Keystone All-Star Leadership Team Makes its Debut at AmCham China

BEIJING, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Keystone Academy recently hosted its first public-media event for more than 50 representatives from foreign and local media and other organizations at AmCham China in Beijing. The event provided an opportunity for Keystone Academy's leadership to introduce the school to the wider public as it prepares for its opening in Fall 2014 and for media and community partners to initiate dialogue with the school's leadership team members. Mr. Malcolm McKenzie, Head of School, Ms. Mary Jew, Head of Primary School, Mr. Michael Yi, Head of Middle School, Ms. Gillian Ashworth, Head of High School, Mr. David Beare, Dean of Academic Life, Ms. Wendy Bradley, Dean of Student Life and Ms. Rachael Beare, Dean of Admission, each presented to and answered questions from the attendees.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131119/CN17014 )

Head of School Mr. Malcolm McKenzie, who has more than 20 years of experience as Head of School at schools in three different continents, commenced the meeting by personally introducing himself and the other leadership team members, and each member's professional experiences, which include posts at prestigious private- and public-educational institutions around the world such as The Hotchkiss School, Deerfield, Exeter, Loomis Chaffee, and Lowell High School in the U.S., the ISF Academy in Hong Kong, Maru-a-Pula School in Botswana and the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales.

Speaking about his decision to become Head of Keystone Academy, Mr. McKenzie said that "Having already worked on three continents, moving to Asia, and especially China, seemed a natural progression. Keystone truly is the opportunity of a lifetime, for me and for all who will learn, live and work here."

Other highlights of the session included discussion about the Academy's three keystones:

Bilingual immersion in Chinese and English;

Building character and community in a residential setting;

Promoting Chinese culture and identity in a world context.

Bilingual Immersion in Chinese and English
Head of Primary School Ms. Mary Jew introduced Keystone's bilingual immersion program, which will consist of 70% Chinese and 30% English instruction in Foundation Year and Year 1, and 50% Chinese and 50% English instruction in Years 2-5. Ms. Jew emphasized that teachers are "language teachers" first, and that the program will stress teaching language not in isolation, but as attached to meaningful content study - whereas traditional language study separates language into a language class, the Academy's program uses language to teach subjects such as Math, Language Arts, and Science, for example. English and Chinese are never used in the same class in order to promote the focus and understanding of the language in which the content is being taught. This environment will not only equip students with the ability to use the language fluently, but also increase their capacity to obtain knowledge, and adapt to and integrate into new environments, said Ms. Jew. Supported by research over more than 20 years, bilingual immersion programs, Ms. Jew stated, consistently produce students who excel in all academic subject areas and who, in cross-cultural settings, are able naturally and effectively to communicate, and share their knowledge and experiences.

Building character and community in a residential setting
Dean of Student Life Ms. Wendy Bradley introduced Keystone's U.S.-style boarding program, an enriching novelty in China. Optional for students in Grades 7 and 8 and required in grades 9 through 12, Keystone's residential life is a "home away from home," a place where support, guidance, care and love come together to provide students with a healthy environment for personal growth outside of the classroom, stated Ms. Bradley. In addition to their role as a student, a boarder will have many opportunities to assume other roles including captain or teammate of an athletic team, Class President, Editor of the school newspaper, student ambassador, president or member of a club, and tutor. Teachers will also assume multiple roles as teachers, coaches, "parents" in the student's "home away from home," and cultural ambassadors of their home country. More importantly, said Ms. Bradley, teachers will become a student's friend; they will eat, converse, play sports, and celebrate holidays with students and accompany them on school-related trips. Students will have a unique platform, in Keystone's residential program, to build long-lasting friendships, all the while preparing for university-life, said Ms. Bradley.

Promoting Chinese culture and identity in a world context
Head of School Mr. Malcolm McKenzie introduced Keystone's ambition to integrate into its curriculum a strong "Chinese spine" throughout its Foundation Year to Grade 12. This ambition, said Mr. McKenzie, will drive an emphasis on China in a world context - its history, art, culture, politics and geography - and seek to cultivate a student's interest in Chinese language and culture and reaffirm each local student's Chinese identity. To substantiate this ambition, Chinese Language Arts classes, for example, will introduce students to different genres such as poetry, prose, drama, and essays in Chinese and world literature. The Chinese National Curriculum guidelines and other standards, including those developed at Keystone Academy, will be used for native speakers and Chinese language learners, respectively, to ensure students gain the essential knowledge, key skills and breadth of learning to attain native language and cultural fluency, said Mr. McKenzie. Teachers, foreign and local, will be expected to demonstrate a strong interest in and knowledge of the Chinese culture. And a focus on experiential learning, including place-based learning in Beijing, will provide students with opportunities to learn about the capital as both a Chinese and a world city.

Additionally, said Mr. McKenzie, approximately three quarters of the school's students will be Chinese, and one quarter international. This group dynamic will foster in its Chinese students deep cultural pride and teach them to be more world-minded. For the international students, they will be offered the unique privilege of deep knowledge of their host country, China. In the High School, students will have multiple opportunities to study abroad and participate in global service learning. Keystone will also host students from other top schools in many countries, said Mr. McKenzie.

About Keystone Academy
Keystone Academy is a non-profit, philanthropic venture with a board of trustees. The school, which will enroll its inaugural class in Fall 2014, blends distinctive traditions in eastern, western, and international education, creating a "new world school" that is academically outstanding. At Keystone, we embrace a world that is dynamic and ever-changing. We learn from and we learn for this enterprising, global community.

The Head of School and School Leadership Team are responsible for the daily operations of and major decisions for the school. For more information about Keystone, please visit the school's website at www.keystoneacademy.cn.

Contact:

Sabrina Liu
+86.010.5825.6008
[email protected]

SOURCE Keystone Academy Beijing