Students are fascinated by programs at the "Area of Interaction" festival. Cheng Anqi

"East-and-west!", "Hand-in-hand!" Under the expert direction of Dinos Aristidou, students worked together in groups, responding to the interesting and sometimes wild instructions of their leader.

Aristidou, a consultant for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) and facilitator of the festival, commenced proceedings with a series of 10-second games designed to not only bump up the heart rates of everyone participating, but to also "break the ice" among the students. It worked wonderfully well with students showing great enthusiasm for challenges such as acting like a bowl of rice!

Nearly 120 grade 6 - 10 students from the Beijing City International School (BCIS), International School of Tianjin (IST), Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Beijing BISS International School (BISS), Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA), Tianjin Experimental High School (TEHS) and Beijing No 55 Middle School participated in the "Area of Interaction" (AOI) festival hosted by BCIS last month.

The MYP is for pupils aged 11 to 16, and provides a framework of academic challenges and life skills, achieved through embracing and transcending traditional school subjects.

The theme of the festival was "What on Earth can I do?" Students could choose from a number of workshops: Board Games; Rooftop Gardens - City Gardens; the Millennium Development Goals - From Knowledge to Action; Drama/Arts activity or The Voice of the Festival, and were set three basic tasks: to make friends with students from other schools, to ask each other questions; and to leave with a question.

The international school's philosophy for education is enriching students' understanding of the Areas of Interaction to inspire them to take action and foster cooperation and friendship between students from different backgrounds.

In addition to the MYP, the school offers the full complement of IB Programs via the Primary Years Program (PYP) for Nursery - Grade 5 students, as well as the Diploma Program for Grades 11 and 12. The program encompasses social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.

Drama was the most sought-after section at the festival. It was a great chance to create an original theater piece. Through ensemble exercises, improvisation, movement, music and role play, students explored James Thurber's fable, The Last Flower.

(China Daily April 14, 2008)