Graduation marks a special rite of passage for seniors
Print Edition
WATCHING our 76 Year 13 IB students graduate last month, I was struck by what a significant rite of passage the graduation ceremony represents, marking the end of each student’s time at our school and their readiness to move on to the next stage.
The school’s auditorium was packed with students and their families, friends and teachers. Each student received resounding applause, which was much deserved, as they stepped forward to graduate. As the party moved on to the sophisticated surroundings of the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Pudong, academic dress was put aside in favor of smart suits and gorgeous dresses. The theme was very much one of celebration as the whole year group, along with their parents, families and teachers, met together for the last time. The celebrations continued long into the night.
For the students, they have been getting ready to leave — exactly as it should be. It is our job as a school to make sure they are ready to cope with and flourish at university and beyond.
As a year group, they are held in high regard and spoken of with great affection. As teachers we are proud of them. Their academic successes are great, but they also embody the core values and attributes that we think are important. They are hard working, mature, caring and deeply supportive of one another, and they have shown strong leadership among the younger students of the school. They embrace life to the full — they are actors and musicians, sportsmen and women, debaters and trekkers into the unknown. These are characteristics that will help them to settle in and get on in any university or work environment.
Now, one by one, our graduates are leaving Shanghai and heading off to different parts of the world. They have much to look forward to. They will take up places at prestigious universities around the world They have been lucky enough to complete the IB Diploma Program, a wide ranging and challenging qualification which sets them up brilliantly for success at university. So many university students wilt at the thought of writing their first undergraduate dissertation — but it’s a walk in the park for anyone who has successfully completed an IB extended essay.
There are countless advantages to experiencing an international education, but a downside comes at the very end as you say goodbye to friends with whom you have studied, stressed, played sport, relaxed and partied, sometimes over the course of a number of years, uncertain as to when you will see them again. But this is the joy of being part of the social media generation. It’s genuinely easy to maintain those links with fellow students with whom you shared these extraordinary, unforgettable years of your life.
Jane White is head of IB Academy, British International School Shanghai, Puxi campus.
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