Nanmo students are excited to begin the brand new school year with a focused work ethic, a diligent approach to leading a balanced lifestyle, and a positive attitude. We’ve found communal inspiration in Henry Ford’s quote: “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” At Nanmo, we KNOW we CAN!

Our Grade 10 students will be focused on developing a new routine for their fresh start at Nanmo, and this includes using an agenda, getting to class on time and with all the tools necessary, and practicing their English writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Their focus for Semester one is on Spoken Language, taught by a new teacher to Nanmo, Mr. Mike Hillian. This class is being offered Monday through Thursday and I can already see the confidence and proficiency building in this grade. They will also be focused on their writing and analysis of texts in their Literary Studies 10 class this semester, taught by Mr. Dyck. In addition, the Grade 10 students are experiencing a new class offered at Nanmo this year – Entrepreneurship and Marketing 10, taught by another new educator to Nanmo, Mr. John Culver. This class will give the Grade 10 students a taste of what one might study in the Business and Marketing fields.

Our Grade 11 students have returned to Nanmo and are keen to engage in the multitude of extracurricular activities offered on campus! Basketball tryouts for both girls and boys were held in the third week of school, and Ultimate Frisbee has already recruited new members for their team. Since the BC Curriculum places emphasis on educating the whole child, including the physical, mental, and social-emotional aspects of an individual, our teachers/coaches are excited to challenge the Grade 11’s this year to try something new!

Our Grade 12 students are performing excellently in their classes thus far, as they know the first semester of marks are essential to their university applications. We have students applying all around the world this year, and applications, reference letters, and IELTS exams are well under way. We also increased the number of options for student course choice this year, including the addition of Environmental Science 12, and Media Arts 12, both of which can be used for application purposes. We are confident that this group of students will achieve great results in their BC academic classes and university offers!

One of the programs that we are the most excited to roll out this year is our Career Life Program at Nanmo. Every Friday, students will meet with a BC teacher who will mentor them through the BC Career Life Curriculum. Our program coordinators have developed lessons from the curriculum that focus on varying topics for each grade. The Grade 10’s focus is currently organization and life skills, while the Grade 11’s are looking at potential career pathways. The Grade 12’s will be introduced to a Capstone Project which will span their final year at Nanmo and will be connected to a career of their interest.

As a team, including our BC teachers, Chinese teachers, and BC and Chinese administration, we are enthusiastic about the 2019-20 school year and are working closely together to promote student health and excellence.

Warm regards,
Becky Block, Principal, Shanghai Nanyang Model Private High School (BC Program)