Activities
Student clubs and activities extend far outside the classroom, including both interests and community service.
A historic day for the future of Western Academy of Beijing's iconic Duck Lake.
Clubs
Global Citizenship
Student CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Student clubs provide opportunities for students to work together around a specific interest and follow their shared passions. The clubs available for WAB students to join is subject to change in a given year as interests fluctuate and personal schedules allow.
Below are a sample of the clubs that have been formed by students in recent years:
Elementary
- WABTV
This ASA is responsible for producing the weekly WAB TV episode. Students develop their writing, reporting, editing, filming and producing skills. - Beginner Kung Fu
Learn from a Shao Lin Master. Explore the movements and traditions as learnt by the monks in the Shao Lin Temple. - Mad Science
At our science lab, children can participate in cool experiments they don't get to do in class, including dissecting a fish, dust explosions and many more!
- Makerspace
Students have an opportunity to learn about robotics and engineering principles through products such as MakeBlock, Lego and Scratch. - Student-led Activities
Students in Grade 5 can also lead an after-school activity. Examples have included Minecraft, coding, dance and art and a variety of sports.
Middle School and High School
- Student Council
Each school section at WAB has its own Student Council, acting as the voice of the student body, and contributing to the ongoing development of our school. Involvement and responsibility grow as students move through the school sections, with the High School eventually organizing large social events. - World Scholars Cup
The World Scholar's Cup is a global organization where students compete as a team in debate, writing, and subject categories. Students will compete locally and, if they score well enough, they are invited to travel abroad in June to compete. If they score high enough in the summer global round, they are invited to an elite round at a prestigious university abroad. - Tiger Sports Network
As part of WAB broadcasting team, Tiger Sports Network is an after-school activity where students live stream APAC sports and other campus-wide activities. Technical team members operate the Tri-Caster and on-field cameras, while announcers comment on games and conduct interviews with coaches and players. - Yearbook Committees
In the Middle School, students put their creative minds together as part of an ASA to help design and plan the layout for school yearbook. In the High School, students take on much more work, and actually produce the yearbook largely on their own.
- ACAMIS Teams Mathematical Challenge
Teams of Grade 9 and 10 students race to answer math questions of increasing difficulty in a given time. - YBM (Young Business Minds)
To set up enterprise initiatives created by students. - Geek Force
The Geek Force is the specialist squad of students who have interest and experience in information and communication technology. The team works closely with WAB's IT team and participates in exciting technology projects and events within and outside of WAB. - Model United Nations (MUN)
MUN is the ideal activity for students who are interested in world differences and public speaking and who would like to make a difference. Students follow the same format as the United Nations to try to solve issues currently facing the world. - Inkblot
Inkblot is WAB's student-run magazine. Distributed throughout the High School, the publication contains student articles, reviews, art and other work by our High School students. - Writing Lab
A 'drop-in' lab open to all students who need help with a specific writing task.
Global Citizenship
At WAB, student-run groups challenge themselves and others by matching their interests with meaningful projects, all with the guidance of CAS coordinator and activity supervisors.
Some of these groups participate in the annual Global Issues Conference, while others receive recognition through the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award which is designed to foster a spirit of adventure, discovery and community responsibility. CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) is a continuation of WAB's Global Citizenship program for Grade 11 and 12 students, and a mandatory core component of the IB Diploma Programme. CAS is the heart of the diploma and takes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a refreshing counterbalance to academic studies. The CAS components are an integral part of the WAB mission to connect, inspire, challenge and make a difference. We currently run over 60 CAS-related activities and projects in the High School.
Below are just some of a long list of Global Citizenship and CAS endeavors undertaken throughout WAB:
Roots & Shoots (R&S)
In 1994, WAB was honored to become the first home in China for the “Roots & Shoots” program of the Jane Goodall Institute. With tens of thousands of young people in almost 100 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe.
Pro Farmer Project
This student-led activity works towards reducing poverty, as defined by the United Nations developmental goals. The focus of the group has been assisting farming communities of rural China to sell their products, and returning the profits from the sales to the community.
Those interested in reducing poverty, learning about marketing, budgeting and sales, are invited to join the Pro Farmer Project!
Kuthor School Foundation
The Kuthor School Foundation started at WAB as a result of one WAB family's visit to the Kuthor School in 2008. Efforts to support the Kuthor School continued with the Grade 12 Legacy Project in 2012, and WAB students continue to support this orphanage school and village through fundraisers like clothing drives, the scarf drive and other awareness-raising events.
Migrant School Group
The Migrant School group started 5 years ago as a Grade 10 Personal Project. It has developed since then, and now includes a group of students who visit a local migrant school on Saturday mornings, a fundraising group, and a small group who go to a local Elementary school to work with the students on pronunciation. Students may choose to be involved in whichever part of the project interests them.
Jiashan-Jingxi Partnership
The ‘Build a School’ project began in 2008 as a Grade 8 homeroom initiative to raise money to help disadvantaged children in China. Students hosted a variety of fundraisers, including selling aquariums they had made in science class, and holding a student ‘lock out’. In 2009, the group donated those funds to Jiashan Primary School, a school in Gansu province that was severely damaged by the devastating earthquake of 2008.
