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DragonNews
Hangzhou International School · Winter/Spring 2020
An Inclusive IB World School (Early Years-12)
Get Connected
E-learning
Web Safety
The Rise of
Student Council
Table of Contents
From the Director
Beyond the Classroom
Admin Desk
Connections that Count
The Rise of Student Council
School Highlights
Primary Years Programme
Middle Years Programme
Diploma Programme
Winter Fair
Dragon Moments
HIS Highlights
PAFA
Highlights
Library
Destiny and Additional Resources
Tech Pagoda
Speaking With Your Child About Online Safety
Student Support Services
Connected In Counseling
Connected Through Social Media
Hangzhou International School
78 Dongxin Street, Binjiang District
Hangzhou 310053, China
Phone: (86-571) 8669-0045
Email: info@his-china.org
www.his-china.org
DragonNews Winter/Spring
From the Director
Dear HIS Community and Friends,
May 19, 2020: Stronger Together!
Today marked the first day since January 22nd that all grade levels were back on campus.
Since we all went off to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rat and enjoy a nice vacation,
the coronavirus, COVID-19, has caused a major change in how we do things at HIS. A very
important reason for schooling is to connect students with teachers and other students, to
connect their learning with their experience, and to connect families in the effort to work
together for each student’s growth. A certainty has always existed for HIS, we are Stronger
Together! And in this season’s edition of DragonNews, we explore ‘Getting Connected’ at HIS.
The mission of HIS is to provide international learners with opportunities to pursue academic
and personal excellence within a caring community. This mission guided us all as we faced one of
the greatest challenges of our lifetimes. We knew as we anxiously entered the Chinese New Year
holiday that our lives might be changed dramatically. Our first goal was to look at how we could
get everyone connected on a stable platform that could be reached from all over the world.
Then, as the coronavirus outbreak spread to various parts of China and other parts of the world,
we had to make sure we could stay connected. We needed to follow new health and safety
guidelines, but as a learning community we needed to get connected and stay together, even if
unable to physically be in the same space. Getting connected allowed for us all to continue caring
and continue learning as social beings.
As the warm and beautiful weather encompasses our return to the HIS campus, it is hard to
imagine a better place to thrive as a learner. We know how special it is to be together in the
same space, and with the prerequisite safety and care needed. We do not take this for granted,
though we hope we never have to face the same challenge again. To be sure, though, we have
learned new skills and strategies, we have overcome great obstacles, and we will be ready for
greater challenges ahead.
I hope you enjoy the spring weather and celebrate the reopening of HIS. GoooOOO
DRAGONS!!!
Jeffry R. Stubbs
Director
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DragonNews Winter/Spring
Connections that Count
meetings, and real-time discussions, the challenges and acknowledge
Pat Long in addition to posting resources and the valuable learning we have
Upper School blogs. While this is not meant to be a gained, we have been brought to a
‘plug’ for any of this technology, being powerful realisation: the thing that
Vice Principal and
able to connect directly to our classes, is most important has not been the
MYP Coordinator collaborate, record conversations, technology and platforms, but the
and post learning materials has people using them. We have been
been hugely beneficial in supporting reminded of the need for human
These really have been, in the words students. connection, and how it is far more
of Mr Strombeck, extraordinary times. essential than all the devices we have
I was asked to give a final check to As we collected feedback throughout used to keep in touch; students and
this edition of the DragonNews and the campus closure, we learned that teachers alike commented on the
realised that I had actually written most Upper School students were in sense of well-being and positivity on
the lead article three weeks into Hangzhou for much of the time, and the occasions when we could speak
e-learning; more than three months that most were able to access their face-to-face, and as we have come to
ago now. The theme, ‘Get Connected’ online lessons without concern. Early realise how much we have craved the
could not have been more topical for problems with the online platforms contact, company and companionship
those of us in the Upper School. Over were quickly resolved, thanks to of being together; it has been a real
the last months, we dealt with a huge the Technology Team, though a joy to see our community once more
range of challenges and opportunities few students still struggled with in person.
provided by our capacity for (and connectivity or joining live lessons
reliance on) electronic connectivity. because they were outside China Earlier this school year, I wrote
or traveling. Still others regretted an article for the Upper School
Upper School students and teachers having left their laptops behind for newsletter about student use of
made the best of the restrictions we the Chinese New Year break and technology, commenting on how
worked under by using a huge variety found themselves using their phones incredible our world has now
of platforms to communicate with for most of their classes. The amount become in terms of our ability to be
each other and continue learning of time students have spent on their connected with each other; it seems
uninterrupted. Managebac remained devices has been a real concern, and ironic that a few short months later,
our most common stand-by; our teachers actively took steps to help we found ourselves relying almost
students are very accustomed to cut down on the hours in front of the exclusively on our online platforms
it, and our parents grew ever-more screen, encouraging children to take to communicate. As we press
confident in manoeuvring through study breaks and get outside when forward with the remaining weeks of
it. It was joined by tools and terms possible. school and find ways to support our
we hadn’t encountered before: community with the lessons we have
‘Zoom’ and ‘Teams’ and ‘Classcraft’ Many students feel like there have learned from these extraordinary
for example, and not only did these been some gains from e-learning: times, we endeavour to continue to
new words suddenly start tripping independence and better organisation deliver those things that are most
from our tongues, using them to being key among them. Some found fundamental to us: the focus on
remain connected with our students that their attainment improved relationships and care, and the human
became commonplace. Even the most because they were able to manage connection.
antique of us – those of us who still their time without distractions, and
remember chalk with affection- have most were grateful for the chance
been able to conduct online lessons to sleep in more regularly. While we
through these marvellous new have a deep appreciation for our
platforms, holding conference calls, ability to conduct learning despite
4
DragonNews Winter/Spring
5
DragonNews Winter/Spring
The Rise of Student Council
John Koski
Lower School
Vice Principal
(Pastoral)
HIS Mission Statement
We provide international learners
with opportunities to pursue
academic and personal excellence
within a caring community.
