Dulwich College Beijing - The College Magazine Spring 2019

Spring 2019
Dulwich College Beijing Celebrates...
International School Award
Healthy Eating Starts Early
Junior School Student Council Leads Support for Migrant School
GROW with the Senior School Prefects

Just contact your parent class representative!
Friends of Dulwich Activities in Term Two
Mulled wine
Dumpling making
Friends of Dulwich, DCB’s parent association, have
spent an eventful winter keeping our community happy
and engaged.
New and seasoned parents had the opportunity
to mingle and exchange useful tips about school and
Beijing while Senior School parents met to learn more
about career opportunities in information technologies.
Many students and cheering Lions Supporters
shared the excitement and intensity of sports
competitions.
As the outside temperature significantly dropped
and winter settled in, the atmosphere in Dulwich was
kept warm and festive while celebrating Christmas
and Chinese New Year. Our multicultural community
got together and enjoyed mulled wine and jiaozi
(dumplings). This was also a good time for parents to
express their appreciation to teachers and support staff
for their commitment to our children’s education and
wellbeing.
As a Dulwich parent, you are already a member of
Friends of Dulwich Beijing! Whether you are interested
in meeting other parents, attending upcoming events,
or taking an active role in the group, feel free to contact
us through your class or Key Stage reps. We are looking
forward to meeting more Friends!
– Kalyana Maréchal
Coffee & Careers for SS parents
JS Christmas teacher appreciation
New parent coffee morning

C O N T E N T S
From the Headmaster’s Desk ................................... 2
Art ..................................................................................... 9
Service – JS StuCo...................................................... 16
Sports ............................................................................. 17
Music .............................................................................. 23
Alumni ............................................................................ 27
Around DCI ................................................................... 32
Snapshots
News
Dulwich Christmas .................................................. 6
Year 3 Production ................................................. 14
Senior School Production ..................................... 26
Chinese New Year Celebrations ............................ 32
Early Years News .................................................... 6
Early Years Healthy Eating ...................................... 8
Junior School House Forensics ............................. 12
Junior School Eco-Warriors ................................... 14
Pioneering Spirit Grant ........................................ 21
German Class ....................................................... 24
DIMUN IX ............................................................. 24
Governor Shumlin’s Visit ....................................... 25
Diversity Series ..................................................... 31
International School Award ................................... 30
Employee of the Year............................................ 30
Spotlight
EY/JS/SS Libraries .................................................. 4
Homework in Junior School .................................... 13
Importance of ECAs in Junior School ................... 15
Senior School Prefects .......................................... 20
DCB Spray Club ................................................... 22
Project Nightingale ............................................... 25
Cover: Julien F, Year 12, in Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Editor, Design & Layout: Harmony Liau Mueller
Editorial Support: Kasia Baran
Contributors: Imee Acosta, Lisa Alleyne, Sally Corben, Rebecca Davies, Alexander
Denholm, Gemma Doku, Jacob Dong, Rachel Du, Claire Elliot, Margaret Goddard,
Sandra Greenwell, Helen Herbert, Dirk Kraetzer, Kalyana Maréchal, Simon Herbert,
Natasha Sadler, Joseph Stewart, Timothy Strack, Andrew Walton, Paul West, and
many of our wonderful students
Graphic Design: Faye Zhang
Photography: Kids Photo, Faye Zhang, and DCB students and teachers
The College Magazine (Beijing)
By Cher X
By Ivy K, Y13
9
16
17
23
1

From the Headmaster’s Desk
Speaking and Listening
as a Whole College Aim – Why?
What may surprise you is that “Speaking and
Listening” has been drawn out as a discrete
aim this year at DCB, one of our six cross-
College aims. Surely, one could say, the skills of speaking
and listening are important in any school and do not need
extra attention. This article seeks to explain why we gave
this item particular focus this year.
First and foremost, let’s divide the two concepts. Just
like “fish and chips”, “bread and butter”, or perhaps, in
the Beijing context, “duck and pancakes”, we tend to
think of speaking and listening together, as one item.
This is wrong and perhaps derives from the UK curricular
notion of aligning the skills and even assessing them
together. However, they are actually
quite distinct and being good at
one does not designate a strength
in the other. Many politicians
prove this on a daily basis, as they
clamour to speak and bring their
preconceived ideas to the table,
without necessarily listening or
adjusting their views based on what
they hear.
So, let’s start with speaking:
too many schools simply expect
students to develop excellent
speaking skills, almost by osmosis,
without a clearly defined structure.
Students are expected to present
to others without any training: “Go
on, get on the stage and give an
assembly – good luck!” In many
schools, this is the case. Speaking
with cogency and fluency is treated as an innate skill that
cannot be learned. Children who are naturally adept at
presenting are given the opportunities, but for the vast
majority it remains an area of mystery and even fear,
the preserve of the initiated. Can you imagine treating
mathematics or English in the same way? “Do your
best with that algebraic equation, just do what comes
naturally!” That would be ridiculous. However, children
are expected to become brilliant at presenting, somehow
knowing how to structure a powerful speech, confidently
using the vocabulary learnt in the classroom, yet we don’t
teach them practical techniques or structure. When I say
“we”, I refer to educationalists generally, and am pleased
to say that DCB is addressing this gap.
At DCB this year, you will have noticed a substantial
increase in speaking opportunities for students of all
ages. Our classrooms, from Early Years upwards, are
places of safety and security, where students are willing
to take risks and have fun, speaking in front of others
confidently without fear of interruption or sneering. Our
teachers create a positive and inclusive atmosphere,
a solid foundation of trust. When this is established,
opportunities can be introduced, from a simple “Show
and Tell” in Early Years, to “Fantastic Finish” in Junior
Too many schools
simply expect students
to develop excellent
speaking skills, almost
by osmosis, without a
clearly defined structure.
Students are expected to
present to others without
any training: “Go on, get
on the stage and give an
assembly – good luck!”
School, where students present end of topic projects to
their peers and parents. We have seen Model United
Nations activities and TED talks in our Junior School,
proving that our younger students can be challenged with
fun speaking activities.
High level debating and public speaking have been
evident in the Senior School. Students even act as tour
guides, not only at DCB, but at the Song Art Gallery! The
extraordinary “Debate for Change Tournament” saw our
Senior School students organise an event for over 220
guests from nine schools, dedicated to debating on the
subject of charitable causes and raising money for three
key charities at the same time. This gained an ACAMIS
Service Learning Grant and is the
first student event to be taken on by
ACAMIS, thereby achieving legacy.
So, the opportunities abound, but
the question of “how” still remains.
I mentioned structure, but so many
schools fail to treat speaking as a
skill that can be improved. Damian
Hinds, UK Education Secretary,
says, “It is a persistent scandal that
almost a third of 5-year-olds don’t
have the basic speaking skills they
need to participate in the class.”
Perhaps we should look to
the classical past for lessons. The
Romans taught grammar, logic and
rhetoric. It was seen as a crucial part
of education. Rhetoric was defined
as the application of the mechanics
of the language in order to instruct
or persuade the listener. Students learnt techniques to
persuade, instruct and entertain, including rhetorical
flourishes, adaptation to the audience and a logical
structure to the speech or piece of oratory.
Speech making or presenting is not a mystery or the
preserve of only the few. We must share the confidencebuilding
techniques with our students. At DCB, we invite
the most eloquent guest speakers, and we study the most
skilled orators, from Churchill to Martin Luther King. We
analyse and deconstruct TED talks, and we give clear tips
and feedback to our students. We are now assessing this
skill separately from listening, focusing on body language,
register, tone, content and oratorical flair. In this way, we
shall have the most confident and eloquent speakers in all
year groups. From the formulaic (drama, debating, MUN)
to the more open-ended and evaluative, our children are
being guided towards excellence in this area and moving
away from the mere memorisation of content.
We want our students to enter the work place
confident to shape and vocalise their thoughts, to present
their ideas with precision and concision and to speak in
front of their peers or an audience with confidence. It is
incumbent upon us to teach these techniques, particularly
in our Asian context where, as Nisbett comments in his
2 beijing.dulwich.org

