How is CS structured?
CS is often interwoven with particular activities which are characterized as follows:
· Creativity – arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking and 21st century skills;
· Physical skills – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle;
· Community Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected;
· Soft skills – Every club/society is initiated, organized, managed, and operated by students. During the process, students will likely experience both success and failure at different levels.
In order to demonstrate these concepts and skills, students are required to undertake a CS club. Projects within each CS club challenge students to:
· show initiative;
· demonstrate perseverance;
· develop skills such as collaboration, problem solving and decision making.
What is the significance of CS?
CS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience.
It provides opportunities for self-determination and collaboration with others, fostering a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their work.
At the same time, CS is an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the IGCSE and A Level programmes.
School guidance on CS
A good CS programme should be both challenging and enjoyable – a personal journey of self-discovery. Most importantly, CS activities are completely organized and run by the students who go through a process of founding, management, cooperation and evaluation, etc, through which they reflect and summarize the knowledge and skills obtained, accomplishing the all-important goal of ‘learning by doing’! The school will budget for each CS event and provide professional coaches for mentoring. Each student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many students their CS activities will include experiences that are profound and life-changing！
My Boarding Experience:
Returning to SUIS as a senior, my final and most important year of high school, I had wholeheartedly hoped for relaxed and enjoyable evenings during boarding hours after long days of studying. While choosing my CS clubs, I decided to go for the Dance Club. It is hard not to be captivated by the ingenious creativity that goes into the original choreographies that students create as well as the lively covers they perform. Upon entering the club, I could hear the various genres of music ring in my ears – jazz, Kpop, hiphop and so on. I could see the students stretching and preparing to dance, and I could see some of them practicing their choreographies before their performance. Having exposed myself to multiple performing art facets, this was the first time I had attempted dance.
After our CS clubs finish in the evening, we head to the study hall for the night. For two hours, we work on improving our university admissions applications, fulfilling various requirements for each university, and continuing our A Level studies. A clean and quiet environment is guaranteed, as most of us are able to study in our dorm rooms where only two people occupy each room. Following Study Hall time, we take some time to shower and get ready for bed. Until then, it’s pretty much a revising-intensive day, so for me, simply lying in bed can induce stress relief and anxiety reduction. The enthusiasm and diverse experiences of our boarding programme provide us with a strong foundation and an enjoyable school life, in which my social attitude and future success can grow. What a great way to start my final year of high school!