Under the guidance of Ms. Dierker,
Mr. Dobson, and Ms. Ehling the Lower HIS Lower School Student Council Our new Lower School student
School Student Council is back in Mission is to include everyone in our council is formed by representatives
action after a brief hiatus in 2018- community by making HIS feel like of each classroom from Grades
2019. Their first job was to create a a kind, comfortable, and safe place, 3-5. Members are selected by
mission statement that would serve where every student is welcomed and teachers based on their willingness
to guide their decisions, actions, accepted for who they are. Not only to serve, responsibility, and merit.
and initiatives. As part of HIS, they does this statement further define the Some classes have opted to change
carefully studied the school’s mission “caring community” mentioned in the their representatives mid-year, while
statement to ensure alignment. After school’s mission, but it addresses our others maintain one per year. No
lots of brainstorming and negotiation, Inclusion Policy and fuels our efforts hierarchy exists within the council; all
this is what they came up with: The as a SPAN (Safe Passages Across members enjoy equal voice with a
Networks) pilot school. focus on collaboration and consensus.
6
DragonNews Winter/Spring
Meetings are held once a month video, answer any clarifying questions, HIS Lower School Student Coun-
during lunch and recess time unless and to ensure that everybody was cil 2019-20: Seo In Hong, Christina
working towards deadlines mandates included. Cheung, Li-Lian Huang, Dennis Lu,
more frequent meetings. Allie Chiu, Ni (Nicole) Ho, Jessie Tang,
I applaud the efforts of our new Allison Wang, Naomi Xia, Rhema
After establishing the mission state- Student Council and look forward to Hong, Angel Li, Victoria Cao.
ment, they went to work helping their next initiatives. Attending their
to refine the Dragon Ambassador last meeting, I heard discussion of
program. The Grade 5 reps met with obtaining and managing recess equip-
some Upper School Student Council ment and helping those who leave
reps to come up with what would our school in their transition. Once a
eventually be a checklist to ensure dragon, always a dragon!
that new students were made to feel
welcome and informed upon arrival.
Students helping students transition
into our community is an essential
part of providing “safe passage”.
Next, they put their heads together
to promote the type of caring com-
munity described in their guiding
creed. December’s Spirit Day was the
answer. Designed to show unity and
spirit, the came up with the Dress Like
a Friend Day. To advertise the special
day and to introduce themselves as
our Lower School Student council,
they wrote, directed, and produced a
promotional video on their own that
was shown in each and every Lower
School class. According to Mr. Dob-
son, “They did a really good job of
listening to each other and building off
each other’s ideas.” Further, a couple
of reps went to each class to air the
7
DragonNews Winter/Spring
Kindergarten Connection
choice. We have provided the children The activities supported children in
with weekly literacy and mathematics gaining conceptual understanding,
Lisa Bistretzan
choice boards, which include allowing accessibility in each child’s
Lower School interactive games and activities for all native language. Read-alouds from a
Kindergarten students to practice and develop new HIS Kindergarten teachers were sent
Teacher literacy and math skills, in addition daily in both English and Mandarin.
to building related vocabulary in Students became excited to see and
Mandarin with materials at home! interact with their teacher through a
Kindergarten is about learning Students were also presented with read-aloud! Ms. Dierker, our librarian,
through socialization. Yes, children practical tasks, such as recording in also provided enriching library lessons
learn from their teachers, but they a Kindness Journal daily, and helping that aligned with our unit and helped
do so through interaction with their others at home. To support language students build connections beyond
classmates. With increasing amounts challenges at home, the activities the classroom.
of cooperative play happening at this were fully translated into Mandarin.
stage of development, children begin
to understand concepts of sharing,
taking turns and empathy through
supported interaction. Academically,
educators build on students’ interests
by developing their inquiry skills and
helping them problem solve through
daily interaction with their classmates.
As such, learning is a very social and
dynamic enterprise at this age.
What do educators do when face-
to-face interaction with classmates
and teachers is suddenly removed
from the equation? With staff and
students unable to attend school in
the traditional sense, our Kindergarten
team is facilitating and maintaining
these vital connections with whatever
means we find at our disposal. We
are doing this through the use of
technology. While there is much to
be said about excessive screen time
and technology use in young children,
this time of e-learning has been a
tremendous benefit in continuing the
important work of kindergarten -
learning through connection.
Throughout the E-learning experience,
we recognize that children learn
best through hands-on activities and
8
DragonNews Winter/Spring
Communication largely took place on and explanations, the children were
WeChat through class groups, and able to recognize many different
small groups including the teacher, aspects of the weather and how
co-teacher, and the parents of they are connected. Children were school.
individual students. This allowed the challenged to observe the weather
students to feel comfortable sending following the activity. After reflecting
videos, pictures and interacting with on their classmates’ thoughts, many
their teachers through voice notes. students were able to explain their
Additionally, it allowed teachers to observations with more depth.
provide the students with immediate The students stretched their brains as
feedback and engage the students in we explored the four seasons. They
questions to extend their thinking. engaged in mini-research lessons by
The translation feature allowed for exploring a question about a season
communication to occur between and became experts about a season
the parents and teachers. WeChat of their choice. Using WeChat, the
was also helpful in allowing students students were broken into small
to interact through group video calls. groups and able to share resources
OneDrive provided students the among each other. Following the
opportunity to view the activities their activity, students presented their
classmates were participating in. research by posting videos on
OneDrive and WeChat to their
Inquiry requires reflection and classmates, in order to learn from
connection. We began our How each other.
the World Works unit, focusing on
weather. Connection has played a key In conclusion, Kindergarten has
role in students identifying different been able to capitalize on of the
weather patterns around the world, benefits of technology to connect
by sharing videos and observations. students and teachers across time
The children separately shared and space, ensuring that students
their initial thinking about weather. continue to engage in high quality
We were able to compile a list of learning experiences with each other.
the classes “weather words” for It has been a wonderful experience
the children to engage in an open- engaging in a new platform of learning
ended sort. After sharing their sorts while we were unable to attend
9
DragonNews Winter/Spring
Lower School Mandarin
teachers for all of the hard work
put in to preparing for the concert.
