Shanghai Community International School

By J. Haakon Gould, Global Engagement Liaison & DP CAS Coordinator

Last weekend, students, families, and faculty joined our Third Edition (6th walk) of the Historic Shanghai Community Walk - a celebration of community-engaged learning where the city itself becomes our classroom.

This Fall, our theme was “Question”, which invites us to wonder, look closer, and see the city with curiosity and intention. Across grade levels, students used guiding questions, such as “What makes a home?”, “How do beliefs shape the spaces we share?”, and “Who am I in the context of my community?” to connect their curriculum to real places, real stories, and real people.

Through weeks of preparation guided by local history experts Patrick and Tina, alongside our teachers, students practiced and refined their scripts while delving into concepts of identity, belief, neighborhoods, culture, mathematics, and the meaning of community in Shanghai.

The walks created a shared learning experience for all students, staff, and families - stepping through the Bund, hearing expert insights, engaging with hands-on activities led by students, and even tackling a few math problems along the way.

Student Voices

“As the Pearl Tower stands out across the skyline - a symbol of the future - it also represents us as diverse students finding and standing in our own identities.” 

— Visual Arts Student

“When we studied religions and ideologies, we realized that every building, statue, and symbol represents a belief. Today, we got to show others how to look for that.” 

— Individuals & Societies Student

“We worked together on a script from Grade 6 and Grade 12 Spanish - learning about neighborhoods, how they change, and how things can disappear when families move. Sharing that on the walk helped our vocabulary and made it meaningful as we saw it firsthand.” 

— Language Acquisition Student

“Behind every equation is a question. Today, we challenged our group to guess the question behind our math problems about shipping, crab noodles, or boxing.” 

— Math Student

Parent Reflection

“I loved seeing my child guide adults with such confidence. This wasn’t just a tour—it was authentic learning. We saw Shanghai, and our children, in a new and fun way.”

Our ongoing partnership with Historic Shanghai continues to bring our educational mission to life, empowering students to learn deeply, ask meaningful questions, and engage with our city with curiosity and purpose.