With air pollution a chief concern among parents, more Beijing international schools are taking into account the health and safety of students. On Saturday, October 25, The British School of Beijing (Shunyi campus) became the latest school to get on board with the opening of their brand new sports dome. To celebrate the official opening, BSB invited students, teachers, parents, and the extended BSB community to the school for a morning of sports tournaments and activities. Two student captains of the school’s netball team officially opened the dome in a ribbon cutting ceremony. Following the ceremony, guests were able to tour the dome followed by the campus.
“We are delighted that the dome has come to fruition, meaning that students can now play in safe, healthy air, whatever the conditions outside. As parents, we want our children to learn well and be happy at school, but their safety is the number one priority for all of us. Our thanks go to Nord Anglia Education for the investment, but also to all the teachers, students and parents who have helped to make this fantastic facility a reality,” says Principal Andy Puttock.
The dome measures 66m by 19m, covers the school’s external basketball courts, and can house several activities at the same time. It features a powerful air handling and filtration system and is fully temperature controlled. According to BSB faculty, the dome has already been specifically equipped for a range of sports including football, badminton, basketball, handball and volleyball, and is already being used in the curriculum in the after school activity program.
Students from Grade 2 and 3 drew pictures and wrote about reasons they love the new dome. Answers included “because the dome has fresh air; because we have a place to play when the school has indoor play.”
Photos: Courtesy of BSB
