In this blissful spring, School Activities are in full swing at Hiba Academy Hangzhou, demonstrating the faithful adherence to our holistic educational ethos. An article published in BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education indicates that being involved in extracurricular activities offers important opportunities for adolescent development, such as peer relations, appropriate social conduct, and basic skills for academic achievement. For example, pupils who participate in athletic clubs tend to have increased maths and science and literacy scores. Extracurricular participation in arts and crafts also results in higher academic scores and better working skills. Additionally, participation in academic clubs yields higher academic attainment. Since its establishment, Hiba Academy Hangzhou has had a wide range of School Activities (SAs) that supplement and enhance life at the school. The academic, creative, performing arts and physical SAs at Hiba allow pupils to find their passions while realising their potential and broadening their horizons so they may go on to the global stage with an assertive posture.
Read on and discover how our Hiba pupils have embraced the opportunities to explore the unknown with courage in March.
Academic School Activities (SA)
Academic campus activities give pupils the opportunity to expand and even go beyond what they have learned in the classroom, guiding them to reach for the top and challenge themselves. To experience diverse cultures from around the world through academic activities such as debating, presenting and learning another language.
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) is one of the leading certification organisations for speech and drama skills in the UK. Widely recognised by western universities, LAMDA provides a wide range of exams for poetry, prose recitation, acting, public speaking, and drama performance. Pupils achieve outstanding results with the guidance of teachers. In the previous semester, 17 pupils participated in the LAMDA exams, of which six pupils obtained the Distinction grade and nine pupils obtained the Merit grade.
French Beginners
Learning a new language is very beneficial, as it gives people a real sense of the magnitude of the world. French is a beautiful language. French is recognised as one of the most rigorous languages in the world and is used as the first written language by the United Nations. In the French beginner SA, pupils concentrate on a timer. The moment the teacher stops the timer, immediately, pupils read out the number in French, which is a great exercise to familiarise the pronunciation of numbers in French. By learning the French language, pupils get a taste of the charm of France.
Creative School Activities (SA)
Creative Activities SA offers a platform for pupils to be creative and imaginative allowing pupils to learn from traditions while being progressive. Each advancement in human history has been guided by creativity and inspiration, and it is this spirit that this type of SA aims to cultivate in Hiba pupils.
Mural Painting
From magnificent Duhuang Murals to modern murals that feature individuality and diversity, murals have caught our eye with their unique charm. Mural Painting prepares pupils to design and paint large-scale public art murals. Pupils in this SA utilise both digital and traditional techniques from visual composition, illustration, sign painting, and fine art painting while integrating historical, traditional and contemporary mural painting styles. From this SA, pupils can form their very own individual artistic style.
Computer Based Art
As times progress, digital change has extended from computers and the internet to all types of humanities and arts, including digital art. In the computer based art SA, pupils can explore areas such as graphic design, digital illustration, photo editing, new media and animation. Pupils will also develop an awareness of environmental and social issues related to communication technology. Also, pupils will explore a variety of secondary school, higher education and training pathways and career opportunities in the field of communication technology.
Performing Arts Activities (SA)
The performing arts encourage children to explore their emotions, expand their imagination and helps them develop their own unique voice. Each discipline of music, dance and drama engages a child's brain, body and emotions in different ways to encourage their confidence and find joy in self-expression.
Chinese Dubbing
The Chinese dubbing SA is a great way to learn the art of language by exercising pupils’ ability to imitate, concentrate, observe, coordinate, and comprehend. Pupils have different understandings of each character, and use their own voice to give life to their chosen characters.
Musical production
A musical is a collective form of performing arts where pupils can express intense emotions that sometimes words alone are unable to communicate. A truly creative opportunity to tell a story and perform a dramatic conflict through another language of music and dance. Pupils develop their imagination and demonstrate their acting talent through interacting with the music and the environment. Not only that, after completing the script rehearsal, pupils will perform on stage with sound effects and lighting in our professional Grand Theatre. Let us look forward to their much-anticipated performance at the end of the semester!
Physical School Activities (SA)
Having physical exercises encourages a healthy lifestyle and develops key physical attributes. It has mental benefits, too, as it develops teamwork, problem-solving and communication skills. Social aptitudes and team bonding are strengthened by extracurricular sporting activities; it is known that nothing is more powerful than sport in bring individuals together and building relationships.
Archery
When practising archery, pupils must use their strength wisely. This sport requires pupils to stand upright and use straight, symmetrical force. Regular, archery specific exercises can promote good posture changes in the human body, strengthening both upper and lower body muscles, and in particular, developing the intricate chest and back muscles. During training, pupils' eyes focus on distant targets, which helps relieve the visual fatigue caused by long hours of reading books.
Field Hockey
Field hockey is a popular aerobic exercise where pupils can improve muscle strength, coordination, and balance. Under the warm spring sun, pupils are using their hockey sticks to dribble the ball to the goal, dodging opponents’ interferences and finally scoring! Everyone cheered excitedly when the ball hit the goal!
We will continue to update our SA highlights and share them with you in the future.
