Song Shang Secondary School visited CIS Lakeside campus on 4 February 2015 as part of a cultural exchange programme. Middle school students from Guangdong, China were excited about their visit to CIS. They were looking forward to having an opportunity to observe teaching and learning in an international school environment, and to practice their everyday English while they observed classes in action.

Song Shang students joined the High School Assembly as the first stop in their itinerary and watched the high schoolers’ assembly with interest. When high school drama students performed a sneak preview of the upcoming play, The Crucible, they watched in admiration with wide eyes. Then it was their turn to perform: A group of 6 students sang Westlife’s greatest song “My Life”. The second performance was a flute solo. Although nervous on stage, all students managed to perform gracefully.

Next on the itinerary was a gathering in a Middle School pod where CIS students greeted their Chinese friends with a traditional Chinese dance performance, dressed in robes with hand painted masques of traditional Chinese theatre. While dancing, they sang articulately in Chinese. After this warm welcome, they all broke into small groups to visit Chinese language classes. There, CIS students got to know their Chinese peers in an informal setting. They all introduced themselves and talked about what they like to do in school conversing in basic Chinese. When it was time to conclude the classroom sessions, a few of our Chinese friends commented that it was too soon! They ended their visit to CIS by taking the “grand tour” of the campus of the school. We think that they left suitably impressed.

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