Mark Thompson 先生是美国弗吉尼亚州North Cross 中学高中部的主任，本科毕业于美国25所文理学院之一的贝茨学院，研究生毕业于波士顿大学，具有丰富的管理和教学经验。在其为期五天的上海新和中学国际部North-Cross之行中， Thompson 主任在开学典礼中就办学理念从学术，社区服务，体育艺术活动等方面给予同学们谆谆教诲和殷切期待。同时，Thompson 主任还在百忙之中抽出时间给12年级学生别开生面的学术升学指导。

以下为Thompson 主任发言原稿

Welcome Parents and Students –

I am so happy to be here at our school and share this time with you. This partnership, in its second year, is the result of hard work, vision, and trust. The administration and teachers and staff work hard to establish the best possible school and educational experience for the students; the students work hard to challenge themselves academically and intellectually, and parents work hard to send their sons or daughters to this school. The vision of this school is to bring an American education to a Chinese school. Mr. Wu, Dr. Proctor and others have helped created this opportunity. And finally, there is a trust and there must be trust among all of us that this school will provide a unique educational program that meets the needs of our students.

The core of an independent school education in the United States, is the emphasis on the academic program. The academic program and preparation for college and university is why you are here. The goal of our program is to teach students to think, to write, to create, to discover, and to explore. It is not just to get the math problem or math equation correct or use the correct formula, it is to understand the concepts and understand basic as well as complicated and complex mathematical principles. It is to read Shakespeare and realize that many basic human emotions and conditions have not changed since those plays were written over 400 years ago. Education is not just about facts or dates or information – an educated person must be able to make connections between topics, they must be able to decipher nuances and symbolism, they must be able to think analytically. In addition, they must be able to express themselves and speak clearly and with confidence and they must be able to write effectively. As we prepare students for college, we must understand students are most successful when they can think independently and enjoy learning and discovering new ideas and new ways to express themselves – whether through the written or spoken word, digital media, or another method.

Independent schools in the United States also value the arts and athletics. Along with academics, arts, and athletics make up the three principle foundations of a private school. Whether it is music, fine arts, instrumental music or singing, theatre, or the digital arts or creative writing – art is an important part of an education that contributes to a well-rounded student and person. Likewise, athletics is an important pursuit for many students in the United States. It brings about a new level of fitness and a new level of confidence. It can be a stress reducer after a long day of studying. It teaches sportsmanship and team work. Athletics, like academics and the arts, places a huge value on hard work, perseverance, and highlighting that an individual’s small contribution can be significant and is often essential for the success of the team.

As my colleague and college counselor at North Cross School will tell you – colleges in the United States want smart and capable students – but they also want and expect students are well rounded. That is, they have experience and perhaps expertise in the arts and or athletics. That they contribute to their school and community in multiple ways.

And the mission of North Cross School is not just about scholarship – it is not just about becoming smarter and learning more. The academic goals are critical – but it is also just as important that students are good citizens, that they exhibit good character traits, that they are good people. As an extension, we also place a high value on the idea of community. We want our community of students to excel in the classroom, we want them to excel in the arts, we want them to excel in athletics, and we want them to be excellent and upstanding citizens.

I want to share some pictures with you that help capture what North Cross School is like. I have not included academic pictures for a reason. I want to emphasize the other aspects of our school that I think are vitally important.

It is privilege and pleasure to visit with you this week. I am pleased with the first year that just ended a few months ago, and I am eager and excited to see the many successes that your students will achieve in the upcoming school year.

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