From the Headmaster’s Desk
seminal work, The Geography of Thought, rhetorical
argumentation is largely absent.
At the beginning of this article I deliberately separated
speaking from listening. Educators need to consider
these skills as discrete items, in order to develop them
both. So why is listening also an aim?
There is a Maori proverb which states, “The first stage
of learning is silence; the second stage is listening.” Our
best coaches, mentors, carers and counsellors must be
good listeners. Listening is a crucial life skill, but one which
ironically can be lost in the drive to become a skilled and
adept speaker. Some of the best debaters are so focused
on persuading, arguing and convincing others, that the
ability to listen may be undervalued and downplayed.
They want to win and score points, as opposed to
considering another’s view with circumspection.
The second highest level on Bloom’s Taxonomy is
“Evaluating”, which includes appraising, judging and
weighing another’s argument. In the IB Learner Profile,
we find that “caring”, “inquiring”
and “open-minded” are three
of the key traits. However, none
of this is achievable if we simply
teach our students to target good
grades and speak about their own
feelings – they must listen and
adapt to others’ views. We have
many nationalities and different
cultural upbringings within our
school. What an opportunity missed
if our students do not benefit from
this and never really get to hear the
deeper experiences or worldviews
of their classmates.
Listening to others comes with
a risk – we might not like their
worldview, or worse, we might be
offended by it. It is a modern trend,
particularly at certain universities in
the US and the UK, for students to reject speakers whose
views they think might not align to their own. Journalists,
historians and politicians have all been banned or uninvited,
if their views do not tally with those of the student
union. Not only do undergraduates not listen to them,
they do not even allow them to visit the university. Historian
David Starkey, secular campaigner Maryam Namazie,
feminist Julie Bindel and journalist Milo Yianopoulos have
all been banned or un-invited. Winston Churchill’s words
have become somewhat prophetic (House of Commons,
October 1943), “Everyone is in favour of free speech.
Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some
people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they
like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.”
The fear of being offended can stretch beyond a refusal
to listen. Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” was removed from a
wall at the University of Manchester, as this former Nobel
Prize-winning writer was considered a racist imperialist
by students. Janet Montefiore, a professor emeritus at
the University of Kent and editor of the Kipling Journal,
said, “Of course he was an imperialist, but that’s not all he
was.” She argues that Kipling was “a magical storyteller”
and that his perspective was part of history, adding, “‘If’ is
not a racist poem. It’s a poem of good advice.”
Some of the best
debaters are so focused
on persuading, arguing
and convincing others,
that the ability to listen
may be undervalued and
downplayed. They want to
win and score points, as
opposed to considering
another’s view with
circumspection.
Where does one stop when blocking views that one
doesn’t appreciate. Should we stop children reading
the book or watching the film Jungle Book, as it was
written by a “racist imperialist”? Can a man be “of his
time” and thereby freer from criticism or always tainted
by one aspect to his character. As Janet Montefiore
states, “Dickens said dreadful things about black people
in the Jamaica rebellion. Does that mean you don’t read
Dickens?” One could add Albert Einstein to the list.
Einstein is justifiably revered in China for his brainpower
and innovative thought. However, even a young Einstein
revealed a less than unprejudiced attitude towards the
Chinese in his early travel diaries. All our heroes are
fallible.
Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford University, is clear, “Students must learn to
engage with ideas that they find objectionable and be
more willing to debate with opponents to try to change
their minds. Undergraduates must learn the true nature
of free speech, be willing to change their minds and
understand that higher education
is not meant to be a comfortable
experience.” If we refuse to listen
in the first place, we cannot alter
our prejudice.
At DCB, we do not want to send
students into the world with preconceived,
set ideas that cannot
be adjusted after listening to
strong, viable arguments. Listening
in order to truly hear someone is
not easy, but we try hard within
our classrooms to do just that.
Intelligence, some say, is the ability
to hold two opposing ideas and
still function. Our students must
learn from each other through
listening actively, and they must
adapt their views depending on
what they have heard. Our staff
are trained to listen without prejudice when coaching,
counselling or mentoring. To return to a Roman example,
Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of the greatest orators who
ever lived, claimed, “Silence is one of the great arts of
conversation.”
Professor Richardson asked, “How do we ensure that
we educate our students both to embrace complexity and
retain conviction? How do students use reason to change
another’s mind, while being open to changing their own?
How do we ensure that our students understand the
true nature of freedom of inquiry and expression?” The
answer to these questions is through listening sincerely to
others. I hope this explains why at DCB we have selected
this as an aim this year.
– Simon Herbert, Headmaster
The College Magazine (Beijing)
3

Spotlight
In August 2018, the school revamped all three library areas.
Let’s find out how these new spaces are working for our students.
DCB’s Three Amazing Libraries
Ask the Senior School Librarian...
How do you like the new library compared to the old one?
The new library is certainly more accessible and is now more the
“heart” of Senior School. The design is user friendly, catering for all
year levels in the school.
What are the students’ favourite spots in the library?
The mezzanine floor for IB students, the reading alcoves and reading
corner for KS3 and other students. The bean bags and giant cushions
are a big success!
Besides reading and research, how do students and teachers use
the library?
It’s used for book talks by authors, lessons, small group meetings,
extra-curricular activities, and lunchtime chess.
What are some popular books right now?
For Key Stage 3 students:
Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
by J.K. Rowling
For Key Stage 4/5 students:
On the Come Up and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Midnight in Peking by Paul French
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
Ms Sandra Greenwell says:
“My aim for the library is to develop a space where students find it
comfortable and safe to think, explore, read and research.”
4 beijing.dulwich.org

Spotlight
Ask the Early Years Librarian...
How do you like the new library compared to the old one?
The new library has more space, which makes various activities
and a larger number of collections possible. It also has plenty
of BRIGHT SUNLIGHT coming through the windows. The new
features – the tree, the mezzanine – all contribute to its cozy and
welcoming atmosphere.
What are the students’ favourite spots in the library?
Students like to sit around the tree or sit in or under the
mezzanine. They also like very much to lay down on the square
and flat cushions.
Besides reading, how do students and teachers use the library?
For this term, besides being a classroom for storytelling/literacy
development and a book treasure hunt venue, the EY library has
been used as the assembly space each Thursday for Foundation
Stage. On certain days and times of the week, parents come in
and read to the children.
What are some popular books right now?
I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell
Du Iz Tak by Carson Ellis
There is a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Ms Rachel Du says:
“A school library could be an ideal classroom for effective social
and emotional competence development through storytelling/
narratives.”
Ask the Junior School Librarian...
What do you like about the improved library?
There is an additional multi-function room to use for
teaching.
What are the students’ favourite spots in the library?
Reading Beehive for the picture book area and the young
fiction area where the children love using the big cushions.
Besides reading and research, how do students and
teachers use the library?
They use the library for some workshops, some extracurricular
activities and some learning support for EAL.
What are some popular books right now?
Tom Gates by J. Pichon for Years 5 and 6
Dork Diaries (series) by Rachel Renee Russell
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Ms Imee Acosta says:
“I do believe that ‘the library is the heart of the school’. As
a librarian I ensure that students are provided with literature
at their reading level and interest, across a wide range of
genres, styles and formats.”
The College Magazine (Beijing)
5

Snapshots
6 beijing.dulwich.org

EY News
Stay and Play Sessions
"Stay and Play" is an opportunity for parents to come to their
child’s class to gain a fuller understanding of our curriculum and
child-initiated learning.
During these sessions, parents have the chance to play with
all the children in the class, observe how the teachers teach in
the classroom, and ask questions about how and why we instruct
speaking and listening in this way.
The children really enjoy having other familiar adults in the
classroom and are very eager to show them their favourite parts of
the room and things they have been working on. The parents gain
insights into teaching and learning. This type of home-school link is
invaluable for mutual understanding and the longer-term benefits
will be profound.
Story Sacks
The Early Years children have been
designing some lovely new story sacks and
have started using them in the library.
Each sack contains a book and a puppet.
Its multi-sensory nature makes it visually and
physically appealing, and the combination of
much-loved stories and associated activities
creates an ideal learning environment in
which children are relaxed, engaged, and
can be active and involved in a story rather
than passive listeners.
These story sacks promote skills in
emotional literacy, encouraging children
from Nursery to Year 2 to explore their
own thoughts and feelings.
The children love using
the puppets to retell the
stories and make up their
own versions. Storytelling,
of course, also helps to
encourage speaking skills and
increases vocabulary; it helps children to
learn about the world.
The children agree: “It is so much fun
using puppets!” So we are in the process of
making more.
– Margaret Goddard
Book Week
Early Years celebrated a Book Week in March. On one of the
days, the children were encouraged to come to school dressed up
as a book character. Early Years were visited by Senior and Junior
School teachers, many parents, and older students, who have
all shared their favourite books and their love of reading. It's so
important for children to see that reading is valued by people at
home as well as at school, and we are very grateful to all the families
that have contributed to the week being such a great success.
The College Magazine (Beijing)
7

