- On September 21, 2012, Founder's Day will launch celebrations to mark 80 years of Yew Chung education.

HONG KONG, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- All Yew Chung International School (YCIS) and Yew Wah International Education School (YWIES) campuses will honour the milestone of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the schools. Over 8,000 students and 2,000 staff members on campuses across Greater China, in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Qingdao, Yantai and Shenzhen, along with Silicon Valley in the US, will gather for a day of activities and special acknowledgements. Sports opportunities for all ages will highlight the schools' spirit of success, achievement and integration.

(Photo http://www.ycis-schools.com/edm/80th_anniversary.html)

(Caption: Over the eight decades since, YCIS has remained committed to educating the whole person, combining the best elements of Eastern and Western philosophies.)

Eighty years can be a lifetime. For Yew Chung it is a momentous stage and a chance to honour its founder, Madam Tsang Chor-hang, and her legacy, which is still receiving world recognition today. Madam Tsang Chor-hang was inspired to provide education to young children starting in 1932 in Hong Kong. Her strength, devotion and commitment bore fruits as she continued through decades of much change in the region.

Over the eight decades since, YCIS has remained committed to educating the whole person, combining the best elements of Eastern and Western philosophies. The YCIS international curriculum brings excellence in all-round achievement, and is rooted in bilingual education and multicultural environments. The enhancement of good character formation holds high value in the balanced education provided. Students are given the opportunity to enrich their appreciation, respect and acceptance of other cultures.

During the 1980s and 1990s YCIS recognised that a new education path was necessary for youth to prepare for a changing world. This new direction steers students to develop a global mindset to cope with an unknown future. Today's 21st century society is fast evolving from local to global with horizons and perspectives widening at an unprecedented pace. A traditional national education is no longer adequate; YCIS has instilled new criteria to its daily education program to nurture students with a global mindset and respect for diversity. With proficiency in English and Chinese languages students are able to gain understanding of two major civilisations. YCIS students go beyond borders, develop a global mindset and embrace the world with confidence.

Annually YCIS graduates gain multiple acceptances to highly respected universities, including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK; Princeton University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkerly in the US; among other sought-after university placements in Asia and Australasia, adding to the expanding profile of university placements across the world's top universities. YCIS graduates regularly gain scholarships based on their school achievement such as scholarships from Parsons the New School for Design, and Savannah College of Art and Design.

(Photo http://www.ycis-schools.com/edm/cie_award.html)

(Caption: In 2012 the YCIS network of schools was the first in China to be awarded the Cambridge Award for Excellence in Education)

The strength of a YCIS education is identified through continuous worldwide recognition. YCIS Director Dr Betty Chan Po-king, daughter of the founder Madam Tsang Chor-hang, was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in recognition of her success in advocating the best practices of both East and West in education and her outstanding contributions in early childhood education. In 2012 the YCIS network of schools was the first in China to be awarded the Cambridge Award for Excellence in Education, with students consistently gaining world and national outstanding academic achievements.

YCIS Hong Kong was awarded the Reader's Digest Trusted Brand Gold Award in the international school category for the second consecutive year in 2012. Reader's Digest collated the annual survey results to show credibility, value, trustworthiness and social responsibility to its customers and YCIS was a clear winner.

YCIS alumni are very welcome to join the Founder's Day event to celebrate our 80th anniversary. The invitation stretches to all previous YCIS students of any age.

Please contact us at (852) 2339 6942 or secretariat@alumni.ycef.com for further information. Visit www.yewchungalumni.com or the Facebook page of Yew Chung Alumni Association for updates on activities.

SOURCE Yew Chung International School