Wellington Today Wellington Today 2018 en | Page 40

MESSAGE FROM
GERARD MACMAHON
THE EXECUTIVE MASTER OF
WELINGTON COLLEGE SHANGHAI
Wellington is thriving in Shanghai; within a year there will be more
Wellingtonians in the city than in Berkshire. In August 2017, we
had almost a thousand pupils in the international school, which
is growing rapidly, and nearly 300 in the bilingual Early Years
Centre, which is full. 2018 will be a landmark year for Wellington
Shanghai, when both our new bilingual college, including primary
and junior high schools, and our new nursery, will open in state-
of-the-art buildings.
On stage highlights have included the sixth form’s Richard II, the
whole-school musical, Annie Jr, and the school year finished with
a splurge in the Prep school production of Bugsy Malone.
In the summer, the first group of IB pupils left for universities all
over the world. Their academic achievements were world-class,
with all but one pupil exceeding the global IB average and our
scholars averaging over 41 points. For the second year, two-
thirds of IGCSE grades were As or A*s.
In 2017, Wellington College International Shanghai pupils have
enjoyed ski trips to South Korea, scuba diving in the Philippines,
expeditions to Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Dianshan, and
Sanshan Island, success in the World Scholars Cup at Yale
University and in Hanoi, biology and geography in Borneo, and
history in Tokyo. Our hockey and rugby tour to England included
fixtures at Eagle House and a visit to Wellington. Swimmers have
competed with success in Thailand, Brunei and our footballers in
Singapore and Phuket. Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai Early Years Centre held
its first major performance in January. The Chinese New Year
celebrations were marked by vibrant stage performances
from the children in each year group. The Early Years Centre
celebrated its first birthday in February. Other highlights were
events marking 100 days of friendship, World Thinking Day, Earth
Day, World Environment Day and World Book Day, and a festival
of art.
The Chinese New Year shows in January were exciting
celebrations of our Chinese culture, our international food fair in
October featured the food, anthems, costumes and flags of more
than forty countries represented in the international school. The bilingual Early Years Centre has already developed a
community spirit that was particularly evident in our annual family
picnic and in our carnival, which brought together families from
across Shanghai for a day of fun, entertainment and happiness.