Saturday, 3 November 2012 was a particularly memorable day for the BCIS Roots & Shoots group. Founded in September 2011 by April Xiaoyi Xu, then a tenth-grader at Beijing City International School, the Roots & Shoots group has been inspiring and empowering individuals to respect our environment with compassion and care. Members have taken leadership initiatives and used their personal strengths and talents to develop two main projects: Organic Grow and the No Shark Fin Campaign.
At the Gala Dinner event ‘An Evening with Jane Goodall’, April, along with the Animal Committee student leader Gurkriti Singh, represented the group to receive the Annual Roots & Shoots Achievement Award from UK Ambassador Wood and British scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, the founder of Roots & Shoots. Both students were delighted to be supported by eight of their peers and teachers from BCIS.
The Achievement Award has been a great motivation. Inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall’s speeches at the Gala Dinner and her visit to the school on the following Monday, Roots & Shoots BCIS will continue to extend its influence. Its growth is charactised by its joint advocacy projects with the Bergen School of New Jersey, and its plans to develop a Roots & Shoots Club at the Elementary School.
Photo courtesy of BCIS