Sam Bateman
Many weeks of dedicated practice
Lower School was put into this year’s performance
Head of Mandarin and we hope at some stage later in
the school year to share some it with
all of you. Until then, please enjoy
some of the photos taken during the
dress rehearsal performance and in
Chinese New Year performance the weeks leading up to it during our
Although due to early school closure Mandarin classes.
we were unable to perform our
annual Lower School Chinese New E-learning
Year performance, our Lower school It has been pleasing to see the
Mandarin students were able to dedication of our students in
perform their dress rehearsal on the continuing with their Mandarin
last day of school for the children in studies during this period. I have been language students have been following
Early Years. inspired by the videos which many on with our scheduled units of work
of our students are submitting each such as “Food and Drink” and have
Students were excited to share their week to their teachers, demonstrating made pleasing efforts in engaging with
learning of Chinese traditional dances, their commitment to continued much of the material introduced each
songs, and instruments along with success in developing their reading week. They have also been using a
more modern alternatives of Chinese skills in their native language. Despite Chinese reading program to continue
popular street dance and pop songs. the new concept of E-learning for their engagement with our literacy
many of our younger students, it is a program. Well done to all!
A great deal of congratulations to all testament to both our families and
of our Kindergarten through Grade 5 our teachers that our students have
boys and girls and all of their Chinese, made such pleasing progress in their
music, dance, art and other specialist studies. Our Mandarin as second
10DragonNews Winter/Spring
Getting Connected in Grade 4
From countries far and wide, including
Australia, Japan, India, France, Italy, the
Bonnie Wilson
United Kingdom, and China, Grade
4 students are connecting through Lower School
E-Learning. Each day, students join Grade 4
together on Microsoft Teams to
discover their daily tasks and start
exploring. With the help of online
tools such as Microsoft Office 365,
Padlet, and FlipGrid, students are
actively investigating math, language,
and unit of inquiry concepts while
growing more self-sufficient as 21st
century learners.
11DragonNews Winter/Spring
Reading Keeps Us Connected
to give a “Book Talk,” which was
simply comprised of talking about
Michelle Dierker
a book they loved and convincing
Lower School others to read it too. Book Talks are
Library Media powerful for many reasons, but the
Specialist most beneficial reason is that they
create an excitement and motivation
for reading, while also developing
Following our Chinese New Year relationships and connection between
holiday, HIS families and schools across students. There were some incredible
China were met with the unexpected Book Talks shared during this time.
reality of distance learning. As we One of my favorites was shared by
settled into this new experience of Jiyu in Mr. Jonathan’s G3 class. She
learning remotely, the HIS Library gave a Book Talk for “Grandpa’s
team began to contemplate how we Great Escape,” by David Walliams.
could help bridge the lack of face-to- She closed her Book Talk by saying,
face interactions our students were “I learned from this book that even if families located in Hangzhou to have
having with one another, while also something is wrong with someone in access to books from our community
creating opportunities for students to your family, you always have to treat library. A wide selection of books
have meaningful conversations about them with love and believe in them.” were made available for students
something universally well-loved: I wanted to know what she meant by from Early Years through Upper
books! that, and so my curiosity led me to School. Students were able to return
check out the book from our library! and check books out at the school
In the month of February, students gate through WeChat, and could also
in Grades 3-5 used Flipgrid to take As we began the fourth week of request books through the Destiny
part in over 250 video conversations E-Learning, we decided to open the system.
about books. Students were asked HIS Little Library, which would allow
Finding ways to keep the HIS
community connected through
reading was a rewarding challenge
during the weeks we were out of
school; however, seeing the ways that
students chose to come together
over books- in spite of our time
apart was inspiring. We look forward
to seeing how this experience of
distance learning encouraged growth,
both as learners and as readers, within
our community.
12DragonNews Winter/Spring
Connecting Traditional Arts to Contemporary Painting
Before the Chinese New Year Holiday,
an enthusiastic team of Fifth Grade
students painted a large-scale canvas Jacqueline Caraglior
intended to be used as the backdrop Lower School
for the Chinese New Year Celebration Art
performances. United by a passion
for Traditional Chinese Arts, students
worked collaboratively to combine
their talents. Their dedication was
evident in the many hours spent
painting. Shuman Yu and Debbie
Lai lead the project and together,
designed the overall look of the
landscape.
By combining styles of Traditional
Chinese Arts, the students developed
a new style that signified their deep
connection to the culture in which
we live. The mountains were inspired
by the tradition of landscape realism
and the clouds were taken from xiang
yun, a style of art which traditionally
depicts the gods. Shuman showed
strong leadership skills in orchestrating
the resources, time and talent needed
to make this project a success.
Debbie’s delicate sensibility informed
the finer details and finishing touches
of the artwork. Alan Zhao’s expertise
in drawings realistic animals was
employed to paint a dragon inspired
by a famous book entitled Shang Hai
Jing. Joshua Cui offered his skilled
practice in shu fa, Chinese calligraphy,
to add text to the painting.
The scale of this painting required
the help of many artists to complete.
Amy Chen, Aaira Mehta, Joyce Ding,
Jerry Shu, Nicole Wu, Prisha Jeswani,
Queena Li, Sissi Amano, and Sophia
Ding all had a hand in painting the
masterpiece. Photographer Devansh
Shivnani captured these images of the
students at work.
