The students in this semester’s Double Excellent Art program have different artistic orientations and creative abilities. Some students who join the course already have extensive drawing experience, while others join with only basic drawing skills. The teachers provides a considerable amount of customized instruction, guidance, and assessment based on their varying abilities and needs. For students with higher ability, we encourage them to challenge themselves, try various new ways of creation, and help them improve their ideas, composition, and presentation of works. For students with more basic abilities, exercises are formulated to help them lay a good foundation, we guide them to find a suitable way of creation, and build confidence. Through different classroom exercises, such as sketching, painting, clay sculpture, and teamwork creation, the students' creating skills, composition skills, presentation skills, creative skills, hand-eye coordination skills, problem-solving skills, and leadership skills are improved.

In the Media and Techniques Exploration class, students learned about a material or technique through the steps of material and technique exploration, theme development, finding references, creating artworks, and refine artworks, thinking about how to apply the material to express their own original theme, using references to help express the theme more accurately, and improving their works with the discussion and suggestions of teachers and classmates. Students practiced various clay sculpting techniques in the Ceramic Techniques and Design class. Starting from the most basic mixing clay, venting the clay, creating clay slabs, and cutting the clay, they practiced how to handle the clay well to prevent the work from exploding in the kiln due to air holes in the clay, how to use tools to roll the clay flat to make it uniform in thickness, and how to use tools to separate the clay smoothly. After practicing these basic skills, students begin to learn the glazing techniques and practice how to make different textures with glaze.

In the Animation Design class, students practiced a lot of sketches to enhance their ability to depict people or things in terms of expression, form, and motion. Students have mastered how to represent people and things accurately and vividly through practice. Students work in class not only to create artwork independently but also as a team. In teamwork, they also learn how to communicate with their teammates to determine the direction of the work and allocate the workload to complete the work within the project timeline. Our students make great progress in thinking, creating, and communicating through systematic learning and effective practice.

Rowing is an endurance sport that demands high levels of mental fortitude and requires a strong spirit of teamwork. In the process of learning rowing, it also enhances leadership skills and promotes comprehensive physical development. In this semester, novice rowers quickly mastered introductory learning tasks, and through the "experienced guiding the newcomers" model, their on-water rowing techniques improved rapidly, fostering seamless cooperation among teammates through progressive training sessions. Currently, the rowing skills of the newcomers have gradually caught up with the experienced rowers, and the leadership qualities of the experienced rowers have been noticeably honed.

Throughout this semester, there has been a significant transformation in the overall physical fitness of all students. Total body strength has notably increased, aerobic capacity and cardiovascular function have significantly improved, body fat has steadily decreased, and muscle mass has also increased significantly. During training sessions, students have overcome inertia, refined their mental resilience, and exercised patience while completing early-morning and physical fitness training. This not only led to repeatedly surpassing their own limits but also instilled habits of self-challenge and self-transcendence, strengthening their team awareness.In daily communication with fellow students, many have expressed their newfound passion for rowing, experiencing the competitive joy it brings and fully integrating into the rowing team. Furthermore, they mentioned that rowing training also contributes to emotional control, improved communication and expressive abilities, enhanced physical fitness, and increased energy levels, all of which positively impact their academic studies.

In terms of individual competition results, Zhang Tao achieved second place in the U16 double sculls event at the 2023 China Rowing Masters Regatta Series Dalian Station and secured first place in the U18 category at the 11th Shanghai Rowing Open, obtaining a U18 rowing certificate. Wang Yino participated for the first time in the 11th Shanghai Rowing Open and obtained a U15 rowing certificate for rowing ergo (Level 1).

Previous Competition Results:

May 2021: Third place in the Shanghai Youth Rowing Ergo Challenge.

2021: Second place in the Shanghai Youth Rowing Ergo Challenge.

2022: Champion in the Men's Double Sculls U18 category at the 4th Ordos Rowing Masters Regatta.

2022: Second place in the U16 category and U18 category at the Hong Kong Virtual Rowing Championship.

2022: Champion and second place in the U18 category at the Shanghai Rowing Ergo Finals.

In the double excellent music class, there are various types of classes such as composition, vocal training, and instrumental instruction. This provides students with the opportunity to explore different genres, collaborate with friends to create music, and express their artistic selves. The curriculum allows for the development of personal hobbies, improvement in musical skills, and overall self-enhancement. Each student can choose classes based on their individual interests and preferences, and the flexibility to adjust according to their musical inclinations adds to the diversity of the learning experience.

One of the standout features of this semester is the shift to on-stage practices, where a unique initiative sees a group of girls coming together to form their own bands. The formation of these all-girl bands represents an unprecedented experience, marking a departure from the conventional. Traditional guitar and bass lessons have been transformed into comprehensive band sessions. The distinction between standard instrument classes and band sessions lies in the multifaceted nature of the latter, demanding teamwork and consideration of each member's perspective. This collaborative approach results in music that intricately weaves together various emotions, making the band a truly diverse and harmonious collective.

Performing in a band is like a dream coming true. The excitement on stage, surrounded by drumbeats, guitar plucking, and vocal melodies, is absolutely exhilarating. Students spent several hours practicing together to ensure that each note was in sync. On the day of the performance at the Art Festival, as they were preparing to take the stage, everyone’s heart was filled with excitement and tension.

When they started the performance, the applause and screams from the audience drove their performance. Cheers and applause inspire us to put in effort. Every plucking of the guitar and every drumbeat is like a heartbeat, beating across the entire field. Despite nervousness, there is a sense of unity and camaraderie that makes everything feel good. The positive emotions and enthusiasm of the audience are infectious, and it feels like they are all in sync, sharing a magical moment through music.

When the last note is played, the sense of achievement and joy is unstoppable. The feeling of co creating beautiful things is indescribable. The smiles and high fives among the band members were full of a sense of achievement.

Students experienced the power of teamwork and practice from this experience. Showcased how music brings people together and creates unforgettable moments. This is an unforgettable and cherished performance, which also shows that our band is very successful. All the hard work and dedication paid off, encouraging students to continue pursuing this hobby.