Five Steps to Adapting High School Teaching to Middle School Students

Samantha Butler, a Social Studies and English teacher at the KL International School (KLIS) in Chongqing, shares the challenges and rewards she has experienced teaching middle school.

Education seems to be an ingrained forced within me. When I was in elementary school, if I ever found out anything new or exciting, I would gather a group of avid followers and tell them this information. This continued into high school when I took over Advanced Placement (AP) test prep courses and created my own curriculum to train my classmates and myself.

I have always wanted to educate, which is why when I found myself being offered a position to teach middle school instead of the position for high school I applied for, I didn’t hesitate. (more…)

Students Recognized in National Chemistry Challenge

Three 10th grade students from our Wuhan campus recently received word that they were awarded for their efforts in the Royal Society of Chemistry Rising Star China Chemistry Challenge. The competition is a team-based competition that includes preliminary and final tests. Cindy Chen and Becky Zhao, both together on a team, received Bronze Awards, placing them in the national top 30%. Megan Huang received the Regional Outstanding Award.

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Alumni Spotlight: Life Beyond Graduation

Yukun Lu – Daniel Lu – spent his high school years at the St. Mary’s Wuhan program. Daniel chose the challenge of a new style of curriculum with foreign teachers and ultimately benefited. As part of the class of 2016, he graduated with stellar academics reflected in a high GPA and standardized test scores, raised over 20,000 RMB for charity as an community organizer, and gained acceptance to over 15 universities. Daniel eventually chose Wake Forest as his alma mater, where he expects to graduate in 2020. As an alumnus of St. Mary’s Wuhan, Daniel shares his story with the KnowledgeLink network: (more…)

Early Admissions Success for Students

The first round of college admissions decisions are here and so are acceptances for many of our students across our KL Schools! Congratulations to the Class of 2017 as they move one step closer to attending schools that fit their talents and communities that will welcome them next year. What helped these students stand out from other applicants? Below, we look at the stories of six students who share some reflections on the process so far. (more…)

From the College Counselor: Finding Best Fit

Doreen Liu is the Director of College Counseling for KnowledgeLink (KL) network schools. Over the past few years, Doreen has seen graduating seniors come and go through her doors, all with different experiences and expectations. In the college counseling team’s work, they must deeply consider the individual they are working with, temper the aspirations of their parents, and help uncover the best path forward for the student. “Counseling” truly defines the work they do. With each student, time is spent alleviating fears, giving advice on the choices that would most benefit them, and providing insight into the college admissions process. (more…)

Shrinking the Gorilla in the Classroom

Every day in our international classrooms here in China, there is gorilla in here with us.

We don’t ignore this gorilla, yet we sometimes have difficulty overcoming the challenges of his presence. (more…)

Growing Pains and Growing Gains

Students are in a constant state of change from the day they enter PreK to the day they finish their university studies. Education is tasked with providing the guidance and platform for that change to be positive growth – where students are happy, realize their potential, and go on to thrive as educated citizens of the world, self-sustaining learners and ethical leaders. Students transferring between completely different education systems face an even greater challenge – how to adapt? How to succeed? Who am I going into this program and who will I be coming out of this program? KL has one such student that shared his story from struggling in middle school to excelling in high school.

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Lost in Translation

David Langenmayr is the Academic Dean for the John Carroll Bashu Ivy Program in Chongqing. 2016 is his first year working at the freshly opened school. David has spent 4 months in Chongqing and has used his experience in a foreign environment to relate to the students he guides each day. He shared his story with us.

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Thanksgiving and Recent Events in China: Around the KL Network

This past month, all campuses celebrated Thanksgiving, and the two campuses in Barstow took part in outside activities. Learn more about the events around the country.

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Change of Place: From Apathy to Enthusiasm – My Experience at St. Mary’s Wuhan

Frida is an 11th grade student on our Wuhan campus. She is the class president, chief editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, and the lead organizer of the movie club. After moving from a traditional Chinese education to St. Mary’s, Frida found her voice and wants to share her experience with readers. Find out more about Frida’s life in Wuhan.

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