On Thursday June 16, YCIS Beijing hosted our Year 6 graduation ceremony. Parents, teachers and students were so proud of everything that they have accomplished this year. The numerous highlights for this year’s Year 6 students include winning the annual spelling bee against lower secondary, performing in the school musical, deepening their knowledge of Chinese culture through various workshops, creating Rube Goldberg machines during science week and maintaining an excellence in general academic achievement. To see photos of the Year 6 graduation, please visit our Flickr account.

Each class, Year 6A and 6B, selected a student represent themselves and present a graduation speech to their parents. From 6A Nathalie Cheung gave the following heartfelt speech:

It seems so hard to believe that we are finally graduating. Today, is a very important day as we gather here to celebrate almost a decade of hard work and learning. We were not alone. We must look around ourselves and thank the people around us. The teachers, who of course are the ones who are holding on to us along the way of our unsteady path. Our friends, who can always find a way to make us smile. But lastly, we must thank our parents, because they are the ones that we can rely on, who we can trust and who have guided us.

Y6A, have been a very welcoming class. As a student who has been here for 8 years I have experienced so much, too much to tell you all of them now. Everyone student in this school is incredibly lucky. We have faced many challenges. Both academically and personally. As a group we have come through them up all. We learnt to love, to forgive and to care on our incredible journey. People say that when you go to school all you do is learn, get good grades and go to a good university. But I don’t believe that. I think that in school, you learn, you make good friends and you create bonds that will last a life time. We will all remember this place.

It is where our memories grow, new roads form and where our happiness soars. We are like seeds, day by day, night by night, we grow. We couldn’t have done this without our teachers, friends and families. Now we need to be brave, face new challenges and reach new goals. We should be confident in everything we do for we can always improve.

Congratulations Y6A, we have made it!

From Year 6B, Tracie Li who perfect summed up the sentiments of own and her classmates:

My name is Tracy and I came to YCIS-Beijing when I was in Year 1. I am honoured to be our class representative and speak to you all here on this stage today.

Six years is a long period of time, but it seems to have come to an end so quickly. In these six years at primary school, we have challenged ourselves, grown through trial and error, and learned from our mistakes. What we know now can’t be explained in just a few words and doesn’t just come from books.

In Year Six we learned so many different things. Not only history, algebra, science and language…we also celebrated our diversity by learning about each other, showing our national dress, and eating food from all our homes around the world! Recently, on our three-day trip, we developed our survival skills. We learned how to set up tents, cook dinner, communicate with others and so much more! Throughout the year we learned about having a growth mindset. Mrs. Kang told us never to say, “I can’t do it”, but instead to say, “I can’t do it yet!”

As we begin to transition to Secondary school, we are also becoming increasingly aware of caring for our local and global community. In Year Six, each Thursday, select students would share a recent news article with the class so we can keep up with current events. We also conducted many successful fundraisers to help charities raise money and other resources. At Christmas we donated books and clothes to the under-privileged children who needed them more than we did. We are willing to continue to help other people, because we have the power!

At last, I would like to thank my classmates for caring and helping me. I would also like to thank all my teachers, especially Mrs. Kang and Ms. Li. Most of all, we all owe a big thank you to all our parents for their support, time, patience and resources.

Best wishes and good luck to my friends that will be going elsewhere very soon. I will miss you!

A sincere Congratulations to our Year 6 students, we wish the very best of luck as you begin your journey into Secondary Schooling! Don't forget, to see more photos of the Year 6 graduation, please visit our Flickr account.

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