On the afternoon of August 31, 2025, the opening ceremony of the first semester of the 2025 academic year was held in the school auditorium of Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, with a theme of "From Strength to Strength, Onwards and Upwards”. This classic quotation, derived from Songs of Chu: The Lament (Chu Ci · Li Sao) and Preface to the Selected Works (Wen Xuan Xu), is more than just a sincere wish for the students' bright and promising futures: it also embodies the spirit of the contemporary age – building on the past while forging ahead with innovation. All the teachers and students gathered together to embark on this semester’s new journey.

After the two hosts announced the start of the opening ceremony, teacher representatives and student representatives from each grade took the stage in turn to share their insights and prospects.

        Ms. Fan Xinyue, the teacher representative of Grade 10, took the stage first. Her speech revolved around a central philosophy: "Be brave to be yourself and focus on self-growth". She encouraged the students to recognize themselves, maintain their own pace, and write their own story of youth. She ended by reminding students that the school will always be ready to provide support and guidance for every student's own journey of growth, ensuring that every dream has the opportunity and platform upon which to shine.

Yang Xinran, the Grade 10 student representative, spoke next, emphasizing the importance of finding one’s own pace in the learning process. She pointed out that in walking the path through high school, everyone will eventually find their own unique, individual rhythm and "time zone"; true excellence does not lie in blindly trying to match others’ speed and progress, but in finding the right tempo and focusing on your own path to reach a destination unique to you.

After a round of applause for the first two speakers, Mr. Wang Yonghong, the teacher representative of Grade 11, stepped onto the stage. He encouraged all the students to bravely challenge their limits through activities that are best suited for them – whether it is the perseverance in scaling higher “peaks” or the hard work inside and outside the examination room, they should find and ultimately move past their own "Langlang Mountain". Facing personal challenges show the vivid and real power of growth.

Liu Chengchen, the Grade 11 student representative, shared her views on activities and growth. She questioned the practice choosing activities based on "utilitarian" standards, instead urging everyone to break free of this mental frame – “copy what others do” – and pursue their own interests, values, and unknown fields they want to explore. She also stressed that the real challenge lies in making targeted choices, continuously reflecting on oneself, and thus constantly reshaping oneself.

Next, Mr. Chen Ce, the teacher representative of Grade 12, gave his message for the Grade 12 students. He explained that in the personal and team “battle” of this final year, students should achieve a breakthrough of the self through precise time management and change the "I" to the "We" through collaboration and social services. In the end, what they attain will not only be an application to submit to college but also a proof of personal growth and social responsibility.

Later, Xu Mingyi, the Grade 12 student representative, combined his own experience of serving as the captain of the school basketball team and the leader of a club, to put forward his view of leadership: it means “making yourself worthy of being followed first". He spoke of how building leadership starts with self-cultivation and responsibility and is actualized through serving and contributing to the collective. He advocated for every student to take the initiative to practice responsibility in leading the common growth of themselves and the collective with a humble spirit of service.

Foreign teacher representatives Mr. Plageman and Mr. Hood were also called to deliver speeches, where they encouraged students to embrace every opportunity they were presented with. Mr. Plageman urged all students to embrace every emotional experience with a calm attitude during the high school journey – a heroic journey full of challenges and growth. He advised them to neither blindly pursue the "highs" nor dwell on the "lows", but to fully feel every moment, and use these experiences to eventually become the person they are supposed to be.

Mr. Hood similarly emphasized that high school is a place where true learning is achieved through bravely making mistakes and thinking independently. He encouraged all students to face their fears and express themselves to the fullest, and called on senior students to actively create an inclusive and mutually supportive campus environment to jointly support the freshmen in adapting to this new stage of school life.

The ceremony concluded with a collective award ceremony for student clubs. This academic year, multiple awards were established, including the Most Influential Club, Model Club, Excellent Club, and Outstanding Club, in recognition of the student clubs that have made outstanding achievements in the fields of technological innovation, humanities and arts, and social services. Representatives of each award-winning club took the stage in turn to receive their awards, showing the diverse extracurricular activities and various merits of the students at SSBS. We hope these clubs continue to shine in the new semester!

A new journey has already begun. The teachers and students of SSBS will hold the ambition of "setting sail on a promising journey” and practice the action of "building on past achievements for greater glory". They will innovate while inheriting the legacy of the past, and write a brilliant new chapter through hard work. The opening ceremony came to a successful end amidst warm applause, but the new journey belonging to every member of SSBS has just begun. May every student find their own rhythm in personalized exploration, develop their sense of social responsibility through taking on various duties and collaboration, scale the vast "mountains and seas" with their own solutions, and define their excellence with passion!

 

 

中英文：11-6 钱静怡

责任编辑：12-6 王思睿

文字指导：李婷

图片：星河湾电视台 陈煜 薛雅文

编辑：曲昊睿

审核：苏晔