Activities and Sport Weekly Update - Mar. 20

Tiger Classic T&F Taipei

The Concordia Track & Field program traveled to Taipei American School for the premier high school track and field meet in Asia. After weeks of hard work to prepare for this event the Concordia squad did not disappoint! The weekend was highlighted by sophomore E. Erny earning the silver medal in the boy’s javelin with a massive throw of 42 meters on night one of competition. Erny then followed up on Saturday by setting a new school record in the 110m hurdles with a blazing time of 16.05. Freshmen K. Fujiware ran to a 4th place finish in the 400m and missed the extremely competitive men’s 100m final by just one spot, finishing in 9th. The dynamic distance running duo of senior J. Lou and freshmen M. Zhang cruised to 5th and 6th place finishes in the men’s 3000m setting huge personal bests.

Not to be out done the Concordia girls also saw the benefits of their hard work play out in the competition. Senior captain R. Ang earned the heat win in the 400m dash storming ahead of the competition. With Ang leading the way the Concordia girls 4x400m and 4x100m finished just out of the medals in 4th place. Also of note was freshmen A. Guo’s team leading performances in the long, high, and triple jumps.

MS Honor Orchestra Guangzhou

The Middle School Honor Orchestra Festival, hosted by the American International School of Guangzhou, brought together talented young musicians from leading international schools across China for a collaborative and immersive musical experience. A total of 14 middle school musicians from Concordia International School Shanghai participated in the event, joining peers from the International School of Beijing, Shanghai American School Puxi and Pudong, and AISG. This gathering highlighted the strength of international school collaboration and provided students with the opportunity to engage in a high-level ensemble beyond their home campuses.

A key highlight of the festival was the opportunity for students to work under the direction of Dr. Yiwen Shen, a highly accomplished Chinese composer, conductor, and pianist. Dr. Shen currently teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) School of Music, the Tianjin Juilliard School, and the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. He is an internationally recognized musician whose compositions and conducting have been performed across the globe, and he is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and competition prizes in both composition and conducting. His leadership provided students with expert musical guidance while also exposing them to professional-level artistry and expectations.

Over the course of the festival, students participated in intensive rehearsals, including both sectional and full orchestra settings, focused on developing technique, ensemble cohesion, and musical interpretation. The experience culminated in a final concert performance, showcasing the collective work of the ensemble. Beyond the performance itself, the festival fostered meaningful connections among students and reinforced the value of the performing arts in international education, promoting collaboration, confidence, and a shared commitment to musical excellence.

SISAC MS Volleyball

The MS girls C1 volleyball team traveled to Wellington International School on Saturday for the SISAC tournament, determined to finish their season strong. Despite missing a few key starters, the entire team demonstrated strong teamwork and resilience, improving with each point. D2 players who joined the lineup rose to the challenge and adapted quickly to the faster gameplay, contributing significantly. Overall, the girls enjoyed competing, developed their skills, and made lasting memories together.

The middle school boys volleyball team had a fantastic season marked by strong effort, positive energy, and excellent sportsmanship. Throughout practices, matches, and the final SISAC tournament, each and every player had opportunities to develop their skills and contribute on the court. Thank you to our players and families for their support in helping create a fun, inclusive, and growth-focused team environment this season.

Every tournament is a chance for the students to learn about themselves and how to be part of a team, and this weekend was no different. With two C2 girls teams, approximately 13 seventh and eighth-grade girls, representing Concordia at SAS Pudong we had the chance to play four games. The girls won, lost, and tied games (each game lasted up to 30 min), and they grew so much as volleyball players and teammates. The girls showed great sportsmanship by encouraging their teammates on and off the court and cheering for the other Concordia team. We can’t wait until next year for more chance to play.

This past Saturday, March 14th, the MS Junior girls’ volleyball team traveled to their very first tournament, hosted by Dulwich Puxi. The girls rose to the occasion, winning all five games against strong competition from schools including SCIS, YCIS and Dulwich Pudong.

Considering the team only began practicing together in February, their growth and success on the court has been nothing short of amazing. We can’t wait to see them continue to shine and grow together, both in games and beyond. Go Phoenix!

Making Waves in Xi’an: ACAMIS Junior Long Course Championships

Our swim team recently traveled to Xi’an to compete in the ACAMIS long course swimming championships. Eighteen swimmers from our program, aged 9–12, represented the school at the competition.

For many of our swimmers, racing in a 50-meter pool was a new and exciting challenge. Long course swimming requires different pacing, endurance, and race strategies compared with the pools where most of our swimmers usually train and compete.

The meet was a very positive experience for the team. Every swimmer achieved personal best times during the competition, showing clear progress and strong commitment to their training. Throughout the meet, the swimmers supported one another and demonstrated great teamwork and sportsmanship.

We are very proud of the effort and improvement shown by the entire team. Their performances reflect the hard work they have put in this season, and this experience will continue to motivate them as they develop as swimmers.

AMIS HS Honor Choir

Concordia was well represented at the AMIS HS Asian Honor Choir Festival this past week, with four of our high school choir singers successfully auditioning into the highly competitive ensemble. Hosted by Korean International School Jeju, this festival marked the 50th anniversary of AMIS HS Choir worldwide. Our guest conductor, Maria A. Ellis, shared her choral expertise and passion though a varied program themed around connection and belonging, which included classical repertoire such as W.A. Mozart’s “Lacrismosa”, challenging contemporary choral music such as “Domine Deus” and “I Dream A World”, and a high energy Gospel closer of “Let Everything that Hath Breath” that brought the house down!
Our students, whether they were first-time AMIS participants or veterans of many festivals, had a transformative experience both as musicians and as choir community members. Maria Ellis’ passion for bringing singers together deepened the friendships our students already had. Concordia’s community should be so proud of them for being leaders, stepping up to serve as soloists and dancers during the concert and reaching out to students from other schools to bring the whole choir together for this unique moment!

Besides the musical experiences, they also had an opportunity to explore what Jeju had to offer - learning the culture and history of the Haenyeo divers, eat black pork bbq and Korean tamen, and experience the sunny beach vibes that draws tourists from all over the world to Jeju Island.  

Our cohort, including Mr. Gaines, Ms. Yu, Selah M., Stephan N., Jayven C. and Hannah L., all had an amazing time and are thrilled to bring some choir passion back to Concordia just in time for our concert next week, March 25th at 7:30pm! We hope to see you there!