EY News
Having a Healthy Body and Healthy Mind in Early Years
During a meeting for the College Wellbeing Committee, it was
decided that we should all go back to our respective schools
and get everyone thinking about healthy eating! Back in Early
Years, Canna Ju and I (Wellbeing Committee reps) brainstormed
some ideas of how to incorporate this topic into the children’s
learning. Once we had presented some initial thoughts to some
of the teachers, they then took the ideas to the children and the
School Council, to see what they thought. This interest evolved into
a Healthy Eating Week in January 2019, and it was enormous
fun for all involved.
It was perfectly timed, just after the Christmas
holiday, to deal with the excesses from all the
frivolity, and to get us all feeling great, before
the next holiday arrived in the form of Chinese
New Year. Many of the children had prior
knowledge of what constituted “healthy food”,
so the learning consolidated and highlighted
its importance. From the Toddler class to Year
2, everyone was involved, in a small or a big
way, and the children enjoyed a wide variety of
cross-curricular learning. Mr Astbury and
Ms Goddard frantically re-stocked the new kitchen
with utensils from IKEA, Ms Du sent out a recommended
book list from the library to ensure the addition of literacy
learning, Ms Liu met with all her Chinese teachers to plan this
learning for the Chinese lessons that week, and Mr Benjamin
uploaded some healthy eating apps for the class iPads. In the AEN
office, everyone decided to only eat fruit during our break times, so
the staff were modelling good eating habits. It was wonderful to see
such amazing staff spirit and support for this cause.
Meanwhile, Ms Ju and I organised a healthy eating workshop
to be held for all College parents, which was well attended by
interested parents and carers and thoughtfully presented by Dr
Melissa Rodriguez from United Family Hospital. She talked about
how eating well maximised children’s performance in school and
how to build a lifelong enjoyment of nutritious food.
In Reception classes they wholly embraced the theme, which
culminated in a trip to Jenny’s supermarket to buy smoothie
ingredients for a competition (there were some innovative
recipes!). We also saw lots of sensory learning with fruits
and vegetables, cooking sessions, links to English
language learning, and maths – counting, dividing,
cutting food into quarters. This encouraged the
children’s physical development with all the
chopping, slicing, mixing, mashing and juicing.
To showcase all the learning, there was a
hilarious assembly led by Ms Young, where
Mr Hughes and Mr Byrne role-played a day
in the life of someone who ate healthily, and
someone who ate only junk food. They decided
to run a race and you guessed it …the healthy
eater won! Assemblies are a great platform for
language learning and make an incredible visual impact,
particularly when interjected with humour and a film made in
our very own SE21.
In summary, the children are encouraged every day to make
wholesome food choices and to lead an active life, which will keep
them fit, healthy and well, and will aid their concentration, mood
and cognitive development during the school day and beyond.
– Helen Herbert
8 beijing.dulwich.org

Art
Collaborative Art
in Early Years
Animal collage by Year 2 Parrot Class
Year 1 children making a hammer head shark
Hammer head shark created by Year 1
children and Mr Dong
Nursery children printing snowflakes
Pig sculpture using recycled materials
by Peyton 2LB
Plastic bag sculpture created
collaboratively by Year 2
Snowflake collage
Snowflake sculpture created by KS1
Snowflake collage created by Year 2
– Jacob Dong
The College Magazine (Beijing)
9

Art
Junior School
Art
Continuing with the overarching theme of Light, in Junior School Art and
Design, Year 6 have used photography this term. They have investigated
the ways in which artists and photographers “light” a picture. Students
have analysed the work of Vermeer, looking particularly at how his famous
painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring, has captivated viewers with its simple lighting
scheme. With this understanding, students planned and set up their own
photoshoot capturing a chosen subject in the style of a Vermeer painting.
-– Sally Corben
10 beijing.dulwich.org

Art
Aisyah T
Senior School IB Art
Spring H
As the final part of the twoyear
IB Visual Arts course, Year
13 students are required to
develop, create and prepare
artwork for an exhibition. Eleven
students have created these
in a range of media, including
traditional ones such as oil paint,
woodcut printing, and ceramics,
accompanied by innovative uses
of technology such as animation
and digital drawing. We are very
proud of the achievements of
our students.
– Joseph Stewart
Ashley I
Eileen Z
Flora S
Ivy K
Victoria Y
Geoffrey W
Juliana H
Clara D
Vivian T
The College Magazine (Beijing)
11

Snapshots
“I
liked the
chromatography
because I liked the
colours and I thought
it was very cool.” –
Dany, Year 3
Junior School celebrated British Science Week along with
mathematics on a day of forensic science in March. During
the morning, they underwent “forensic training”, learning
how to analyse and identify different fingerprints, shoe prints,
powders, fibres, inks as well as cracking coded messages. The
experiments learned during this training were then put to good
use when students had to solve a crime in their Houses. There
were around 20 different pieces of evidence that each year group
House had to analyse in order to come up with their suspect. They
investigated pH levels of different powders to match those found
on a suspect to those found at the crime scene. Students looked at
fibres magnified through a microscope to match them to clothing
worn by suspects and used chromatography to identify the pen
used to write a shopping list found at the scene. They identified
fingerprints found and used a database to identify shoe prints
and match them to a suspect. They even had to decipher coded
messages sent by suspects. Once students had gathered their
findings and solved the crime, they completed their challenge by
creating a news report summarising their results. Junior school
students had lots of fun during the day experimenting, calculating,
interpreting and explaining, just like forensic scientists do in the
real world.
“My favourite
activity was the finger
printing. It was fun, and
when I do my own finger
prints, I can see some
whorls and swirls.” –
Erna, Year 3
– Sally Corben
12 beijing.dulwich.org

Parents ask, The College answers... What is DCB’s stance on Junior School homework?
≠
Why Less Homework
Spotlight
Doesn’t Equal Less Educated Students
If
you’ve noticed that the amount of homework your child
receives on a daily basis is significantly less than the workload
you received when you were in grade school, you’re not
alone. Many schools have been reviewing their homework policy
over the last few years and replacing the notion of “more is better”
with value-based homework practices.
However, educators want parents to know that less homework
doesn’t equal a less educated student. To further examine this
change in education, we talked with Richard McIntosh, Deputy
Head of Junior School at Dulwich College Beijing, about how much
homework kids should be getting, what meaningful homework
looks like, and how you can best support your child’s learning after
school hours.
So how much homework should kids be
doing on average? According to McIntosh,
no school could ever come up with an
average that every member of the school
community would be entirely satisfied with.
“It’s important to recognise that homework
is not just busy work… when homework lacks
purpose, that’s the kind of thing that can
frustrate students…,” he says. “”
McIntosh notes that if a piece of
homework is purposeful, then there
should be an appropriate time frame set
to complete that task. “Some of the most
exciting and creative homework tasks [at
Dulwich] are quite open ended – teachers will
set an objective and students will have some
agency of how to do that task. There is potential that somebody
could spend hours on a small research task so we do set some clear
guidelines and the amount of time we would expect them to spend
on it, depending on the year group. That means if it’s purposeful
and adding value and enhancing the experience, it could actually
be done within that time frame set in the context of what should be
a well-rounded home experience.”
To give a specific example, McIntosh shares with us a “Learning
Log” assignment his son and the rest of Year 5 recently completed
at Dulwich. As part of Year 5’s studies on “Champions for Change:
People who have made a significant impact on the world and
promoted change,” students were asked to research someone who
they considered a champion of change and present it to their class.
The estimated time the school sets for these “Learning Logs” at the
Year 5 level is about 30 minutes. He explains, “In theory you could
spend 20 hours on a project like that, but we set guidelines. The
focus is not just on facts such as when these people were born, but in
this example, how they were leaders of change.” For McIntosh, this
assignment is an excellent example of an appropriate, meaningful
homework task that allows kids ownership over their learning and
develops research and presentation skills.
Homework should be
intentional, it should be
adding value, and value
cannot be measured in
terms of minutes spent
on homework. It’s about
what skills are being
developed and what kids
are gaining from it.
“
”
Another factor that influences
the amount of homework given at
Dulwich is the school’s commitment to
their students’ wellbeing. Homework
assignments are set in the context that
downtime and time for family is also
important. “We’re not setting a homework
task expecting it will take all evening or a
weekend,” McIntosh says.
That being said, McIntosh points out that some homework
assignments are great activities for family time and partnership
between parents and child. At Dulwich, children are expected to
read for 10-15 minutes at least three times
a week. “Besides being valuable in an
educational sense, spending time having
your child read to you or reading with your
child is quality time,” he says. As a father
of two boys, he remembers bonding with
his sons over the first books they brought
home from school. “Sometimes you might
explain a word to your child or sometimes
you might see a word you don’t know so it’s
an opportunity to learn together.”
We asked McIntosh what else parents
can do to support their child’s learning
outside of school hours. In general, he
believes parents can focus on building
curiosity and a love of learning. To take
part in furthering their child’s knowledge of school subjects, he
recommends that parents simply ask their child questions about
what they are learning in class and transition the questions into a
topic-specific conversation.
As a parent, McIntosh admits that sometimes children claim they
“can’t remember” what they did in school some days. If your child
doesn’t remember what they did in school, McIntosh recommends
taking advantage of curriculum overview resources schools put out
for parents. Parents can use these materials to ask more specific
questions instead of asking about the general day. At Dulwich,
every few weeks a current topic review pamphlet goes out to
each parent so they can follow their child’s studies. The pamphlet
includes keywords, learning objectives, links to useful websites,
and discussion points that parents can use to engage their child
further. If your child’s school doesn’t provide something like this, a
simple peek at your child’s agenda and some research on your part
can also help you to ask more specific questions to jog your child’s
memory, stimulate their curiosity, and test their understanding in a
meaningful way.
First published on Beijingkids blog in March 2019 by Lisa Alleyne
The College Magazine (Beijing)
13

