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By Emily Corvers, Activities Coordinator at SCIS Hongqiao
The After-School Activities (ASA) program at SCIS is a dynamic program offered to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Guided by the SCIS mission of developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring learners who contribute positively to their communities, the ASA program is designed to provide opportunities for students to develop skills beyond the classroom while encouraging a balance of academics and extracurriculars. ![]()
Students and teachers alike build and strengthen friendships and gain new experiences while remaining in the familiar surroundings of our school campuses. The ASAs promote physical health, academic development, and the chance for students to improve their social and emotional growth.Many times, students try something new in an ASA only to discover they love it and want to continue it at home on their own as a hobby. Having a hobby has such great benefits especially because of how much it can stretch the student’s creativity and help them gain confidence. What types of activities are offered? In the Lower School, we aim for a balance of activities across the three domains of athletics, arts, and academics. Based on feedback from students and interest levels from prior sessions we offer a wide range of activities that vary each year.As always there are classic clubs that many students love to join but sometimes it’s the new and surprising ones that garner a lot of attention. Over 70% of our Lower School students participate in our ASA program.![]()
In the Upper School, many of our activities are student-directed which has led to an interesting array of choices. The Upper School students who wish to run an activity must adhere to the standards set out for them to ensure it meets the guidelines for a CAS project.This has led to some unique and interesting new activities being offered. Our Knitting Club started with two dedicated students and their teacher advisors and has grown to over ten students who come each week to learn knitting to create hats and other small items for those in need. ![]()
Below are some examples of current and past ASAs: Our Student Council groups (Lower School and Upper School) have been an exceptional source of student leadership within our school. Led by devoted teachers, our innovative Student Council students plan and implement a wide variety of events and activities for our school community. Always well attended, these activities provide yet another opportunity for connection beyond the classroom. ![]()
We have seen a correlation between an increased sense of belonging and students who participate in extracurricular activities. As a school, we plan to continue to foster the creativity and excitement of students through extracurriculars.
“It feels like a zen den that I can be with my friends and do learning with something I love.” - Jovi, Grade 5 “I think that student council was great this year because we got to do lots of fun activities, and we got to take lots of action and we also made lots of new friends.” - Evelyn, Grade 5 ![]()
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