13DragonNews Winter/Spring
Working in Groups
equipped with a toolkit of strategies skills are learned through doing, and
Simon Lamplugh to assist them with problem solving. by fostering rich learning experiences
Upper School Such skills cannot be rote learned– in the classroom.
Mathematics there is no one approach or strategy
for problem solving– rather, these
If one were to find themselves in a
typical mathematics class at HIS they
would see happy students getting
connected in groups investigating
and exploring rich, meaningful
and fun problem-solving activities.
Students work together to explore
mathematical ideas and principles,
challenging them to transfer prior
learning from different topic areas
and to apply newly learned skills
and concepts. A child’s ability to
make sense of problems - by making
connections both within and between
maths topics - and to have the skills
and insight to correctly and accurately
apply mathematical procedures
to solve them, is one measure of
mathematical intelligence. Some
students are intuitively able to make
these connections, while many need
their abilities honed: to think about
problems from different perspectives,
to collect and sort information, and
to present it in a form for further
investigation and analysis. With the
introduction of the new IBDP HL
Approaches and Analysis course,
mathematics students are now
explicitly assessed on problem-solving
skills. Consequently, in the lower
and middle years, students are being
14DragonNews Winter/Spring
Connecting with the Arts on Winter Arts Night
As our school grows, the Creative students painted illogical images
Arts Department has more to of hungry flowerpots, overflowing
Jamie Sanchez
share with the HIS community. In showerheads, gigantic rabbits, and
November, we presented two nights flying fish. Seventh Grade students Upper School
of Drama, Music, and Visual Arts. expressed their personal beliefs Visual Arts
Stretching down the hall in front of through ceramic sculptures and
the Auditorium, colorful artwork was carefully considered symbolism,
displayed from 6th to 11th Grade and students in the Sixth Grade
students. Tenth and Eleventh Grade demonstrated how math and art these skills while performing Beauty
exhibited their eye for aesthetics can work together in their unique and the Beast and Somewhere Over
through photographs of Bin Jiang’s tessellations. Tenth Grade Music the Rainbow. The String Ensemble
sunflower fields. Ninth Grade created students performed the first evening. played Ode to Joy and the Brass Band
watercolor and ink pieces uniquely They worked on developing and presented Old Town Road and Eye
capturing dozens of rows of the advancing instrumental techniques of the Tiger. The next evening, Ninth
flowers as well as splendid scenes through collaboration, self- Grade Music students also displayed
from China Trips. Inspired by the art management, and creative expression. excellent skills while performing
movement Surrealism, Eighth Grade The String Quartet truly exhibited Havana, Blood Sweat & Tears ,and
Counting Stars. Later, Eighth Grade
performed Royal Fanfare, A Children’s
Christmas, The Friendly Beasts, and
Rio Bravo.
Communicating only through
expressive gestures and body
movement, Eighth Grade students
from Drama Class Studio 204,
performed Date Night and Gym
Induction wearing trestle masks.
The next evening, Studio 204’s
Tenth Grade students shared their
dramatic presentation of Migrants,
a verbatim piece of theatre based
on three generations of war and
migrant experience. Ninth Grade gave
the audience a devised and stylistic
physical performance based on
oppression around the world, called
Can You Hear Us.
Arts Night is a special event when
all three subjects of the Creative
Arts Department work together and
present the students’ learning and
skills to the HIS community. It is a
chance to connect with one another,
appreciate, and share.
15DragonNews Winter/Spring
Developing a Connection to Scientific Curiosity
resources can help students learn collection of free interactive and
extra facts in science, we strongly open-ended Science and Math
Chris Widi
believe it is more important to help simulations. The simulations are
Upper School students develop their curiosity categorized by topic (Physics, Biology,
Science in science. This will allow students Chemistry, etc.) and grade level, from
to develop deep questions and Elementary through University! Most
be motivated to find the answers. simulations use HTML5, which means
Students will be more likely to engage they can run on most devices right in
in science when they are allowed to the browser. These are a great way
explore topics that are interesting to explore concepts when you don’t
Philip Bistretzan
to them in formats that might be have access to the materials you need,
Upper School more interactive than work packets or if the phenomenon is impossible
Science or textbooks. The following is a list to observe without expensive
of vetted resources that have been equipment.
compiled by the Science Department
that we would recommend for Hopefully with these new resources,
As science teachers, enthusiastic enrichment beyond the science we can help our students embrace
parents often ask us if we have extra curriculum. and nurture their curiosity as scientific
work or suggestions for textbooks thinkers. The best scientists were not
for students to gain a deeper Online Science Simulations: formed by countless hours of extra
understanding of science concepts -PhET Interactive Simulations @ work; rather, they developed curiosity
while students are away from school https://phet.colorado.edu/ and the desire to find out how things
(Examples: E-learning during Corona work or how to solve problems.
Virus Outbreak, Winter Vacation The University of Colorado at We are all born with this desire, we
or Summer Break). While these Boulder has put together an amazing just need to continue asking good
questions and strive to find the
answers.
Podcasts:
Podcasts are a great family activity and
give parents and children lots to talk
about. All you need to do is install a
podcast player. Good (free) Podcast
apps that we have used are Pocket
Casts and Castro. Here are some
great Science-related podcasts aimed
at kids and families.
-But Why: A podcast for curious kids
-Wow in the World
-Brains On
-Tumble
-Stuff You Should Know
-Behind the Book: Stories of Guinness
World Records
16DragonNews Winter/Spring
Podcasts are great because they Although most of these channels try
generate lots of questions you can to explain things, they usually end up
discuss as a family, you can start and creating more questions, which leads
stop each episode whenever you interested viewers to continue their
want, and you can listen to them search for knowledge.
together when anything else is difficult,
like when travelling or exercising.
YouTube:
YouTube is one of the greatest
resource for self-directed learning.