JS News
Snapshots: Year 3 Production “It’s Chriiistmas!”
Fighting for the Environment – Our JS Eco-Warriors
Inspired by the work of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals
Club) in Senior School, this year Junior School has set up its own
environmentally-themed groups to help with the College’s effort
to achieve the “Eco-school” status.
Each class has chosen two Eco-monitors who try to ensure that
lights and projectors are turned off when the rooms are unoccupied
and that paper is recycled. They also work as monitors in the canteen
during lunch to encourage the children to only take the food that
they will eat in order to reduce the amount of waste.
Eco-warriors is an ECA that currently has 20 members. Each
week, they work on different “green” projects, including making
“fat bombs” for the birds, creating sustainable decorations to
sell at the Christmas Bazaar and making beeswax food wrappers.
Green trays have been placed next to all our
photocopiers for printing errors. On Thursdays,
this paper is collected and distributed to Early
Years for them to draw on. They are also working
on their own waste-reducing projects, which will be showcased on
Earth Day. On Founders’ Day, they will be running their own stall
with lots of fantastic sustainable products on sale.
All our “Eco” children wear the badge that was designed by
the SDG, and hopefully, they will be working together on whole
school projects in the next few months, including developing the
area behind the Dome.
– Claire Elliott
14 beijing.dulwich.org

Spotlight
Why Extra-Curricular Activities Are Essential in Junior School Life
Junior School offers a range of rich and exciting extra-curricular
activities (ECA) for students to take part in. With more than
40 activities taking place every week, there is something for
everyone, including badminton, horse riding, basketball, arts &
crafts, music, French, P4C, MUN (Model United Nations debating
club) and several Chinese activities that reinforce Mandarin at
many different levels. Some of our most popular ECAs relate to
technology. In this block, for example, students have been lucky
enough to have the chance to take part in Let’s Create in 3D.
During this ECA, students design, create and print their own 3D
models. They begin by learning the basics of CAD design through
the software, TinkerCad. Once they are comfortable with these
tools, they begin to design their own models on the software and
then produce them using our 3D printers in SE21. The ECA focuses
on building skills such as collaboration, creativity and critical
thinking.
Getting involved in activities outside of the classroom can help
students meet new people with whom they share interests and
improve their social skills as a result. For example, a student who
joins a creative activity at school will meet other students with similar
passions, leading to wider and more meaningful friendships being
built between students.
A fantastic example of this is Philosophy for Children (P4C).
P4C is a teaching approach that aims to improve children's critical
thinking and reasoning skills. Through each session, the children
are invited to explore a “stimulus”, such as a book, video or object
to generate deep questions from them. We explore themes and
concepts, and the students themselves come up with their own big
questions that they want to delve into. These are facilitated through
an enquiry in which they discuss, debate, and explore values,
assumptions, and vital concepts like justice, truth, knowledge and
beauty.
These sessions have many benefits for children, as through
the process they build emotional awareness and thinking skills,
use imagination and reasoning and work together to search for
meaning. P4C brings together many elements important to DCB,
such as a sense of community, student agency, and speaking
and listening skills. This is an enriching experience for the students
as they learn to develop their own thoughts, ideas and values;
they feel listened to and respected. Students have said that they
like “thinking about big ideas”, “sharing thoughts and ideas” and
“choosing their own questions”.
ECAs offer students a sense of fulfilment as they take part in activities
that follow their personal interests. Two of our students who take part in
Let’s Create in 3D explain their opinion below:
Let’s Create in 3D is an enjoyable hour of designing, printing and
creating 3D models with Mr Helliwell. The reason I like it is because
it’s a chance to be creative using technology as well as opening up an
opportunity to work independently, which allows freedom to choose
what I make. – Oliver H, Year 5
My experience so far in the 3D printing ECA was very different
to the other ECAs I have participated in. We have our ECA in the
computer science room, learning how to create a 3D model and taking
lessons from choosing a model we want to create. Some chose a chess
pawn; the Minecraft party glasses were quite popular. Some people
chose to make a 5-centimetre ruler, and I chose to create a die. The
3D printing ECA has given me a lot of experience to code, and I can’t
wait to print out my own very first 3D model! I had a dream of getting
my very own 3D printer when I was young. Finally, now I know how to
make a 3D model – even a very small one is very difficult to create!
Still, I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for students who enjoy
art and technology to join this extraordinary ECA. – Elizabeth S, Year 5
Why are ECAs an important part of Junior School?
Taking part in ECAs allows students to take care of their general
wellbeing as they are provided the opportunity to relax and enjoy
something that is not related to their academic capabilities as well
as learn to deal with situations, in a mature manner, that they may
not come across in everyday life. Although there is a vast array of
activities on offer, there is no recommended amount for students to
take part in. However, it is imperative that there is an equal balance
between studying and extra-curricular activities so that students do
not become tired and overwhelmed.
Junior School is continually working to add activities to cater to
our students’ interests, so if there is an activity that isn’t currently
available, please feel free to let us know your suggestions.
– Gemma Doku
The College Magazine (Beijing)
15

Service
JS Student Council Shows How Community Engagement is Done
The Student Council’s first goal is officially accomplished!
It has been a breathtaking few months since we began
our first project. All the confidence, leadership, and
collaboration were incredible, and everyone did a great job
raising awareness for all the different ways we raised money.
It all started with an introduction to our first goal. Ms Tinubu
explained what we would be doing, then she was bombarded
with ideas. The goal was to fundraise for the Jing Cai Migrant
School in Tongzhou District as they didn’t have the right
resources, equipment, and technology. We went and visited
the school the following week, interacting with the children
by reading and playing games with them. The school was a
regular-sized house that had problems with heating and air
conditioning. We also wanted to raise money for a better
education for all the wonderful minds that went there.
We started by having a Christmas Jumper Day competition
because we knew that students loved wearing anything but their
uniforms! We put the price at 20¥ per person, ending up with over
6,000¥! We then had a bake sale at which we sold baked goods
generously donated by Junior School students and parents, and we
also sold stuffed Chinese New Year pigs. That raised about
4,000¥! We ended up with over 11,000¥! It was a big win for
us, especially as it was our first project. That wasn’t all we
did though. We also made presentations for Junior School,
advertising the fact that we were putting boxes throughout
the school to collect donations ranging from stationery to toys.
Every Wednesday we would go collect everything from
the boxes and drop them off at Ms Tinubu’s room. On the last
Student Council meeting before our trip back to the migrant
school, we took a bunch of empty shoe boxes, which were
also donated, and put all the items in them. Some of us put
them neatly in the boxes, whilst others decorated them. Some
parents came to help as well.
Finally, the big day came. At last, after a 45-minute drive, we reached the school
once again. It was the Year 3 Student Councillors’ first time visiting the school as
they had only joined after the Chinese New Year holiday. We went straight into the
schoolhouse and met the children again. There were many familiar faces among
the students from our last visit. We each took a shoe box and handed them to the
kids, then watched them open the boxes with a smile from ear to ear. We were then
split into groups – one group with the little kids and the other with the older kids.
We played games and sang songs with them. We then went outside to their little
playground and played soccer.
Overall, the experience was amazing, and I’m sure we all learnt a lot about helping
our community and raising money for the cause. I think the Student Council this year
will be a great role model for the rest of the year, and we’ll do well in the year ahead.
– Manav J, Year 6
16 beijing.dulwich.org

DCB Snow Lions 2nd Place Overall at Snowsports Competition
On the last weekend in February, DCB entered for the first time
the International Schools Snowsports Championship China,
and what an entrance it was! Our skiers and snowboarders
raced their way to 2nd Place overall in the Junior School Division!
A squad of 24 Snow Lions – the biggest team at the event –
travelled to Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Chongli, a 2022 Winter Olympic
venue that offers some of the best slopes in China. With a backdrop
of fantastic blue skies and crisp clean air, the students had a fun
weekend competing in Giant Slalom, Freestyle, and Dual Slalom,
JS Sports
the last providing some of the most exciting races, as skiers went
head to head down the slopes.
Well done to all participants, including some top performances
and podium finishes resulting in six medals:
• Marina L – Freestyle Ski 7-9 Silver
• Dylan S – Freestyle Ski 7-9 Bronze
• Damien L – Grand Slalom Ski 7-9, Bronze
• Oliver B – Freestyle Snowboard Silver, Grand Slalom Snowboard
Gold, Dual Slalom Snowboard Gold
Successful Handball Tournament
In January, our young Lions took the
spotlight in DCB sports. Junior School sent
teams to the U8, U9, U10 and U11 Handball
tournaments over two exciting days at BSB.
On the first day, our girls teams developed
nicely over the course of the day and enjoyed
much success and smiles! Congratulations
go to Year 3 for winning their cup, Year 4 for
winning their cup, Year 5 team A for winning
the plate, Year 6 team A for winning the plate
and Year 6 team B for coming second in the
cup.
Carrying on from the success of the
girls on the first day, the boys followed this
up the next day with incredible team spirit,
collaboration and perseverance. The Year 3
team, the Year 5 A team and the Year 6 A team
all won 1st place in their respective year group
tournaments. The Year 4 team finished 3rd,
ensuring that each year group came home
with a trophy. Finally, our Year 5 B team won
the plate competition, and the Year 6 B team
narrowly lost in the semi-finals and finished 4th
overall.
Well done to the students and coaches for
their sportsmanship and enthusiasm!
Dulwich Primary Games in Yangon
Over four days in March, ten of our Year 4 boys adventured
and competed around Yangon, battling our fellow Dulwich
schools from Shanghai, Singapore, Suzhou and of course
our host Dulwich College Yangon. Their adventures began
exploring some incredible temples and the 65m reclining Buddha
before getting a quick practice at Star City campus, ready for the
main event. Sunday began with football; the boys gave their best
and worked hard in the boiling heat. Unfortunately, no medals were
earned from this sport, but much more was to come. Basketball
was Sunday’s event and our students were on show! The boys, split
across two teams, were outstanding. They won all their games in
the group stages to enter the cup competition, the highest level.
Winning continued, and both teams entered a round robin final
with Shanghai. DCB finished 1st and 2nd, the only game lost was to
the other Beijing Team! DCB entered the final day of competition
– Athletics and Swimming! Medals came in and out of the pool.
Everyone was trying their best under the hot morning and afternoon
sun. Many individual accolades and even the Medley Relay Gold
were taken home. The evening came, and the competition calmed;
friendships formed across all Dulwich teams. BBQ and fire dancers
entertained the boys at the close of the day. Weary, sleepy and with
well-earned medals and memories, the Year 4 boys returned to
Beijing. Well done DCB!
– Alexander Denholm
The College Magazine (Beijing)
17

