WHAT words come to mind when you hear "middle school dance?" If you were a sixth grader they might be fun, awkward, fear and friends.

On September 17, Puxi campus middle school had their annual Back to School Social. For the "veteran" seventh and eighth graders, this event may have been no big deal, but for sixth graders this was a momentous occasion.

"Going to the first dance I was really fearful," said sixth grader Joyce Jin.

"I was scared it was going to be freaky, with older students dancing around us," Nicole Chen replied.

Besides the word fear, another word that kept popping up from the sixth graders' replies was awkward.

"It just felt really awkward having people ask me to go dance," said Melissa Choi.

"The awkward moment for me was when someone asked me to dance and I didn't know what to say all of a sudden," said Jin.

Although the sixth graders felt a bit weird walking around the MS cafeteria, watching the older students dance, listening to music and talking with their friends; towards the end, the sixth graders were beginning to ask each other to dance and finally realized that the dancing was fun.

One question that arose was whether seventh and eighth graders think the sixth graders are mature enough for dances. Mark Cheong, eighth grader and vice president of the Student Forum said, "Yeah, the sixth graders were pretty much mature enough. They didn't crowd around the people who were dancing like the last year's sixth graders."

Middle school teacher Amy Smith and the Student Forum planned the whole dance. They organized the song list, the advertising, ticket sales and the food and beverage sales, which raise money for future events as well as the Ayi and Guard Appreciation in the spring.

"The whole dance went really well," Smith said. "This year's sixth graders are really energetic. They're not too shy, and they got right in there and helped make the first dance fun."

Once again, the middle school has planned a successful social for the students, and the sixth graders overcame their fears and passed their first test.

Article by Brian Li and Kendrick Tan, who are Middle School student reporters of SAS' Puxi campus; photo by Andrew Marks

Exploring identity through 'Drift'

As an American citizen, with Chinese and Malaysian parents, I myself spent much of my childhood in Singapore and have always embraced my Chinese background and values. I felt a deep connection with the emotional expression of every character, old or young, in every scene.

Drift probes the past through the actors' - and the audience's - anguish as they struggle to deal with their dislocated lives. Just as the title suggests, the characters onstage drift between countries, between memories and between identities.

The seemingly anomalous Caucasian casting for Chinese characters actually complements this complexity as the actors present a kind of blank canvas through which to explore identity. I shared in their dilemmas of who I am, where I am from and, more importantly, why I feel as if I'm part participant and part observer no matter where I live.



Over 60 students and staff from YCIS Shanghai attended Shanghai Repertory Theatre's English premiere of the Chinese play "Drift." Year 13 student JL Woo (left) shares his personal thoughts on the play.



Fun at Luna Park

In Sydney, Australia there is a really cool place called "Luna Park." If you go there once, you will never feel like going back home. It is suitable for all children five to 18 years old. It has lots of fun rides - I have been there before.

The first place that most of the children go is "Coney Island" where you can experience the thrill of riding the slippery slides, stumbling through barrels of fun and tackling a game called "Ye Olde Dan Turkey Trot" or lasting the distance of the Joy Wheel. I went on most of the rides with my friend and went on a crazy slide race full of fun and excitement.

The next ride is the "Tumble Bug." This ride causes you to throw your arms around and around, it is one of the most enjoyable rides in the park. The scary one is the "Flying Saucer," you have to hold on tightly as you spin horizontally faster and faster before zooming 18 meters high in the sky.

There is one very hilarious ride called the "Rotor." Have you ever imagined being a flea stuck on the wall? Because once the ride is off the ground, the floor will drop away and then you will be left hanging in mid-air. When I was at Luna Park, I was totally amazed how the people were dressed, my friends said that they just look exactly like clowns.

We even had a photo taken!



Article by Jelinna Wang,Year 5 student from SUIS

Facing up to fears

Before going to Nanbei Lake my expectations were high. I was very excited. On arrival, we drove past the leap of faith and it looked awesome, even though I'm afraid of heights. The mountains were amazing and huge. Our first activity was the leap of faith. I was planning not to do it. I watched people climb and it looked really cool. After people kept encouraging me to do it, I made up my mind. I was going to do the leap of faith. As I climbed up I became more and more nervous. It felt strange to be going up instead of down when you're afraid of heights. As I began to reach the top I began to shiver. And I had only one thing in mind, GET DOWN! But I had to keep going. I found it hard to stand on the small metal disk. I was freaked out. Oh and by the way, I did it to be kind to Mr Farnham, my English teacher. As I got ready to jump, I felt nervous but excited at the same time. I made a leap for the bar but missed. However, I felt proud of myself. US capital is a breath of fresh air



Over the summer, my brother, Sam and I took a trip with our mom and grandmother down to Washington DC in the good ole' USA.

When we arrived in the city, after having driven many hours from the great state of Connecticut, it was just breathtaking. Monuments and towers, all testaments to a thriving city, dotted the skyline. The hustle and bustle of cars, people, and sheer political energy created sounds of a city alive and well. Plus, the air was fresh and clear, which is a nice break from the air here in Shanghai. We took a night tour on a bus of all the sights and sounds of DC. Even at night, voices rang throughout, and the city seemed to glow with lights and excitement, buildings illuminated the sky and lamps glowed into city streets. We had the chance to see everything we wanted to see. Our final destination was Georgetown University, where Sam will attend college this fall. The entire area was a seamless mix of old and new. However, all good things must come to an end and it definitely felt sad leaving this fair city-the capitol of the United States of America. I can only hope to return one day when I am old enough and ready for college life.



Soaring on "Wings of Paper"

The pungent smell of rust, tainted water, dust and chalk fills the air. Noisy screams and chatter, in a dialect I don't understand, flow into my ears. My throat dry, my voice cracking, my legs sore and shaking from standing. My body is giving out. Chaos fill the room.

Though tired and exhausted, light shines through the window of my soul. The faces of the students are filled with happiness, appreciation and the eagerness to learn. These faces bring light into the dark, damp, musky room that overpowers our exhaustion. Seeing these faces brings warmth, gratitude and a sense of appreciation in to my heart. At that point all the pain disappears and all that is left is happiness.

This is exactly what 16 of us students experienced when we went to teach English in the mountain village of Dashanbao, Yunnan Province. There, we strove to give the 700 students at Dashanbao Middle School, many of which have never traveled outside of their county, a view of the world outside of their village. Through different activities such as making origami pigeons, singing songs expressing emotion, building chemical volcano models erupting with power, and jumping high to dunk basketballs, we gave the students in Dashanbao some basic English vocabulary. More than that, we gave them hope for a better future. We came to Dashanbao anxious, excited and scared, not knowing what to expect. We left fulfilled, accomplished and longing to return. Through this trip we not only changed the lives of the students, but they also changed our lives and have given us a whole different perspective of the world we live in.

The Yunnan Education Project is a student-founded charity at Concordia.

Though these students know they are at a disadvantage, they are still inspired to strive. Though they fly on wings of paper, their determination makes these wings immortal. Like the old Chinese saying, "in books lie a golden house," they rise above on these wings of paper. Through an education they know they will succeed. This unbreakable determination should inspire us all to overcome the obstacles on our path through life. Student writers invited