- Literacy
It was an amazing five days at Hangzhou International School (HIS), from 9 to 13 September, as we celebrated Book Week 2024. This treasured annual whole school event sees us celebrate the power of literacy, with a packed schedule of activities designed to encourage a lifelong love of reading.
The week began with guest readers in the Lower School classrooms, with parents and surprise staff dropping by to read their favorite stories. The classes also started decorating their doors with a book theme – with the best ones winning free books for their classes!
In Upper School, Grades 8 through 10 were fortunate to attend a talk in the Theater by visiting special guest author Christopher St Cavish. A resident of Shanghai for 20 years, the former chef turned food writer and videographer gave a hugely interesting and impassioned speech about the importance of creating content that creates a meaningful connection.
On Tuesday we held a 10-hour ‘Readathon’ on the main steps, with students, staff and parents found reading their favorite books from 7am to 5pm – well done everyone! Then on Wednesday the popular Book Fair opened, with younger students taking the chance to put together their ‘Wish Lists’ for purchase. Thursday saw the return of the magical ‘Character Dress Up Parade’, where the entire Early Childhood and Lower School classes gathered in the gym – there were some amazing costumes on display. Congratulations to everyone!
Finally, on Friday we had two visiting authors from Shanghai, Angela Lin and Zhen-Lei Chang, who spent the day with the Lower School introducing their book, ‘My Shanghai’. A charming tale of children discovering one of the world’s greatest cities, our young learners were enthralled by their talks and interactive workshops. We thank them for coming.
As well as being an amazing week full of fun (and many colorful characters), Book Week is intended to foster the important habit of reading in our students. Literacy is an essential life skill, and with our three dedicated libraries (HIS has one of the largest English language book collections in Hangzhou) HIS students have no excuse to not pick up a good book. Thank you everyone involved for a fantastic Book Week 2024. We look forward to next year!