SS Sports
Senior
School
Sports
The Varsity Football ladies have started
their season off particularly well and are
currently undefeated in their league. This
bodes very well for their ISAC and ACAMIS
preparations with the finale still to come at
the time of writing.
The PE Department welcomed an ex-
Olympic Commonwealth Gold swimmer
James Goddard into their swimming lessons
this term. James still holds the British world
18 beijing.dulwich.org

SS Sports
record for backstroke and was keen to share
his secrets to success with our students,
giving them a master class in correcting
their techniques.
The DCB Varsity Boys Basketball Team
completed a very successful season by
finishing 2nd at the ACAMIS Tournament
in Shanghai and coming away with the
championship trophy in the Beijing Planet
A League. Our two Junior Varsity Girls
Basketball teams were equally successful
in their season-ending ISAC Tournaments
placing 1st and 2nd.
In Middle School Volleyball (U12/U13/
U14) several DCB teams came very close
to winning ISAC Championships. The
following teams all finished in 2nd place
in their respective ISAC Tournaments: U13
Boys, U13 Girls and U12 Girls.
– Natasha Sadler & Dirk Kraetzer
The College Magazine (Beijing)
19

Angelina Y, Media
Annika T, Health &
Wellbeing
William C, Health &
Wellbeing
Anson L, Performing
Arts
Rosie D, Performing
Arts
Bryan L, College Links
Marjorie Y, College Links
Daphne K, Approaches
to Teaching & Learning
The Prefect Team is an integral part
of DCB. Every year, a team of student
leaders is assembled to take charge of
different portfolios, ranging from Sports
to Community Service to Performing Arts.
The prefects organise events within their
portfolios, coordinate with students and
staff, and represent the diverse aspects of
academic, extra-curricular, and pastoral life.
Each prefect team sets a distinctly different
set of goals for the year. This year we have
adapted our vision to a four-letter acronym:
Global-mindedness
Responsibility
Organisation
Wellbeing
This vision is embodied by the variety
of projects currently ongoing at the school.
Examples include:
• Communications and Language
“Write About Now” is a schoolwide writing
competition. There is no specific theme,
but students are encouraged to write
about matters unrelated to school so that
writing can serve to relax, hence linking to
the theme of wellbeing. Writing is also a
fun way to promote language acquisition.
Winners will receive cash prizes and be
published in a multilingual anthology in the
style of a professional literary magazine to
be distributed around school (and hopefully
beyond). The categories for the competition
are fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry,
European language, and Chinese.
• Mentoring and Tutoring
The portfolio is separated into Tutoring, in
which an older student specialising in an
academic subject is paired with a younger
student who is struggling in that subject,
and Mentoring, in which a mentor is paired
to a mentee to discuss any emotional/
social concerns they may have. We believe
that this student support system, in some
ways, transcends external support systems
because we, like them, discovered, faced,
and eventually overcame similar struggles
and hurdles. Thus, we have a uniquely
empathetic perspective that allows us to
engage with the troubles they may be facing
at home or at school and channel these
uncertainties into something positive.
• College Links
Since August, DCB is three schools united
on one campus, including all of Early
Years. Our previous KS2 Links portfolio has
expanded to include the entire College
and is now known as College Links. With
over 1,520 students, it is important to foster
positive relationships amongst our older and
younger cohorts. Currently, College Links
has three distinguished long-term projects:
Language Bridge, KS2 Links, KS3 Links,
and weekly lessons led by prefects aiming
to support students in terms of holistic
development, English proficiency, mental
health, learning strategies, and smooth
transitions between Key Stages.
As prefects, we are presented with many
opportunities to develop our leadership
skills, such as teacher-led workshops
and invitations to events that allow us
to represent the school. In January, the
four Head Prefects went to Shanghai to
attend DCI’s annual Student Leadership
Conference – a gathering of Head Prefects
from all the Dulwich schools across Asia.
During this event, we were enriched by a
series of insightful seminars and workshops
held by professional keynote speakers and
trainers. The conference allowed us to forge
valuable friendships and connections with
other DCI schools. It was also here that we
conceptualised “GROW”, inspired through
the visions of other student leadership
teams.
-- Kristal D, Year 12, Head Girl,
for the Student Leadership Team
Jing Jing C, STEM
Seojin H, STEM
Stanley M, STEM
Eric Z, SDG
Coco S, Community
Service
Fei H, Community
Service
Jullia K, Community
Service
Shawn W, Community
Service
Miksa J, Mentoring
Yeseo K, Language &
Communications
Othneil G, Approaches
to Teaching & Learning
Alyssa L, Owens House
Jason R, Alleyn House
Jeffrey L, Wodehouse
Nancy W, Johnson House
Luca C, Language &
Communications
Angel L, Alumni, Uni,
Careers
Jennifer Z, Deputy Head
Girl & Mentoring
Kristal D, Head Girl
Ryan Z, Head Boy
Julien F, Deputy Head
Boy & Soong House
Grace K, STEM
GROW with the Prefect Team
Harvey C, Sports
Issy E, Sports
Jenny W, Art
Sarah S, Art
Kevin Y, MUN &
Debating
20 beijing.dulwich.org

News
DCB Five Winners of International Pioneering Spirit Grant
DCI’s Pioneering Spirit Grant aims to support the forwardthinking,
can-do attitude. It is an entrepreneurial competition
with financial reward for projects that make a positive impact
to the school and/or the wider community. This year, 32 applications
were received across the Dulwich group; 10 were selected for funding
from the amount of 300,000 RMB. DCB is proud to announce that
five of our student projects were winners of this prestigious grant:
Consignment Shop – Sally L, Diane A
• Sell used clothing to improve and raise funds for sustainability
Debate for Change – Kevin Y, Yi Wen L, Ryan Z, Daniel C, Yi Xin
L, Erik C, Eric C
• A tournament that links debate with service with proceeds
going to charity
Debate for Change Tournament
FIRST Robotics Competition – Grace K, Jing Jing C, Kevin S,
Alex H, Marjorie Y
• Making robotics more accessible to DCB students with the goal
of competing in the FRC, which is one of the most prestigious
student robotics competitions in the world
Problem Planet: The Game – Jadelle C
• A game to teach young minds about the importance of taking
care of our ecological environment
ARC Design – Ivy K, Eileen Z, Victoria Y, Vivian T, Juliana H, Geoffery
W, Elaine L, Angelina Y, Michael G, Peyton P, Jenny W, Autumn C
• Designing for a cause, for example, a mobile exhibition
displaying environmentally friendly products with a short guide
about using the products correctly
Two of the winners are featured below.
The first ever Debate for Change
Tournament was held this January.
Completely student-initiated, this
event had won a prestigious ACAMIS Service
Learning Grant as well as a Pioneering Spirit
Grant with the aim of making a positive
impact in the community.
Two hundred and twenty participants
from nine different schools raised awareness
about and fundraised for three main charities:
Horses Offering People Enrichment (HOPE),
Migrant Children’s Foundation (MCF) and
the Yunnan Project.
Debaters listened to guest speakers
and participated in a knock-on competition,
discussing motions inspired from the
charities. These ranged from whether the
Yunnan Project should prioritise vocational
skills in their lesson plans or whether MCF
should give glasses only to those with high
academic attainment in migrant schools.
An intense final match between Dulwich
College Beijing and Tsinghua International
School resulted in the DCB team – Jeffrey W,
Guan Rong T and Andrew Y – emerging as
the Top Team.
On the second day, a charity bazaar
allowed participants to get to know more
about other local service initiatives, with
participating projects including ARC
Design, HOPE, Little Galaxy, MCF, Project
Nightingale, the Sustainable Development
Goals' Club and the Yunnan Project.
A total of 30,000 RMB was raised for the
three main charities. The top three teams
were given the choice to allocate this sum
to their chosen charity.
Well done to the DCT Student Team (Yi
Wen L, Kevin Y, Ryan Z, Yi Xin L, Eric C, Erik
C and Daniel C) as well as all the volunteers
who helped to organise this tournament.
– Yi Wen L, Year 13
DCB Robotics Team Wins Rookie Award in US Competition
During one week in March, 15 students
from Years 8 to 12 travelled halfway
around the world to compete in the
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Midwest
Regionals in Chicago, accompanied by
teachers Mr Andrew Walton and Mr Gary
Jennings. Representing DCB, Team Helion
outperformed expectations for their first ever
The College Magazine (Beijing)
competition, and came away with an award
for Highest Rookie Seed. At one point in the
competition, the team was even ranked 12th
out of 53 teams, most of which had long
track records. This year’s competition theme
was “Deep Space”. In groups of three, the
drive teams worked under a time limit to
get their robots to attach hatch panels to
cargo bays on a “spacecraft”, add cargo to
the holds, and return to or even climb onto
the platform from which they started – all
this while another team of three worked to
outperform them on the same field.
Helion began when Year 12 student Jing
Jing C, then a Year 11 student, joined an FRC
team outside of school to attend a regional
competition in Silicon Valley, California, last
year. From that moment on, he was hooked,
and he returned to Beijing to write a series
of proposals for the project, including
initial team hierarchy, business planning,
marketing and, of course, engineering.
With major funding from MAN China, Nova
Vision Clinic, and Intronics, as well as smaller
funding from a number of other generous
sponsors, the team raised 160,000 RMB to
fund the construction and a major portion
of the trip. This was also one of the projects
that was awarded DCI’s Pioneering Spirit
Grant, which recognises student innovation
and leadership.
Helion is very grateful for all the
sponsorship and support they have received
to date and is now working hard to improve
on all aspects of their model so they can
compete in future events. More on Helion
can be found on their website:
https://helionrobotics.com
– Andrew Walton
21

