HZN 2023-07-07[EVENT]Sindy Liang
With pride and joy, Harrow Zhuhai’s 22-23 Speech Day was held on 7 July in the school’s auditorium. A time-honoured Harrow tradition, Speech Day is an important day for all Harrow schools to look back and celebrate their achievements, where all students, teachers, parents and staff witness the excellence of Harrow students in academics, the arts, sports, leadership, Houses and other areas of excellence and honour, and celebrate the glory of Harrovians together.
In a centuries-old tradition, the Head Master kicked off Speech Day with the School Bill. The School Bill is a unique feature of Harrow Speech Day, where each Harrow student’s name is read out and they walk up to the Head Master, gently raise their Harrow straw hat in salute, and say: “Here, sir!” Year after year, this tradition has been passed down from generation to generation and has become an important part of Harrow’s traditional etiquette.
In the 22-23 school year, the third year of Harrow Zhuhai’s existence, the school has made striking achievements in a number of areas, driven by Harrow’s four values of Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. At the event, Head Master, Dr. Max Caruso, Chinese Principal, Ms. Elise Li, parent representatives and the school’s special guest, the British Consul-General in Guangzhou, Ms. Sarah Mann, delivered speeches on the themes of learning, growing up, home-school co-education and leadership, which won a round of applause from the students and audience.
Dr. Max Caruso reviewed the school’s achievements over the past year and expressed his vision for the future. He said: ” Harrow School in the UK, as our guiding exemplar, refers to the following guiding principles, that is … success should not be measured by grades, but by one’s influence on the world. With one’s willingness and ability to learn, to lead and to serve… these are what enable a life to be well lived and worthwhile.”
Witnessing the glory and growth, the annual awards were an important part of the Speech Day. Heads presented awards for academic excellence, leadership and holistic development, among many others, encouraging children to not only excel academically, but to develop holistically as well. At the event, the school also presented 10 current students with Harrow Zhuhai Scholarships at various levels. Unlike the selection model which is based on grades, Harrow’s scholarships are based on the overseas university scholarship application model, where applicants are required to pass the academic, personal statement, interview, and defense processes, and are ultimately selected from among dozens of applicants.
The grand finale of the Speech Day was the announcement of the winners of the annual House Cup! Harrow Zhuhai follows the House system of Harrow School in the UK, where academic and programme activities throughout the year are linked to House points, and the mixed-age House also provides learning and leadership opportunities for students. The winner of this year’s House Cup, Tu Youyou, is one of the six Houses at Harrow Zhuhai and is named after Professor Tu Youyou, China’s first Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology/Medicine. The room turned into a sea of green after the awards were announced. The event ended with a full chorus of Harrow’s centennial school song “Forty Years On”.
Harrow Zhuhai is the only British bilingual school built by Harrow UK in the Greater Bay Area, and the school currently attracts a large number of students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. The school follows the holistic education philosophy of the famous Harrow school in the UK and innovatively integrates the Chinese National Curriculum to nurture future leadership talents who face the world and integrate the East and the West.