For Science class, here’s a list of some
of our favorite (and reliably sourced)
Youtube channels:
-Veritasium
-Minute Physics
-Physics Girl
-60 Symbols
-Crash Course
-SciShow
-VSauce
-Kurzgesagt-In a Nutshell
-Professor Dave Explains
-TedEd
17DragonNews Winter/Spring
Hangzhou International School Jade Dragons 2019-2020
HIS JADE DRAGONS AR
Ha Vi Do Ngoc Aliya Vohra
Grade 12 Grade 8
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Grade 5 Grade 1
Sera Bajaj Samaira Chadha
Grade 8 Grade 7
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Grade 1 Kindergarten
Ingrid Wu Rishi Aggarwal
Grade 6 Grade 5
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Pre-K Early Years 2
Shu-Cheng (Alan) Guo Jia-Chen Qu
Grade 6 Grade 6
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Pre-K Pre-K
Prisha Hiranandani Naomi Xia
Grade 4 Grade 4
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Early Years 1 Early Years 1
Qi-Lin Allison Wang Richard Xu
Grade 4 Grade 4
HIS Dragon since Early HIS Dragon since
Years 1 Early Years 1
MEET THE 2019-2020 JADE DRAGON
18DragonNews Winter/Spring
RE those with a longstanding commitment to HIS,
evidenced by eight or more years with the school
Roma Nair
Grade 7
HIS Dragon since
Kindergarten
Saanvi Tyagi
Hao An Do Ngoc Grade 7
Grade 7 HIS Dragon since
HIS Dragon since Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Paweike Tukula
Grade 5
HIS Dragon since
Early Years 2
Kaira Jhamb Yu-Chen Wu
Grade 5 Grade 5
HIS Dragon since HIS Dragon since
Early Years 2 Early Years 2
NS they have earned this special recognition through their many years with us,
and the contributions and achivements they have made during this time.
19DragonNews Winter/Spring Winter Fair 20
DragonNews Winter/Spring
21DragonNews Winter/Spring
HIS Dragons Around The World!
When you leave HIS, you never really “leave” us!
Bacco n
y le e a n d Klarys
Ka e
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ia
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Cole
r y a n d Helena
Zacha pore ang
t ly in Singa Nicole Y
Cu r re n nghai
u r re n t ly in Sha
C
22DragonNews Winter/Spring
Valentijn, Benjam
in and Picolien Li
nthorst
Currently in Switz
erland
Alvaro, Vanessa,
Enrique, Anais an
d Mateo
Del Valle Barrospa
ez
Currently in Belg
ium
Connor, Michael
and Erika McCan
Currently in Cam n
bodia
Ivan Diukin and Nadya
Diukina
Currently in Russia
Medini Bhagat
Julia Arvelos Alcan Currently in Indi
tara a
Currently in Braz
il
Katherine Xueyu
n Fuller
Zoe and Alissa Fa Currently in Hon Yuvraj Noel Shar
ra g Kong ma
Currently in Fran Currently in Indi
ce a
23DragonNews Winter/Spring
Alumni Sophie Chen
What were some of your favorite HIS memories?
Jessamine Koenig While I was an HIS Dragon, some of my favorite
Upper School memories were traveling to attend MUN conferences
Principal and (CISSMUN, BEIMUN, SUZMUN) and making new friends.
I was a Secretary General and a member of the MUN
DP Coordinator
Secretariat several times, but I was closely involved with
MUN since 7th grade, so I have many memories of the
program there.
Where are you going to college?
I also truly enjoyed finishing the IB exams. That feeling
University of Pennsylvania of relief is truly unmatched by any other emotion I’ve
experienced yet.
Why did you choose that university?
One great memory which was a wonderful experience
I knew I was interested in the social sciences but I was to close out my senior year was the senior China trip to
not 100% sure about what I wanted to study. I wanted Hainan. I’ve never been more tanned in my life!
to attend a university that is well-rounded in a variety of
subject areas, so that I could explore different majors and Prom!
minors.
Penn is most known for its Wharton Business School but Graduation!
it also has a lot of great departments in other subjects like
computer science, economics, English … the list goes on. I What do you miss about HIS?
was 100% certain that I wanted to be in a city where I can
easily walk around and take public transportation. Philly is I miss how small and tight-knit the community was at HIS.
such a diverse and lively city, so it definitely lived up to my When I came to Penn, I had a difficult time adjusting to
expectations. how big the school is. Seeing so many different people
every day on campus can feel overwhelming and lonely.
What is your major? What do plan to do in the future? Even after I established solid friendships with people, it is
still hard to coordinate our schedules to meet up. I just
We don’t declare our major until the end of sophomore miss seeing the faces of all my friends and teachers every
year, but at the moment, I’m most interested in majoring in day at HIS.
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (yes that is one major)
and minoring in Data Science and Consumer Psychology. This might be an unpopular opinion but I miss the cafeteria
I am not sure what exactly I want to do in the future, but food. Penn dining hall food is not that great.
I am really interested in working in the tech industry. I am
especially intrigued by the intersection between social How well prepared for college were you?
sciences, data, and technology, which explores questions
like “How can we optimize a user’s experience based on Academically, I think the IB prepared me very well for
studies of behavioral economics?” And “How can we use
college. I was very used to meeting deadlines, writing long
data-driven insights to support this new development?”
essays (Thank you, EE and TOK), and studying on my own. I
was glad that I came into college with a set of study habits
How long were you an HIS Dragon? that I already developed in grade 11 and 12.
Socially, I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared for the
I was an HIS Dragon for 7.5 years, just short of the Jade college experiences, just because it is so different from high
Dragon award! school.
24DragonNews Winter/Spring
What’s the biggest change between High School and
College?
