We have embarked on another exciting year here at Nanmo Private – one that is full of change! This is now my 3rd year at Nanmo and I have to say that with each year, I feel more and more at home and with that, increasingly appreciate the history, values and collegiality of being part of this fantastic community of students, parents and staff.
Unlike past years where we welcomed 3 new classes of grade 10s, this year we are excited to be, for the first time, welcoming 4! This is such a fantastic transition because it shows us that our school is dynamic and growing. Over the next 3 years we will all observe our new grade 10s transition from children to young adults as they develop academically, increase their awareness of themselves, others and the world around them, and grow physically. It is always exciting to see.
While we are only finishing our 3rd week of the 2022-23 school year, we have already seen much happening on campus with various extracurricular activities and teams. While we are still restricted by how much we can do due to Covid, we are working hard as a staff to provide students all that we can to enrich their learning by incorporating academic, artistic and athletic opportunities. We encourage all students to participate in all areas.
Last year again, 100% of our grade 12 students were able to graduate with both a Shanghai and British Columbia diploma. Additionally, our 64 graduates were given over 500 university offers – such an impressive achievement. The vast majority of our students have already transitioned abroad, and are starting their first weeks of classes at top Canadian universities like the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, Queens, Western, Waterloo, and the University of Alberta. Many are also attending top institutions outside of Canada, including the University of Sydney (Australia), Boston University (USA), University College of London and the University of Manchester (UK). We are so proud of their efforts and look forward to hear of their experiences and studies abroad! Like graduates from our previous years, they are our Nanmo torch-bearers to the world and models for our current students.
This year too we are excited about moving to a new campus. While we were at the Tianyaoqiao campus we had to share facilities with lower grades. However, we were literally ‘bursting at the seams’ and needed to split the higher and lower grades. As a result, our high school is now at a new location and we are very excited about the opportunities we can create here.
As with most years, we had well-regarded staff leave. This year I am happy to say that our new staff are all very strong, highly motivated and well-experienced. Most are still transitioning to China, but we expect most to be on campus by the end of the October holiday. Additionally, with our growth in enrollment, we were able to add 2 more staff to the BC Program. This allowed us to keep class sizes at levels that optimize teacher-student ratios to better serve students. We were also able to add a number of elective courses, which gives our students greater choice, which in turn, benefits them as they are able to choose courses that play to their strengths.
As we continue to navigate through what seems to be the ever-present Covid-19 testing and restrictions, we are well aware and prepared to serve our students in the event of they being locked down. Certainly, not any of us would like to have a repeat of what happened this past Spring, but we also need to be mindful that it is a possibility. As parents you can be assured, as we did during this past Spring, that if we face lockdowns our BC staff will again provide quality education to your child.
I am excited and looking forward to working with a positive, energetic, and collaborative student and staff body here in Shanghai. I know I speak on behalf of all Nanmo staff when I say that this school is going to be a fantastic year!
Mark J.H. Wuerch
Principal
Shanghai Nanyang Model Private High School