Dear students, faculty, and parents,

Good afternoon！

Today, I would like to talk about three points: confidence, perseverance, and a shared vision. These three keywords will guide you towards a high school journey filled with challenges, opportunities, and accomplishments.  

Firstly, confidence is a crucial mindset that reflects self-assurance and affirmation of one's abilities and worth. It plays a pivotal role in personal development, interpersonal relationships, and career success.

Accept ourselves: To truly build confidence, the first step is to learn to accept ourselves, including our flaws and shortcomings. Everyone possesses unique traits and talents, and it's important to focus on our strengths rather than weaknesses. During this orientation camp, out of over 100 new students, 46 enthusiastically volunteered for various leading roles, showcasing their confidence. Our returning students have already demonstrated their confidence in various aspects. At Hongrun Boyuan School, every one of you will have your own stage to show your talents confidently.

So how can we further build up our confidence?

We need to keep learning and improving our knowledge and skills and overall competence.

Acknowledge our achievements: it's important to accurately evaluate our achievements, whether big or small. Please remember that every success means progress, and we should appreciate and encourage ourselves.

Surround ourselves with positive people: Associate with those who are positive and optimistic, as they will provide inspiration and positive energy. You might have already felt and experienced the positive atmosphere of our community.

Regularly engage in physical exercises: moderate physical exercises can help us release stress and improve our mental and emotional state.

Develop an optimistic attitude: a positive mindset can help us overcome negative emotions and feelings of inferiority. Becoming confidence is a process that takes time. Through continuous effort and hard work, we can gradually build up solid confidence.

It is perseverance that makes many things possible in our life, whether it's personal growth or social progress. Perseverance means not backing down in the face of difficulties and not giving up in times of setbacks. Perseverance is also a habit, and only through repeated practice and effort can we truly master the ability to persevere.

Our perseverance with ordinary tasks can lead to big accomplishments. We are all ordinary individuals, but if we approach a task earnestly and dedicatedly, we will become extraordinary. Let me give you an example. In July this year, I attended the AP Annual Conference in the United States and met a student of mine from forty years ago. Back then, she wasn't the most outstanding one. Now, she is the director of the Washington University School of Medicine and leads a team of foreign medical professionals, which is rare in the United States. Furthermore, the former director of the School of Medicine was a Nobel laureate. The school specifically invited her to lead a team, which demonstrates her exceptional competence. This example illustrates that perseverance leads to excellence.

Student life is a long process of learning and growth. Please remember that success is not achieved overnight; it requires continuous effort and dedication. Both academic achievements and personal development require consistent investment of time and effort. Please set clear goals for yourselves, persistently pursue them, don't give up in challenging times, maintain a positive attitude, and continuously progress and grow.

A shared vision is what students aspire to achieve in terms of education and personal growth: achieve outstanding academic results, strengthen leadership skills and teamwork spirit, develop interpersonal and communication skills, foster creativity and innovative thinking skills, to bring out and showcase your best selves.

Such a vison can motivate us to work harder and pursue a brighter future. It can provide us with clear objectives and allows us to take planned actions. It can bring hope, making us believe in a brighter future and filling us with motivation and courage. It can drive us to step out of our comfort zone, accept challenges, and consistently surpass ourselves. Let's turn this vision into a shared aspiration for all students. By collectively establishing shared values, we can keep inspiring one another.

During the AP Annual Conference this July, I heard a story about an American teacher who, through a shared vision, united a class of students with varying levels of abilities and helped each one of them make tremendous progress.

SHBS is a magical place created by us all. Together, let’s further refine and improve our community culture and atmosphere to empower the tremendous progress of every one of us. I believe that at SHBS, this nurturing family, every student has the opportunity to shine and be their best selves.

I wish you all excellent achievements and unforgettable experiences in this new school year, and together, let’s pursue our dreams and create a bright future.

Thank you!