Compared to high school, there is so much more freedom
in college, which has its pros and cons. For pros, the
freedom that I have in college has given me some of
the best experiences. I can use my spare time outside of
classes to exercise, work on side projects, join clubs, and
travel (I’ve enjoyed my many solo trips to NYC).
For cons, it’s really easy to fall behind in academics and
life in general if you don’t effectively manage your time.
No one is reminding you to go to lectures or to do your
laundry.
Any messages you would like to share with the upcoming
Class of 2020?
I know that IB is super stressful but try to enjoy the time
you have left in high school!
Make a bucket list of everything you want to do in
Hangzhou before you leave for college, because you will
definitely miss the city.
Partners Spotlight
The International Schools Association works to promote
international and intercultural understanding. In so doing
the Association espouses a number of values – peace,
freedom, equality, tolerance and the celebration of both
diversity and similarity – which express for the Association
the essential meaning and purpose of multiculturalism and
international mindedness.
25DragonNews Winter/Spring
Boys and Girls Table Tennis
In the Boys’ Table Tennis team, Max Wu experienced fierce
competition on November 16-17th. He achieved his own
success with 3rd place in the individual’s bracket, but was
Living Library also able to guide and comfort other boys’ team members
The energy in the room was buzzing as students and who were undertaking their first time participating in
community members checked out the “living books” at the SISAC.
Living Library event, “The Story of Us.” For seven hours
on Friday, November 22nd, Hangzhou International School The Girls’ team players attended SISAC for the first time
Community Library became a vibrant meeting place for and successfully achieved the fourth place as a team.
students to have personal exchanges with some fabulous
“living books,” which included students, teachers, and
parents. HIS was so pleased with the number of students
that volunteered their time as stories.
“The Story of Us” is about sharing who we are and how
we express ourselves through culture and experiences. This
builds empathy, compassion, and understanding through
exploring our dynamic world with each other. “Books”
shared stories that ranged from how they learned to do
origami to the joy that Chinese music brings them. Each Cross Country
of the volunteer community members brought their past
experiences, knowledge of life, and cultural values to share Congratulations to Deiter Armstrong for finishing in 6th
within a ten-minute time period. Students would then place out of a strong field. He and Coach May traveled
switch to the next storyteller and were able to listen to to the ACAMIS tournament in Chengdu on Saturday,
around five “books” within their time at the event. November 16th! Well done, Dragons!
26DragonNews Winter/Spring
GIN Club Fighting COVID-19 and
Shanghai Swim League Meet Charity Project
The HIS Community has found multiple ways to fight
Congratulations to the 25 members of the Dragons swim the COVID-19 virus since it was globally recognized.
team who participated in the Shanghai Swim League During the Chinese New Year holiday, our staff began to
(SSL) Round #2 swim invitational on November 16th and mobilize for the online learning platform. Our Global Issues
17th. The meet was hosted by Dulwich College Souzhou Network (GIN) Club coordinated a charity fundraiser to
and welcomed more than 780 swimmers from 21 SSL support the medical teams traveling to Wuhan and caring
member schools. Several Dragons recorded “personal for patients diagnosed with the coronavirus. Families within
bests” (PB’s) and the coaches are pleased with the team’s our community have been working in their companies to
overall effort throughout the meet. identify pharmaceutical cures and conduct clinical trials
The HIS Dragons are now working toward the upcoming to support those who become ill. Each of these methods
SSL Round #3 meet at the Nanjing International demonstrate the strength and good will that exists within
scheduled for December 7th and 8th. our Dragon Community to ensure that all receive the
support they need.
The HIS GIN Club organized a charity project to collect
medical supplies and funds that would be donated to the
Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital. The project was coordinated
and organized by Joyce Jin (G11) and Andy Wu (G9) The
hospital teams traveled to Wuhan to provide relief and
support for medical personnel helping patients diagnosed
with the coronavirus. The HIS community contributed
21,449.92 RMB that was raised between February 17-21,
2020. Furthermore, HIS community members contributed
Allen Wang in action at the tournament
masks and other medical supplies to be shared in Wuhan
National Children Chinese Go as well. We are pleased with the outpouring of generosity
Competition - 6th Place! from the HIS community. We also requested community
Allan Wang in Grade 5 got a record of eight wins during videos to support the fight against the COVID-19 and
the National Children Chinese Go competition with nearly cheer up the patients and healthcare workers in Wuhan
280 participants. He got the sixth place overall. (The and around China.
youngest player in the top ten players) His Dad would like
to thank everyone who has known Allan since he joined in
Grade 1 for always encouraging him to do something that
Allan is passionate about it.
27DragonNews Winter/Spring
“Hypnos” Team: (from left to right) Max Wu, Jonathan Cheng,
Pharmaceutical Project
Jaewoon Jung, Antonio Carbone, Daniel Branham & Ale Livio
The biomedical company, Ascletis, is owned by an HIS HIS Wins Gold at ASDAN’s East China
family. Dr. Jinzi Wu is the CEO and Director who founded Regional Business Simulation
Competition
the company in April 2013. He is also father to Max and
Andy Wu in the High School. The company is a biotech Upper School students tested their knowledge of
company that provides innovative commercial products economics, finance and business management skills
including antivirals, steatohepatitis, and tumor-related at the ASDAN* Business Simulation Competition at
innovative drugs for medical needs in China and globally. Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong this past weekend. This
simulation began with student teams creating a product
The company has prepared a developed platform that in the “wearable technology” market. One of our student
provides research and development all the way to teams created a device that eases the fatigue associated
manufacturing and commercial distribution. The company is with jet lag (the “Hypnos”). Our second team created
focused on three therapeutic areas: the “Powerband,” which was a device that generates and
1. HCV: one commercial stage product, one near stores energy based on body motion. Our teams began by
commercial stage drug and two R&D stage drug pitching their ideas to investors, with an aim of procuring
candidates. Ganovo® (Danoprevir) is the first direct-acting capital investments.
