Belonging Week: Every Person Matters 

At WAB, belonging is something we want every member of our community to feel, experience, and live. This year’s Belonging Week created intentional moments across all divisions for our community to pause, reflect, and practice the values that lie at our heart: identity, connection, care, and their place here in China. It built coherence, as the whole school was speaking the same language and focused on the same Core Values. The goal was simple yet profound: “I am seen here. I matter here. I belong here.” 

Our youngest learners explored belonging through activities designed by Middle School Ambassadors. Older students transformed each day’s Core Value (shared across Elementary, Middle, and High School) into engaging, developmentally appropriate lessons for their younger peers. From celebrating uniqueness to practicing care and exploring what it means to belong in Beijing, Elementary students experienced lessons shaped directly by student voice, facilitated by their teachers. 

Middle School students reflected on identity, care, and community through prompts, Padlets, visual exercises, and conversations. By asking, “What do people not always see about me?”, they explored how to show up authentically while connecting to their peers and community. These simple but meaningful activities amplified student voice and encouraged personal reflection. 

High School mentors led daily micro-conferences, short 5–10 minute conversations tied to the day’s Core Value. These were genuine spaces for students to reflect on learning, identity, and what it means to belong at WAB.  

Belonging Week extended beyond the classroom. Parent Link led cultural experiences, from cooking and Korean traditional dance to workshops on the origins of Chinese characters, fostering connections across the WAB community. 

The week’s standout moment was the Belonging Mural, designed by our Visual Arts department. Members from the entire WAB community left their handprints around the word BELONG (drawn in sign language), creating an artistic testament of who we are together. 

Belonging isn’t a one-off event for us, it’s part of WAB’s ongoing commitment to wellbeing, identity development, and community culture. Belonging is especially important at a diverse school like WAB, as our students are navigating multiple languages and cultures. Feeling anchored with a sense of belonging at home and at school gives them the resilience, empathy, and confidence to step into the wider world. 

“Belonging is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s academic success and emotional wellbeing. Children who feel they belong are better equipped to navigate differences, to show empathy, and to stand up when something feels wrong. They’re more resilient courageous and open. Belonging becomes the internal compass they carry with them, helping them grow into thoughtful, compassionate global citizens,” says Rachel George, MS Counselor and SEL and Belonging Lead. 

Belonging is nurtured in ordinary moments at WAB: greeting each other in the morning, listening to one another’s thoughts, and staying curious about who we are becoming. These small acts send a powerful message: “You fit here. Your story matters.”