Spotlight
DCB Spray Club
The DCB Spray Club ECA runs throughout the year,
when the weather cooperates, and is designed to provide
a new, high-visibility art space for the whole College
while demystifying spray paint as a medium for art and
expression. Right outside of SE21, the DCB Urban Art
Wall is helping to bridge art and STEM subjects while
providing a large canvas for changing art year-round.
With the support of SE21, Senior School Art, AMC and
Mr Herbert, the project got off the ground, and was later
further funded by Friends of Dulwich. Run by design
teacher Mr Andrew Walton, the club normally has around
10 members, but the impact is much further reaching.
They are always looking for new ideas and ways to produce
work for different members of the school community.
The DCB Spray Club is now moving towards becoming
self-sustaining and is taking on commissioned work and
developing merchandise to that end. Get in touch with a
DCB Spray Club member to see about supporting us with
the purchase of gear or join us in our next rotation!
– Andrew Walton
22 beijing.dulwich.org

Music
DCB Musicians on the Move!
DCB musicians are a mobile bunch, and the
2018-19 school year has been no different!
At the time of writing, our Senior School
musicians are preparing to go off to the Dulwich
Olympiad in London, and our Junior School musicians
will be heading to MADD at Dulwich Shanghai in April
2019 too!
As well as our busy schedule of concerts in Beijing,
two major festivals have already had our students
singing, banging, scraping and blowing and doing
the College proud. The first of these was the Dulwich
Festival of Music in Seoul in November 2018. The theme
this year was “Best of British” and saw an amazing
array of music being prepared by an orchestra, choir,
rock bands and big band made up of students from
across the DCI network of schools. Highlights included
a spectacular Andrew Lloyd Weber medley, including
music from Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and Cats! There
was also a good old proms style “Land of Hope and
Glory”, the rousing Dambusters March, some Queen
(Don’t Stop Me Now!), Fields of Gold, Baggy Trousers
(who doesn’t love a bit of Madness!) and a great deal
more. As always, our students stood out for their focus
and musicianship, and everyone left having had a busy,
collaborative and above all, enjoyable time making
music with friends old and new!
ISCMS (International Schools Choral Music Society)
is an annual festival which had its origins at DCB and
so, is always a highlight in our music calendar. This
year, 16 students travelled to Shanghai for what was,
in Mr West’s opinion, the best ISCMS festival to date,
with participants from 25 international schools. David
Squire, conductor of the multi-award-winning New
Zealand Youth Choir, guided the singers through the
China premiere of Michael Tippet’s Five Spirituals from
A Child of our Time, as well as two world premieres
– Chris Artley’s O My Children (commissioned for the
ISCMS XII Festival) and West Lake Pavilion, written by
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong Year 12 student Jay
Y, who won this year’s Jenkins Award for composition.
The Big Band was again directed by the
impeccable Nat Gao, and as well as playing the ISCMS
commission, they wowed the audience with their tight
ensemble playing. Our own Year 12 student, Jason R,
even wrote a piece for them, which featured in their
Friday night concert.
The ISCMS Orchestra, not to be outdone, tackled
their most ambitious work to date, Britten’s Young
Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Conducted by Dr
Robert Hasty (Professor of Conducting at Northwestern
University, Chicago), they achieved a remarkable
performance in the Gala Concert, narrated in English
and Chinese. The final fugue section was breathtaking
in its complexity and the quality of the playing, and a
full house at Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert
Hall clearly agreed when showing their appreciation.
– Paul West
The College Magazine (Beijing)
23

SS News
Innovative Teaching of Modern Languages
German Lessons – Thinking Outside the Box
As educators we always question
ourselves about how we can make
learning experiences more authentic
and meaningful for our students. Learning
a new language means learning about
the particular culture and way of thinking
that comes with it. Practical experience is
more exciting and motivating for students
than just memorising vocabulary and
comprehending the grammar.
A memorable lesson for Mr Strack’s KS3
and 4 students was their visit to the Paulaner
Bräuhaus in Beijing to taste traditional
German food and drinks. The students
were served by three German speakers to
take the orders, thus getting an excellent
opportunity to practise ordering food. The
students bravely tried out many new dishes
and loved most of them. Some students
even got to try non-alcoholic traditional
German beer!
In order to practise a very specific
vocabulary in a (nearly) real-life setting, Mr
Strack took his Year 10 German class on a
VR exploration in the streets of Düsseldorf!
Using street view on Google Earth, students
were guiding each other through the streets
of the city using only German
language. It turned out to be
an inspiring and authentic
experience for the students.
For another German
language lesson with a
difference, Mr Strack took his
Year 12 students into our green
screen studio to test their
speaking and listening skills in a courtroom scene. It was
a welcome challenge for the students, and they loved it.
DIMUN IX: 300 Student Diplomats Beyond Borders
On the first day of March, more than 300
students from across Asia arrived at
Dulwich College Beijing to take part in
the Ninth annual Dulwich International Model
United Nations (DIMUN IX) Conference.
DIMUN is a three-day long conference
where students, representing real-world
nations as delegates, debate and discuss with
their fellow peers about global issues facing
today’s leaders. On the first day, the students
had the honour of listening to Ms Carma
Elliot, Country Director of the British Council
in China, during the opening ceremony, who
enlightened the students on the importance
of international relations. They were then
introduced to this year’s theme: Beyond
Borders. The DIMUN Conference this year
followed three key initiatives:
Firstly, sustainability. This year, DIMUN
continued the use of technology to allow
students to collaborate digitally without
the need for using paper. Communication
and drafting became much more efficient,
and DIMUN took one more step towards
becoming a truly paperless conference.
Secondly, student leadership. With more
than 80 student staff members, DIMUN was
student-run in its entirety and pays testament
to just how much support is given for student
leadership at DCB. Whether it was the
administration staff, or the chairs of each
committee, or even the Secretary-Generals, it
was students who took on these roles to help
organise and operate the entire conference.
Thirdly, providing an engaging experience for
the students. Indeed, DIMUN IX celebrated
with the initiation of the Crisis event –
emergency scenarios that exposed the
students to unexpected challenges, teaching
them the skills needed to be adaptable – a
Exposing students to a variety of real-life situations
helps them to develop confidence in finding the right
words and communicate effectively in a foreign language.
And if it is fun for both students and teacher, what could
be more motivating?
quality of a true diplomat.
– Timothy Strack
But the DIMUN experience was not only
limited to debating. Students from all schools,
all ages, displayed their talents and interests
on Saturday evening with dances, singing and
comedy in the DIMUN Spotlight. Students
were able to bond with each other both in
and outside of the committee rooms, and
have built connections that will last far longer
than the three short days of DIMUN.
For many students, DIMUN IX was their
first time debating and participating in
Model United Nations, but with the support
of the student leaders, each student was
encouraged to speak. A total of 728 speeches
were made on 33 topics. Participants entered
as students, but left the closing ceremony as
delegates and debaters, filled with a passion
for MUN, and a desire to return for DIMUN X.
– Kevin Y, Year 12, Secretary General
24 beijing.dulwich.org