anti-viral agent for Hepatitis C, developed by a domestic
firm in China. Once the competition began, the key objectives for teams
2. HBV: one commercial stage product and three R&D was to grow their company and to earn the most money
stage drug candidates. Pegasys® (Peginterferon alfa-2a) is and market share. The simulation was challenging students
a leading marketed pegylated interferon for hepatitis B&C to consider human resources, factors of production,
partnered with Roche. finance management, and marketing in their strategic
3. NASH (Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis): three R&D plans. Making the competition more complex, needed to
stage drug candidates against three different targets for consider all of these variables while keeping a close eye on
combination treatments. For more information, please visit the strategies employed by competitors.
www.ascletis.com.cn
It was an intense weekend for our students. They
During the COVID-19 epidemic, Ascletis received official represented HIS with pride and experienced successes
approval to conduct a clinical trial of oral Ganovo and throughout the competition. Our “Hypnos” team led by
Ritonavir combination therapy on the Novel Coronavirus CEO Ale Livio was awarded for the best business pitch in
Pneumonia. From February 17, the first patient received the competition. The “Hypnos” team also won the auction
clinical treatment and as of February 27, 2020, three competition on the final day which led them to the top
patients have been discharged following medical treatment of the leaderboard. The “Powerband” team led by CEO
provided. Ganovo®, an oral Hepatitis C virus (HCV) Bryan Yun held a top two spot throughout most of the
protease inhibitor, was approved by the National Medical competition. As in real business, the opposition was fierce.
Products Administration for market launch in June 2018.
28DragonNews Winter/Spring
First-Place Team “Hypnos” – (from left to right) – Antonio Carbone, Jonathan Cheng, Jaewoon Jung, Alessandro Livio, Daniel
Branham & Max Wu
“Powerband” Team: Seohyun Jung,
JaeWoo Kim, Suhani Sikri,
Grace Tan, Selma von den Hoff,
Aralis Williams Marciaga &
Bryan Yun
This was an excellent business and economics education
opportunity for our students. The event was a series of The photos presented in
first-hand experiences with the challenges firms face when this document can be found
pricing for profitability and logistical planning logistics. here: http://tiny.cc/ASDAN
In the end, the competition exposed our students to
some of the complex strategies used to run a successful
business. Although they arrived back in Hangzhou Article
exhausted, they returned with stories of great successes written by:
Andrew Haltom
and disappointments. Our “Hypnos” team also returned
Upper School
with some extra hardware, winning the “Gold Award” for
finishing the competition in first place! They also won first Social Studies
place medals for the wins in the business presentation and
for their first-place performance in the auction.
29DragonNews Winter/Spring
Speaking With Your Child About Online Safety
10 Things to Teach Your Kids About Internet
Karl Suits Safety
Director of Technology
1. If you accidentally come across something
inappropriate, close the browser or app and tell an
adult
2. Not everything you read online is true. From
Children and the world are connected through the world
rumors to homework resources, no one is fact-
wide web at an unprecedented level. At HIS, students
checking the Internet for accuracy.
in Elementary and Upper School learn about internet
responsibility and safety from the Digital Citizenship
3. Whatever you post is permanent. Even if you
curriuculum by Common Sense Media. Common Sense
later delete it, images, text, and videos live on if
Media contains a comprehensive,online database for
anyone has already shared, downloaded, or taken a
parent and teachers to find reviews for kids of movies, TV
screenshot of them.
shows, books, apps, and websites.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
4. Don’t say things online that you wouldn’t say
to someone’s face. The Internet can encourage
It is important for children to learn how to choose the
rude behavior and group-think. Don’t engage in
right action when something is inappropriate or seems
cyberbullying.
dangerous. It is up to adults to set limits and guide
students to be cognizant of the consequences of their
5. No clicking on the “stuff ” on the sides of webpages,
actions online. Everything posted ever is stored online and
like ads or off-site links, without permission.
leaves a digital footprint for each person as they pursue
their life goals. Children can be influenced negatively by
6. Only private message with people you know and
others, whether it is from bullying, dangerous challenges,
trust in real life.
or people pretending to be someone else. Words online
to other people can be harmful, sometimes more than
7. If you get an email or message from someone you
in-person or physically. Sometimes kids just waste their
don’t know, don’t write back and don’t click on any
time on the laptop instead of being productive. For these
attachments to the email. Even if you know the
reasons, parents always have the right to:
sender and it sounds funny, tell an adult.
• determine when and where technology is used
and for how long.
8. Always ask permission before downloading or
• be administrators on their child’s devices and
uploading things.
control which websites are accessible.
• speak to their child about being smart about web
9. Don’t write about yourself where anybody can see
safety and following some non-negotiable rules
it. Set privacy settings tightly and don’t give out your
as a requirement for access to technology
name, age, school, address, birthday, or any of your
other personal stats in a public Internet forum.
Some helpful resources to limit Screen Time and content
can be found on the HIS website: https://www.his-china.
10. Keep your passwords to yourself. Don’t share with
org/learn/technology/screen-time . Ultimately safeguards
anyone (except a parent or teacher) and change
can be bypassed; it is a combination of student-learned
them often. Use a combination of letters, numbers,
understanding, ethics, behaviors, and self-control with
and special characters that you can remember but
parental and school boundaries that results in kids getting
is really hard for anyone else to guess.
the most out of technology while staying safe.
https://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/bid/159129/10-things-
30 to-teach-your-kids-about-internet-safetyDragonNews Winter/Spring
Athletics and Swimming
Filipe Nogueira
Upper School
Director of Athletics
& Activities
As our school grows, more
opportunities will exist for students
to pursue their passions in various
While Golden Dragons Athletics cut short, the teams travelled to athletics areas and the formation of
seasons have been disrupted in recent Shanghai, Ningbo, Nanjing, and around the Hangzhou International Schools
months, I am sure that our student Hangzhou to compete in several Athletics Conference (HISAC) this
athletes will return extra-motivated to tournaments. A team of 20 swimmers year has already resulted in our
be involved with the remainder of the competed at the Nanjing International students engaging in more regular
sports seasons. Since our Fall Dragon School meet and continued to activities in and around Hangzhou.
