We use cookies to improve your online experiences. To learn more and choose your cookies options, please refer to our cookie policy.
At BISS Puxi, we believe in supporting and encouraging students to develop not only academically but also holistically through the engagement of local and global issues. Linking to one of our five pillars, ‘internationalism’, we emphasise the importance of becoming a global citizen who makes informed decisions and contributes to the local and wider community.
We are very proud of our students who through different fundraisers and events have raised a substantial amount of money that has been donated to local and international charities, including:
Huaxin Rehabilitation Centre works with children who have neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and autism. They provide much needed therapy and care to children with disabilities and provide support for their families, many of who are from disadvantaged migrant backgrounds. Previously located nearby in Huaxin Town, BISS has supported Huaxin since 2011. The past few Temple Fairs at BISS celebrating Chinese New Year have been in support of Huaxin and the amazing work they do. The children, family, and staff of Huaxin have taken part in many of our school events, including attending our Christmas and Temple Fairs and special Sensory Workshops put on by our students engaging in the Nord Anglia Global Challenge. In 2018, Huaxin moved to a bigger facility in Zhujiajiao and we were privileged to be invited to the opening ceremony of the new centre. Our Year 13 student, Jocelyn Chok was amongst those who attended and subsequently helped to raise funds for Huaxin by arranging bake and craft sales.
“Touring the new centre I saw that the music rooms were lacking equipment so I wanted to help raise funds for musical equipment. It was great meeting the children, who were all delighted that they were in a place where people care and love them. The director of Huaxin, Sun Hua was so passionate about her role and supporting the children and their family”. Jocelyn Chok (Year 13 students)
The Giving Tree is a longstanding charity in Shanghai. Started by a group of parents in 2003, as an initiative of the Community Centre Shanghai, The Giving Tree is inspired by the book of the same name by Shel Silverstein. The story follows the relationship of a boy and an apple tree which inspires others to pay good deeds forward. This is the ethos of the Giving Tree, giving in a way that nurtures more giving. As a school, we have supported The Giving Tree for over 10 years. It is a way to take time out of our busy lives to do something nice for an individual child and help to create smiles. Smiles are in abundance if you have the chance to go to a Giving Tree Ceremony. The children greet you with the warmest smiles and the singing of the Giving Tree song. This year, BISS fundraised 350 Giving Tree Bags for students at Xin Bang School Shanghai. Our Year 12 students who helped organise this year’s appeal attended the ceremony.
“The experience of packing the Giving Tree bags was a fun event that brought together students from different year groups. At first, it was difficult to work with younger students but we as a Year 12 group arranged ourselves so that we could support the younger students in checking and packing the bags. We also turned it into a competition to motivate everyone to work together.” Frederike Sattler (Year 12 student)
Heart to Heart has been a charity dear to many of our school community’s hearts. A Shanghai based charity that provides corrective heart surgery for children with congenital heart disease. Run purely by volunteers, Heart to Heart has funded 2,179 children for heart surgeries to date since it was formed in 2003. Our parents of the Parents Event Team have helped fund numerous lifesaving heart surgery for children whose families would otherwise not be able to afford it. Heart to Heart have play centres at Yoda Cardio-Thoracic Hospital in Xuhui and Delta Hospital in Qingpu where children recovering from surgery play. Some of our IB Student’s have volunteered in these play centres as part of their CAS programme. More recently, our Year 12 students organised games and activities at the last Christmas Fair to support more surgeries.
“It was heartwarming to help bring some joy to children who are going through such a difficult situation in their lives. Volunteering at the play centre I learnt how to communicate better with small children and break through communication barriers.” Laura De Araujo Petiot (Year 12 student)
The Million Tree Project (MTP) run by Shanghai Roots and Shoots began in 2007 with an aim to offset our impact on the environment by planting trees. Roots and Shoots is an NGO dedicated to environmental conservation, based across the globe. During ECO month last year, our secondary students collectively raised 15,000RMB for The Million Tree Project which will help plant 600 trees in northern China. This was achieved by form groups working together to plan and run fun and creative fundraising events over the course of a week. There were games, a Mario Kart Tournament, a Key Stage 3 badminton tournament, a swimathon, ice bucket challenges, movie nights, karaoke and sticking Mr. Bewley to a wall with tape! Members of Shanghai Roots and Shoots came into school to work with a select group of students to engage them in the impacts of desertification and soil degradation, followed by planting 15 trees on our school grounds.
“We learned the physical skill of planting trees and the difficulties that come along with it, leading us to have a greater understanding of how restoration is a demanding and endless process. Additionally, we have adapted our communication skills to work collaboratively and efficiently to get the work done under the blazing sun. In conclusion, this exceptional experience allowed us to engage with the physical aspects of nature - surrounding our community. This further enabled us to realise the actions we can take to improve the environment as well as the actions we take which harm the environment, even though we might not be directly affected by the consequences right now” By Shiori Moroo and Haochuan Lan (Year 12 students)
We hope to continue working with and supporting The Million Tree Project during this year’s ECO Month (22 March – 22 April).
The reward of engaging and planning successful fundraising events is the money raised and the support we can provide to these fantastic charities, but it is also to see our students develop and learn from these experiences. They are able to develop invaluable communication, time management, and planning skills which will enable them to be more successful in their studies.