to SAS. This will be the basis of a sustained sense of community among our alumni, and a sustained commitment to the school in the future.
Our visiting pre-1949 alumni understand this as well as anyone. Largely through their own efforts, they have stayed in touch with one another and organized their own reunions. And they were generous with their gifts to our annual fund campaign, 100 for 100: Edge for Excellence.
In this Centennial year, driven by the efforts of our new Centennial and Development Coordinator Cindy Easton, we have enhanced our development initiative and achieved a higher rate of participation in our annual fund among all members of our school community, than ever before, and have raised more funds than in all but the very first Edge for Excellence campaign. These efforts provide us with a sturdy platform for us to continue building our alumni and development programs. Our new Development Subcommittee, under the Trusteeship Committee, provides a Board-level vehicle to drive these initiatives moving forward.
This Centennial year has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our rich past. But it has also given us a natural opportunity to look ahead, and to recognize that enhancing our development and alumni relations functions will play a critical role in the school’s endeavor to stay on the cutting edge of excellence.
By David Liu, Board Chair

Involvement Stage: The establishment of a deep connection and commitment to the community characterizes this stage. Individuals in this stage have formed social networks, relationships, and reputations. There is often a sense of investment in and respect for the host culture. Attention is on the present rather than the past or future.
Leaving Stage: This stage begins with the first knowledge of relocation. It is a confusing time when people begin to detach from relationships and responsibilities. It is also a stage of denial, when feelings of sadness, perceived rejection from those who will remain, unresolved conflicts, and restrained expectations of the future ebb and flow.
Transition Stage: The upheaval involved in the process of leaving one’s current home makes transition a chaotic time. Routines and supports are temporarily unavailable as families attempt to reattach, make connections, and establish order.
Entering Stage: Although life has become much more settled as the family adjusts to its new home, a degree of uncertainty exists. In this stage people begin to connect with people, venture into the community, and understand new systems. Having a mentor is especially useful at this time.
Reinvolvement Stage: A sense of belonging and feeling a part of the established community defines reinvolvement. The ability to recognize and benefit from the positive aspects of the new environment, in addition to acknowledging the inevitable losses inherent in any transition experience, contributes to an overall state of wellbeing.

One way to consider supporting and educating children about the transition process is in the context of life skills development. Pollock and Van Reken describe “the normal grief inherent in leaving a place and people that we love.” Pollock outlines the critical components of providing healthy closure for students as they look ahead to their next post. He likens the process to building a raft, which he uses as a metaphor for staying afloat. Reconciliation (R) addresses the importance of addressing unresolved conflict in relationships prior to leaving. Affirmation (A) includes finding a way to offer recognition to the important people that will be left behind. Farewells (F) involve the act of saying goodbye to people, places, animals, and belongings that will be left behind. Think destination (T) describes learning about the new location.
As the end of another school year grows near, the mixture of excitement, sadness, and anticipation is palpable. Whether students are leaving SAS, moving on to middle school, or staying behind, we are reminded of the emotional journey inherent in internationally mobile communities. During the month of May, elementary counselors will be talking with students about transition during guidance lessons and hosting transition groups for students leaving SAS. We wish all of our departing families the very best as they embark on new adventures in different parts of the world.
By Rachel Baydo, ES Counselor, Pudong campus