A new year normally ushers in change. At YCIS Beijing we welcomed fresh students as well as Chinese Co-Principal Ms Jessica Sun, the latest addition to our School Leadership Team (SLT).

I Want to Follow that BusMs Sun is a familiar face in the YCIS Beijing community. She first joined the school in 2003 as a Year 2 homeroom teacher. From 2008 to 2018 she served as Secondary Chinese Co-ordinator before spending two years at Yew Wah, our sister school, as a Co-Principal.

A Beijinger, Ms Sun was introduced to YCIS Beijing in 1995 soon after our founding as she saw the school bus taking students to campus passing by her area each day. Her curiosity was piqued and she discovered it was a new international school – a concept that was still very new. Our Honglingjin campus was one of the first international schools in the city.

Little did she know that 17 years later she would be a member of one of the most important teams in the school.

A Long and Productive CareerDuring her first stint at YCIS Beijing she experienced a variety of academic roles. She taught Chinese as an Additional Language in primary and secondary, worked as a secondary Chinese Co-ordinator (where she helped design the current YCIS Chinese language course) and contributed towards the creation of the school’s online Chinese learning platform (www.iLearning.com).

“I’m proud to say I helped establish the IB Chinese B programme,” she says, and “the fact that I was one of the first to teach the course.”

Having implemented the Chinese curriculum she also coordinated some of the quintessentially YCIS Beijing events such as the “Experiencing China” trips, where students explore the country while learning about culture; and the 'Temple Fair', which celebrates the Spring Festival with traditional handcrafts, performances, games and snacks. Ms Sun was well set for a new role at Yew Wah where she fully utilised her considerable managerial skills and experience before returning to Honglingin.

As an English Literature graduate from Foreign Affairs University of China, she is happy to be reunited with former colleagues and excited to meet and establish relations with new friends. Asked why she has remained in the foundation for this amount of time, she responds simply to say the size of our school in Beijing enables teachers (and students) in early childhood education, primary and secondary, to have meaningful interactions with one another. This is such an essential part of relationship building and collaboration and crucial to the school’s ethos.

No Rainbow without RainThe school has undergone inevitable changes and upgrades over the years. Ms Sun highlights the steady increase in students and improved facilities along with the “stronger staff team”.

She now looks forward to working together with her colleagues to:• maintain academic excellence• foster independent learning • encourage self-motivation among students• encourage alumni involvement, and• reinforce the school’s mission

Although we may not be able to meet for celebrations or events as on Global Community Day, Ms Sun hopes we all remain positive despite the challenging year we have just experienced. She has an apt quote to sum this up: “If there is no rainstorm, there is no rainbow.”