In the morning, February 27, High School Attached to Shandong Normal University (AHS) held a coming-of-age ceremony for students Grade 2014 to cerebrate their age of 18 in the name of “growth·gratitude· responsibility · promise” in Xingfuliu school. AHS leaders, teachers, students and some parent representatives attended the ceremony.

At 9:40 the solemn flag-raising ceremony marked the beginning of the ceremony, after which Chen Dehai, AHS Vice Headmaster, addressed the best wishes to senior 3 students on behalf of the school. Chen expressed his heart-felt delight to the growing-up of senior 3 students and sent his expectations: do have dreams, have gratitude, be courageous enough to bear due responsibilities and do keep a positive mind to struggle against adversity and frustrations. Chen voiced his hope that everybody should unswervingly follow his or her initial determination and make every effort to proceed as a qualified citizen responsible for oneself, for the family and for the motherland.

Ye Jianjun as a representative of parents conveyed in his speech his encouragement for students to learn to behave as an adult, to be strong-minded and to grow up as a person filled with sunlight and positive energy. Growth not only resides in the outcome but also the process; gratitude is some kind of quality as well as a catalyzer to beautify our life; responsibility needs to be shouldered with more responsibilities to bear and accordingly more chances to take and a better and more colorful life to live; oaths function as the inexhaustible power for the ship of life.

On behalf of all senior 3 students, Yu Shuguang from Class 1 Grade 3 addressed a speech, regarding the ceremony to be something declaring a glory, bursting out a power and promising brilliance. In his speech he expressed his gratitude to parents who have been enduring hardships but still supporting our growth without any complaints and regret, to teachers who in great diligence and patience pass on the truth, impart knowledge and help solve puzzles, and to the school that has provided such a stage to nurture students’ comprehensive development. “Young students should learn to be independent, to be strong and to be responsible to shoulder their due responsibilities. They should proceed with dreams and pursue without hesitation the great Chinese Dream”, added Yu.

Led by Qiu Zhengxuan, Chairman of Students’ union of Xingfuliu School, students Grade 2014 announced their adult oath and bowed gratitude to their teachers and parents. Student representatives of Grade 2015 and 2016 sent their best wishes to their senior schoolmates.

The ceremony ended up with the routine running show. Students in their neat steps and shouting their loud and clear slogans ran through four arched doors respectively printed with “Growth”, “Gratitude”, “Responsibility”, “Dream”, with teachers and their fellow students clapping and cheering aside.

Reported by Zhang Jianhua

Translated by Feng Zhao

Photoed by Yang Yang

Edited by Zhu Yujun

English Editor: Feng Zhao