Spotlight
What is Project Nightingale?
Project Nightingale, founded in 2015,
is a student-led initiative that works
closely with the Migrant Children
Foundation (MCF) to provide better
education in English and music
for migrant students living in
Beijing. It initially started
out as a four-person CAS
project but later evolved
into the large ECA that
it is now, with around 90
students from Years 10
to 13, earning recognition
within the school and even in
some areas outside.
Our project not only serves
to help bridge the education gap, but
also intends to raise awareness for the
migrant children situation in the outskirts of
megacities in China. The project members
are split into three departments: Session
Prep, Media and Fundraising. Whilst Session
Prep mainly communicates with MCF to
figure out the logistics for our Saturday trips,
the Media and Fundraising departments
focus more on the promotional aspect of
the project.
The migrant children that we help
usually come from families without
the hukou for the cities they work
in. The lack of awareness for
these social groups leads
to the inadequacy of the
education received. By
having our volunteers visit
these students, we not only
provide migrant students
with better education, but
“I’m extremely
honoured to have
this opportunity to
experience what’s beyond
[DCB’s] walls.” – Isabella T,
Year 10, Session Prep
Department
also help develop leadership and many
important interpersonal skills for the DCB
students involved.
For our Saturday visits, around six
to seven of our volunteers meet
at DCB early in the morning to
travel together to Tongzhou
District, where the migrant
school that we volunteer at is
located. With an average
class size of 15 to
20 students, our
lessons usually
begin by leading
the children with
a simple warm up,
which can be an easy triadic
harmony or singing a major
scale. Our volunteers then
begin teaching the lyrics for the
song we’ve carefully selected for
the migrant students each session
(past examples include “Jingle Bells”,
“Old McDonald Had a Farm”) and engage
students with a vocabulary-building activity
(e.g. “Charades” or “Hangman”). Students
then run through the song with the melody,
and finally end the eventful, two-hour
session with a playful physical activity
(sometimes “Duck Duck Goose”
or “Bang”). Some students
walk out of class saying, “See
you next time”, an English
phrase they’ve learnt with
us previously, while some
other students stay behind
to play the keyboard with our
volunteers before they leave.
L a c k
of quality
education
for migrant
children
has been a
concerning issue
for the past years. This
“When lessons
end every Saturday,
both the migrant
students and volunteers
walk out feeling inspired
and accomplished.” –
Daphne K, Year 12,
Operations Manager
project really hopes to bring the shadowed
problem to light and raise awareness in
order to inspire others to take action
and solve the growing problem.
China isn’t the only country
that holds migrant families.
Project Nightingale also
wishes to encourage other
aspiring young leaders to
recognise the situation and
think of innovative solutions.
– Sophia S, Year 12
Editor’s Note: Project Nightingale was
founded by the then Year 12 student Tony
Liang and won an Honourable Mention in
the Integration category of the China CSR
Awards 2017 by the British and American
Chambers of Commerce.
Former US Governor Peter Shumlin at DCB
Students from Years 10 to 13 were
treated to a special guest speaker –
three-term former governor of the
State of Vermont, Mr Peter Shumlin, who
came to visit in March.
Governor Shumlin spoke with a sense
of urgency about the environment and
the importance of increased sustainability
efforts. He described the green energy
initiatives implemented in Vermont when he
was in office and how these made a tangible
impact. However dire our environment’s
situation might be, he is positive that this
generation of young people, especially at
DCB, will advance these efforts and, not to
put it lightly, save the planet.
Mr Shumlin’s progressive and powerful
stance on many issues, from climate
change and health care, to immigration and
women’s rights, led students to ask a host
of incisive questions. But questions were not
limited to politics and policy. He was also
asked for tips on how to rally people behind
one’s own ideas.
One powerful answer was: “Have a
dialogue, not a speech.”
Governor Shumlin currently directs
Putney Student Travel, which offers young
people summer experiential learning
all over the world. With his informative,
engaging, and entertaining talks, we thank
him for coming to Dulwich and certainly
hope to welcome him back to Beijing.
The College Magazine (Beijing)
25

Snapshots
Senior School Production:
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
26 beijing.dulwich.org

Alumni
Alexander Chih-Chieh Chang
DCB Class of 2016
Nationality: American
University: Johns Hopkins University
Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering/Sociology
What are you busy with these days?
This semester I’ve been working in a research lab studying
protein dissolution in yeast cells while also taking a variety of
classes for my two majors, with topics ranging from maritime
capitalism in Asia to pharmacokinetics. Outside of class I’m also
currently the President of the Johns Hopkins Undergraduate
Debate Council, which takes the majority of my time. We
compete every weekend at schools all over the country.
What were your favourite extra-curricular activities at DCB?
My favourite extra-curriculars at DCB would have to be the
theatre and debate. The biannual musicals were definitely
my favourite. I’ll always remember Little Shop of Horrors,
especially that amazing set designed by Ms Davies and the
wonderful music and band led by Mr West. Debate was also
tremendous fun, albeit not having a very clear structure, I had a
variety of opportunities to compete as well as teach that made
debate at DCB very rewarding.
Tell us a little bit about some internships or jobs you’ve had.
I’ve spent the last two summers doing research at Johns
Hopkins University. My work is primarily focused on a new
mechanism of mitochondrial protein aggregate dissolution.
Basically, when cells get old, they fail to recycle the proteins
within them. My research is an attempt to find out why, and
we’re currently examining a new pathway that involves the
mitochondrial “swallowing” the aggregates and dissolving
them.
How has your education at DCB helped you with your university
or work life?
For me the most valuable skill that DCB taught me was being
able to churn out a lab report or an essay draft in a very short
amount of time. This was a skill honed after years of the DCB
curriculum. DCB also helped me grow personally, my teachers,
especially the Heads of IB, gave me a lot of valuable lessons
for life, not just school.
What would you like to say to current DCB students?
If I had one thing to say to the current DCB students I would
tell them not to be too stressed about their future. Life isn’t
supposed to be a sprint to the finish life. If anything, it’s more
like a kayak in a winding river. You can row to adjust your
course, but the majority of the time you go where the river
takes you. There will be bumps and hard knocks but as long
as you maintain balance you won’t flip over. Even if you do flip
over, just flip it back. So, take the time to explore your interests,
try your best in class, and you’ll be fine.
Winnie Zhu
DCB Class of 2016
Nationality: Canadian
University: Parsons School of Design (The New School)
Major: Fashion Design
What are you busy with these days?
I am in the second semester of my junior year at Parsons,
currently focusing on creating a collection of three looks of
garments for this semester’s final project. I’m also gradually
beginning to build up on ideas for my thesis project for
my senior year, which would be to design and construct a
complete collection of six looks.
What were your favourite extra-curricular activities at DCB?
I participated in many extra-curricular activities and
clubs that were related to art and design back in DCB.
My favourite leadership role would be being one of the
leaders of the Yearbook Club back in 2015 along with two
of my friends.
Tell us a little bit about some internships or jobs you’ve had.
I interned at Cosmopolitan China last year during the
summer vacation as a fashion editor’s assistant. I also
volunteered every season at New York Fashion Week
for a few New York-based brands and got to experience
helping out at runway shows as well as behind the scenes.
How has your education at DCB helped you with your
university or work life?
It has definitely created a solid basis for my university
life in being able to handle time management and meet
deadlines. The extra-curricular activities and clubs I was a
part of have also enhanced my leadership skills and the
ability to collaborate with others.
What would you like to say to current DCB students?
Explore your interests and what you’re passionate about,
and get involved with as many activities as possible. Plan
your time ahead and use it efficiently, especially over the
summer or winter holidays. Try to seek opportunities for
your future career or participate in a summer programme
in your dream school. Have fun and don’t be too stressed
out!
The College Magazine (Beijing)
27

