Wang Haolan

Holly_cn@163.com

“Shenzhen has such a wonderful 40 years of history, but the next 40 years will be even better. That’s the same for Shekou International School.” Ebullient and wearing a lovely tie dotted with national flags and international kids, Greg Smith, head of Shekou International School (SIS), voiced his sincere regards and expectations for the city’s first international school, which turned 30 this year, as it commemorates what an old Chinese saying describes as a significant milestone in life.

A three-day jubilee was kicked off at G&G Creative Community last Thursday with chants of “Hallelujah” and the attendance of Dale Cox, vice president of International School Service Asia Pacific and former head of SIS, as well as representatives from major international schools and educational institutions across the country.

Since starting from scratch in 1988 with an elderly couple teaching four expatriate students in a classroom at Yucai High School, SIS has already gained the accolade of a trusted educational brand by gathering a thousand-plus students of 40 nationalities from around the world.

“SIS has always been a close neighbor and friend of mine over the 30 years, so I feel obliged to extend a helping hand to them if necessary and also take great pleasure in witnessing such a wonderful milestone,” said Chen Nanxian, founding head of Shenzhen Yucai Education Group.

In early May, with graduation caps flying into the air at Shekou Tianhou Temple, a slew of fresh graduates put a full stop to their life at SIS. According to Smith, the 16 years they had spent at the mountainside and bayside campuses of SIS, stretching from nursery to Grade 12, was not only about gaining a diploma accredited by International Baccalaureate standards, or receiving offers from Ivy League Universities.

“I wish all of our students can do their bits to make the world better, like through making designs or grading fashion, and through starting their own companies or even writing computer code. Every student’s story is an individual story, which deserves inspiration and support,” he said.

Sandy Uy, a SIS alumna from the Philippines, said emotionally at Thursday’s event: “At SIS, an open community abundant with acceptance and care, I learnt to celebrate others’ differences regardless of nationalities and social backgrounds.”

As the gecko — the avatar of SIS students and alumni — indicates, the school has long remained steadfast in building up a close-knitted community, where expatriate parents can not only entrust their children with confidence but can also be a major player and decision maker in school activities.

The main courses of the celebration fell on a visual art show gathering outstanding works from the students’ portfolios, and a “Back to the 1980s” gala for family leisure, which were both initiated by Poppy Tedja, president of the school’s Parent Support Association.

“The collaboration between the school and our parents is really impressive. Besides the two major events, I was also the major organizer of the whole celebration,” said Tedja.

The repetitive calls of “Once a Gecko, Always a Gecko” brought an upsurge to the celebrations Thursday night. After singing the birthday song, the families and faculty headed en masse toward some cupcakes that were piled up on a table in the shape of a crimson gecko and grabbed themselves some sweetened blessings to top off this unforgettable night.