News issue we continued to send our improve rapidly as a result of their Athletics Directors from the HISAC
students far and wide representing regular weekly practices. schools are committed to providing
the Golden Dragons in Cross as many opportunities as possible for
Country, Soccer, Table Tennis, Floor Our student athletes have Hangzhou’s international learners and
Hockey, Swimming and Basketball. wonderful opportunities to develop as we meet again to plan for the next
physically, socially and emotionally school year will look for even more
Varsity Table Tennis grew this year through participation in swimming ways to allow for student excellence
with a newly-formed Girls’ team and athletics. Many studies have in athletics and physical activities
accompanying the Boys team to established a connection between following this year’s events calendar
Beijing for the ACAMIS tournament involvement in competitive sports/ which included 15 tournaments/
hosted by Keystone College, Beijing. physical activities and academic carnivals and numerous additional
The 3rd place finish by our Boys performance, behavior, and cognitive scheduled fixtures.
team was an excellent result and the skills. Dedication to sports often
young Girls’ team took a lot from requires the formation of habits that Hangzhou International School
their first ACAMIS appearance that students can implement in study and students will continue to have fantastic
will be valuable in coming seasons. other aspects of their life: personal opportunities to excel in swimming
The Middle School Table Tennis team drive to succeed, organization, and athletics through our affiliation
of 20 students participated in the collaboration, resilience and many with the following associations:
inaugural HISAC tournament hosted others. I have seen this correlation HISAC – Hangzhou International
by Wahaha International School, with first-hand in every school I have Schools Athletics Conference
Raina Chaurasia finishing in 2nd place worked in prior to my arrival here SISAC – Shanghai International
in the girls division. Dieter Armstrong and Hangzhou International School Schools Athletics Conference
completed a successful cross-country is no exception. Last year’s male CISSA – China International Schools
season with a strong performance and female Athletes of the Year also Sports Association
at the ACAMIS Championships in happened to be among the highest ACAMIS – Association of China and
Chengdu. Lower School students academic achievers. Mongolia International Schools
participated in Soccer Days in SSL – Shanghai Swim League
Hangzhou and Shanghai and although
the Varsity Basketball season was
31DragonNews Winter/Spring
MYP Project Exhibition
students acknowledged and expressed
gratitude for the help of their
Matthew Baxter supervisors.
Library Media This year’s PP Exhibition has been
Specialist and an excellent experience for the
PD Coordinator whole HIS community. We believe
that the Personal Project was not
only beneficial to fulfill academic
As an IB World School, Hangzhou requirements, but also to create a
International School assists students life-changing experience in the lives
in discovering their interests and of our students. The skills, attitudes,
passions. One of the ways this is and knowledge required to complete
achieved is through the Middle Years this project over an extended period
Program (MYP) Personal Project (PP). will allow students to excel in the
The PP is the capstone of the MYP, Diploma Program and flourish as life-
which is started in Grade 9 and long learners. We are excited to see
completed in Grade 10. The process more inspiring projects next year!
culminates in the PP Exhibition, where
students present their product or
outcome to the community. In this
year’s exhibition, students displayed
their finished projects after 12
months of research, planning, and
creation. Our Grade 10 students
engaged in a self-directed inquiry
and demonstrated the ability to
generate new insights and deeper
understandings through in-depth
investigation. There were many
inspiring projects, covering a variety
of topics, including mental health
awareness, empowering student-
athletes, health-conscious cookbooks,
sustainable and environment-friendly
interventions, music therapy, digital
flight simulation, cultural diversity, and
many more.
Teachers, students, and parents came
to celebrate these MYP student
projects. They asked questions
and gave personal assessments on
each project. Parent and teacher
support also played an essential
part in making this exhibition come
to fruition. In addition, many of the
32DragonNews Winter/Spring
Destiny and Additional Library Resources
Destiny Online Resource We are also collecting new resources that have been
Our digital library offerings at HIS include a host of recently added to Destiny. Below you will find additional
websites to support online education. Use the off-campus links to online resources that the HIS Community Library
Destiny Portal to find resources for research, current recommends. Let us know if you need any assistance
events, audiobooks, typing, maths, and much more. Below finding online resources for your tasks or just need a
is a tutorial on how to navigate to the off-campus Destiny good book to read. The websites below will be added
Portal. Archives.org is a great website to find resources to the Destiny Portal, but if you have other websites to
in the public domain. This website can be found on our recommend, please forward your recommendations to
Destiny portal. The public domain consists of creative library@his-china.org.
works for which everyone owns access rights. For
example, the book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is New Destiny Websites
a title that is in the public domain. If you need assistance • ESL library - All the Major Classics for Upper
with any of our library resources, please send an email to School (with audio)
library@his-china.org. • Free eBooks
• Best APPs for Teaching and Learning 2019
• Open-source ebooks
• Virtual Tours
Additional Library Resources
E-Learning has many challenges, but those challenges
provide a bounty of opportunities. These opportunities
include learning how to work and learn digitally. The HIS
Library is here to help you through the process of a digital
education. We provide many resources on our Destiny
Portal to assist you. Navigate to the off-site webpage full of
resources to aid in both academic and personal pursuits.
BritannicaSchools is now available off-campus.
BritannicaSchools is a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate
information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High
School. Students explore encyclopedia articles, multimedia,
primary sources, journal articles, linked websites,
videos, audio, images, and other learning resources that
differentiate and reinforce curriculum standards and
support student research.
33You can also read