Snapshots
CHINESE NEW YEAR
28 beijing.dulwich.org

Snapshots
CELEBRATIONS 2019
The College Magazine (Beijing)
29

News
DCB STEAM Initiative Winner of International School Award
Dulwich College Beijing’s SE21/STEAM initiative has won the
2019 International School Award for Creativity in Learning!
DCB had been shortlisted in two categories (the other
being Community Initiative with the “Art in Hospital” project),
which is a commendable feat considering that over two hundred
applications were submitted from around the world.
The prestigious awards were held in January in London, where
Headmaster Mr Simon Herbert was with Ms Natalie Stevens,
representing STEAM, and Mr Joseph Stewart, representing Art in
Community.
Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College, our founding school
in London, and Deputy Head (External) Dr Cameron Pyke were also
present for the awards. As Mr Herbert said, “To win the Creativity in
Learning Award is a thrill and reflects so well on our teachers. Well
done to Team STEAM, including Ms Stevens, Mr Zhao, Mr Walton,
Mr Karasik, Mr Tumba and Mr Douglas.” We know that our whole
community is delighted by this recognition of DCB’s continued
success.
Congratulations to everyone involved!
Support Staff Profile:
Employee of the Year – Maggie Jiang
Have you seen the DCB events calendar? There
is so much going on from the beginning of
the school year to the end. Our Events Team is
there not just to organise, but to brainstorm, promote,
purchase, support, coordinate, troubleshoot, and iron
out every detail imaginable.
This is where you will find our Employee of the Year,
Maggie Jiang, who is recognised not just for lending
help where it is needed, but for the ability to see others’
need for support in the first place. Her highly positive
engagement and cheerful presence are very much
appreciated by both academic and support staff as well
as students.
Let’s ask her a little bit about herself:
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Beijing. I went to the UK to
study in 2000, and came back to live in Beijing with my
husband in 2008.
How long have you been working at DCB?
Just short of two and half years.
What motivates you most about working here?
I had been a full time mum for nearly 7 years, and
my daughter has joined DCB since she was 5. So it
made sense for me to start somewhere that I felt most
comfortable with. I often came to school to attend parent
workshops and different kinds of
performances & activities. I enjoyed
the time I spent at Dulwich. Even
now, the environment and energy of
the school attract me the most.
What event at school is the most
enjoyable to organise for you?
It has to be Founder’s Day! It is the biggest
community event of the year and involves a lot
of work beforehand, such as planning, communicating,
and organising. However, when you see the big smiles
on people’s faces on the day, all hard work is worth it!
What do you find is the most challenging part about
your job?
The most challenging part is trying to bring new ideas
to the school and keep your marketing knowledge
up to date in order to stay competitive in the market.
Ongoing staff training has always been essential in our
staff’s school life.
Every month, a member of support staff is chosen from
a list of nominations as the Employee of the Month
to highlight all the hard work behind the scenes. The
Employee of the Year is chosen from the monthly
winners, with the award presented at the annual Chinese
New Year staff party.
30 beijing.dulwich.org

News
Diversity Series
Top Theatre, Jazz, Dance Professionals Work with DCB Students
If you know DCB, you know our great emphasis on the performing arts. Through the Dulwich College International network, top
professionals were invited to work with our students in drama, music and dance in the first few weeks of January.
Royal Shakespeare Company Education Workshops
Our drama students have enjoyed
workshops led by Kat Fletcher from
Royal Shakespeare Company Education.
She guided our students through their
exploration of Shakespeare’s plays, bringing
his texts to life, using exciting and practical
techniques. Year 9 have been focusing on
the history of Henry V and his rise to power,
exploring the influence of religion in society
at the time and the impact this had on the
people of England. Students have been
able to glean so much from the sessions
and have developed a really in-depth
understanding of British history, together
with the skills to show these characters and
relationships on stage. Year 6 have been
exploring the Scottish play, Macbeth, in
preparation for their summer production,
learning about the trials and tribulations of
Macbeth himself. Even Mr Royter has been
getting in on the action too, workshopping
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and themes
from A Monster Calls with his KS3 English
groups. I think it is fair to say that Kat Fletcher
has had a huge impact on the students’
learning this year, inspiring them to breathe
a new lease of life into Shakespeare’s plays.
We look forward to continuing this exciting
partnership for years to come!
– Rebecca Davies
Roy McGrath Jazz Quartet Workshops
Roy McGrath and his brilliant Chicagobased
jazz quartet worked with Year 12
music students on their compositions,
workshopping the pieces, giving them
feedback, and even helping make
recordings of the student masterpieces.
The Senior Jazz Combo learned how to
communicate effectively as a band from
these professionals and later joined them
for a performance at a very well-attended
lunchtime jazz café.
Year 12 student Jason R reflected on
the experience: “During the two-hour
workshop with Roy McGrath and his band,
the Jazz Combo focused on communicating
effectively as a band by listening and
responding to musical ideas that each
member played. Talking with Roy during
the workshop helped me a lot especially
with approaches I can take when learning
a song and trying to improvise over it. I
also had the pleasure of recording one of
my compositions with Roy’s band and the
process of getting constant feedback from
the band members really made me develop
my skills as a composer. Lastly, it was a pure
joy to be able to perform with Roy and his
band during the lunchtime performance.
I would like to thank Roy McGrath and
his band for the amazing experience
and Mr West for providing this fantastic
opportunity! ”
University of Auckland Dance Group
The accomplished dance coaches from University of Auckland
worked with our students from Reception to Year 6, using fun
techniques in the warm-up and dance routines, all forming part of our
Dance Studies programme. Everyone involved found it a worthwhile
experience and discovered that strong discipline with creative flair is
needed to put together a sequence. This was embodied in the final
performance of the Year 5s in the Wodehouse Theatre.
Most importantly from this experience, the students learned that
hard work comes before success and that they need to be resilient
when learning new skills.
The College Magazine (Beijing)
31

Around DCI
Teaching Initiative of the Year Award for
Dulwich College Seoul… Again!
After winning the Teaching Initiative of the Year at the British
International School Awards 2018, we at Dulwich College Seoul are
delighted to receive this award again in the expanded version known
as the International School Awards 2019! Our initiative focused on
our Middle School Mathematics programme in which students are
grouped by ability for each unit of study in the curriculum, rather
than for an entire academic year.
In this model, students take a diagnostic assessment before each
unit of study, which provides class structures that are regularly and
formally subject to change based on ability in future topics rather
than performance in previous. As a result, the school removed the
long-term stigma of certain students being in the “bottom set” and
allowed students to receive a balanced exposure to all teachers in a
fluid system. The school found clear evidence that a fluid grouping
structure improved learning across all ability levels compared
to traditional year-long fixed settings which tend to only favour
students in “top sets”.
Many congratulations to Head of Maths, Chris Krnic, and his
team for making this courageous adaptation, and exhibiting one
of our school’s core values, Pioneering Spirit, in the pursuit of everimproving
student learning at Dulwich College Seoul.
The International School Awards are hosted by International
School Leader Magazine and judged by a distinguished panel of
experts in global education. The awards recognise outstanding
schools in a total of 12 categories each year. This year the awards
were open to all international schools for the first time and over 200
nominations were accepted.
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong
Hosts First Tech Challenge Robotics Tournament
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong team became a contestant
in the First Tech Challenge robotics competition along with 15 other
groups on 22 February. Our team was introduced to a wide range
of other talented teams who brought robots that they had created.
Our robot encountered some problems that were challenging to
solve.
One of the problems we encountered was the hanging on
height problem; we didn’t expect our chassis to be lower than 10 cm
since our pulling mechanism was initially designed to pull the robot
higher than the required distance. In the end, we were desperate,
and had to alter the robot chassis (having worked on it for six
months), but amazingly our new solution worked – just in time!
Another challenge that we faced was that our connectors kept
disconnecting during the matches. Although we didn’t solve this
problem, we put an extraordinary amount of effort into resolving the
issue and our team members showed creativity and critical thinking
skills that contributed a lot. I think our biggest strength was that our
team cooperated well, so we were able to make some fine changes
on our robot with the limited time given between competitions.
In my opinion, one of our major takeaways is recognising the
importance of communication and collaboration; it’s really important
to communicate within the team alliance, because even with the
most basic robot, strategies can be an absolute game changer.
– Curtis, Year 10
32 beijing.dulwich.org

Around DCI
Dulwich College (Singapore) Holds
Biggest Drama Production Ever
Last term, nearly 120 Senior School students graced the stage of
the Alleyn Theatre last week to perform The Wolves of Willoughby
Chase for over 1000 students, parents and staff with many more
helping behind the scenes. Beautiful staging and lighting and
exceptional talent made the performance spectacular.
The audience watched as Bonnie and Sylvia, two young cousins
trapped in an old country house, struggled against the torment
and torture of the adults around them. When the cousins finally
managed to escape the clutches of Mrs Slighcorp, applause filled
the auditorium.
Dulwich College (Singapore) prides itself on its approach to
student involvement, and this was clear to see in The Wolves of
Willoughby Chase, with full responsibility being handed over to the
students during the performance. Over half of the production team
was made up of students in Years 7 to 12, with one student being
solely responsible for the choreography of the show and others
helping with make-up, stage management and tech. And once the
curtain rose, everything – stage management, lighting, sound, music
and, of course, acting – was run entirely by students in Years 7 to 9.
For the final performance, VIP guests including the College
Leadership Team, Director of Schools at Dulwich College
International, Marc Morris, and Master of Dulwich College, Joe
Spence were in attendance.
Founder’s Day 2019 at
Dulwich College Yangon
On Saturday 9 February, we celebrated our Founder’s Day, hosted at our new Sport Field
of Star City campus. Founder’s Day is an important event in the calendar of every Dulwich
College and the day was a chance for us to celebrate our heritage, our host country and the
diversity of our school.
The event began with a Celebration Concert for our current parents, where students
showcased their many talents, incorporating instrumental, vocal, ensemble, and solo
performances. The festival that followed was all about our community and offered an
opportunity for students, parents, staff, friends and the wider community to celebrate all
that has been achieved, together. Thanks to all who took part and made the day such a
success!
The College Magazine (Beijing)
33