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January 27, 2015

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A commitment to pursue excellence

The year was 1983, I was nine years old, and I lived in California and like most little boys my age I loved American football, and of course since I lived in Los Angeles, my favorite team was the Raiders. The thing I remember most about the Raiders, aside from their uniforms and mascot, was their commitment to excellence. Every time they appeared on television or in person to give an interview or make an announcement the players, the coaches, and the owners included the phrase “commitment to excellence.” To this day that phrase remains permanently fixated in my brain and I think it translates very well in what everyone in our community here at Shanghai Community International School should strive for.

The Raiders’ goal in 1983 was very straight forward — to win the NFL Championship (which they accomplished by the way), and their commitment was to achieve athletic excellence. At SCIS our goal and commitment is for students to achieve academic excellence. About now you might be asking yourself, “what does that look like in a school setting?” That question is hard to answer and even more difficult to describe because it looks different for just about every student.

Wide variety of interests

I think the number one thing that makes SCIS such a great school is that we embrace those differences and allow students to achieve academic excellence in so many different ways. There is no single way for a student to be successful. Our academic program includes students with so many different talents, strengths, backgrounds, and so many students with such a wide variety of interests. As my colleague recently quoted the academy awarding winning film “Forrest Gump” at SCIS, “you never know what you are going to get.”

Students come to our school from all over the world. Some stay for many years; others stay just a short time. Some are passionate about American football; others are passionate about rugby. Some come from a place that stresses test scores; others come from a place that stresses creative thinking. So each year we have a school filled with backgrounds and interests and talents and expertise that varies more than a local school ever would.

While the students change, what does remain consistent is the balanced program that allows young men and woman of all ages to participate, grow, and become proficient in the classroom, on the field, in the pool, underneath the stage lights, behind the scenes, and/or out in the community. To be a part of any of these opportunities, we do not require students to be experts but instead only that they make a commitment. This commitment starts with themselves. Students have to commit to pursuing excellence. And this commitment extends to others. Students have to commit to helping other pursue excellence. This joint commitment is what makes these activities so enriching. And this joint commitment is what results in our excellence.

Any one of the many options offered at SCIS would provide a great opportunity for a student to excel, but what makes the experience so rich, and so unique at SCIS, is that a large majority of students participate in many of these different areas each and every week throughout the year. They do this at the same time as they are studying, writing their extended essay, composing their TOK paper, taking the ACT/SAT/TOEFL, and applying to colleges and universities. All of these different responsibilities take considerable commitment on their part as they pursue excellence.

While I am proud of the various opportunities provided, what I am most proud of is the help and support of a caring and dedicated faculty that are there to make sure our amazing students reach their full potential and achieve their own excellence.

Excellence Foundation Scholarship

In the spirit of encouraging and awarding merit, the SCIS Board of Directors has established the Excellence Foundation Scholarship. It is available to students in academics, arts, creative writing, technology, or virtually any co-curricular activity.

The scholarships cover up to 50 percent of the cost of attending school and are open to current 8th-11th grade students (going into 9th-12th grade). Aspiring candidates can find the scholarship application form online at www.scis-his.org. The scholarship committee consists of specialists from the faculty and leadership team best able to evaluate and select scholars. Competition for SCIS-HIS administered scholarships is keen. Apply today!




 

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