Now that we have successfully concluded our founding year at BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour, Huizhou, China, I would like to offer here a summary of this exceptional inaugural school year.
Opening ceremony in September 2018
Our Beautiful Campus
BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour is located in a rapidly growing beach resort community about an hour’s drive northeast of Shenzhen along the coastline of the South China Sea. Our spectacular campus is located on a vast hillside with views of the nearby valley, coastline, and mountains. We have three academic buildings, a spacious auditorium, library, black box theater, gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, athletic work-out facility, dance studio, outdoor basketball, volleyball, tennis courts, and a track and field.
In addition, we have a separate boys and girls dormitory, on-campus teacher apartments, and a school cafeteria. Most of our students attend BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour as boarding students, as our school offers a five-day boarding program, which means that students are transported by bus to school on Sunday afternoons, and are then bused back home again at the end of the week on Friday afternoons. Three meals a day, five days a week, students, faculty, and staff enjoy our delicious and nutritious meals provided by our exceptional cooking staff.
Highlights from a Successful Founding Year
For the roughly 400 students in grades 5-9, along with our highly qualified teachers, dorm parents, and operations staff, this has been a truly amazing year that I know we will always remember. Together we faced and overcame many challenges, and have created a very strong foundation upon which we will continue to grow and prosper in the years ahead. We really looked out for and assisted one another, and created a school culture that was professional, passionate, and positive-minded. We have called ourselves the “Dream Team” all year, and we all collectively believe in our mission to create the finest boarding school in all of China.
Our students changed and grew so much in just one year. They have successfully learned an extremely academically rigorous world-class curriculum, perhaps the most challenging curriculum that they have ever faced, and in the process they have all become scholars who are more confident and proficient with their English language fluency than they have ever been.
In May, we hosted Carnegie Mellon Professor Po-shen Loh to present a lecture on mathematical insights into dice games.
Our dedicated and professional faculty and staff members have consistently provided a wide range of academic support and pastoral care to our students, and in the process have created a personalized learning environment built on a foundation of mutual respect and a genuine love of learning.
Chinese New Year Celebrations
Our boarding House program is the heart of our school, and our dorm parents have worked tirelessly with our students to create a safe and welcoming community where students have learned to be responsible, independent, and kind to others.
Our student leaders have also had a very positive impact on our campus, and our prefects and element captains have been outstanding leaders and role models to all students, and have been inspirational in their work and study habits. They have consistently demonstrated respect, kindness, and personal integrity in all of their many activities.
Student tutors assist other students with their studies.
Our students, faculty, and staff members have been actively involved outside of the classroom as well. Our student-athletes and artists really shined during the first ever intra-BASIS International Schools Olympics earlier this year, and also through numerous visual arts and performing arts After School Activities scheduled throughout the school year. Students competed in a variety of academic clubs through the school year, and had exceptional personal and team results in numerous competitions. As a culminating event after all academics were completed, the last week of the school year was filled with a campus wide Arts Extravaganza, which included both visual arts as well as multiple performances by our talented student musicians and singers. We also had our final House dance and talent competitions during our last week, which determined the final House cup winner of our founding school year. Our school spirit really shined that entire week!
Music students perform during the Arts Extravaganza.
Drama students perform in their Spring Musical.
Thank you to a Supportive School Community
I wish to thank all of our parents who have volunteered to assist with so many events and activities throughout the school year, and look forward to the coming school year when we will have more students, more teachers, and more events and activities to participate in. We were delighted that so many parents joined us during the school year for these events and performances, and hope to see even more parents joining us next year.
Attendance was great at the first Parent Night.
I am so proud of what we have accomplished together as the “Dream Team” this founding school year. We will be welcoming new teachers and students to our BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour community of learners in the coming years, and I look forward to seeing our students continue to grow, achieve, and prosper in the years ahead.
Wishing everyone a restful, restorative, and rejuvenating summer holiday!
Dr. John House-Myers, Founding Head of School, BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour
