School Heritage
Our Heritage
Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou was the sixth school to join the Dulwich College International family of schools. Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou is made up of approximately 750 students from age 14 to age 19, with over six different nationalities represented in our diverse student body.
Our links to Dulwich College, founded in 1619, are strong, and we collaborate closely with the other schools in the network to encourage an international outlook and create an extended community where academic ability is fostered, creativity is valued, and diversity is celebrated.
We are proud to share a common heritage with all the schools in the DCI network, and equally value the traditions, unique to our school, that we have created since we opened.
Our Traditions
A school's traditions help to build a sense of belonging and community spirit. They also provide a thread of continuity from one generation of students to another and connect the school to its past, present and future. Here are some of the annual traditions in the life of Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou.
Halloween Treasure Hunt
This event is unique to our school. During the day the whole student body is invited to dress up in Halloween or other costumes and each form votes for the student with the most ingenious or outstanding costume. There is a parade of all the winners at lunchtime in the gym and the best three costumes in the school are selected by a panel of judges. Students pay a nominal amount to take part, and the proceeds go to one of our charities. In the evening we have a Halloween-themes dinner. The treasure hunt in the evening is a student-led and organised event that involves almost every student and teacher in the school. In teams of up to 20, they go on a frantic hunt for clues concealed around the school, trying to beat the clock and the other teams. Each cryptic clue reveals the location of the next clue and the clues become increasingly difficult. Some of the clues involve the solving of difficult Maths brain teasers and only a few teams manage to find and solve them all.
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Our students gather in the lobby in front of the Christmas tree for carols sung by a mixed choir of students and staff and a performance by our handbells group before the Christmas tree lights are switched on.
Chinese New Year Celebration
We spend a day celebrating Chinese culture in all its rich and varied forms. Year 10s are off timetable for the day and we invite students from Suzhou High School SIP, DCSZ and No. 6 Middle School to come and join us. The students participate in two workshops covering a diverse range of activities, including Chinese calligraphy, olive pit carving, tea ceremony, dumpling making, Chinese opera and paper-cutting. The day culminates in a concert for all our students and our visitors including some outside performers, such as Chinese opera singers, gymnasts and face-changers. The event is organised by our Chinese Department and our parents.
Video Challenge
Students are invited to join the Video Challenge competition, which involves students working in groups to produce a short video that is judged by a panel including a prominent local film producer. There are numerous categories of videos and prizes are awarded for music composition, videography, choreography, best actor, best producer, and most creative script. The competition culminates in a glamorous and glittering Academy Award-like event, showcasing the winners of our annual Talent Show and some of our best of our school bands.
The Anniversary of the Official Opening of our SIP Campus
We hold a special annual event to celebrate the official opening of our new school campus on the 22nd of April, which also coincides with two other special events: Earth Day on the 22nd of April and Shakespeare’s birthday on the 23rd. The annual Dulwich Shakespeare Festival had its origins in our school and we feel a special connection with Shakespeare and Edward Alleyn, an Elizabethan actor who founded Dulwich College. We place a high value on sustainability and take seriously our individual ethical responsibility for the care and the protection of our planet. All the students work on the theme of sustainability and we hold a special assembly to celebrate this meaningful day for Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou.
Student Leadership
We encourage students to involve themselves in the wider school community and offer support to one another. Our Student Council is made up of students from each year group, who learn to listen and work with one another while voicing the views of their peers. Our most senior students are encouraged to take on additional responsibilities and to act as ambassadors for the school. Each year, our Head Boy and Head Girl are selected from our most senior students and a select number of students are nominated to take on the role of prefects. Our student leadership team set a strong example to younger students and acts as a point of contact for students throughout the school.
Pastoral Care and the House System
The system of pastoral care is highly developed at Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou. Every student is supported by the form tutor as well as the school’s pastoral team, and our students follow a Personal, Social and Health Education course appropriate to their age and coordinated across the year groups.
Our House system is a key component of the school’s pastoral care structure, building a sense of community within the student body and helping to develop students’ leadership skills. Our House Captains are responsible for helping to organise House activities, which normally take the form of friendly competitions.
Our Houses
On arriving at our school, all students and staff are allocated to one of four Houses, where they remain during their time with us. Our Houses are named after inspirational and accomplished people: Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, Soong Qingling, and Alan Turing.
Curie House
Named after Marie Curie, (born November 7, 1867, Warsaw, Congress Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire—died July 4, 1934, near Sallanches, France), Polish-born French physicist, famous for her work on radioactivity and twice a winner of the Nobel Prize. With Henri Becquerel and her husband, Pierre Curie, she was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics. She was the sole winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and she is the only woman to win the award in two different fields.
Mandela House
Named after Nelson Mandela, (born July 18, 1918, Mvezo, South Africa—died December 5, 2013, Johannesburg), Black nationalist and the first Black president of South Africa (1994–99). His negotiations in the early 1990s with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk helped end the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 for their efforts.
Soong House
Named after Soong Qingling, who held several prominent positions in the Chinese government. She founded the China Welfare Institute and was the Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China in 1981. Renowned for her unwavering dedication to advancing the welfare, healthcare, and education of women and children, she was also a staunch advocate for human rights and a tireless supporter of the underprivileged.
Turing House
Named after Alan Turing, a brilliant British mathematician who took a leading role in breaking Nazi ciphers during WWII. He is considered as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. In addition to that, he is one of the most outstanding scientists of the twentieth century. He was a mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and a philosopher.
Uniform
Students at DHSZ are required to wear school uniform, reflecting a long-standing tradition from Dulwich College. Uniform is a badge of pride and school identity.
